DEAR DR. FOX: You should retract your advice you gave to a reader regarding suggestions for taming a parakeet. All interactions with this bird should be positive in nature, not aversive, like using the glove. I'm horrified at this advice. Picture a glove from a little bird's perspective. It's terrifying.

Much good information is available for the new bird owner without cost. I was a volunteer with Cleveland's Parrot Education and Adoption Center before I moved to Florida. The organization has online behavior courses that the reader could take. Barbara Heidenreich of Good Bird Inc. has tons of good information.

I assure you, no one with real parrot behavior knowledge would ever suggest using a glove. In the meantime, a much better approach would be to sit quietly by the bird's cage and place its favorite treat in a cup. Don't force interaction. In time, the owner can offer the treat by hand. Take small steps to keep the bird comfortable. The idea is to positively reinforce it stepping onto the hand. A glove does not breed trust.

Please retract your advice before more harm is done. -- J.M., Naples, Fla.

DEAR J.M.: I stand by using the glove to protect birds and small animals, such as hamsters, from the avoidance reflex of children and adults who are not experienced handlers and when the animal is not yet used to being in contact.

I recall one veterinarian who was examining a hamster who bit him and evoked the avoidance jerk response, which flipped the poor animal onto the floor with a fatal concussion.

A light protective glove -- not a huge leather gauntlet -- gives self-confidence to the wearer and can be left inside the bird's cage for short periods to facilitate habituation/desensitization.

MULTIPLE PET FOOD AND TREAT RECALLS

February brought small- and large-scale recalls: Salmonella contamination probability lead to a small recall for The Honest Kitchen, and larger ones for Nutri-Vet and Kasel Associates Industries. Hy-Vee recalled its dog food because of aflatoxin mold. For details regarding product names and lot numbers, see postings at DrFoxVet.com or visit the companies' websites.

(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 an older tabby cat -- she's about 13 or 14 -- who loves cat snacks so much that she pesters me every time I enter the room where she stays ... my bedroom! She likes both the soft and the hard kind, and I've noticed she always drinks water after eating them.

I started giving her a couple every once in a while about a month ago. Now she expects them several times a day. She still eats her food. Her stools are generally hard, and I worry she sometimes becomes constipated.

Is it harmful for her to be eating so much of these snacks? Thank you for any help you can give me. -- B.G., Blakely, Pa.

DEAR B.G.: All things in moderation! We give our two cats three or four small crunchy treats on a regular schedule, three times a day. They come for them when called, but it took no time at all for them to know the time and start meowing for their snacks.

The best treats are freeze-dried, organic chicken, turkey, beef or wild salmon. Some highly processed manufactured cat treats are full of questionable byproducts, "flavorings," coloring agents and preservatives, including sugar and salt, which are all unhealthy and should be avoided. I would avoid treats containing seaweed, including kelp. I have dropped that ingredient from my home-prepared dog and cat food recipes because the iodine content and heavy metal contamination may have harmful effects on animals' thyroid glands.

The constipation issue could get serious, especially in older cats. Add a little water or salt-free chicken or beef bouillon to the dry food, which may help. Be sure to include a few drops of fish, flaxseed or hemp oil, beginning with just a drop so your cat gets used to it.

DEAR DR. FOX: In the paper a couple of months ago, you answered a letter from someone inquiring about black spots on her dog's skin. You said they were probably warts and to spray the spots with apple cider vinegar.

My cocker spaniel, Max, not only had black spots on his back and neck, but also on his stomach. The spots on his back were large and crusty, and the skin flaked off around them. His groomer thought he had allergies and dry spots and bathed him with oatmeal shampoo.

I thought your idea was worth a try, so I sprayed apple cider vinegar on his back a couple times a day -- when I remembered -- for a week or two. The spots not only reduced in size, but soon they were all gone -- even the spots I didn't put vinegar on disappeared. My vet had never heard of such a thing and was amazed. -- L.J., Rogue River, Ore.

DEAR L.J.: Yes, we have much to relearn from tried-and-true folk remedies for a variety of health problems. So many of the medications on the market today can have harmful side effects and are far more expensive than folk remedies. Remedies like apple cider vinegar and baking soda paste for skin conditions; peppermint or spearmint and ginger for nausea and an upset stomach; cramp bark or licorice for gut-ache; and valerian or catnip for anxiety are all great alternatives to expensive prescription medication.

