DEAR DR. FOX: Our house was heavily damaged by a tornado on April 22. There was a lot of loud banging and glass breaking. Thank goodness we were all OK. Of our five doggies, two are senior citizens, two are youngsters and one is a puppy.

Since the tornado, we have noticed that two of our dogs are extremely sensitive to sudden loud noises. One is the puppy and the other is one of the youngsters. There is a lot of construction going on around us, and there are occasional loud noises. This produces the same kind of behavior as when we have thunderstorms. The youngster shivers, shakes and paces; the puppy runs and hides under the couch.

Is there anything we can do to help them when they are frightened or to make them less sensitive to the noise? This past July 4 was the first time we used tranquilizers, but it made them sleepy and groggy. I hated having to medicate them, but there were a lot of fireworks going off. -- G.G., Bridgeton, Mo.

DEAR G.G.: Dogs can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder that is triggered by sudden loud noises.

Put on music or turn up the TV and close the curtains to keep out the construction sounds. Discuss with your veterinarian a short course of treatment with Xanax. This should not cause significant drowsiness at a low dose, and it is excellent for sound phobias -- especially thunder and fireworks -- in dogs.

Surprisingly, wrapping the dog in a tight T-shirt secured with Velcro strips or purchasing an "anxiety wrap" can calm the canine psyche. Try it!

DEAR DR. FOX: Now that it looks like horse slaughter will soon return to the U.S., what is your take on it? I've heard that horsemeat will be sold in the U.S.

I find this appalling. Horse slaughter is always cruel, and it is not humane euthanasia. -- P.E., Saint Ann, Mo.

DEAR P.E.: I have followed the U.S. horse slaughter issue closely. Unfortunately, horse protection organizations' best intentions in banning horse slaughter in the U.S. led to the stressful transportation of horses to Mexico for slaughter and export -- primarily to France and other horse-eating cultures, including China.

As an ethical vegetarian who has documented the suffering of animals raised for their meat and the negative environmental impact of the livestock and poultry industries -- see my website, DrFoxVet.com, for details -- I see a global reduction in meat consumption as enlightened self-interest and a vital contribution to wildlife protection.

Horses in the U.S. primarily come from the horse racing and rodeo industries and from people who keep them as pets. It is incumbent upon all involved to enforce the highest humane standards in the care and handling of all horses destined for slaughter in the U.S., which, in the final analysis, is a better fate that being sent to Mexico.

Private horse owners can have their veterinarians humanely euthanize their horses with an injection, though the owner will have to pay for the disposal of the animal, which cannot be used for human consumption or incorporated into livestock feed and manufactured pet foods because of drug residues.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing in regards to the lady whose cat became "unhousebroken."

We have six cats, and our oldest, Zoey, started soiling the beds recently. We have seven litter boxes, and we keep them clean. The boxes are in our workshop downstairs.

Our vet put Zoey on amitriptyline, and that sort of helped -- but she still soiled the beds every so often. The vet then suggested putting kitty litter upstairs and keeping the cat on the amitriptyline. We put one litter box in a bedroom off our living room. The other cats also use this one, but they do their business mainly downstairs. Zoey, however, uses only this upstairs box, and she no longer soils the beds.

It has been six months. I set the litter box inside a big plastic container so the cats can't kick litter everywhere.

This has been a miracle for our household. We don't even have to give her amitriptyline now. We have to clean that litter box several times a day, but it is worth it. I hope T.B. from Gates, N.C., reads this. -- C.S.U., Columbia, Mo.

DEAR C.S.U.: Your experience dealing with a house-soiling cat will be helpful for other cat owners facing this all-too-common problem, especially when they have several cats and when all medical reasons like cystitis and urinary calculi are ruled out.

Exploring the feline psyche takes time, patience and objectivity. Many cats prefer a quiet location for their litter box, with minimal human and animal traffic. As you have discovered, cleaning the box several times a day can help, along with trials with different kinds of litter. Many cats avoid not only soiled boxes but also those that have dusty and/or scented litter. Boxes that are covered, creating an ammoniated internal atmosphere, can lead to litter box aversion as well.

