DEAR DR. FOX: I have just adopted a 6-month-old female Australian shepherd mix from an adoption network. A friend warned me that this breed can get ill and die from heartworm prevention medication. I respect his advice -- he is a dog trainer and seems to know a lot. What is your opinion? -- K.P., Silver Spring, Md.

DEAR K.P.: First, let me say that I now endorse year-round heartworm preventive medication for most dogs. Your dog should also get periodic blood tests to check for heartworms because of climate change, traveling and the fact that more than 70 species of mosquitoes can transmit this disease. Your veterinarian can determine if it is safe to temporarily stop the monthly medication during the winter season.

You raise an important issue, which needs to be addressed. I hope all readers with dogs will take note because dogs do have adverse drug reactions, and many drugs are now being prescribed for the dogs' entire lives. Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine advises, "Many herding breed dogs have a genetic predisposition to adverse drug reactions involving over a dozen different drugs. The most serious adverse drug reactions involve several antiparasitic agents (ivermectin, milbemycin and related drugs), the antidiarrheal agent loperamide (Imodium), and several anticancer drugs (vincristine, doxorubicin, others). These drug sensitivities result from a mutation in the multi-drug resistance (MDR1) gene. At Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine you can test your dog for multi-drug sensitivity and prevent serious adverse drug reactions. We can work with your dog's veterinarian to find appropriate drug doses or alternative drugs for your dog based on results of MDR1 testing."

Consult with your veterinarian about this genetic blood test, also available from other laboratories.

The university also posted the following breed prevalence as an approximate percentage frequency of the genetic mutation causing multidrug sensitivity: Australian shepherd, 50 percent; mini Australian shepherd, 50 percent; border collie, 5 percent; Collie, 70 percent; English shepherd, 15 percent; German shepherd, 10 percent; herding breed cross 10 percent; long-haired whippet, 65 percent; McNab, 30 percent; mixed breed, 5 percent; old English sheepdog, 5 percent; Shetland sheepdog, 15 percent; silken windhound, 30 percent.

As advances are made in canine genetics and related nutrigenomics -- specific dietary requirements related to genetic background -- the burden of disorders and suffering related to our selective breeding of various kinds of dogs may be alleviated, and our canine companions can enjoy a better quality of life in future generations. Overall, mongrels -- mixed breeds, not the new "designer" breeds -- have the best prognosis.

DEAR DR. FOX: I would like to hear your rationale as to the difference between horse slaughter for human consumption, which you discussed in a recent column, and that of cattle, hogs, poultry and fish? -- B.W., St Louis

DEAR B.W: My "rationale" is quite simple: While killing is killing regardless of the species, there is a difference in slaughtering animals raised or caught specifically for human consumption and those such as horses and dogs, who have enjoyed a close human bond.

This difference is cultural and, some would argue, also ethical. It is a kind of emotional betrayal of the animals' devotion and service. There is also a biological difference -- horses have not been selectively bred to be less reactive to being herded and transported, unlike cattle and pigs. I have visited livestock slaughtering facilities across the United States as well as in India and Africa and documented my concerns several years ago.

For an in-depth and in-field account of the continuing horrors in the meat industry, which would mean an intensification of this holocaust of the animals if horse slaughter were to become legal in the U.S., read the book by my friend and former co-worker Gail A. Eisnitz, "Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry."

PRO-PET FOOD RECALL

Pro-Pet LLC of St. Mary's, Ohio, has initiated a voluntary recall of a limited number of its dry dog and cat foods for possible salmonella contamination. Affected foods include Hubbard Life Happy Hound Dog Food, QC Plus Adult Dog Food and Joy Combo Cat Food.

For more information on the recall, including batch numbers, visit DrFoxVet.com and contact Pro-Pet's customer service line at 888-765-4190.

(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 have read your recent columns regarding trap, neuter, release (TNR) with interest, and while I do agree that trapping, neutering and returning feral cats to a place where they do not get good care is inhumane, not all TNR is the same.

There are caregivers who provide food, warm shelter (including heated cat houses) and veterinary care for their feral cats. I work in an animal hospital, and I have seen caregivers provide better care for their feral cats than some pets get. You should not lump all TNR advocates into the same boat.

There is also another alternative for these cats that doesn't seem to get much attention. Feral cats make superior barn cats. Anyone who has horses or other livestock knows barn cats are necessary to keep rodents out of the feed. Releasing spayed and neutered feral cats into horse barns is a win-win for everyone. The cats get a good place to live, and the barn owners get rodent control. Over the years of being fed by people, many eventually become tame enough to become house cats when they get older.

Rodent control for horse stables is a necessity. Rodents carry hantavirus, typhus, salmonella and plague. There are two choices: cats or poison. Poison is more expensive, and it is also harmful to wildlife, pets and children.

Many horse owners are quite willing to feed and provide veterinary care for the cats in exchange for the great poison-free rodent control they provide. This is a great option for these cats, and one I rarely see mentioned in any discussion of TNR. -- T.B., St Louis

DEAR T.B.: I appreciate your contribution to this debate concerning the well-being of TNR cats, which I will stop featuring in my column. The bottom line is that some animal shelters are using TNR as an excuse not to take in cats and to pass the burden of responsibly of dealing with unadoptable cats to others.

