DEAR DR. FOX: Do you think rabies vaccinations are necessary? I have always given my dog the shots every three years, but since the last one, I have been avoiding all immunizations. I am trying to be more holistic with her.

My boyfriend said he never gave his dog any shots, and he fed her only the cheapest dog food. She lived to be 18 years old. My town is having a free rabies clinic in a few weeks, so I need to know before then. -- M.B., Scranton, N.J.

DEAR M.B.: The law is the law, and if your dog is ever lost and has no rabies tag or accidentally bites someone, you could be in deep trouble. Rabies vaccinations are mandatory in many communities across the U.S.

I, too, am concerned about adverse vaccination reactions. The American Veterinary Medical Association is working on a protocol for veterinarians to provide certificates for animals who are at risk of developing adverse reactions to the anti-rabies vaccination, and, therefore, should not be vaccinated.

At this time, you can have your veterinarian do a blood titer reading to determine if the three-year vaccine is still providing a high enough level of rabies protection to prove revaccination is not needed for your dog. A statement to that effect written by your veterinarian should satisfy public health authorities if the vaccination status of your dog is questioned.

DEAR DR. FOX: My vet recommended my cat, Bob, have a dental cleaning and an extraction of at least one tooth due to a resorptive lesion. We do not want to risk putting him under anesthesia because he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and an arrhythmia. He was diagnosed with asthma and is being treated with the Flovent inhaler.

Are the ingredients in PetzLife oral products safe for our cat to ingest? What are the results of using PetzLife on a resorptive lesion? We were told that the tooth would rot and eventually fall out, possibly causing a lot of pain and maybe an infection. Have you seen other cats with resorptive lesions use this product? Any other inforomation you could give me would be appreciated. -- C.W., Washington, D.C.

DEAR C.W.: This possible autoimmune disease, namely the tooth resorption, is a complication of stomatitis -- check my website and archives therein for more details: www.DrFoxVet.com.

In my opinion, your cat is at greater risk from anesthesia than from giving him a daily treatment of PetzLife oral care gel or spray. Simply follow the manufacturer's instructions, applying a small quantity to you fingertip and rubbing it on your cat's gums, making sure to get between the teeth and gumline to help your cat get used to this treatment. Remember, more is not better for any medication. This treatment will help reduce inflammation and infection, and it may actually help arrest further tooth resorption. Let me know if this turns out to be the case.

For his heart, and also to help his dental problem, get him used to a few drops of Nordic Naturals fish oil for cats, working up to about 1 teaspoon daily. Discuss with your veterinarian giving Bob benazepril and a CoQ10 supplement.

Many cats diagnosed with "asthma" actually have a food allergy. You may want to transition your cat onto organically certified, grain-free cat food. For details, visit www.felinenutrition.org.

A READERSHIP REQUEST

Many of you dear readers have written to me in the past, documenting how various dog and cat health issues have cleared up dramatically once your pet's food has been changed to exclude corn and soybean products. I would like to hear from other readers who have had similar experiences, sharing with me what the animal's condition was, what it was being fed and what kind of new diet facilitated its health recovery.

(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: I read your recent article about the unnecessary rabies shots for indoor-only cats.

I am in complete agreement with you, but I'm at a loss as to what to do when the veterinarian we use insists that the cat (in my case, it's more than one) be given the shot. There is also the law, and he reminds me of that every time.

Our kitties do not -- and never will -- go outside. They won't get out accidentally either, as neither of them shows any interest in going outdoors.

Please advise on what you suggest I do. Changing vets is not an option, as we live quite far away, and they all seem to share the same rule regarding this vaccination. -- S.A., Ocean View, Del.

DEAR S.A.: Any government (local, state or federal) that mandates certain medical procedures is ostensibly doing so with the best intentions in service to the greater good. But such mandates must be based on sound science and guided by bioethics to allow for case-by-case exceptions; otherwise, there is neither transparency nor accountability -- and the absence of those qualities is the hallmark of totalitarianism.

It is highly questionable, if not draconian, to mandate annual anti-rabies vaccinations for cats who never go outdoors (and annual vaccinations for dogs when three-year interval vaccines are available). There is also the question of the duration of immunity following vaccination. In many instances, booster shots are not needed.

For more details, and to support research and future reforms as needed in this area, visit rabieschallengefund.org. The organization reports that the state of California passed legislation in October 2011 allowing veterinarians to write exceptions for animals whose health may be put at risk by vaccination. California is the 14th state to enact such legislation. Have your veterinarian run blood tests to determine antibody titers, which may show that your cats do not need additional rabies vaccinations. Your animals' doctor could write a note if that is the case, indicating that revaccination was not deemed necessary.

DEAR DR. FOX: This is not a medical question, but I would like to know how to get my baby parakeet to be people-friendly.

