DEAR DR. FOX: I have had lots of friends whose cats lived to be well into their 20s, but mine all die in their teens. And two of them barely made it that long.... more

DEAR READERS: In addition to pointing out the risks of giving dogs leftover bones from cooked meals, the government has posted a warning about the processed bones sold in pet supply stores. The U.S. F... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an indoor-outdoor cat, and I have noticed that he is overeating somewhere else while he is outside.... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I hope you can help me; I’m out of ideas and options for my 7-year-old giant Alaskan malamute.... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I am having a problem with my dog. He’s a 2-year-old Lhasa Apso/poodle mix and is neutered.... more

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I are now in our mid-70s. We live comfortably in a beautiful home and neighborhood on the New Jersey shore.... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 17-year-old Chihuahua that has CCD (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction), congestive heart failure, liver disease and kidney disease. His congestive heart failure is managed with with ... more

DEAR DR. FOX: Some animal organizations have jumped on the bandwagon and are promoting free adoptions, just to empty out the kennels and to keep the killing (euthanasia) rate to a minimum. This will l... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I want to encourage you to write a column about snakes. All they want is to be left alone! Also, while I completely agree with your statement that ownership of non-domesticated animals s... more

DEAR DR. FOX: We just adopted another kitty from a nearby humane society. She is 8 years old and had been at the shelter for four months after being turned in with another 11 cats.... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a female domestic shorthair cat who will barely eat. I have had her for 8 years, and she will be 12 in February. She was a rescue. I did not know she had seizures when I adopted h... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I’m on my sixth and seventh rescued German Shepherd dogs (GSD). It is clear they are highly intelligent and can be trained to a point that they respond to actual conversational instructi... more

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 5-month-old miniature poodle puppy, and we walk her on a leash in the backyard to urinate and defecate. There are wild rabbits in the area, and they often leave their pellet dr... more

DEAR READERS: By the end of every summer, I have received several accounts from dog and cat “parents” whose animal companions have suffered physically after the use of common anti-flea products: shaki... more

DEAR DR. FOX: A recent letter in your column about the cat who started spraying about two years ago reminded me of our Mischief. Mischief wasn’t actually spraying; he just preferred to urinate standin... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I want to share an interesting story with you regarding our 10-year-old rescued husky, Blaney. Three years ago, we invited a couple from the neighborhood to join us for Thanksgiving. Two... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently started using essential oils. When I happened to mention it to my vet in an email, she told me many essential oils are toxic to cats, as there is a liver enzyme necessary to p... more

DEAR READERS: Please take note of these words from the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association, of which I am an Honor Roll member):... more

DEAR DR. FOX: Responding to your request for ‘pet’ peeves -- or should I say ‘guardian’ peeves? Mine are:... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a lap kitty. To be more specific, this approximately 7-year-old rescue cat (mine for four years) is not content to just curl up on my legs when I sit. Rather, she senses when I si... more

DEAR DR. FOX: In response to the letter about the cat spraying: I, too, had a sudden problem with my cats spraying. A friend suggested putting a bowl of food wherever the cats were spraying. I did thi... more

Dogs and cats “are responsible for 25 percent to 30 percent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States,” according to new research from the University of California at Los An... more

DEAR READERS: As noted in an earlier column, the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a class-action lawsuit this past July against Petland, claiming that it defrauded customers by “guaranteeing” the healt... more

DEAR READERS: We are all moved by the rescue efforts on behalf of people’s dogs and cats when natural disasters like hurricanes and forest fires strike their communities. But what of farm animals out ... more

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 4-year-old standard poodle. At 5 months old, she had her first seizure. This happened in the middle of the night while she was sleeping in her crate. The day prior to that, I ha... more

Empathy, derived from the Greek word “empatheia,” meaning “affection," bonds with our conscience to act as compassion’s compass in our relationships. It is the foundation for ethical behavior. Without... more

DEAR DR. FOX: Here on the East Coast, we have been suffering through excessively high temps and stifling humidity for the last two weeks or so. Due to these weather conditions, my two 5-year-old Havan... more

DEAR DR. FOX: We purchased Seresto collars for our wirehaired pointing griffons, who were approximately 7 and 8 years old at the initial exposure. We found the collars to be effective against fleas an... more