DEAR DR. FOX: In May, my dog, a dachshund, became very hungry and thirsty. We've had her tested for thyroid issues, diabetes and Cushing's disease, along with other blood and urine tests; everything is normal. We feed her 1/4 cup dog food morning and night, plus a handful of green beans for lunch. She gets one Teeny Greenie and a few small treats during the day.

Her behavior has also changed. She does not chase her squeaky toys now. She just brings them to us and squeaks them when she wants to be fed. She used to jump on the couch when we asked her to come up, but she now refuses and just lies flat, even though we know she can jump. When we pick her up and put her on the sofa, she jumps down.

She used to weigh 20 pounds, and now she weighs 24 pounds. Even 20 is too much for her. I know she doesn't get enough exercise. When we walk her, all she wants to do is smell. She has never walked at a consistent pace, and I don't want to pull and drag her. My vet doesn't know what to do and suggested that I see a specialist. I don't know what else to do. I don't believe that she is just begging for food, but is really hungry. We always tell her no, but it is such a constant thing. Any ideas, comments or suggestions? -- D.B.

DEAR D.B.: You don't say how old your dog is. I would advise repeating blood tests for possible diabetes and kidney disease. With this breed, it is not wise to encourage jumping up onto furniture because their backs are prone to injury and degenerative disease, conditions aggravated by becoming overweight.

Check some of the better brands of dog food on my website, DrFoxVet.com, and also my home-prepared recipe. Give her three small meals daily, and weigh her as soon as you begin the transition onto a new diet. Then weigh her every two weeks and reduce the amount fed if she is putting on weight.

My educated guess is that she may be developing arthritis or spondylosis of the back. Cosequin or other good supplements containing chondroitin, MSM and glucosamine may help.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have two cats, and we're having a problem with one of them. To give a quick background, we got a brother and sister from the same litter, and they were a happy pair.

After a year, the male got sick and passed away. We got another female kitten, and the older female didn't like her, so she preferred to be in the basement. Not a big deal; we kept a litter box, food and water down there for her and for a few months she was good there. She would come up daily to visit us and go outside, then back to the basement.

We noticed that she started getting lethargic and drinking a lot of water. She stopped using the litter box, totally ruined the basement carpet, and continued to slow down to the point that we took her to the vet. He said that she seems to have been poisoned, and she might not make it. That was two years ago, and since then she has continued to urinate on the floor beside the box, or on top of the box (there are two boxes, both covered because of the dogs) or outside. She defecates in the box, or outside, so that isn't a problem.

We don't know what to do. Punishment or coaxing doesn't seem to help, and we don't know what else to do. Please help! -- B.C.

DEAR B.C.: This is a very sad story. This poor cat, banished by her own fear of the newcomer to spend most of her time in your basement. It could well have been this emotional stress that brought on her illness, which could be diabetes or cystitis, diseases that make cats want to drink more water. You might have avoided all of this if you had followed my advice of never letting a cat outdoors to roam free, which could result in exposure to disease or poison, and if you had known the steps to be taken to introduce a new cat, which you can find on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

I would take her for a full veterinary checkup to rule out any stress-induced chronic health issue. Use enzyme cleaners on soiled areas on the basement floor and take the covers off the litter boxes. Many cats detest them because the covers trap excrement odors. Keep the dogs out of the basement with a barrier gate set with enough space for the cat to crawl under.

(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 am a retired high school biology teacher, and I do student career counseling now. I am a longtime reader of your column, and if you think it appropriate, please share what motivated you to take the career path you have taken to help animals. -- Y.S., Washington, D.C.

DEAR Y.S.: I think many readers will already guess my reasons, but I'm happy to answer. It may help young people find a path for their lives if they are inspired by passion, directed by reason and enriched by their education and life experiences. I started "seeing practice" in my early teens, helping out at a veterinary hospital and later doing farm work. Young people can also gain experience as animal shelter and wildlife rehabilitation volunteers.

My childhood curiosity, love of nature and animals and concern for the harms and suffering caused by my own kind became my lifetime's avocation. I always questioned consensus values and attitudes, as well as the conventions of what I was told were of a "civilized" society, but that I saw as barbaric when it came to accepted cruel treatments of animals. These include wild animals trapped for their fur, purebred dogs kept in small cages by puppy mill breeders and the billions of animals raised for human consumption on factory farms.

I am heartened by the fact that humane and environmental education courses are available, and animal rights and environmental ethics have become mainstream in college curriculums. Infusing the next generation with the sensitivities of reason and compassion will help restore civilization!

DEAR DR. FOX: I am at a veterinary college after graduating from a small college during which time my mother sent me your columns. They motivated me to become a vet!

