Advice for Pet Owners

Ask the Animal Doctor

Do you have a problem pooch or crazy cat? Are you trying to pick the best pet for your family? Are you alarmed by news reports about tainted pet food and looking for better options?

Michael W. Fox can offer advice on these quandaries, and other issues related to the care and feeding of our furry friends (as well as those with feathers or scales). He is a veterinarian and author of the syndicated column "Animal Doctor," which appears in the Post's community news Extras each Thursday. He has written over 40 books, most recently "Not Fit for a Dog! The Truth About Manufactured Dog and Cat Food" and "Dog Body, Dog Mind," which takes a holistic approach to pet care and communication. Get information on his other publications, pet food recipes, animal rights and more at his Web site. He was online Monday, August 18, at 11 a.m. ET to answer questions.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the live discussion.

Please join us again Thursday, August 21, at 1 p.m. for a discussion on eco-friendly pet care with Sprig editor Jeanie Pyun. And check out washingtonpost.com's new pets section anytime!

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Dr. Michael W. Fox: Good morning from Minnesota, where the sky is blue and another poor tree is being cut down so it does not fall on a neighbor's house, the noise of which is not good for body or soul!

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Eleanor in Arlington: My cat, a 10-year-old short-hair tabby, has stomach problems. He throws up at least once a week for a few weeks, then goes for a couple of months without trouble. The vomit contains no hair that I can see -- it just is like his food hits a sore spot. I give him a little hairball remedy during the shedding months or when he's stressed, but otherwise his habits all seem normal. Is there anything I can do for this problem? I feel bad for him and the rug.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Many cats have bouts of vomiting and it can be due to food allergy. The same brand of food is not the same with every batch produced.

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Good morning, Dr. Fox. My 11-year-old calico cat Abby recently had blood and urine work done at the vet. The vet said she saw an elevated white blood cell count in Abby's urine. Everything else is healthy and normal. What do you think could be the cause of the elevated white blood cells in her urine? Thanks!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Most likely cause is an inflammed bladder. Get your cat on to an all-moist/canned diet -- dry foods can irritate the bladder wall especially when the cat does not drink lots of water to compensate for a low-moisture content artificial diet. Cranberry capsules may help, and antibiotics if fever or she goes off her food.

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Phoenix, Ariz.: How do I excrete the anal glands of a cat? She drags her butt across the carpet periodically.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Best to be shown -- some things can't be put into words! See your vet.

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NYC: I have an 8-year-old Westie that has had a hind leg limp. We thought is was ACL but after x-rays, palpation and fluid analysis the dx is not clear. The surgeon thinks it could be deep tissue injury with some arthritis. From a very pronounced limp three months ago to a minor hobble at the end of the day when she gets up, she is improving. We have been giving her Flexicose. My wife is considering a product called NZYMES. Are you familiar with this product?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: No. But I strongly recomened Cosequin that your vet can provide -- a mix of nutraceuticals, and turmeric. Up to 1 teaspoon a day, plus massage therapy.

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North McLean, Va.: I have two rabbits I adopted from a rescue organization several years ago. They are spayed female sisters of a small breed. I keep them in a large indoor hutch and let them out to hop around and "bink" most evenings. The problem is, from the very beginning, they have been biters. Nobody can pick them up. Their biting has prevented them from really integrating with our family, and even makes things like clipping their nails almost impossible. Is there anything we can do besides buy heavy gloves? Thanks.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: These rabbits were probably not properly socialized and bonded to people earlier in life. They are afraid of being handlded. Try the 'cradling' therapy I have described in my writings -- wear protective clothing and hold the animal firmly until she/he relaxes totally, then put down. repeat often, and habituation sets in, less fear and biting and more acceptance. This is good therapy for wild and unruly kittens and delinquent, hyper pooches too!

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Woodbridge, Va.: Michael, I have a 2-year-old Lab-American Bulldog-Staffordshire terrier mix who is starting to become same-sex aggressive. What is the best way to work through this? She already gets two walks a day with at least two miles on each and is very good with people, but bring her near other female dogs and Mr. Hyde comes out.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: She has reached the age where social dominance and testing others is part of the course. I advise you sign up for obedience school or a behavioral therapist so she learns to see you as the alpha, and accepts your control over her. Your reactions holding her on the leash when she is close to other dogs could make her even more aggressive -- so seek professional advice.

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Detroit, Mich.: My 3-year-old Shih Tzu has seasonal skin allergies that bother her this time of year. She scratches herself to the point of drawing blood sometimes, and all the scratching has led to skin and ear infections. The vet has prescribed an antihistamine for her. The antihistamine helps, but is there anything else I can do to relieve her itching?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Nasty and common -- a sign of an impaired immune system. Antihistamines are safer than steroids. Also try 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil, and up to 1 teaspoon daily of local honey and/or bee pollen, said to help many dogs with seasonal allergies. A weekly shampoo with mild oatmeal shampoo and lavender will help.

