DEAR DR. FOX: Here's another diet change success story for you: My 12-year-old cat, Bonzai, became very ill in 2007. He stopped eating, was very lethargic, threw up and had other intestinal issues.

After an ultrasound and colonoscopy, Bonzai was diagnosed with irritable bowel disease (IBD). He was given prednisone to control the inflammation and put on one of Science Diet's limited ingredient foods. He did well for a time, but then had two recurrences of IBD within a year.

We were concerned about the long-term effects of taking prednisone, so we explored other alternatives. We started making our own raw food by grinding together raw chicken, eggs, fish oil and salt. Bonzai has not had a recurrence of the IBD since we started him on this diet in 2010. He is more active and playful than he has been since he was a kitten.

As you say: Cats are carnivores, and even limited ingredient diets still have grain products and other fillers in them. -- M.A.G., Bristow, Va.

DEAR M.A.G.: Your letter is very much appreciated, and I hope other veterinarians will read it. I know that many readers clip my columns and pass them on to their own animal doctors. I hope that people with cats will take note of your insights and read the ingredient labels on the food they are feeding their animals. So many cats, even those with no evident illness, have a new zest for life when they are taken off highly processed, high grain and soy diets.

I find it absurd that so many expensive special prescription diets contain various fillers and even ingredients that may cause allergies and digestive problems. For details, check out my book, "Not Fit For A Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Food" and visit feline-nutrition.org.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 5-year-old West Highland white terrier, who, in the last year, has had to have his anal glands cleaned out at the rate of once a month.

He is on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach dog food, plus a tablespoon of pumpkin twice a day. None of this seems to help. He walks around 1 1/2 miles most days and has a very bad flea problem in warm weather.

These problems arose within the past year and a half. Any advice to help me help him? He is such a lovable dog -- I feel I am letting him down. -- V.L., Keyser, W.Va.

DEAR V.L.: Check out the search feature box on my website, DrFoxVet.com, for more details about anal gland problems and coping with fleas.

In many instances, a gradual changeover to a home-prepared diet of known, ideally organic ingredients is all that is needed when the anal gland issue is diet-related.

Fleas do seem to be more attracted to animals with weakened immune systems. Better nutrition can make a world of difference, as can an integrated flea control routine. Giving your dog a course of good-quality probiotic supplements may help because many canine (and human) ailments are improved by seeding the gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria. Discuss this with your veterinarian, and if she is dismissive or disinterested, find an animal doctor who will listen!

DEAR DR. FOX: I was interested in the recent letter about the cats who ate plastic bags. We have three cats: one 10-year-old Maine coon and two adopted feral cats, approximately 2 1/2 years old. All three cats are afraid of plastic bags.

I use these bags to line my wastebaskets, and at the sound of a bag being opened, the cats run and hide. We have never teased them with the bags or punished them in any way, and their reaction remains a puzzle to us.

Why do you think they react in such a fashion? -- P.S., Bonita Springs, Fla.

DEAR P.S.: The two formerly feral cats who are now sharing my home also spook when they hear the sound of a rustling plastic bag. My guess is that the sound, which has some high-frequency elements, mimics the kind of noise that a larger animal might make moving through rustling vegetation. This feline response could be triggered by this noise, and they instinctively run and hide as part of their evolved predator-avoidance behavior.

(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 surprised to see a question today about rabies vaccinosis in dogs. My 7-year-old spayed bichon frise may have had a very serious reaction to her recent rabies shot.

I took her for her physical, heartworm test and rabies shot on March 31 -- she was in perfect health, except for cataracts that have progressed. Within 48 hours, she was unbearably itchy, and I noticed her skin was bright red with some hives. I started her on Claritin, and the following day she had colitis with mucus/diarrhea. Six days after the shot, she had projectile vomiting and couldn't even hold down water. The following morning, I brought her to the vet, and he did a blood panel. It came back perfectly normal. The vet started her on Claritin and metronidazole, but she continued to get worse.

Nine days later, she started passing blood in her urine. Urinalysis showed no bacteria or infection and no crystals or sign of stones. My vet immediately started her on prednisone and called me every three hours that day. We put her on a diet of boiled chicken with baby rice cereal, but she stopped eating for two days. She responded slowly to the prednisone, the vomiting stopped and her appetite started to return, but the red skin and hives persisted a bit longer. I am tapering her off the prednisone and metronidazole and hope to have her off both within 10 to 14 days.

I have no complaints with my vet; he has seen her repeatedly and even came to the house twice to make sure she was OK. He did say it might be vaccinosis from the rabies vaccine, but there is no way to be sure. Three years ago, she had a lesser episode of severe itching with red skin and diarrhea that coincided with her previous rabies shot, but we had changed her diet at the same time and thought it was the diet change. Needless to say, I don't want another reaction.