This is our fifth parakeet. I had the last one for 12 years. He was very friendly, but he didn't talk much. All of my previous birds were yellow males (or so I was told).

Number five is a very busy bird: He loves his cage and toys, and, more important, he has a good appetite. His wings were clipped and are now growing in.

What can I do to get him to perch on a hand or allow me to touch or pet him? He threatens to bite whenever I approach him. -- S.A., Jupiter, Fla.

DEAR S.A.: Your parakeet is still young and is behaviorally flexible, so establishing friendly social bonds with humans should be easy. My guess is that he came from a breeder. Before you purchased him, he was with other birds, he bonded with them and had minimal human contact. So you must be patient with him and not force contact.

Parakeets (budgerigars) are highly social birds. They live in flocks in the wild. Once your bird habituates to your presence, caregiving routines and chatty conversations with him, his need for social affirmation should result in him becoming attached to you, his caregiver and surrogate flockmate.

For short periods, put a tough work glove in his cage to get used to, then wear it and offer him his favorite treat from your glove-protected hand. You will be less afraid, and you won't make sudden avoidance movements. This will make him less apprehensive, since fear is a contagious emotion. Once he is bonded with you, I would advise you to consider adopting another parakeet -- birds of a feather belong together. To deprive your bird of contact with his own species in order to imprint onto humans and facilitate his learning to speak is ethically abhorrent, even though it is the norm.

(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: I have a 6-year-old female beagle. She weighs 30 pounds, has underactive thyroid glands and is taking Thyro-Tab.

She had a problem with eating stool. I give her Nasty Habit Chewables. It helps.

My dog also has an anal gland problem. She has to have the glands expressed every three weeks. The vet has her on a reduced diet of dry dog food to control her weight. I have been adding psyllium to her dry food to give her more fiber for her gland problem. It doesn't seem to be helping. She is always hungry. I don't know what to do for her. I don't think she is getting enough nutritious food. -- J.O., Arlington, Va.

DEAR J.O.: I would say that your dog fits the profile of what I would call "American middle-aged dog syndrome." She's probably going to develop arthritis, skin problems and heart, liver and/or kidney disease next.

I don't mean to alarm you, just alert you and other dog owners about this health crisis, which is brought on by poor nutrition -- especially the high cereal and genetically modified content of dog foods -- lack of exercise and too-frequent administration of vaccinations and anti-flea and tick drugs. This combination creates a vicious cycle of weight gain, increased pain and anxiety and decreased interest in life, often with cognitive impairment and failing senses, notably hearing loss and cataracts.

Please visit the archives on my website, DrFoxVet.com, or get my book, "Dog Body, Dog Mind" (Lyons Press), to get your dog through this crisis and in better shape to face old age.

Dogs on many commercial weight-loss diets suffer from constant hunger and possibly malnutrition. This should not be: Feed your dog three or four small meals daily. Transition her onto my home-prepared diet, available on my website, gradually reducing the grain content down by 75 percent. Give her probiotics, but no iodine or seaweed supplements, which can make the thyroid problem worse. Ask your veterinarian to prescribe a multivitamin and multimineral supplement for her. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to her food every day.

Anal gland problems are often associated with a food allergy or intolerance. The psyllium may help her, but being more active could make a big difference. Get her outdoors for regular walks, and encourage physical activities. Try jogging, interactive games with a ball or Frisbee or playing with another friendly dog. But start this regimen gradually, otherwise torn cruciate ligaments in one or both knees could be the next issue for your poor dog!

DEAR DR. FOX: My cat is driving me crazy. I have three cats, and the "middle" cat is 3 years old.

About two years ago, she decided that my throw rugs were her personal urinals. She usually targets the ones in the bathroom, but if I remove those, she chooses the one in the kitchen. She still uses the litter box, and she never urinates on anything else in the house.

I love her dearly, but I am getting so tired of having to wash my rugs every week. I clean the litter box every day, I've given her extra attention and treats so she's happy and I've sprayed the rugs with everything under the sun hoping the smells will stop her. Nothing has worked!

I'm at my wit's end, and I don't know what to do with her. I'm afraid if I remove all throw rugs, she'll decide to start urinating on the furniture.

What is causing this bizarre fetish? Can you help me? -- N.C., Tulsa, Okla.

DEAR N.C.: Your provisional diagnosis is probably correct -- the texture of your throw rugs is like a fetish for your cat.

Certain materials, the old beanbags of the '70s being a prime example, can trigger a cat's toilet behavior. Other factors may be involved, such as her preferring a cleaner litter box. Try giving her an extra litter box placed on one of the throw rugs. That might help.

Many cats urinate outside of their litter boxes because they suffer from cystitis and bladder stones/calculi. Check this out with your veterinarian. When dealing with what seems like a behavioral/psychological issue, medical causes need to be ruled out first.

(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.)