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Baltimore, Md.: I have a pre-teen son who despite repeated warnings and threats, found great joy in startling the cat and dog last spring. As a result, both pets act as though they dread encounters with him. My son has returned from summer camp and is now ready to greet his pets with loving kindness, yet they are both so afraid of him that he is having a problem figuring out how to make up for his bad behavior. Once you've lost a pet's trust, can you gain it back again?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Let the animals go hungry for a day and have him lie down on the floor and coax them to eat close beside him, and then when they do, he must talk quietly but not try to pet them. Let ths go on for several days, and then he can try offering them treats, and sitting beside you quietly on the sofa and offer treats and grooming with comb or brush.

I am sure your son was experimenting -- and has learned a hard lesson.

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Washington, D.C.: Dr. Fox, can you provide any advice on long term care of a schnauzer with diagnosed pancreatitis? Any supplements or other things I can do to help improve his health/quality of life?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Your vet can help you with this one -- low fat diet, digestive enzymes like Prozyme, and probiotics, plus a really good multivitamin and multimineral supplement with other nutraceuticals like Platinum Canine Performance that your vet can check up on if she or he knows any better -- I too would like to know!

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Fairfax, Va.: Dr. Fox, is it possible to monitor a cat's blood pressure at home without buying the standard $1000+ veterinary BP equipment? I think there's a good likelihood that my cat does not have ongoing hypertension, but rather gets unusually overstressed at the vet's. Are there any long-term risks with amlodipine, the hypertension drug recommended by my vet? Thank you!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: There are risks with all anti-hypertensive drugs -- explore the herbal route with your vet, like cayenne pepper capsules (that I take for that reason!), and hawthorn, magnesium, and valerian is excellent for cats -- the natural form of Valium!

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Washington, DC: Dr. Fox, ever since we took our large Maine Coon to get detangled and shampooed last winter, his hair has felt less greasy but he's been sporting dandruff along the back of his spine. What's the best way to stop the dandruff? We comb/brush him every few days or so, but figure this is more of a dietary issue. He's on a strict Royal Canin Urinary SO (dry) diet. I had tried adding a few drops of olive oil, but then he won't touch the food. Thanks!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Get rid of the dry food for cat's sake, get onto a home-made diet or quality canned cat food -- some now with a percentage of organically certified ingredients. Vegetable oils are not as good as fish oils for cats. Avoid salmon oil if not from wild salmon -- farmed salmon isloaded with toxic PCBs and dioxins! Artic/Nordic cod liver oil, up to a teaspoon a day for your cat, should work miracles.

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Maryland: I am expecting my first baby. I have three cats and a dog (Pekignese). They all seem to know that I am pregnant. How is this possible? How should we get them ready for the baby's arrival?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Your hormonal changes alter your scent/pheromones, so they know that something is up. And this will change their behavior. Get a baby doll, life size, that cries like a baby, swaddle it and pretend to nurse it so the animals get habituated. when the real babe comes home, let them see the newcomer and sniff the diapers, but do not leave the babe unattended. A net over the crib to keep cats out is wise, not because the cat may try to suck milk from the babe's mouth and smother the child, but becase flapping baby limbs may get pounced on and scratched!

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Chantilly, Va.: My 16-month-old lab/shepard mix was diagnosed with ideopathic epilepsy at 10 months old. He is a great dog and seems happy and energetic, despite being somewhat clumsy as a result of his medicines. He is on the highest daily dose of phenobarbitol that the vet will give him, and on a medium level does of potassium bromide. Seizures are controlled at the moment. I worry that his liver will be damaged as a result of the high phenobarb, despite having a liver panel done that shows normal values. Do you suggest any supplements to help with this? How do I know how much to give him? Would a multivitamin help? Thanks for your insight.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Complicated -- try a natural, whole food diet free of all artificial colorings and preservatives, and no grains, especially wheat and gluten. Then try lowering doses of meds after three to four weeks on new diet. Be cautious and have blood titers done when vaccinations are due and can be avoided.

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Falls Church: I had my male Golden Retriever neutered last Friday. He is still really swollen today and the vet has told me to bring him in. Did they botch this procedure? No one else I talked to said their dogs had a similar problem. I knew I shouldn't have had this done. (He doesn't evidence any pain, at least.)

Dr. Michael W. Fox: No blame, and no shame. Surgical complications are common -- get the job done with no regrets. Your dog will be all the better for it in the long run.