I agree with you that many such cats might do well in the farm-barn environment as "working" animals, helping keep rodents under control. The problem is that they can pick up diseases from rodents, such as toxoplasmosis, and roam out of the barn area and kill other wildlife. I have seen much suffering in barnyard cats not given veterinary care who are allowed to breed, but those days are now almost gone with modern factory farms. The old barns that remain are mainly kept by hobby farmers and small local producers. I would not want barn cats using my vegetable plot as their litter box unless I wanted to pass on toxoplasmosis to my customers! And cats can pass plague and other diseases on to people. A well-cared-for TNR cat colony in a good horse stable facility could offer an excellent quality of life for the cats and provide some valuable services, but monitoring the health of the cats is paramount, and to do so effectively they must be approachable and easy to handle -- therefore adoptable.

MAN DEVELOPS 3 TYPES OF PLAGUE AFTER PULLING MOUSE FROM HIS CAT'S MOUTH

An Oregon man contracted plague and almost died from the deadly bacterial infection after pulling a mouse from his cat's mouth. Paul Gaylord's cat went missing for two days in a rural area and seemed to be choking on a mouse when he returned. Gaylord pulled the mouse free but was bitten by his cat in the process. Within days, Gaylord felt ill. Soon he was comatose and on a ventilator, battling all three forms of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. Gaylord's cat died and subsequently tested positive for the disease, but Gaylord survived, although he lost his fingers, toes and much of one foot to the illness.

(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 commend you for writing about the media's exposure of cruelty to animals in your column, which I read in the Asbury Park Press. I agree wholeheartedly, and I want you to know that this newspaper has been publishing stories about dog abuse, neglect and cruelty with heartrending photos of the victims, as well as the photos of the felons with court judgments resulting in jail time and heavy fines.

The public in this area have responded with donations, gifts and public court appearances on behalf of dogs like Sammy, Heaven and, this week, Danny, a pit bull found in the coldest weather in decades. I hope that parents will show such photos to their children and impress on them that all animals are to be cared for with food, clean water and warm shelter. These felons obviously hadn't been sensitized by their neglectful parents. -- C.G., Asbury Park, N.J.

DEAR C.G.: I really appreciate you informing me that your local newspaper gives good coverage of animal welfare and cruelty issues.

I am glad to see more newspaper editors realizing the connections between animal cruelty and family violence, and cruel forms of animal exploitation and a dysfunctional society. Through public awareness via a responsible and responsive media, change can be accomplished. We've seen this in cruel puppy mill breeders, pit bull dog fighting and, in some medical schools, engaging in student training procedures on live animals, many being former pets.

Children who engage in animal torture, in the absence of appropriate therapeutic intervention, can become sociopaths and psychopaths. But what of children growing up in a culture that still condones widespread animal cruelty and exploitation? They see wolves being killed for sport; whales being harpooned; elephants being chained, beaten, forced to perform in the circus and slaughtered for their ivory; and tree-swinging, socially and emotionally dependent monkeys being put alone in small cages to ostensibly find cures for diseases we primarily bring upon ourselves.

Do most empathic children suffer from what psychiatrist Jonathan Shay calls "moral injury," which is part of the post-traumatic stress disorder complex seen in America's war veterans? Or, worse, do they become desensitized, indifferent to the suffering of others, human and non-human? Ignoring animal mistreatment just because they are animals and because there are more pressing community issues -- from sex crimes and homicides to drug addiction and suicides -- is ethically unacceptable and shortsighted. The plight of animals must be addressed, and state prosecutors and educators as well as newspaper editors and others in positions of responsibility should see the connections.

It is time to change how animals are regarded and treated for their good -- and for our own.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an 8-month-old beagle mix and a 16-month-old shepherd mix; the dogs are both spayed females. I adopted the shepherd at 10 months old and the beagle at 13 weeks. They have peacefully co-existed for the most part for the past four months -- playing and wrestling together, sleeping together and only on occasion do I have to break up a spat over a toy.

Yesterday our shepherd mix starting mounting and humping the beagle from behind on numerous occasions. When I say "no" she stops, but then starts up again. Today it has happened again at least 10 times. The beagle does not seem to be distressed by this at all; in fact, it looks like she encourages it because she will back her rear end toward the shepherd before they do this.

I want to stop this behavior because they both go to cage-free doggie day care, and I don't want this to become a habit. Do you know why this behavior might have started all of a sudden? Is this normal? -- C.D., St. Louis

DEAR C.D.: I recall a fellow who would come to our local illegally off-leash dog park with his neutered male Sheltie with whom my neutered dog Batman was in love. Batman would periodically mount the Sheltie between chases, and they would happily engage in sex-play while the man jumped up and down in a rage. He said Batman was a pervert.

This is a normal part of the dog's behavioral repertoire and is best left alone. If you are uncomfortable, use a clicker or squeaky toy to distract and redirect their behavior.

When both dogs are consenting, there's no problem. But mounting can also be a kind of dominance display or testing, especially when the mounter is showing signs of aggressive intent and the one who is being mounted protests. If he or she does not submit but turns defensively, a fight may ensue. For more details, check my e-book, "Understanding Your Dog," available on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

RESPONSE FROM C.D.: Thank you for the response -- I am much more relaxed now regarding their behavior! After reading your email, I realize that WE are the ones who were uncomfortable with it, not the dogs, who appear to be thoroughly enjoying themselves!

(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.)