DEAR DR. FOX: I have two Irish setters: a 7-year-old male and a 12-year-old female. For a few years, they would nose around the backyard grass as if looking for something. I couldn't see anything.

Two weeks ago, my husband laid some sod in some bare sections of our yard. Overnight the dogs started pulling it up, eating the dirt and leaving the grass wherever it fell.

I feed them dry Purina mixed with half a can of Pedigree each. What are they lacking -- iron? -- B.A., Alexandria, Va.

DEAR B.A.: You are right that dogs, humans and other animals will eat dirt when they are suffering from anemia. But your dogs are more likely exercising their innate nutritional wisdom, seeking organic trace nutrients and digestive- and immune system-enhancing bacteria in the soil.

Since they are both getting on in life, one of my geriatric suggestions is to provide them with digestive enzymes and probiotics, available in health stores, better pet supply stores and from holistic veterinary practitioners.

The kinds of manufactured pet foods you are giving to your dogs could be improved upon. Try to reduce the grain/cereal content and increase the nutrient value of their food. You can feed them wholly or partially on my home-prepared diet, detailed on DrFoxVet.com. When they are outdoors, let them eat dirt! ... In moderation.

THINK TWICE ABOUT CANINE TORN KNEE LIGAMENT SURGERY Some readers have told me that when they take clippings from my column to their veterinarians, they are not always well received. I received flak some years ago when I cited studies from England supporting my contention that dogs, especially smaller ones and those who are not overweight, will gradually heal from torn knee cruciate ligament injuries if physical activity is restricted. My detractors insisted that surgery is the only solution.

Now a study by Dr. K.L. Wucherer and others, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, reports that almost two-thirds of a study group of medium and large-sized, overweight dogs not treated with surgery had successful outcomes when evaluated after a course of treatment including anti-inflammatory medication, weight loss diet and physical therapy.

My advice is to try this approach before costly surgery. If knee surgery is done, follow this same nonsurgical treatment protocol after the operation.

(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: We fed a feral cat for the last six years. Once our elderly indoor cats died, we enticed the feral one indoors. He now sleeps in the house and loves to avoid the cold and bad weather by coming indoors.

The problem will be when we move sometime later this year. What kind of sedative will help a cat "chill out" for a 9 1/2 hour car trip? Also, he is used to going outside daily. How do we acclimate him to the new environment? He won't wear a collar, so I am fearful he will disappear. -- J.D., Belleville, Ill.

DEAR J.D.: I am so glad to hear that you were able to bring this feral cat inside. I would begin to acclimate him to his new environment now by not allowing him outside anymore except in a secure harness. Let him walk you around on the end of an attached leash.

Make indoor life fun with a cat condo and padded window shelves/perches so he can look out. Try installing a few bird feeders for him to gaze at -- we call it cat TV for our two ex-feral cats who have never wanted to go back out by themselves again.

If he ever gets out at the new home, he is likely to try to get back to his old home environment. In case he ever does, be sure to have some good ID photos and have him microchipped.

Do not use any sedatives for the long journey, but get him used to sleeping and eating in the carrier. Keep a strip of gauze with a few drops of lavender essential oil in the car, which you can freshen after a few hours on the road.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am a cat owner/lover, and I read your column regularly. You give excellent advice, and I have learned many things from you. I have one problem with your advice, however: I am concerned that your descriptions of ideal cat care, especially diet, may discourage some folks from adopting a shelter cat.

The home preparation of some foods and the purchase of specialized and expensive prepared foods may be more than many people want to take on. My own cats have lived long, healthy lives with supermarket foods.

As you well know, thousands of cats are put to death in shelters because there are no homes for them. Wouldn't you choose life for a cat in a comfortable, loving home with a less-than-ideal diet rather than euthanasia?

Your advice is good, but I'd like to see you do more to encourage adoption by people like me. -- C.G., Hendersonville, N.C.

DEAR C.G.: I appreciate your comments, and I must stress that pet food manufacturers often provide free cat and dog food to shelters, which is better than nothing -- or whatever might be rounded up from local butchers, bakers and grocers, as was done in the old days. Also in the old days -- I am talking about 20 to 30 years ago -- pet food manufacturers, while having less nutritional science knowledge, often had better ingredients from U.S. family farms with minimal pesticide use and no GMOs (genetically modified foods). Today, manufacturers rely on food and beverage industry byproducts and imported ingredients, like those from China that have sickened and killed thousands of dogs and cats. Certainly, adopting a pet with a pack of free food from the shelter is good salesmanship when it comes to pet food manufacturers marketing their products.

I agree with you that cats and dogs can adapt to the kinds of diets that I do not endorse because they are not biologically appropriate -- too high in soy and cereals with poor-quality animal protein and fats. But many do not, and they develop costly chronic diseases, as documented in this column on a near-weekly basis.

I constantly beat the drum for good nutrition for humans and animals. It is not simply a matter of food costs, but of what manufacturers are putting into pet foods and prepared human foods that contribute to the obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome epidemics and a host of other physical and behavioral maladies plaguing the Earth.