One of my professors said he thinks you are against the profession, and I told him he's wrong. What do you have to say to that? -- Vet Student, Fort Myers, Fla.

DEAR VET STUDENT: During the 1970s through the early '90s, I was frustrated by what I interpreted as inertia by my colleagues when I appealed to them to assert their professional authority in the sectors of laboratory and farmed animal care and welfare. In hindsight, I realize that reason and ethics alone cannot bring change when money and vested interests rule and the sound advice of concerned veterinarians is ignored. Until recently, I was lambasted by some veterinarians for my concerns over many manufactured cat and dog foods -- some of which they were selling -- and giving animals too many vaccinations. These and other concerns are documented in my book, "Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health." This is free for vet students with a student membership with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

Today I see the veterinary profession as being essential to the advancement and functional integrity of every community and nation, playing an increasingly important role from the One Health perspective. As I see it, a world without animals is unthinkable, and a world without veterinarians is dysfunctional. Good luck in your career!

ONLINE PET SALES TO BE REGULATED

There's not much good news for commercially exploited animals in these times, but one ray of hope comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Welfare Act enforcement division that has closed an inspection loophole for Internet-based dog breeders. A reported 80 percent of breeders investigated who sell via the Internet were not being inspected to ensure the animals' health and humane treatment. I have long urged prospective puppy purchasers to never take this route when considering getting a purebred or "designer" pup, even if it comes with American Kennel Club papers. Never buy a dog sight unseen, and try to see the parents, too! Traditional brick and mortar pet stores will continue to be exempt from federal licensing and inspection, which is regrettable. For details, visit http://goo.gl/dgcPXd.

(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: When my three littermate kittens turned adult back in 1998, one developed a urinary tract infection -- I believe from one of the controlling littermates not allowing him to use the litter box.

I read your column about using a squirt gun around that time, and I tried it on the aggressive cat. It worked for a while, but then he got used to it and put up with getting soaked. Nobody got hurt, and he finally quit doing it.

Years later, the third littermate would come to the kitchen and get under my feet all the time. I would put him back in the living room, sometimes forcefully, but he would keep coming back in the kitchen. He would not mind me; he had a mind all his own. Once he made up his mind to do something, he wouldn't quit unless I got mad. Finally, I tried showing him the broom. This was scary to him, and he finally quit coming in. I got this idea from my father who I saw once grab the canoe paddle to discipline my brother! -- D.L., Maryland Heights, Md.

DEAR D.L.: Your observations on training your cat may be helpful to other people who are learning the ropes with their felines when it comes to inhibiting unwanted behaviors. Pain from slapping is unacceptable, and acute discomfort with a spray of water can become habituated to, as you found out with your cat. But hold on! The cat getting "under (your) feet" may be showing affection or really hungry, so keep your cool.

In many instances, as when your cats are playing too rough, a loud yell followed by a handclap, or tossing a towel over them, will break up a spat. You are distracting them by triggering the startle response. I do not intervene until one of our cats gives a distress scream or is cornered and assuming a defensive posture. A degree of rough play is acceptable; the odd scratch is all part of being a cat. Separating your cats while you are away from the house may increase the tension, so I would have let them stay together with escape and refuge hideaway boxes and tubes and a few extra litter boxes.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a housing issue regarding my daughter's cat who has lived with us off and on for most of her 6 years, so I feel like I'm part owner. My daughter is moving across the country and can't take her cat. She has asked us to keep her, which would be a nonissue except that we go to Florida several months a year, and this cat is a horrible traveler. We also have our own cat who travels extremely well. I have considered trying to find someone to come in and feed her, but this seems cruel for such a long time. I also considered finding a temporary home. A shelter or total rehoming has been considered, but I don't want to do either.

Ultimately, I realize this is my daughter's cat and responsibility, but under the circumstances, I know without a doubt the cat will be without a home. I'm sure she'd be put in a shelter -- to me, that will be synonymous with death. By my standards, when you take on the responsibility of a pet, it is for its lifetime. If nothing else, I need support in that belief. Thanks for listening. -- C.E.W., East Stroudsburg, Pa.

Dear C.E.W. Shame on your daughter! Why is she not abiding by your standards?

In caring for her cat, you are enabling her irresponsibility, and she will never grow up. Delay your trip to Florida so the cats can bond and you can train your daughter's cat to enjoy eating and sleeping in an open cat crate.

It is not clear from your letter if you are driving or flying to Florida. Either way, have the cat microchipped and get her a breakaway collar with your address on it. If you are flying, arrange to take the cat on the plane with you, or at least taken by courier at the check-in desk, rather than going through the regular baggage chutes. Have rabies and health certificates on hand. If you are driving, use a larger dog crate and keep the litter box on the floor. A harness and leash on the cat may be a good safety precaution.

(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.)