DEAR DR. FOX: My husband and I adopted a golden retriever about nine months ago from a rescue organization. The dog was estimated to be between 18 months and 2 years old at time of adoption. He had an initial check with a vet through the organization and was neutered as well. Right after the adoption, we took him to a local vet and established a record for him there. Our vet agreed that he was in good shape. We were thrilled to have a young, beautiful, exuberant golden who was full of life and still had a lot of puppy in him. He loved his big yard and many toys.

All was good until mid-December, when he developed several ear infections over a few weeks. He was examined by the vet and given medicine. One of the infections bothered him a great deal, as he developed a hot spot, which was also treated by the vet. None of that was too substantial, but in mid-January, he had a grand mal seizure out of the blue. We immediately took him to the vet, who examined him and performed blood tests. Upon her recommendation, he was put on a Phenobarbital regimen -- three tabs per day. We began the medication and within a couple of days, our dog was so groggy he could barely keep awake. I went online and saw that Phenobarbital can cause sedation, lethargy, weakness in hind legs and potential liver damage. We spoke to the vet about how lethargic and sedated he seemed. Over the course of several weeks, the dosage was reduced until it was at just 1/2 tab daily.

There have been no further seizures, but our wonderful, peppy dog has morphed into a dog who seems like a senior citizen. He once bounded up and down stairs and on and off the bed, but now he acts like he can barely navigate. He no longer plays with his toys, and his interest level for everything around him, including visitors and other dogs, is minimal. His appetite is still good, although we have reduced his intake of dry food and added veggies in order to reduce his weight. A friend who saw our dog when we first adopted him said he seems depressed. There have been no other seizures past the initial episode.

We have since changed vets, and the new vet ran a thyroid panel, as our dog is exhibiting many symptoms that can be attributed to thyroid problems -- including weight gain even though intake is reduced, lethargy and heavy shedding. The tests revealed that the dog is not hypothyroidic. The new vet has further reduced the Phenobarbital dosage to 1/2 tab every other day until the original prescription is gone, which should be in two weeks. The vet said his feeling is that the dog has been extremely reactive to the Phenobarbital and that once he is weaned from the drug, he will regain his previous demeanor.

Have you ever seen a situation like this? If so, is there something else we should be doing? We desperately want to get our happy young dog back to his previous self. Any help or advice you can give us will be appreciated. --C.T., St. Louis

DEAR C.T.: Try putting your dog on a corn- and grain-free diet and see how that helps. Dietary change can be a miracle because corn and wheat cause seizures in some dogs.

Zymox is an excellent ear medication. Ear problems and hot spots can also be diet-related. Fish oil may also be of great help.

Let me know how your dog fares after you try my suggestions.

C.T. RESPONDS:

DEAR DR. FOX: I had to get back to you and let you know that your recommendations were spot-on! We weaned Nicky from the Phenobarbital and changed him from Pro-Plan to Blue Buffalo Freedom.

We have been amazed how quickly he is returning to his previous wonderful, peppy self. He is playing with his toys, has much more energy and is now engaged in his surroundings and excited to play, explore and go for walks. Thank you for such great advice!

A NEW CANINE DISEASE: DOG CIRCOVIRUS INFECTION.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the online Emerging Disease Journal that pathologists at the University of California, Davis discovered the virus, normally associated with pigs, in dogs in April. The report, titled "Circovirus in Tissues of Dogs with Vasculitis and Hemorrhage," which details the study, can be found at wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/4/12-1390_article.htm.

Symptoms included vasculitis (a destruction of the body's blood vessels), severe vomiting, bloody diarrhea, fluid buildup around the lungs and rapid heart rate and weakness. Without emergency veterinary treatment, dogs can die within 48 hours. This newly emerging disease has also been reported in Ohio. The disease can be transmitted from dog to dog via infective feces. Some dogs' stools have tested positive but with no symptoms of disease, indicating possible immunity in some dogs. As a precaution, pick up after your dog and keep your dog parks clean!

(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: In December 2011, my cat started making these coughing/sneezing sounds. Initially, the vet treated her with meds for respiratory issues; however, the cough/sneeze still continued sporadically.

In July 2012, I brought her to the Garden State Veterinary Specialists hospital and an internal medicine specialist saw her. This doctor had my cat get three X-rays, and it appeared that her lungs were a bit cloudy, as if there was a respiratory problem. The doctor prescribed a short term of prednisolone at a very low dosage. This seemed to help. After some time after, Cat started up with the noises again.

In October, another vet saw her and followed up with an X-ray and re-prescribed prednisolone. Again, this worked. In late December, Cat's vet decided to put her on Clavamox. For six weeks, there were no coughing/sneezing episodes, but they started again in early February. Now Cat is on clindamycin in the event she has an infection. The vet also included low-dosage prednisolone for the possibility of inflammation. Neither of these helped.