SOLID GOLD DOG FOOD RECALL

Solid Gold Health Products for Pets issued a voluntary recall of one batch of WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food and one batch of WolfKing Large Breed Adult Food. These dog foods were co-manufactured at the Diamond facility that is linked to salmonella contamination and Diamond's extensive recall of pet foods. For more information, including the batch numbers, visit solidgoldhealth.com/recalls.php or call 1-800-364-4863.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 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 DrFoxVet.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: My German shepherds think going outside is a time to dine on bunny and deer droppings and any other disgusting thing they find. In the yard, on walks ... it doesn't matter. I give them yogurt in the hope it will counteract some of the germs.

Any suggestions other than buying a muzzle? -- K.E., Rockville, Md.

DEAR K.E.: This is one of the most frequent questions that I receive, and it is indicative that many dogs are trying to compensate for some dietary deficiency or digestive impairment (dysbiosis). Poop eating (coprophagia) in moderation is normal -- it's not some kind of depraved canine behavior. It is a natural instinct to obtain various trace nutrients from the bacterial action in the digested food excreted by herbivores. Rabbits and other species routinely eat their own feces as part of this nutrient-cycling process. Cultures of healthy human fecal bacteria are now being used to help improve the health of human patients, notably those suffering from obesity.

But when coprophagic behavior is obsessive, it could indicate a nutrient deficiency. Many dogs stop their coprophagia when put on a highly digestible dog food and when given a vitamin B-complex supplement, brewer's yeast or a daily dose of probiotics or "live" organic yogurt or kefir in their food. (Pasteurized yogurt is useless because the beneficial bacteria have been destroyed.)

Some dogs may engage in this behavior as a cleaning activity. More than one dog owner has told me that when they stopped allowing their dogs to see them picking up the poop around their property, the dogs stopped engaging in coprophagia.

AMERICA'S DOG AND CAT HEALTH ISSUES MIRROR HUMANS'

In a review of current major health problems in dogs and cats seen by a nationwide veterinary clinic business, 40 percent of dogs with arthritis and more than one in three arthritic cats (37 percent) are also overweight. Almost half of diabetic dogs (42 percent) and diabetic cats (40 percent) are overweight. Some 40 percent of dogs with high blood pressure and 60 percent of dogs with hypothyroidism are also overweight.

According to this 2012 Banfield Pet Hospital report, obesity affects one in five dogs and cats. The rise in overweight and obese pets mimics the increase in humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity in humans is also on the rise; the CDC reports that it has increased in humans to one in three (35.7 percent) U.S. adults.

While the rise in chronic diseases is a concern, so is the gap in medical care of cats. Despite the fact that there are more cats than dogs in the U.S., Banfield treated 1.5 million more dogs than cats in 2011. Cats, however, are just as susceptible to serious chronic diseases as dogs. One of the most significant diseases highlighted in this report is chronic kidney disease, a common cause of death in cats. This disease increased by 15 percent since 2007, and it is nearly seven times more common in cats than in dogs. Clearly, people with cats need to go for veterinary health checkups more frequently, or get vets to perform house calls, which is less stressful for most cats.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 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 www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.)

Several varieties of Diamond Naturals dog food have been recalled since April. Of the 14 people who have been sickened, at least five have been hospitalized with salmonella infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a nine-state outbreak linked to Diamond's pet food. The dog food was produced at a single manufacturing plant in South Carolina. In Food Safety News, reporter Mary Rosthschild writes, "How many dogs may have been sickened was not mentioned in the CDC report. In some recall notices, Diamond Pet Foods has claimed that no dog illnesses have been reported. Those recall alerts from the company did not reveal that human cases of infection were being investigated."

Now, as a precautionary measure, Diamond has expanded the recall. Pet owners with questions about recalled dog and cat food may contact Diamond Pet Foods at 800-442-0402 or visit www.diamondpetrecall.com.

In my opinion, while the manufactured pet food industry surveillance system may have helped prevent a major food-borne disease epidemic in this instance, it is the inhumane ways in which factory-farmed animals are raised, handled and processed that need to be addressed and changed, as I document in my book, "Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health." Harmful bacteria thrive under such stressed animal conditions.

