DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 23-year-old female cocker spaniel named Ed. She was just diagnosed with very bad diabetes. It has been a horrific, heartbreaking ordeal.

The vet is still trying to determine what dose of Vetsulin to administer. She is currently refusing to eat, and has to be fed critical-care food orally by syringe. We will have to increase the syringe feedings to give her the Vetsulin. She takes Entyce, an appetite stimulant, once per day. The vet said she may be insulin-resistant, as well as possibly having Cushing’s disease. Can Cushing’s be determined by a blood test easily?

We have two days to make a decision as to what we will do, and we do not want her to suffer in any way. Is there any advice you would give us about how to move forward? This is a most difficult decision to make, and our hearts are in such pain to think about seeing her go. -- L.P., New Rochelle, New York

DEAR L.P.: Your dog has reached a remarkable age. From your account, it seems that chronic organ failure has set in, which could be partially rectified with various medications, after more tests and determining the proper dosages -- but to what end?

If this were my dog, I would provide whatever she likes to eat and give her lots of tender loving care (including relaxing and anxiety-relieving massage therapy, as per my book “The Healing Touch for Dogs”), and let her go. No more medications or tests. Whether this answer upsets or relieves you, do let me know.

L.P. replies:

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for reaching out to me. Yesterday, we said goodbye to her, and my heart is crushed. It’s so hard to lose our companions when we love them as family. I’m trying to focus on believing we made the right decision in not allowing her to suffer, but it’s still very hard to convince myself. I have been filled with guilt and second-guessing if we decided to let her go too soon.

You have relieved me somewhat, and for that, I’m grateful. Thank you for the wonderful work you do on behalf of all beloved animals. I will refer to your website as soon as we are able to welcome another loving animal in our lives. -- L.P.

DEAR L.P.: I always hesitate to recommend euthanasia, because it is such a huge responsibility, and often a painful decision to make for a loved one. Most veterinarians feel this burden when having to euthanize terminally ill animal patients, and those whose owners cannot afford costly treatments that may or may not improve the animal’s quality of life. But there are some who would delay this -- not necessarily just to make more money, but because they see some diseases (like your dog’s diabetes) as conditions that should always be treated, rather than focusing on the whole animal. The caregiving burden and continued worry of the animal’s owner-clients must also be considered. Sending warm regards and my condolences.

EXPANDED WILDLIFE SLAUGHTER UNDER TRUMP

DEAR DR. FOX: Have you seen this article in The Washington Post? Headline: “Trump administration makes it easier for hunters to kill bear cubs and wolf pups in Alaska.” This is so inhumane, so terrible, so upsetting, so depressing.

What can we do? -- M.S., Washington, D.C.

DEAR M.S.: Yes, I have read this newspaper article; elsewhere, I read that one Alaskan wildlife official said this measure is intended for “subsistence hunters.” That is an insult to indigenous peoples. This is a relaxation of wildlife hunting regulations for “sport” and “trophy” hunters -- with the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. being a dedicated advocate of such activities, and of the deregulation of wildlife protections. If he were my son, I would disown him. Taxpayers paid $75,000 last year to provide him with Secret Service protection during his sheep-killing trip to Mongolia, during which he killed a member of a threatened sheep species before receiving a permit.

As to your question about what can we do: We can vote and elect the kind of leadership at federal and state levels that does not regard animals as objects, commodities and “harvestable natural resources.” This state of mind is called speciesism, which is part of the same degenerate and spiritually corrupting attitude toward the Spirit of Life that is behind the endemic problems of racism, sexism and classism here in the U.S and around much of the world.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Philosopher and priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin famously wrote, “Everything that rises must converge.” There is a convergence today in the United States, and around the world, of ethical, legal and moral concerns about racism, speciesism, oppression, poverty, exploitation and cruelty. Likewise, there is a call for equal justice for all under the banner of the Golden Rule.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which is anthropogenic -- a consequence of our exploitation and killing of animals for food -- is sending psychological, political and socioeconomic shockwaves around the world. It is making us confront how the soon-to-be 8 billion of us are living, and is kindling the fires of ethical accountability.

My friend Thomas Berry, the late environmentalist and priest, saw this convergence of environmental justice, social justice, animal rights and environmental protection as the beginning of the “ecozoic” age: a time of ecological awareness and responsibility to ensure economic, social and environmental justice, determining the quality of life of future generations of humans and animals. Thomas wrote the foreword to my book “Animals & Nature First: Creating a New Covenant for Animals and Nature,” which promotes the concepts of One Health, One Justice, One Economy and One Earth. If religion cannot move us, then surely reason can. Where there is passion and compassion for all life, as well as awe, wonder and, above all, enthusiasm for ethical values, there is hope.

DEAR DR. FOX: My husband and I have a nearly 14-year-old Siberian feline, Niki. He is a much-loved and well-treated member of our family. He will sometimes join us on our deck, but prefers to find a soft, sunny spot indoors. He returns our affection by wanting to be close to us for brushing, petting, etc.