While I do not advocate people making their own diagnoses, I urge more human and animal doctors to adopt a more integrative approach in their treatments. As an added bonus, unlike many prescribed drugs, these products are not an environmental health hazard when excreted.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have had a terrible problem with my 14-year-old male cat's eating habits. He will eat something for a while and then just stop. I try different foods with no luck. He also throws up just about every time he eats.

I've started giving him Gerber baby food -- turkey with turkey gravy. He gets a spoonful in the morning and another spoonful an hour or two later. After that, he gets cooked ground turkey, which I cook for him in salt-free chicken bouillon. I mix that with Science Diet kitten food (the minced liver and chicken entree). I add probiotics, psyllium and Be Well supplements to the mix. He seems to like it and does not throw up after eating. I've also tried Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet -- he ate that for about two days and now won't touch it, no matter what I mix it with.

Any suggestions on how to get him to eat and what he should be eating? -- M.L., Ft Myers, Fla.

DEAR M.L.: You are feeding your old cat just what I would recommend, but I would add a few drops of fish oil and encourage him to drink plenty of water. He may accept this via a dropper.

Most likely he is suffering from chronic kidney failure and needs a full veterinary checkup. Hydration and quality protein nutrition is important. Medication to help correct the kidney malfunction and to lower blood pressure if that is also an issue may be called for. Check my website for more details to help cats with this condition -- provided that is the veterinarian's diagnosis. Various cancers in older cats can produce similar symptoms, and this I cannot diagnose without seeing your cat and running various tests.

DEAR DR. FOX: I enjoy your column and have learned a lot. This letter is to share my cats' vocalizations and to ask advice about my old cat.

My two cats are 17-year-old Simon and 10-year-old Schatze. They are both orange tabbies.

Schatze followed me home one day when I was out walking. Of the many cats we've had over the years, Schatze is the most delightful, interactive companion. He loves people and greets everyone at the front door. He has an extensive vocabulary. He talks to us in staccato sounds of chirps, grunts, squeaks, squawks and even little meows. He responds in conversation with us. Schatze is happy as long as he is being petted or hugged.

Simon, on the other hand, rarely made a sound for about 16 years. Since he has developed a tumor behind one eye, which caused blindness, he has stopped eating dry food. He is extremely thin. I feed him canned food now, and he will eat only the pate, from which he licks all the moisture. We sometimes add beef or chicken broth, and he licks it right up. He sits in the kitchen and yowls loudly. I have to sit with him while he eats, which he does for only a couple of minutes at a time. He has always drunk a lot of water, but he has never been a good eater. I know he doesn't have much time left, but he doesn't seem to have pain, and he still cuddles and purrs. I don't understand why he can't eat enough at a time to be done for a while.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you for all your pet stories and advice. -- L.H., Saylorsburg, Pa.

DEAR L.H.: Thanks for the account of Schatze's vocal repertoire. It can be difficult finding the right descriptive names for their various sounds, but behavioral scientists have identified many, including complex mixed sounds.

One of our cats always gives an accordionlike purr-squeak whenever he jumps down off one of his many perches, as though to announce he's coming. Our other cat gives contentment grunts, and sometimes when he's sleeping, he emits the most pathetic little cries, no doubt reliving his terrible Minnesota winter survival challenges as a feral cat.

Cats with a chronic degenerative disease like poor Simon must be kept hydrated, and it is excellent that he drinks plenty of water. Lack of appetite may be due to nausea rather than pain, and it could be part of the somatic shutdown process -- when the metabolism is disrupted and energy and nutrients get taken from the muscles, hence the wasting away. This could be compounded by thyroid disease.

Try feeding him small amounts of Gerber baby foods many times a day. Stick to the meat, poultry and fish varieties that are highly nutritious and palatable for cats. If hospice care is available in your area, that might be a good service to help him through his final days. Check my website, DrFoxVet.com, for a review of this relatively new, compassionate service for people and their animal companions.

CHILDREN NEED CLOSURE

A survey of 1,000 previous pet owners found that the memories of pets people had as children and the loss of those pets influenced their decision to own animals as adults. Twenty percent of previous dog owners and 17 percent of people who had owned cats reported that losing their pet was so traumatic that they were not inclined to get another animal companion. Forty percent of respondents say they are still affected by the loss of a childhood animal. The importance of open communication with children surrounding the death or rehoming of a pet -- and knowing the truth -- allows children to grieve and heal. For details, see americanhumane.org/people-pets-and-the-world-we.pdf.

(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.)