DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 5-year-old yellow tabby who gets rodent ulcers on her upper lip. This occurs every six weeks to three months. She has had them since she was 2 years old.

The vet has been giving her laser treatments for the past year. She gets a Depo-Medrol shot. This time she had to take ClindaCure twice a day.

I feed her out of stainless steel and ceramic bowls that I disinfect with baking soda and vinegar. She eats 9Lives and Fancy Feast dry food; Whiskas, Friskies and Fancy Feast wet food; and Friskies treats.

I was told to put aloe vera on her lips. But should it be from the live plant -- I thought it was poisonous to cats -- or the gel from a tube? I would appreciate any advice you might have. -- R.A.S., Maysville, W.Va.

DEAR R.A.S.: Rodent ulcers are disfiguring skin lesions afflicting the upper lip region of cats. They may be triggered by a contact allergy to certain food ingredients, drinking water contaminants or leached chemicals from plastic food and water bowls. The cat's raspy tongue aggravates the problem with constant licking, which removes medications applied to help heal the ulcer.

I would give your cat pure, filtered water and switch to a single protein or hypoallergenic cat food such as Wellness or Organix. Alternatively, try my home-prepared cat food recipe (on my website, DrFoxVet.com). After two weeks or so, switch from chicken to turkey, then to lamb -- see how your cat responds. If she licks more, you may have identified which protein is triggering the allergy.

Some cat experts believe that aloe vera is toxic to cats. Organic olive oil has amazing healing properties and is safe to consume. This may be of benefit applied four to six times daily, cuddling your cat to stop any licking for as long as you can.

DEAR DR. FOX: My dog likes to eat dirt! I try to stop him, but when he is free in our yard he will go to one corner, dig in the soil and gobble some before I can stop him. He never seems to eat much, and he never throws up, though his poop is darker the next day. Should I let him continue or put a muzzle on him? -- K.L.P., St. Louis

Dear K.L.P.: Dogs and many wild animal species regularly eat dirt, often selecting a particular kind. Clay contains gut-soothing compounds similar to kaolin, and beneficial minerals like iron and magnesium; dark, humus-containing soil rich in beneficial bacteria helps improve digestive processes and, acting as a probiotic, boosts immune system functions.

I say all things in moderation, even for dirt eating. A 30-pound dog can eat a tablespoon once in a while. If your dog is obsessive about it and is constantly seeking out dirt to eat, he may have an underlying medical problem such as anemia.

Living in relatively sterile indoor environments and being fed heat-sterilized, processed pet foods, cats and dogs may suffer from intestinal dysbiosis -- a deficiency in the variety and number of beneficial bacteria in their digestive systems. This may be aggravated by the inclusion of GMOs (genetically engineered corn and soy) in their diets. (For details, see my article on my website, DrFoxVet.com.) This is why some pet food manufacturers are now adding probiotics to their dry dog and cat foods, and it is the reason why I advise the routine inclusion of quality probiotics, present in organic sources like plain cultured yogurt and kefir, in your pets' diets.

(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 READERS: Dogs, cats, humans and other animals sometimes have the ability to engage in remote sensing. Through what I have termed the "empathosphere," animals are able to sense when a family member has a serious accident or dies before anyone else knows. They show evident distress at the time of the accident or death, which is later confirmed.

Empathosphere connectedness and the associated sympathetic resonance enables animals to locate loved ones in places where they have never been before, such as a new home miles away from where they were living.

One journalist, playing devil's advocate, asked me if this is just coincidence. She meant sheer chance, because coincidence is precisely the metaphysical dimension of these phenomena, for which I am unable to give a physiological explanation. Scientific understanding of brain function is still limited, but I believe that some quantum field phenomenon coupled with affection and empathy may be involved.

I would like to hear from readers whose animals have demonstrated such remote sensing abilities -- the most common being able to anticipate when a family member is coming home, not on a regular, conditioned learning basis but at irregular, unexpected times. Some earlier accounts from readers are posted on my website, DrFoxVet.com

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 16 1/2-year-old rat terrier we got from a family who no longer wanted him when he was a puppy. He is almost deaf and partially blind, and he has arthritis in his back legs and one front leg.

My main issue is that nine months ago he started urinating and defecating in the house. He just stopped telling us when he wanted to go outside -- he squats wherever he is at the moment. I have several male wraps with extra pads, and they help to an extent with the urinating, but not at all with his defecating.

I took him to the vet in February for his semiannual checkup and explained the situation to her; she said it was just part of the aging process. She said other than the accidents, my dog is healthy. He's on heartworm medication, flea/tick medication and Dasuquin for his arthritis. We tried Rimadyl for his arthritis, but it didn't help him. The vet told me to have cleanup stations positioned around the house and to leave him outside to try to help keep the mess outdoors. I've been doing what she said, but it's just getting worse each day. He used to sleep until we got up in the morning, but now he gets up at 6 a.m. for his breakfast. If I don't get downstairs in time, I am met with quite a mess on the floor. I tried feeding him a little more food before bedtime, but all that did was create more of a mess in the house for me. He doesn't have one particular area where he goes -- it can be anywhere in the house. The rest of the day continues just as it started.

