DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3 1/2-year-old Lab/golden cocker retriever female named Maddie. Her ideal weight is around 40 pounds. Since November 2011, we have been having the same issue. This came on suddenly and is still happening.

It started the day before Thanksgiving, when she started throwing up and having diarrhea. This continued for a day or two, then we thought she bounced back. Well, she continued this pattern of being sick for three or four days and then OK for two or three days. Each bout got worse and worse. We began seeing the vet shortly after she got ill, and we were at the vet's regularly for about three months until he said he didn't know what else to do.

Her illness consists of the following symptoms: vomiting for several days at a time; diarrhea; not eating; squinting her eyes like she has a headache; loud, gurgling noises from her stomach; drooling; staring off into the distance, including sitting outside in the rain and staring; and weight loss -- at the worst of her condition, she had lost about 8 pounds.

These are the treatments we have tried: several different antibiotics; gastrointestinal medications; X-ray with barium; sonogram; blood work (twice); stool samples; changed to a no-grain food; changed to chicken and rice made at home; changed to a venison-based prescription dog food (which then added a hacking/wheezing cough to the above symptoms); and the last thing was to try a course of Prednisone. No test turned up any abnormalities.

Lo and behold, the steroids seemed to help. She ate regularly and gained back her weight and energy. When we tapered back off the steroids, she got sick immediately. We tried a different dose with the same results. As a last-ditch effort, I played a little with the dosage and determined that she needed 1/4 dose twice a day.

I am worried because today I found last night's 1/4 pill and she didn't eat her breakfast. By 4 p.m., she was exhibiting all her old symptoms.

I have seen three different vets, and they have run out of options. I am looking for a suggestion. -- J.C., North Potomac, Md.

DEAR J.C.: Clearly, the attending veterinarians have done their best to treat and cure your poor dog. You give no indication of liver and pancreatic function tests, nor the judicious use of probiotic supplements, digestive enzymes, special low-fat diet or elimination diet testing to rule out food allergy. Dysbiosis -- a bacterial imbalance in the digestive tract possibly complicated by pancreatic and hepatic dysfunction -- can lead to inflammatory bowel disease, which the Prednisone temporarily alleviates.

Above all, I would suspect that your dog has a congenital abnormality called a portosystemic shunt, which your veterinarians need to rule out before trying the following diagnostic elimination and detox dietary approach. This entails a 24-hour fast on rice or hemp milk, then another 24 hours on boiled rice, quinoa or buckwheat with probiotics and digestive enzymes. After this detox, begin an elimination dietary regimen, adding an animal protein ingredient under veterinary supervision. Let me know the outcome.

DEAR DR. FOX: I see that you have dropped kelp as an ingredient in your home recipes for making cat and dog foods. I recently read a feature article in a pet wellness magazine about the benefits of giving seaweed to dogs. So why are you not using seaweed in your recipes or recommending it as a treat? -- K.V., Silver Spring, Md.

DEAR K.V.: I decided to drop the seaweed ingredient in my home-prepared pet food recipes when it is not the only food given to dogs and cats. I made this decision after my veterinarian friend Dr. Jean Dodds alerted me to recent research that indicated a connection between high dietary iodine and thyroid disease in dogs and cats. Seaweed is high in iodine, so it would be advisable not to include this in the diet of companion animals. Fluoride is also a concern. For more details visit my website, DrFoxVet.com.

Dr. Dodds wrote to me stating, "Most commercial kibbled foods given to dogs and cats already contain more than enough iodine -- this can promote hypothyroidism and thyroiditis in dogs and hyperthyroidism in cats. So, when anyone also supplements kelp or other iodine-rich supplements daily, the animal is being overdosed on iodine. We recommend using these supplements, if desired or needed, no more than two to three times a week. If people feed raw or home-cooked diets, adding iodine-rich supplements should be safe and even useful."

(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 great, healthy cat, Monty, who is more than 12 years old. I adopted him from the Humane Society 10 years ago. He was there for more than a year.

He has always used the litter box, but the problem is that he never covers his urine or feces. He turns around to leave the box and scratches as if he is covering, but nothing's covered. I have tried for years to teach him, with no success.

And there is, of course, the smell. Do you have any suggestions? -- J.A., Naples, Fla.

DEAR J.A.: Since your cat is probably set in his toilet behavior, I would accept this as a blessing insofar as he does at least evacuate only in the box. Besides, from the odor you know when his litter box needs cleaning.

I do worry about cats having to evacuate in covered boxes, even the costly ones fitted with an automatic cleaning system, because of the odor of urine and feces being trapped inside. Ironically, in a recent edition of the Humane Society of the United States' All Animals magazine, there is an article advising cat owners to not use covered or hooded boxes because they may develop an aversion because of the odor; on the next page is an advertisement for a hooded, self-cleaning litter box.