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Lansing, Mich.: I have a claustrophobic cat; I bought a homeopathic calming liquid that seems to work when I need to transport her in her carrier to the vet. The ingredients are a form of holly (ilex), impatiens, rockrose and ornithogalum plus 13 percent alcohol. My question: which ingredient is really calming my cat -- the plant extracts or the alcohol?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: I have no expertise in homeopathy, but keep an open mind. I would prefer using natural herbs like valerian and passion flower, that have known pharmaceutical properties.

One excellent book is by Susan G. Wynn, DVM, "Emerging Therapies: Using Herbs and Nutraceutical Supplements for Small Animals." AAHA Press, Lakewood, CO

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Hello and thanks for entertaining my questions! My husband, son and I are cat people, but the 6-year-old son has intermittent asthma, so we sadly decided that cats are out. (Although a friend keeps lobbying that we should try an Abyssinians cat.) So we're looking at a guinea pig as a possible pet option, and have some questions. How big of a cage does a guinea pig need? (We live in a small south Philly row home, width 14 feet.) Is a single guinea pig a good idea if we hope it will bond with us, in particular our son? Or do they do better in pairs? Does a guinea pig's diet really need to be as diverse and programmed as some of the "how to care for your guinea pig" books make them out to be? Finally, are Abyssinians really less allergen=producing than other cat varieties? Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks. Petless in Philly.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: I had Abbys once, great cats, but they are not 'hypoallergenic'. Exposure to pets early in life helps kids have fewer allergy problems. See to your child's diet -- no junk snacks or sodas! Dairy products can aggravate some kids' allergies.

Now some cats are naturally hypoallergenic, on a kind of random basis, so maybe you could adopt one on trial and see how it goes.

Guineapigs are not hypoallergenic pets, are not especially cuddly, and should never be kept as single pets because they are highly social, herd-animals. But they are none the less wonderful creatures. Good luck!

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Cat throwing up: My cat's vomiting was inflammatory bowel disease. The first step is to look for canned food that doesn't have grains. Wellness is a good brand. This worked for a friend and her cat. My cat has to occasionally do steroids because his can be a tough case, but the introduction of lightly cooked hamburger or chicken into his daily diet (a nighttime treat), along with the grain-free food has also really helped.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Thanks for sharing. More vets are seeing the connection between many cat and dog health problems and conventional manufactured pet foods.

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San Francisco, Calif.: In an earlier Q&A, you recommended giving dogs ginger to help with motion sickness in the car. I've been giving my dog dramamine, but it doesn't seem to be working (she still vomits) and I wanted to try ginger. She's 15 pounds. What dosage would you suggest that I give her? Thanks!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: In capsules, about 250mg.

You can try spritzing inside the car with lavender oil hydrosol, or soak a few drops on a hanging strip of gauze, along with a few drops of ginger oil, out of reach from the dog, but close enough to be inhaled.Two separate studies have shown these essential oils in the air inside the car can help calm dogs down and reduce nausea respectively. Dramamine is less effective.

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Mesquite, TX: I have a lab and like to take her walking, but recently a neighbor's dog got out and attack my dog. Fortunately, my dog is bigger and got away with a few scratches when the owner came out to get their dog. But the pit bull would not let up and I know that they are not all bad dogs. I have since gotten some mace and a stun baton. What is the best way to handle a dog attack? Will this hurt a dog badly?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: My wolf researcher friend Prof Erich Klinghammer devised an effective caine-fight intervention tool -- a two foot long thick pole of hardwood that you jam into the dog's mouth to bite on. The bite stick can help while dogs are being pulled apart. alternatively, in emergency, throw a coat over them and then pull apart by leash or whatever...

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Reston, Va.: Lately our dog has had a hard time keeping down anything other than rice (or oatmeal) and a little chicken or premium dog food mixed in. He's happy as usual and at first we thought he drank some bad pond water, but it has gone on so long we think it might be something more serious. Our vet took a stool test and didn't notice anything unusual. Do you think we should just stick with bland or homemade food?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: If he is otherwise healthy and active, keep him on the bland diet, plus supersupplemets of nutraceuticals, vitamins and minerals, and organic flax seed or hemp oil.

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Elizabethtown, Pa.: We have had our mixed breed dog for a year. He is walked and fed twice a day. Over the past week and a half, he has been eating grass on each walk and then throwing it up. His stool has been a little harder recently, but his diet has remained the same. He seems to be in good health otherwise but we would like to see this behavior stopped. Is this something to be concerned about? Is there a way to stop this behavior? Thank you

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Dogs eat grass for many reasons -- often as a cleansing purge. Try Barley Dog, a barley grass supplement, also available for cats and humans, that is an excellent source of nutraceuticals that many people feel is of benefit to themselves.

