DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing because I have encountered two heartbreaking concerns with my beloved companion (not "pet"), which I have not experienced with my other animals before. Esperanza is a 16-year-young Spanish water dog. She was born and reared in Spain; yes, she speaks Spanish -- bad joke, but people are always asking.

Esperanza is completely deaf. I believe she can still sense the vibrations in my voice as I continue to talk to her. Does she know she is deaf and that she can no longer hear my voice? Has this affected her psychologically? I don't see how it cannot, but when I pose these questions to other people, all I get is eye-rolls. My vet says that as long as she is healthy, her other senses will help her compensate.

My second concern is that Esperanza has developed dementia. This is so painful. Her main symptoms are confusion and disorientation. It seems especially severe in the evening. She will stare out a window, run around in circles and bark for no reason.

Our vet started her on Selegiline, an antidepressant. She eats one can of Hills Prescription Diet a day. She gets two or three walks a day. I would say she is not in any pain or suffering, but do we know exactly what that means from her perspective? -- A.O., Clifton Forge, Va.

DEAR A.O.: Your geriatric canine companion certainly knows that she cannot hear, which increases her anxiety. Communicate with hand signals. Her increased agitation at night may be a symptom of night blindness.

The Selegiline is what I would prescribe for the dementia. Adding 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1 teaspoon of fish oil to her daily diet may also help neurologically. A soothing and relaxing massage morning, afternoon and evening may help improve your dog's quality of life. My massage therapy book, "The Healing Touch For Dogs," has helped many dogs like yours.

Esperanza may soon be a candidate for in-home hospice veterinary care. Check in your community for veterinarians who provide this essential service for elderly and health-declining animal companions.

DEAR DR. FOX: My son, his wife and children (16 and 12 years old) have been transferred to Bangkok for two or three years. They plan on taking their 8-year-old Australian shepherd and 2-year-old cat with them.

I feel the trip will be too exhausting for the cat. After all, it can't be taken out of the carrier for water and potty breaks like the dog can. I have offered to keep the cat with my other two.

What do you suggest? Is it possible for the cat to make this trip without ill effects? -- A.G., Flat Rock, N.C.

DEAR A.G.: Since you have made the kind offer to your son and family to take in their cat, I hope they have accepted. Attachment to an animal, rather than considering what is best for the animal, can amount to misguided, selfish love and animal suffering. This is especially true when it is time to give up an animal whose time has come, but for emotional reasons is postponed.

Check out my article on the steps you must take when introducing a new cat into your cats' environment in "Dr. Fox's Library" on my website, DrFoxVet.com. Following these steps can help reduce the animals' stress and lead to the establishment of amicable relationships, especially when cats are fearful of each other and feel their territories are being invaded.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have an 11-year-old Yorkie. About four years ago, he had blood in his urine. We saw it because he is paper-trained.

The vet said he had bladder stones, and two of them were removed. He was put on Royal Canin Urinary SO. He also gets a few strips of grilled chicken breast twice daily. He gets all-natural treats and a dental treat after dinner. He has a heart problem and a blockage of his esophagus, so he is on furosemide. He is also on enalapril.

Twice in the past six months, he was lethargic, could not stand on his paws and was listless and just wanted to sleep. Our vet said it could be neurological. Each time, he was given a steroid shot of dexamethasone. It was scary to see him so weak. Within 24 hours, he was just about back to normal.

I'd like to know if you think he should be on this prescription diet forever? He doesn't like it or enjoy it. He does love the grilled chicken. Also, should be he on these medications? -- P.C., Naples, Fla.

DEAR P.C.: Popular toy breeds like your little Yorkie are prone to a variety of medical issues that are genetically linked, costly and can cause much suffering and anxiety for their caregivers.

I wish people would think twice about purchasing these kinds of dogs, especially from pet stores and online puppy mill breeders and markets, instead of finding a local breeder with healthier breeding stock. Then be sure to get a good pet health insurance policy.

Your dog is getting on in years, and his comfort and quality of life are paramount. This periodic collapse could be related to his medication, which he must continue to receive or suffer the consequences of his multiple health issues.

Have your veterinarian find more palatable prescription diet recipes that you can prepare for your Yorkie at secure.balanceit.com.

(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 guardian to a spayed female rescue cat who is about 6 years old. She was 1 when she came to live with me, and she'd had one litter. Happily, she maintains her weight at a healthy level.

About three years ago, she had a urinary tract infection and struvite crystals in her urine. Her veterinarian put her on a urinary tract health formula diet for life. She fully recovered from the UTI well over two years ago. I asked another veterinarian if she needs to remain on that diet, and he concurred that she should.

What I am really hoping for is a different answer. I wanted to give her some plain pieces of broiled meat with no seasoning (such as salmon, chicken, lean beef or pork) instead of the canned food, but was advised against it. I also wanted to give her a little variety in her diet. Since she likes Hass avocados, I would like to add that to her diet, too.

The main reason I wanted to change her wet food diet is that all of a sudden, she decided not to touch her Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Health Formula diet, and I wanted to go back to a wet food like Blue Buffalo. The decision not to eat the Pro Plan came as soon as I tried to give her some from a new case with their new label design. She had been eating the Pro Plan wet food with no problem following the onset of her UTI. I called Purina and asked if it had changed the recipe and was told it had not.