DEAR DR. FOX: Snoopy, my brother and sister-in-law's 11-year-old beagle, is ailing. A year ago, they were told he had an inoperable tumor on his heart. But after a lot of TLC, he revived, recovered energy and became like his old self. It appeared his tumor had shrunk.

But now he is lethargic again. He hardly has the energy to go outside or walk to his pillow bed on the floor. He sleeps a lot, will eat when fed directly and occasionally drinks a small quantity of water. Family members pet him gently for long periods, and this puts him to sleep. When he wakes up, he is perkier.

I am writing to ask if there are some foods (or better still, liquids) you recommend to make him as comfortable as possible. Since his tumor shrank before, I wonder if it could shrink again. -- A.G.S.

DEAR A.G.S.: Strange things can happen with various cancers when the immune system kicks in and is supported by good genetics and good nutrition.

There is a movement gaining momentum for human and animal cancer patients that recommends going on a high-animal protein (meat, eggs, poultry, fish), high-fat (fish, flax and coconut oils) diet with lots of variously colored fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, all blended together and fed raw or lightly cooked. Always transition gradually onto any new diet, therapeutic or otherwise, and provide probiotics and digestive enzymes. In addition, supplements such as canine resveratrol; vitamins A, E and C; coenzyme Q10; magnesium; and selenium may also be of benefit. Some holistic practitioners also prescribe the amino acid L-arginine and various anti-cancer mushroom formulations.

To find a holistic veterinarian in your area, a searchable list can be found at ahvma.org. Veterinarians wishing to learn more are encouraged to become members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. The winter 2013 issue of the journal Integrative Veterinary Care has an excellent article on nutrition and cancer.

(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 was disturbed by a CNN reporter's statement concerning the search-and-rescue dogs working in the Moore, Okla., tornado wreckage: "The dogs, brave dogs going into these homes and buildings, some of them stepping on the nails and other dangerous debris here." What are your thoughts on this? It seems like animal abuse to me. -- W.M., Arlington, Va.

DEAR W.M.: There is no excuse for not providing these dogs with protective boots and body wraps to help prevent injuries to their undersides and flanks. Military dogs are provided with such protective gear, and animals handled by civilian services should likewise be properly attired to help minimize injury and incapacitation. In his study of injuries and illnesses in search-and-rescue dogs, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Lon E. Gordon notes, "Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines for training of search-and-rescue dogs stress the need for traction on rubble piles. It is plausible that searches in areas of little to no rubble, such as homes searched in response to Hurricane Katrina, could be safely conducted by dogs wearing booties."

Susannah Charleson, canine search-and-rescue team member and author of the new and inspiring book "The Possibility Dogs," sent me the following statement: "Safety for the search dogs is a serious concern for all of us who work with loved, respected K-9 partners. Operational gear for the dogs, like body wraps and boots, certainly needs to protect from puncture injuries, (while) at the same time it doesn't raise the risk of heat stroke, entanglement and serious slip/fall accidents. Debris dogs often work 'naked' to lessen the risk of hanging or binding a dog, and disaster sites often present a tough call. There's been quite a bit of research and development for this kind of gear, particularly since 9/11, and there are boots, vests, goggles and so on that some handlers swear by and others have had reason to mistrust. I think most of us would love to see protection available that really functions as it needs to, allowing the dog to do a strong, sure-footed job without compromising the ability to balance, maneuver and ventilate."

So I appeal to all concerned to get some good gear designed for these dogs to be used with greater regularity when they are at work.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am hoping you can help me understand this cat behavior: I adopted two lovely female ragamuffin cats about 2 1/2 years ago from a rescue site; they were about 8 months old. I was told they were sisters.

I noticed Leeza was the dominant one. Sissy would let Leeza eat some of her treats if Leeza finished first. Leeza did not want to be approached and was very skittish. Sissy would follow me around like a dog and was very vocal, greeting me when I came home and sitting on my lap when I watched TV. Leeza would stretch out on the floor with her legs in the air and mew quietly, but when I approached her, she would run off.

Recently, after reading an interesting a book about cat personalities, I decided that when Leeza stretched out, put her legs in the air and mewed, she probably wanted me to pet her. I crawled slowly toward her, and she allowed me to pet her and very much enjoyed it.

Now Sissy is not following me around, won't greet me at the door, acts standoffish and hides in another room. She is eating less. Leeza has become my shadow and is the vocal one, constantly stretching out on the floor and mewing for attention while Sissy is off hiding somewhere. It is almost as though there was a shift in personalities.

I feel bad for Sissy. I have petted them both when they are near one another, but it is as though Sissy is a dejected cat. Tell me what more I can do to show both of them that they are loved equally. -- B.L.C., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.L.C.: What you describe is something very feline in terms of how cats react to attention -- you can call it jealousy, competitive social dominance or displacement. Encouraging your cats to interact playfully with a lure on a string or grooming them in turn may help bring the triangle of your two-cat family and you together. My e-book "Understanding Your Cat" may give you other helpful insights that cats have taught me over the years.

(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.)