The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an English springer spaniel of 14 years. He has a great disposition and is loved by all, and the vet says he is in good shape for his age.

However, lately he has started to eat dirt and drink water from potted plants on our porch. At those times, he has access to a bowl of dog food (Purina One dry food) topped with some morsels of our dinner, and plenty of water.

He is starting to feel his age -- arthritis, hearing loss, etc. Is eating dirt also an age problem? How do I solve it? -- C.J.W., Brick, New Jersey

DEAR C.J.W.: Your dog's condition is called pica, an abnormal appetite for almost anything that can be swallowed. When it is dirt and plant vegetation, I suspect chronic gastric irritation, or possibly cancer in an older dog. Pica may help temporarily alleviate the internal discomfort from such a condition and even trigger vomiting, which can feel like a relief. (Vomiting will also rid the dog of any undigested pieces of a toy or other indigestible material, if that turns out to be the source of the trouble.)

But before you take your dog for a full veterinary checkup, I would strongly advise that you consider a possible nutrient deficiency: The dog may be instinctively seeking to remedy this deficiency by eating natural roughage and bacteria-rich soil. This is common in dogs fed the kind of diet yours is being given. For details, see the book "Big Kibble" by Shawn Buckley and veterinarian Dr. Oscar Chavez.

Transition your dog to my home-prepared dog food (posted on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/dog-food-recipe), with or without the addition of some better-quality dry dog food, such as Earth Animal's Wisdom dog food -- which my dog relishes! Note that for some dogs, dry food is more palatable after it has been soaked in hot water.

Both dogs and cats will engage in pica and swallow various materials, which could necessitate abdominal surgery to remove blockages and repair damaged intestines. They may do this for many reasons: boredom, curiosity, desire for more dietary roughage, or a need to alleviate oral discomfort (especially teething pups, and adult cats with all-too-common dental problems). Because of their raspy tongues with backward-directed spines, cats have difficulty removing materials like string and dental floss once it gets in their mouths. It is easier for them to swallow the material, which could lead to emergency surgery. Dogs and especially cats are attracted to plastics, so all electrical cords should be kept out of reach to avoid electrocution when chewed, especially with young animals.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 6-month-old Australian shepherd who has been eating her poop since we got her at 8 weeks old. Our vet recommended adding a product called For-bid to her food. We tried that for about four weeks with no success. We then tried NaturVet's Coprophagia Stool Eating Deterrent for approximately three weeks with no success. A friend recommended canned pumpkin, which we have been giving her with her food for a month -- again, no success.

We try to pick up her poop and dispose of it before she can get it, but when she sees me approaching, she quickly gobbles it down. Is there a deficiency in her system that causes this? What can we do? -- J.A., via email

DEAR J.A.: I am disappointed with your veterinarian's response in addressing what is called coprophagia. This behavior can be normal for certain animals and in certain situations. For instance, a mother dog will work to keep her den clean, and will eat the poop of her pups to do so. And some species, like rabbits, engage in "refection" -- eating their own poop to get additional nutrients provided by the bacteria in the feces.

Beginning at such a young age, your dog's coprophagia may resemble an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some dogs who are coprophagic are best ignored, as their anxiety is increased by scolding. This behavior could have begun with a diet-related deficiency, which may still need correcting -- especially if your dog's main diet is conventional dog kibble.

She may benefit from a healthful diet, supplemented with prebiotics like unsweetened, shredded coconut; a tablespoon of canned, unsweetened pineapple, which provides digestive enzymes; and a supply of oral canine probiotics (taken from the feces of healthy dogs). For more details, visit AnimalBiome.com or microbiomerestorativetherapy.com.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am amazed at your insight about my 6-year-old Siamese cat's behavioral problem of wanting to suck on her tail and knead and suck on a wool blanket. Sam's veterinarian could do nothing to help except suggest some anti-anxiety medication.

Sam got better when I followed the simple solutions you suggested: evening games of chasing a laser light or a string with feathers on one end, followed by a gentle, full-body massage. It made me wonder if you do "remote sensing"! -- B.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.K.: Sometimes I do feel that I operate at a level of "remote sensing" in that I have been writing this newspaper column and dealing with animal health and behavioral problems for over 50 years! I have learned so much from people and their animals about the most common issues and the most effective treatments. I am glad to see that there is now more emphasis on addressing behavioral and emotional problems in the teaching curriculum of most veterinary colleges around the world. Such emphasis was nonexistent when I graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1962!

(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: When we open our hearts, we do not need to look far to experience the miraculous: We may feel awed in the presence of a soaring tree, or see the love in the eyes of a dog we have rescued and adopted. We can bear witness with the lives around us, human and nonhuman, sharing the joys and tribulations of mortal existence. In extending loving care and respect to all sentient beings, we can bring heaven down to where Earth abides.

This realm of illimitable and ineffable experience and healing is beyond words. As Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote:

"For words, like Nature, half reveal / And half conceal the Soul within."

My book "The New Eden: For People, Animals and Nature," illustrated by the late Susan Seddon Boulet, contains a narrative poem. These words came to me:

"The first people knew / The One Soul in many / And the many in the One."

I was one of the pioneers in what has become a recognized specialty in my profession: veterinary behavioral medicine. It has taken decades for the profession to recognize the emotional distress and behavioral disorders in companion animals and those confined in zoos and farms, and even longer to establish some standards on how they are best prevented and treated.