He has gotten angrier in his old age. When we first got him, he was aggressive with males and seemed to be protective of me. He got better, but never quite got along as well with men as he did women. When I pick him up now to put him outside, he growls and tries to bite me -- he does this with my husband, too. I've noticed that when I pick him up to bring him inside, he doesn't get upset at all. While he's outside, he walks back and forth in a line waiting to come back in the house. He will urinate quickly when I put him down in the grass, but sometimes it takes a while for him to defecate. He stopped walking with us a few months ago; he seems to have no interest in it anymore.

Do you have any advice to help me with this situation? I never could have imagined the last nine months being like this. -- J.M.P., Centreville, Va.

DEAR J.M.P.: Your letter is very important to dog (and cat) owners whose beloved companions are relatively healthy in terms of heart, kidney and liver functions but are now incontinent, becoming blind or deaf, and are more fearful and aggressive because of painful arthritis, sensory and cognitive impairment, and other age-related issues.

My wife and I went through the same situation for months with our 17 1/2-year-old dog, Lizzie -- she was a lost puppy my wife, Deanna Krantz, rescued in Jamaica. Like you, we were exhausted and devoted caregivers. We called in a second opinion from a veterinarian specializing in hospice care. Soon after, she set us all free, administering in-home euthanasia while we held Lizzie and said goodbye to her in this life.

I feel that this is the path for you to take with your dog, considering the quality of life of all involved.

Check my website, DrFoxVet.com, for my article on hospice care for pets, and look for another veterinarian in your area who does house calls and can help you along this final path.

(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: Without a computer keyboard, I must revert to an old-fashioned letter requesting information on your book, "Supercat." I read your column in my local paper.

I found three kittens in a window ledge four years ago. Their eyes were half open, so apparently they were just born. My wife and I fed them from a bottle. We have learned to love them. One was killed, so there are two remaining. The female loves me, and the male loves my wife -- I guess that's the way it should be.

We are looking forward to hearing from you and obtaining information pertaining to "Supercat." -- W.C.G., Cumberland, Md.

DEAR W.C.G.: You did well hand-feeding those orphaned kittens. Now you are enjoying the fruits of your compassion.

My "Animal Doctor" column reaches out to many parts of the U.S., and letters from readers give me hope that there are good, caring people out there looking out for the well-being of animals.

A number of my readers do not have computers to access the many books I've written concerning animals and nature. All you need to find my books is my name and the book title. Go to your local bookstore, and someone there can order you a copy from the publisher -- if it's not on the shelves.

It is very helpful for all prospective pet owners to read up about the basic needs and proper care of the animal they have in their homes, from cats and dogs to guinea pigs and goldfish. Everyone with an animal has a duty to provide proper care.

Real books are almost becoming a thing of the past as people surf the Internet for information and purchase e-books that they can read on their computer screen. Several of my own books (including the old best-sellers "Understanding Your Dog" and "Understanding Your Cat") are now available for a nominal fee in e-book format. This is the wave of the future -- and it does save trees!

DEAR DR. FOX: My 3-year-old female pug has had three urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the past six months. We finally seem to have gotten rid of the last one after a six-week round of antibiotics. However, after the antibiotics, she still had struvite crystals in her urine. Also, the antibiotics make her sick, so she vomits after most of her meals.

Her vet would like her to be on a prescription diet, but that contains ingredients that she doesn't do well on (chicken). I would also like to avoid the dry kibble if at all possible. I feed her a homemade diet. She gets a variety of meats; she gets acid reflux with poultry, but eats beef, buffalo, lamb and salmon. I alternate her veggies among broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans and squash. She gets either rice or oatmeal. She takes a multivitamin daily. Since she was having UTIs, I added cranberry powder to her diet.

A friend told me that I shouldn't give her rice or oatmeal. Is that a problem? Do you have any other advice? I tried the diet on your website and she likes it as long as I leave out the kelp. Should I be doing anything else? -- K.B., Alexandria, Va.

DEAR K.B.: Certain breeds seem to be more prone to develop struvite crystals and stones (uroliths) than others. But two main contributing factors are too much alkaline in the diet and the dog not drinking sufficient water. Those are easily fixable.

Give your dog a canned dog food and also a home-prepared diet minus any cereals or grains -- these tend to make the urine alkaline, which potentiates struvite crystal formulation. Cat and dog foods with high fiber contents -- often used to help reduce weight in obese pets -- may also promote struvite crystal formulation.

For more details about this common problem in dogs and cats, see my website, DrFoxVet.com. In the latest versions of my home-prepared foods, I have omitted the seaweed ingredient (kelp) because of concerns over heavy metal contamination and excess iodine affecting thyroid function.

(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.)