Our concern is his coughing: It starts as a dry cough, but ends up as a wet one (like he’s trying to cough up phlegm). We have taken him to a veterinarian, who has prescribed allergy medication (chlorpheniramine maleate). His lungs are clear, per X-ray, but we are concerned as Niki still struggles with this coughing three or four times a day. He also is taking prednisone once a day for asthma.

We give him his meds in a pill pocket. He gets occasional dental treats, and his regular food is canned Hills c/d. -- L.W. & J.W., Boone, North Carolina

DEAR L.W & J.W.: Your cat’s symptoms could mean a number of issues. Some cats diagnosed with asthma have a food allergy, so a change in diet is called for. The whole-grain corn and corn gluten meal listed in the prescription diet you are feeding Niki could be a contributing factor. Corn and glutens have no place in a cat’s diet, since they are obligate carnivores.

I especially like The Honest Kitchen’s freeze-dried cat food; that, or my home-prepared diet (posted on DrFoxOneHealth.com), may help. Other potential reasons for the cough include irritation and chemical sensitivity to formaldehyde-releasing carpets, various floor cleaners and other in-home chemicals. Also, the dust in some cat litters can be problematic, so a change in cat litter may help. Try washed sand or shredded newspaper for a while.

The most common reason for cats gagging and making distressing sounds is that they have fur caught in their gullets from self-grooming and swallowing, so groom your cat well every day. Offer some sprouted wheat grass or mashed green beans or butterbeans in his food, as the natural roughage can help get clear the trapped fur. Fur accumulates in a cat’s stomach if not fully regurgitated or passed in the stools, leading to trichobezoars: solid balls of fur in the stomach that can impair appetite and digestion before moving into the intestines and causing blockages.

So you need to do some more detective work on your cat’s problem. The current medication that has been prescribed may or may not help.

Excessive grooming because of thyroid disease, with a lot of fur being swallowed, as well as fluid in the lungs from cardiac problems, can also lead to the kind of coughing fits your cat is exhibiting. Keep me posted.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins wants to cap the fees pet stores can charge for shelter dogs, in order to close a loophole in an ordinance that allows commercially bred dogs to be sold as “rescues” in pet stores. Two businesses in Iowa that supplied dogs to Chicago stores agreed to close and pay $60,000 in fines for operating “sham rescue groups.”

This dubious activity may be going on in other states, so I urge all who are looking for canine or feline companions to seek out a legitimate animal rescue, shelter or refuge organization. For humane and public health reasons, pet stores should be prohibited from selling puppies and kittens from breeders. Ditto for across-state-lines internet sales of animals. People have become ill from infections carried by pet store puppies and other animals. Inadequately screened dogs brought up from southern to northern states, some veterinarians contend, have increased the incidence of canine diseases like heartworm and giardia in the local dog population.

For similar animal welfare and public health reasons, I would outlaw the sales of any wild animal species -- reptile, amphibian, crustacean, fish, bird or small mammal -- from wholesale-retail market chains. The live-animal markets in China, where it is thought this devastating COVID-19 pandemic arose, surely serve as warning enough.

Animals are not commodities and require proper, informed care, a knowledge of which impulse-buyers may lack. Better to adopt, and phase out commercialized animal exploitation. Responsible rescue and re-homing organizations provide information as to proper care -- for any kind of animal, from rats and ferrets to gerbils and bunnies -- and expect compliance, including home inspections for some rescued species. But non-domesticated species bred in captivity or taken from the wild should not be regarded as “pets” because, with rare exception, the natural environmental and social conditions they require cannot be provided, and they suffer the consequences of a dispirited existence for human enjoyment.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just read disturbing information on the product Bravecto, and now need to know how to protect my 10-year-old American Staffordshire terrier from fleas and ticks. She has a recurring skin condition and breaks out in whelps about twice a year. She is allergic to the meds that have been prescribed (Clavamox and others in the same family). I’ve been giving her Benadryl to soothe the itching, but I’m looking for some guidance on what else to do. -- S.P., Palm City, Florida

DEAR S.P., Yours is one of many letters I receive in the spring and the fall, concerning dogs who have an environmental allergy aggravated by fleas and complicated by flea-bite hypersensitivity. Poor nutrition can also play a role, as can swimming in a pond or stream, which can mean a damp coat and fungal infection. Many older dogs have low thyroid activity and derive much benefit from thyroid hormone supplementation, including better skin and coat condition.

Essential fatty acids are vital for many body functions, including the health and integrity of the skin. A few drops of fish oil daily (or one canned sardine) in your dog’s food will help, plus 1 teaspoon of brewer’s or nutritional yeast per 35 pounds of body weight. This yeast product is rich in B vitamins, and many veterinarians and pet owners contend that it helps keeps fleas away.

A daily teaspoon (per 35 pounds of body weight) of local honey or bee pollen has helped subdue allergy problems in many dogs with a skin issue like yours.

If your dog does swim -- and please, dog owners, never allow this if your dog has a topical anti-flea and -tick treatment or wears a pesticide collar, since these chemicals are deadly to aquatic life -- rinse her off well to get rid of possibly toxic blue-green algae that kills dogs every summer, and dry her thoroughly.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)