She was given an ultrasound of her heart, and that doctor did not see any abnormalities. Between that specialist and the regular vet, it was decided that she was showing symptoms of lungworm. She was put on Pure C for 10 days -- it did not work, and a lab test of her feces showed no parasites.

I brought Cat to see the first specialist this week. It seems that the only recourse now is shoving a camera into both her throat and lungs to see what might be hovering in either location. With my permission, she would do a "wash" of the lungs if nothing appears, or a biopsy if something is found. HELP!

Your expertise is needed here -- I am terribly concerned for my 9.8 pound, almost 13-year-old cat. She acts perfectly normal in every way: She's still playful, eats and drinks normal amounts and gets her beauty sleep. And, being a native Californian, she loves to sunbathe on back of furniture wherever the sun is shining. -- T.M., Sacramento, Calif.

DEAR T.M.: As you may gather from my newspaper columns and website, I take a radically conservative approach to many feline health problems because cats can be stressed terribly by various diagnostic procedures.

Cats have sensitive respiratory systems, and various virus infections take their toll; I advocate rhinotracheitis and calicivirus vaccinations. But your cat, otherwise behaving normally, may be having a normal lung reaction to some inflammatory agent -- the buildup of fluid leading to bouts of wheezing and coughing. Consider a possible food allergy or an allergy to inhaled volatile synthetic fragrances. Do some detective work, and transition her onto a raw-food or home-prepared diet.

Cats can get lungworms when they eat birds and other animals who have eaten infective snails. This is yet another reason to keep cats indoors and not allow them out.

PURINA DOG FOOD RECALL

Nestle Purina PetCare is voluntarily recalling a limited number of 3.5-pound bags of its Purina ONE beyOnd Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry Dog Food from a single production run. The product is contaminated with salmonella.

For further information or to obtain a product refund, call NPPC toll-free at 1-800-473-8546, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

(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: After having three healthy dogs over the years, I adopted a 15-month-old rescue dog. One vet said it's possible he has irritable bowel syndrome. I am not committed to supporting a sickly dog, so I hope to get this problem corrected. Two vets have suggested canned pumpkin. This works if the dog eats all of his food; however, if he doesn't, the problem is assured to manifest immediately.

My dog's first bowel movement of the day is normal. The second is characterized by straining (sometimes yelping that I assume indicates pain), mucus-textured bowel movement, concluding with further straining resulting in wet droplets. This is frowned upon at the dog park because it is interpreted as evidence of an owner who is lax in providing medical attention for her dog.

Regardless of the number of walking/dog park opportunities he is presented per day (usually four), the dog's bowels move on average only twice a day. Is there some kind of fix for this condition? -- A.R., Washington, D.C.

DEAR A.R.: If your veterinarian ran no fecal tests to rule out parasites, did not try a short course of treatment with metronidazole or Tylosin and only suggested you give your dog canned pumpkin, I would take your dog to another animal doctor.

Check my website, DrFoxVet.com, for details on the various factors that can trigger this common animal condition and its various treatments. These can range from a diet free of grain/cereal to giving psyllium husks, digestive enzymes and probiotics in the food. Peppermint tea can be beneficial for dogs and humans alike. This is also true for fenugreek, aloe vera and ginger. Veterinarians are leading the human medical profession in using fecal transplants from healthy donors to help animals in need of gut microbiome replenishment, especially after prolonged antibiotic treatments.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 3-year-old bulldog has a serious problem. He has a kink in his tail, which makes it necessary to clean him after he does his business. It's not a problem for him or for us, but he has developed a hot spot at the base of his tail on top so he can't stand to be touched. Our vet has prescribed cleaning the spot twice a day with diluted Nolvasan, applying Vetericyn on the area two times daily and giving him cephalexin every 12 hours and Previcox once daily as needed for discomfort.

Someone also suggested removing his tail. It sounds like a terrible thing to do. He is in so much pain. Do you have advice for us? -- M.G., Ridgefield, Conn.

DEAR M.G.: Your poor dog who is suffering from the consequences of generations of selective breeding for these kinds of deformities. Bulldogs do need high maintenance for skin-fold dermatitis, chronic respiratory distress and eye problems associated with ectropion, all of which should be eliminated by breeding longer-muzzled, smaller-headed bulldogs with fewer wrinkles.

A healing application of dermatological aloe vera ointment may help. You can also try a mixture of essential oils applied two to three times daily at the ratio of 5 drops each of frankincense, myrrh and helichrysum in 100 drops of olive oil. The ultimate cure may well be corrective surgery. Imagine the discomfort and psychological effects of feeling pain every time he tries to wag his tail.

(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.)