Persistent, obsessive grass eating calls for a vet check-up.

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Leesburg, Va.: Do cats catch colds? Our 7-year-old rescued feral cat suddenly started sneezing this weekend and right afterwards, her breathing sounds wet and sniffly. It isn't constant, but just once in a while. It's mainly after grooming. When she's asleep, though, her breathing isn't labored or "wet" -- it sounds normal. Is there anything to worry about?

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Cats are susceptible to serious virus infections like Corona virus and rhinotracheitis. Sometimes it's like a mild flu attack, but with an impaired immune system, often associated with some other underlying infection, chronic sinusitis may develop, along with other complications. So if your cat does not quickly improve, see the vet.

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Another Food for Elenor in Arlington: My cat also has inflammatory bowel disease which causes vomiting. He's been on Natural Balance Duck & Green Pea Limited Ingredient diet. It's for cats that have vomiting and allergy problems. He's doing much better on this food than any other. It's available at Pro Feed in Vienna or Alexandria. Little more expensive than Iams or the like, but much better for kitty.

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Yes, there are some good new pet foods out there that can make a world of a difference.

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Maryland: Dr. Fox, I picked up a Beagle to foster last week after her spay. In the five days I've had her, she has refused to eat everything I've tried to feed her (Science Diet dry dog food, Iams canned dog food, rice, peanut butter) except for a few pieces of boiled chicken last night. She also seems very depressed. I've been giving her lots of attention, praise, petting, but I'm still worried about her. I'm thinking the food is the big problem -- she'll perk up when she eats something. What can I do to get her eating normal dog food? I'm willing to keep boiling chicken for a while, but don't want to create a "people-food" dependence. Thanks for the advice!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: A healthy dog has a healthy appetite. Take your dog for a full vet exam.

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Olney, Md.: I can second the cranberry supplement advice for bladder issues. My old girl had several UTIs in a fairly short period, progressing to antibiotic resistance, and my vet was at the point of putting her on low-dose antibiotics forever. I started her on cranberry supplements and she has been UTI-free for nine months now!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Thanks for the confirmation . Some conservatives see me as a quack advocating what the big drug companies would like to see taken off the shelves and keep pressuring governemnt to do -- but it is from people like you that we all learn about the importance of evidence-based medicine.

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Arlington, Va.: What is an "easy" dog breed for a first time dog owner? I'm looking for a dog that will be friendly, easy to house train, and will not be aggressive with me. I know that it depends on how you train a dog, but want to start with a breed that isn't so excitable, hard to housebreak, etc. I live in a large townhouse with a backyard and nearby dog park so size is not a major factor. Any suggestions would be helpful to my research. Thanks!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Go to your animal shelter and speak to the head adoption counselor. Probably your best bet is an older dog, already housebroken, from a good home but was given up for adoption not because of health or behavioral problems but because of a death in the family, divorce, etc.

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Norfolk, Va.: Hi Dr. Fox! Having lost our beloved Persian to progressive kidney failure two years ago (at 17 -- he had a great life!) I'd like to be as proactive as possible with my 11-year-old Persian love of my life. What kinds of things can I do to make sure her kidneys stay in as good a shape as possible over the next years? She's the only cat I've ever met who refuses to eat wet food of any kind, so I moisten her dry with water and add a bit of vitamin-y oil to it every day -- she eats it that way and dry. Thanks in advance!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: Cod liver oil is good for the kidneys. Kidney problems are common in Persians. B complex vitamin and potassium supplements may help also, and of course do not feed an all-dry cat food. Consult with your vet about such supplements, and others that act to control phosphate levels, like human Renegel.

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Annapolis, MD: Doc Fox, I have two Westies, and one is afraid to eat from his dinner bowl. I have to hand feed him with a wooden spoon. If it is possible for a dog to walk on his tippy-toes, my Mac does it. When he approaches the bowl, it is from behind me, and will not take a bite until I lift a spoonful above the rim. Then, he grabs and backs up to chew. I've tried just putting his food down and not hand feeding him, and three days later resorted to hand feeding. There are only two of us in the house, me and my 86-year-old mother; neither of us is into scaring any of our pets, yet Mac has jumped out of his skin while eating dinner. I thought maybe it was a tooth ache, and took him to our vet for a tooth checkup and teeth cleaning. Still, he will not approach his bowl on his own. I have tried dropping treats into his bowl, and he just looks from the bowl to me and back to the bowl. No joy! Please, Doc Fox, help!

Dr. Michael W. Fox: No joy indeed. Food-bowl phobia. Try serving on a flat tin baking tray.

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Dr. Michael W. Fox: Time to say goodbye for this time around. How the time flew! Thanks for so many good questions and pointers.

Now to write my regular column.

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