DEAR DR. FOX: In May 2009 we adopted an abandoned cat that our friends found in a box giving birth. A home was found for the kittens, and we took mama cat. We immediately took her to the vet, who spayed her, gave her shots and performed a complete physical exam. The vet estimated the cat was about 10 months old. She weighed 6.5 pounds, and her tests indicated she was very healthy.

We named her Jackie Paper and took her back to the vet for a checkup in June 2010. She presented as a healthy cat, except that her neutrophil level had dropped from 7,000 to 1,350 (the normal range is 2,500 to 8,000). The vet suggested we have her retested. We did so one month later, and her level dropped even more, to 957. At that point, the vet tested the cat for feline leukemia and the corona virus -- the results were negative for both. A few weeks later, new tests indicated her neutrophil levels had increased to 1,408. The vet thought she might have had some temporary condition that she was getting over.

Jackie's neutrophil levels go up and down for no reason we can explain. And, with one exception (February 2011), her levels remain below normal. The vet consulted with other vets, set up a blog and researched the possible causes, but neither she nor any other vet has come up with a plausible cause for Jackie's condition. We had a bit of hope early in the summer of 2011 when one consulting vet suggested a probable bacterial infection and prescribed Orbax. The cat loved the medicine, but, unfortunately, her neutrophil level dropped from 1,940 to 1,540 during the four months she was taking the medication.

We're at a loss as to what to do. The vet and her consulting vets suggest a bone marrow biopsy, but we hate to put the cat through that if, in the end, there's nothing we can do to help her. Can you suggest any probable causes for her condition or any medications or food that would boost her neutrophil level? -- B.K.K., Alexandria, Va.

DEAR B.K.K.: As you have no doubt learned, neutrophils are white blood cells produced by the bone marrow and play a vital role as part of the immune system defense mechanism to fight infection and inflammation.

Feline viral infections can result in neutropenia (low white blood cell counts). It is my opinion that your Jackie Paper may have a viral or bacterial infection that is not showing up in blood tests. Alternatively, she could have a congenital bone marrow defect or have been treated for ringworm prior to you adopting her with a drug such as griseofulvin that damaged her bone marrow neutrophil production.

Since the antibiotic treatment did not help improve her neutrophil count, we can probably rule out a chronic bacterial infection. I would give her supplements to help boost her immune system functions such as coenzyme Q10, Resveratrol, fish oil and a good multivitamin and multimineral supplement such as Platinum Performance Plus. Short-term treatment with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) may be beneficial. I would question doing a bone marrow biopsy. Ask what treatments might be subsequently prescribed, depending on what is diagnosed.

Cats do not respond well to invasive procedures. If your cat were mine, I would wait and see, especially since she is showing no other signs of illness. A prior infection from which she recovered could have brought on her neutrophil anomaly, and, provided her health is maintained with good nutrition and a stress-free environment, she may live happily for many years.

Some normal cats may have low neutrophil counts (between 1,800 and 2,500). As a precaution, I would avoid giving your cat any further vaccinations or anti-flea drugs.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a male Westie who turned 10 in July. We feed him Science Diet and Bil-Jac dry food. We also mix in 1/4 of the tin of Cesar's wet food.

Our dog has scabs all over his underside. This is the third bout in 10 years. Our vet told us to bathe him twice a week with KetoChlor medicated shampoo and scratch the scabs off. I have been doing that, and I try to remove all the scabs each time, but they just seem to be coming back. He has started licking his front paws to the point where he has licked the hair off.

Should I change his dog food and give him some sort of medication? Would you please tell us what we could do to get rid of the scabs and stop the licking? -- S.S., Benbrook, Texas

DEAR S.S.: Your dog may have a food allergy or nutritional deficiency, either of which can result in secondary bacterial or fungal infection of the skin.

I would gradually transition, over five to seven days, onto a corn- and wheat-free diet. Give him a few drops of fish oil in his food, working up to a teaspoon daily. His condition may show gradual improvement within a few months. If not, then additional supplements (such as zinc, selenium and vitamin B-complex) may prove beneficial. Try a weekly bathing with human Selsun Blue medicated shampoo for one to two months.

Considering his age, there could be other health issues that need to be addressed, notably poor thyroid activity.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 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 www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.)