Do you think her symptoms point to a serious rabies shot vaccinosis reaction? I would appreciate your input and advice on what I can do in the future to avoid giving her any further vaccines that could lead to an even worse reaction. She has been relatively healthy, but she does have food sensitivities. I used Dr. Jean Dodds' saliva/food sensitivity test because she had chronic colitis when she was young, and it came back saying she was highly sensitive to corn and had a milder sensitivity to wheat and milk. More than two years ago, I put her on Wellness Grain-Free food, and she had no further colitis issues until this current rabies shot. -- R.L., Ludlow, Mass.

DEAR R.L.: Your letter is important for many dog owners for two critical points. Some dogs, especially those of certain breeds such as yours, seem especially prone to develop vaccinosis. The adverse reaction to vaccination can get worse when subsequent vaccinations are given, indicating a sensitization process that can culminate in anaphylactic shock or autoimmune disease.

Veterinarians can exercise their professional authority and discretionary responsibility by providing owners of dogs who have developed vaccinosis with a certificate saying that the animal would be at risk from further anti-rabies vaccinations and that the vaccination mandate should be waived.

For more details, see my extensive review on adverse vaccine reactions posted on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

The other point that I have made for dogs with irritable bowel and similar severe digestive problems is linked to corn, most being genetically engineered, along with soy bean and imported rice, which have no place in dog or cat foods.

(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: There are several points that are continually overlooked by those who take an anti-Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) position. Most caregivers of outdoor cats want nothing more than for each cat to have a loving family of his own. But if we don't take the first critical step in halting an outdoor cat's ability to reproduce, we are fighting an uphill battle. The other reality is that "a loving family of his own" is not possible for every outdoor cat.

While there are times when feral cats can be socialized, it is unrealistic to expect shelters (or people) to have the resources of space or time to allow for this. In the time it takes to socialize one feral cat, countless more could have gone through TNR, significantly reducing the overall number of wild cats. The insistence that caretakers adhere to detailed definitions of appropriate levels of colony care is not reasonable. If the laws already in place in so many states were adhered to (licensing of pets, prohibition of cats roaming at large, illegality of pet abandonment), we would not face this problem.

The only alternative to TNR is to catch and kill, and that option is never going to get endorsements from compassionate people. Rounding up and killing healthy outdoor cats who have become more comfortable with an "alternative lifestyle" (outdoors with little human contact instead of the social structure we have tried to define for cats) runs counter to the definition of a civilized society.

People who do not accept feral cats for who they are and the lifestyle they choose demean them. Those who turn the other way and make no attempt to help these cats demean them. Caretakers who responsibly practice TNR and respect the feral cats' distrust of humans but acknowledge their definition of a quality life are doing anything but demeaning them. -- K.L., Virginia Beach, Va.

DEAR K.L.: I appreciate your concerns about feral cats and those who oppose TNVR -- Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate–Release. Your argument is convincing from the point of view of considering "the lifestyle they chose." But these cats have no real choice in the matter and follow innate survival instincts that include predation on wildlife. And, when they become sick or injured, they must still fend for themselves. In my opinion, this is a tragic situation that is caused by irresponsible people letting their un-neutered cats out and feral cat populations becoming established. Capturing and euthanizing a few for the greater good may still be the most humane and ethical response to this nationwide problem, along with public education and better enforcement of laws prohibiting owners from allowing their cats to roam free.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an 8–month-old Shih Tzu puppy who likes to eat only poor-quality dog food. If I buy the food recommended by our vet, she turns her nose up at it. I purchased different brands of canned food to see if she would eat it, and the one she prefers is Gravy Train beef and bacon. After doing research online, I found out that Gravy Train is considered a very poor-quality food. I mixed her Iams food in with the Gravy Train and she wouldn't eat it.

I talked to my vet about her finicky tastes, and he told me to put the high-quality food in her bowl and quit stressing over it: "She won't starve."

I want her to be healthy. How can she go 24 hours without eating? Help! -- J.P., Lancaster, Pa.

DEAR J.P.: If your dog checks out in perfect health with the veterinarian, then the picky eating issue is probably psychological.

Many dog food manufacturers conduct palatability tests on certain ingredients that amount to a corporate goal of triggering the equivalent of food addiction -- regardless of the nutritional value of the main ingredients. For details, see my book, "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Foods."

Try making a gravy of the poor-quality food your dog prefers and the good food. Then back off and leave the dog alone. The more you fuss or stand there monitoring the dog, the more anxious she will become. If she refuses to eat, put her food bowl away, and offer it to her later. The food should not be chilled.

(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.)