For an inspiring and reflective read on this subject, all should enjoy the 2013 book "The Soul of All Living Creatures: What Animals Can Teach Us About Being Human" by veterinary behavioral medicine specialist Vint Virga, DVM. Virga takes the reader through the identification of various causes of animal suffering and distress, followed by their treatment. He then reflects on how we share similar afflictions and what we can do to make our own lives whole and healthy -- along with the animals under our care, and, indeed, all our relationships!

DEAR DR. FOX: I just wanted to share a quick note of gratitude for your informational books and videos. Sometime in the early 1990s, I first watched your video series on caring for your pets. After nearly 20 years of not having a pet, my fiancee and I now have a kitten named Licorice, who has quickly become a beloved member of the family. Daily, I recall the important information that I learned from your videos and books as a lad. I am confident that if she could communicate via language, Licorice would extend her gratitude for all of your educational materials. She really enjoys her daily grooming and relaxing massages.

I was glad to find your website and learn more about your further efforts to make the world a better place for both animals and humans. Keep up your great work. -- A.T.M., Los Angeles

DEAR A.T.M.: I much appreciate your words of support for my efforts to increase public understanding and care of animals domesticated and wild, as well as for the natural environment we share. Readers can find my videos on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). Topics include the basics of understanding cat and dog behavior, communication and massage therapy; the plight of farmed animals; the risks of genetic engineering; the ethical imperative of "eating with conscience" and the spirituality of Earth care.

MICROCHIPPING OF DOGS, CATS SOON COMPULSORY IN U.K.

In large part because of pet theft, the microchipping of all owned dogs and cats in England will soon become compulsory. (For details, see www.gov.uk/government/news/reforms-to-pet-microchipping-regulations-in-england-set-out.)

I see this as especially important for indoor cats who manage to sneak outdoors, and for those cats whose owners still allow them to go outdoors whenever they choose (about which I have railed frequently in this column). A similar initiative is long overdue here in the U.S., and is something for which municipal authorities and state veterinary associations should be advocating.

(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 DR. FOX: Your article about neonicotinoid insecticides is much appreciated. I want to inform you and your readers that the American Bird Conservancy is disappointed in the EPA's decision to deny a 2017 petition to reclassify pesticide-coated seeds. The announced rulemaking does not go far enough.

Pesticide-coated seeds are a major threat to birds, but are currently exempt from regulatory safeguards. Sadly, the EPA has announced it does not plan for that to change anytime soon. Pesticide-coated seeds fall through a loophole in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act called the Treated Articles Exemption. The exemption allows dangerous chemicals to be used without any protections for wildlife or water quality.

Nearly 100% of corn and roughly 50% of soybeans grown in the United States are the products of pesticide-coated seeds. This issue has received attention from agencies and congresspeople, namely Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has asked for better regulation of this use of pesticides.

Concerningly, seed coatings are the main use of neurotoxic, bird-killing neonicotinoid insecticides ("neonics"). Birds that ingest coated seeds may die, and when the pesticide sloughs off and infects soil and water, it indiscriminately kills non-target invertebrates. ABC found that a single seed coated with neonicotinoid insecticide is enough to kill a songbird. Even more troublingly, most of the pesticide (as much as 97%) leaves the seed, blanketing surrounding lands as bee-killing dust or leaching into the local ecosystem. Once in soil and water, it indiscriminately kills insects and aquatic invertebrates, depriving birds of important food sources. Barn swallows are among the species most heavily impacted by insect loss; 40% have disappeared in the last five decades.

Soybeans and corn grown with coated seeds show negligible benefit to crop yield, but farmers who do not want to use these seeds are given little choice; most corn and soybean seeds come pretreated, and farmers have to special-order untreated seeds. The coatings come at a huge markup, making them lucrative profit opportunities for seed distributors and pesticide manufacturers.

Changing the special status of coated seeds is a long overdue step for wildlife conservation. We are facing a catastrophic loss of birds in North America: There are nearly 3 billion fewer than in 1970, with prey loss and poisoning as major contributors.

ABC urges the EPA to close this loophole. Moving treated seeds within the grasp of scientific regulation would benefit birds and humans for decades to come. Exempting them puts us all in danger. -- Hardy Kern, Director of Government Relations, American Bird Conservancy; Washington, D.C.

DEAR H.K.: I applaud what your organization is doing to help save the birds and the ecosystems upon which they -- and we -- depend. These substances are widely used in the U.S. agriculture industry and are given to companion animals to control fleas and ticks. But they are rarely, to my knowledge, questioned by veterinarians while being constantly advertised to pet owners on TV.

The great irony is that in Europe, these pesticides are condemned for agricultural use (with emergency exceptions), but not for use on companion animals! Concerns are now being voiced by some of my veterinary colleagues in the U.K.

Studies show that chemicals in topical flea treatments pollute water and can cause seizures and other health issues in companion animals, as I document on my website (drfoxonehealth.com/post/companion-animal-risks-of-flea-and-tick-insecticides). The American Veterinary Medical Association needs to step forward on this animal and environmental health issue. The political and economic power of the pesticide manufacturers must be confronted by responsible legislators and regulatory agencies. The use of these chemicals in the court of science-informed public opinion should be judged as a crime against nature -- and therefore, from a One Health perspective, a crime against humanity.

(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.)