I found the coincidence of the timing of her refusal to eat the food with the label change very unusual. The second veterinarian said that companies do change the recipe without telling anyone about it. Is he correct about that? -- M.F.

DEAR M.F.: I sympathize with your desire to give your cat some tasty treats, but be forewarned -- cats can be finicky eaters and go on a "hunger strike" when they don't get the food they especially like.

Considering your cat's history of developing struvite crystals, you need to explore home-prepared special diets. For details, go to feline-nutrition.org and for veterinarian-formulated recipes, visit secure.balanceit.com or call 1-888-346-6362.

In the interim, stop the treats -- your second veterinarian is correct. Actual ingredients can change from one manufactured batch of cat food to another because of different ingredient sources and quality while the ingredient proportions and amount of supplements and additives remain the same. For details, see my book, "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Food."

DEAR DR. FOX: Your recommendation of PetzLife Complete Coat to kill fleas and ticks was a happy surprise. A safe, natural product -- not a spot-on insecticide!

I will definitely try Complete Coat, but would like to ask that you check into Wondercide's Evolv, a cedar oil extract that repels or suffocates fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and other pet pests. I have used it for two years on my dog and am delighted to find a safe, effective alternative to spot-on products.

Complete Coat has to be applied only every two to five weeks, whereas I have had to spray Evolv on every three to four days during the flea and tick season. It would be nice to have you compare these two products. -- M.M., Silver Spring, Md.

DEAR M.M: As you may gather from reading my column, I am an advocate of safe and effective botanical products that are not harmful to the environment, or (like many of the "big pharma" products on the market to control fleas and ticks) also potentially harmful to both the animals and to the people applying them.

Cedar oil extracts, like other phenolic essential oils from various plants, are part of the plants' insect- and disease-repelling biochemical defense mechanisms. They can be toxic to cats, who lick their fur more than dogs do. One must be cautious when purchasing such products for external and internal use: Organic certification is important, as is the method of extraction. Such chemical solvents used by some processors and marketers of essential oils can remain in the final product as potentially toxic contaminants.

(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: Last June, we had a fire in our home while we were at work. There was a leak in the bathroom that flooded the floor and seeped into a basement light socket. Our 11-year-old German shepherd, Lucy, was found trapped in the bathroom on the flooded floor, unresponsive. The firefighters were able to save her, thank God, and she is now doing great. We have been living with my mother during the renovation.

When I have taken Lucy back to the house, she doesn't want to be in there. I truly believe she has post-traumatic stress disorder. We will be moving back in next week. My plan is to wait until Friday night to take her home -- that way I can spend three full days with her to keep an eye on her. Is there something else I can do to ensure her being comfortable again? Thank you for your advice. -- P.S., Granite City, Ill.

DEAR P.S.: What a terrible ordeal poor Lucy went through. She is most certainly suffering from PTSD. Before taking her back to your restored home, have her seen by a veterinarian who can prescribe anti-anxiety medication such as Xanax for a couple of days before you take her back, and continue with the medication until she settles down, decreasing the dose if she becomes too much of a groggy doggy.

If she has a good buddy dog in the neighborhood to come over and visit, that could have a calming effect. She may never want to go near the floor where she was trapped, so make her bed downstairs and be prepared to sleep with her for the first few nights. Good luck to you and Lucy!

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a female Hemingway (polydactyl) cat with seven toes on her front paws and six on her back paws. She was fixed at 2 months old. She was given to a person in Key West, Fla., who wanted her to catch large water rats under her house. This is where the problem must have started.

We got her at 6 months of age. She is now 3 years old. She always eats dirt, string and broom straw -- anything she can find, really. She's well fed and always has plenty of water. Her penchant for eating almost anything is upsetting because she then gets sick.

How can we cure her of this bad habit? I think she might have been deprived of food so she'd be hungry and motivated to catch rats.

Please help if you can. -- H.A., Long Beach Township, N.J.

DEAR H.A.: One of our formerly feral cats exhibits the pica -- or depraved appetite -- that your cat displays. This vice can have various origins, including starvation that triggers the urge to ingest anything that might kill the hunger pangs.

Cats, dogs and other animals will engage in this behavior when their digestive systems are upset, when they have an inflamed mouth or are experiencing nausea and eat grass, string, leaves and whatever they can find to induce vomiting. The underlying trigger in some cats can range from fur balls in the stomach to anemia and feline leukemia.

I advise a full checkup for your cat to rule out any physical/medical causes. She may simply want more fiber in her diet and will enjoy nibbling on a box of sprouted wheat grass or alfalfa.

RETAILERS CONTINUE TO SELL CHINA-MADE JERKY TREATS

Although some 3,600 dog illnesses and 10 cat illnesses have been linked to jerky treats made in China, retailers are not pulling the products from shelves or posting warnings for consumers. Representatives of some retailers say they are following the Food and Drug Administration's lead, noting that recalls are issued only when a contaminant has been identified. Despite extensive testing, the FDA has yet to link a compound to the illnesses and to the approximately 580 deaths connected to the treats. Consumer and pet advocate groups argue that the companies should do more to let people know that the treats are under intense scrutiny so they can make informed choices.

(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.)