For your Monty, the issue could be an aversion to scented litter or clay or other clumping litter that sticks to his paws. He may like one of Purina's better products, Yesterday's News, consisting of recycled newspaper as pelleted cat litter, which neither clumps nor sticks easily to cats' paws.

SOME NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS TO CONSIDER

-- Support your local animal shelter/humane organization. Adopt an animal or do volunteer work.

-- Give your animal companion an annual veterinary checkup. If you need a veterinarian, look for a holistic one in your area. A searchable list can be found at holisticvetlist.com.

-- Become a "kitchen anarchist" and cook more meals at home, including for your animals. Look for the USDA Organically Certified food label, shop for GMO-free produce and support your local farmers markets.

-- For your health's sake and for the Earth's sake, go vegetarian. But remember: Cats are carnivores, so no corn or soy for them.

-- If you are not a vegan, for farm animals' sakes, buy only free-range produce, not from factory farms.

-- For wildlife's sake, find safer alternatives to using Roundup and other herbicides and petrochemical insecticides around and in your home.

CLAUDIA'S CANINE CUISINE DOG TREAT RECALL

Claudia's Canine Cuisine issued a voluntary product recall for its Dog Candy Fruit Hound Cake and Dog Candy Blueberry Hound Cake due to the potential for mold. Claudia's Canine Cuisine has not received any reports of illness associated with the affected products. If you suspect that your Claudia's Canine Cuisine product may have mold growth, return it to your closest PetSmart store for a full refund. If you have any questions about this voluntary withdrawal, call the company's customer service at 501-851-0002 or email Irma@claudiascaninecuisine.com.

(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 bought a Maltese puppy for my great-granddaughter. The dog is about 3 years old.

He was very difficult to train, as I've heard this breed is. He has now started to pee and poop in the house.

We take him out, but he still pees in the house. We keep him confined to the kitchen now because he has peed on the TV stand, recliner, coffee table, etc. I can't get rid of him because my great-granddaughter is so attached.

Any advice you can give us will be appreciated. -- P.S., Chesapeake, Va.

DEAR P.S.: Maltese terriers and other small breeds do seem to have a higher incidence of cognitive impairment when it comes to toilet training, especially compared to other breeds.

This urination activity in your home calls for some analysis. If he is straining and having difficulty or pain while urinating, your dog may have a urinary tract or bladder infection or stones. A veterinary checkup is then urgently needed.

If he is raising his leg and marking, this could be hormone-related territorial behavior. There's also the probability that it could be anxiety-driven if there is some cause for emotional stress in his environment. Ask yourself if he is anxious for some reason, and address that problem. Is he taken out frequently enough? Does he need more attention and physical activities?

It could also be a habit triggered by the residual scent where he has urinated before. Use an enzyme cleaner on all soiled areas. Let him out of his kitchen confinement on a long leash and harness for control. Pull him up short as soon as he sniffs and readies to urinate. Carry him outside and put him on a pee-pee pad already marked with his urine (or placed in the kitchen). Be sure to give lots of praise and a treat after he urinates.

Many small breeds are amenable to pee-pee pad training (which is a blessing for apartment living). Check out thepetloo.com for an indoor toilet system for small dogs.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 5-year-old domestic shorthair spayed female cat who started to compulsively lick her stomach and the backs of her legs. It got to the point where she had licked off most of her hair.

The vet said there was no way to figure out why she was doing this and wanted to put her on a behavioral medication. Before going this route, I tried changing her food from one with chicken as the main ingredient to one with no chicken at all. Within a week of the diet change, my cat had stopped the obsessive licking.

It has been about six months since the diet change. I have been observing her closely and have not seen any obsessive licking, but her fur is still very thin. It grew back a little, but not much.

Do you have any suggestions for anything I might add to her diet to help with fur growth, or is this how she is going to look from now on? -- J.K., Mount Rainier, Md.

DEAR J.K: I applaud your initiative and regret the limited scope of possible causes and treatments your veterinarian offered.

Hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to certain ingredients in the cat's diet and hyperthyroidism are two considerations to be ruled out before making a behavioral, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment decision.

It is quite possible that there is some ingredient other than chicken underlying your cat's malady. It could also be compounded by the beginnings of thyroid disease -- hyperthyroidism is very prevalent in cats who groom themselves excessively.

Fish oil, wild salmon and mackerel, or sardines rich in omega-3 fatty acids can do wonders for cats' dermal health, helping make for thick, lustrous coats. Always introduce any new supplement or food ingredient gradually, beginning with a minute amount mixed in with regular food. Also note that some cats are allergic to fish, so organic, free-range, grass-fed beef and butter can be good omega-3 sources.

(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.)