DEAR DR. FOX: Four days ago, I returned home to find one of my cats dead. His third birthday would have been two days later. He was never sick, and he seemed fine when I left for work that morning. My cleaning lady happened to be there that day; she left at 1 and said he seemed fine other than vomiting up a hairball.

The night before, my beagle attacked the cat when he walked by the dog's treats. I couldn't find any bite marks or signs that she hurt him, and he sat with me for the better part of the rest of the evening purring and letting me pet him. He was very affectionate, so that was normal. He ate his treats before bed and even ate a good breakfast the day of his death.

I have three other cats, one of whom is his sister, and they gave no sign anything was wrong.

I have been completely devastated by this. The suddenness and not knowing, especially because he was so young, are making me inconsolable. I had him cremated and will be scattering his ashes. My vet said necropsies aren't done at any facilities in the area and would be prohibitively expensive for me. I really need help or guidance in coping with this. I've had to euthanize two older cats in the past due to illness, but this feels worse, given the circumstances. I could use a pet bereavement group but haven't been able to find one. Please give me some advice. I'm in terrible pain. Thank you for your attention. -- E.D., Flint Mich.

DEAR E.B.: My condolences. This must have been a terrible shock. First, don't punish the dog. It could have been a threat-snap and growl as a get-away warning to the cat with no actual physical contact. Only an autopsy would reveal if there was a bite injury, and most surely your cat would have shown some signs of pain.

My educated guess is that your poor cat had a vascular reaction to the beagle's attack, which triggered the flight response and sudden change in the diameter of blood vessels after release of the fear hormone, adrenaline. This in turn could have affected blood flow and coagulation, leading to a blood clot or embolism forming. In some cats, this can lead to paralysis of one or both hind legs when the blood clot moves and blocks a major blood vessel in the lower half of the body, or to a heart attack when the clot or clots occlude the coronary blood vessels of the heart. Giving your cat half of a baby aspirin may have helped prevent this, but if there was internal bleeding, such medication could have made things worse. Either way, you did not and could not have known this was happening. It is not your fault.

In the future, stay by your dog when she is eating and having treats because of her food-protective aggressive potential.

DEAR DR. FOX: My Lhasa apso is 9 years old. She has been scratching so much that she bleeds. The problem is all over her body -- there's no specific place. She scratches her ears, belly, sides, etc.

My vet thought she might be allergic to chicken, so I changed her food to Pinnacle Grain-Free Salmon and Potato, yet she is still itching. I am giving her medicine almost every day for a bacterial yeast skin infection, and she has special shampoo to help with this issue -- Selsun Blue does not give her enough relief. She is still scratching everywhere.

I have been to five vets, and they do not know what she is allergic to or what is causing this issue. Any advice? -- C.B., Fort Myers, Fla.

DEAR C.B.: You have certainly had the run-around with this poor dog. What you have learned is a fact, not of veterinary incompetence, but of the difficulty in diagnosing and curing your dog's dermatological disease.

I am sure that treatment with long-acting prednisone and with a non-drowsy antihistamine has been tried. If not, I would be in shock. There are skin tests for specific allergies and a number of possible treatments that I have mentioned repeatedly and are archived on my website, drfoxvet.com.

You may even try experimenting with a hydrosol of essential oils, which have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, such as lavender and tea tree, applying over affected areas twice daily for seven to 10 days, not allowing the dog to lick treated areas, of course. Natural herbal skin treatments such as PetzLife Scratch Eaze anti-itch gel may be worth a try.

GOVERNMENT ASKS VETERINARIANS TO REPORT PET FOOD AND TREAT ILLNESSES

The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to veterinarians requesting that they report cat and dog illnesses related to pet foods and treats at safetyreporting.hhs.gov. This is after the FDA received reports that 3,600 dogs and 10 cats became ill after eating jerky-type treats. Approximately 580 animals died as a result.

While various authorities post concerns about the potential risks of bacterial contamination of raw pet foods, a major report from government researchers highlights the risks of dry dog food. Some 53 people in 21 states and two provinces in Canada became ill; 32 percent were hospitalized in 2012 as a result of feeding salmonella-contaminated dry dog food to their canine companions, all from one pet food manufacturing company in Gaston, S.C.

(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: My puppy really likes to chew on my hand when I pet him. I am afraid he might get more aggressive when he gets older. His sharp teeth hurt, and sometimes he runs at me and jumps up to paw me. I push him away, but he comes back to jump on me again.

What do you advise? -- R.L., Houston

DEAR R.L.: Take your puppy to a puppy playgroup or to the dog park and see how the dogs interact with one another. You need to learn about dog body language, which you can read about in my e-book "Understanding Your Dog," available on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

Your puppy wants to play with you, and you need to learn how to play like a puppy. Many pups are punished for wanting to play because too many people do not know anything about canine behavior and communication. This can ruin dogs for the rest of their lives, making some aggressive and others emotionally unstable, shy and unpredictable. The opposite is overindulgence and not setting any boundaries with an animal (or child), which can result in a delinquent, socially maladjusted narcissist.

Puppies learn quickly to bite gently and to respect when you do not want to play. But playtime is important for social bonding, and you must learn to enjoy this activity with your dog. Those who play together, stay together. Their sharp milk teeth can hurt, but by six months, the not-so-sharp permanent teeth will replace them. In the interim, provide safe chew toys to help with teething.

DEAR DR. FOX: Why does one of my cats lie down and pull like mad on each of his claws? He does this regularly, and I worry he has a nail infection or an allergy, maybe from his litter box material. -- G.W.S., Miami

DEAR G.W.S: One of my cats fastidiously grooms his claws at least once a day. He uses a scratch post regularly but likes to keep his claws clear of the quick, or soft tissue encircling the base of each claw.

Some cats do develop nail-bed infections, which need veterinary attention. Squeeze your cat's paws to extrude the claws and look at the base of each claw. If you see any excessive redness or discharge, set up a veterinary appointment. Otherwise, your cat is simply giving himself a manicure. It is a good idea to get cats used to having their paws massaged, which helps develop trust and makes examination when needed much easier.

BEWARE OF BAYER'S NEW CAT, DOG, HOME AND YARD INSECTICIDALS

Last year, I wrote about my concerns with Bayer's Seresto anti-flea and tick collars that contain a nicotine chemical (imidacloprid). This chemical can cause seizures, thyroid gland damage, mutations, abortions and birth defects and is in a class of agricultural chemicals implicated in the catastrophic demise of honeybees. The collars also contain a pyrethrin chemical (flumethrin) that can cause nausea, vomiting and seizures, among other harmful side effects. I also expressed concern for children and adults petting animals with these chemicals seeping into their skin, and of the animals grooming themselves and each other.

Now Bayer has gone wild with a plethora of new anti-bug products related to its Seresto. K9 Advantix II and Advantage II contain similar ingredients, and the company has released new products, including Advantage Treatment Spray for dogs and cats, Advantage Treatment Shampoo for dogs and cats, Advantage Household Spot & Crevice Spray, Advantage Carpet & Upholstery Spot Spray, Advantage Household Fogger to kill insect pests in the home, and Advantage Yard & Premise Spray that kills pests in the yard and around the house.

The drug company is banking on a combination of public ignorance, trust and fear of fleas and other noxious insects, safer controls for which are documented on my website. Visit my website for more details about the harmful consequences of these kinds of products to the environment and bees and other beneficial insects as well as to our health, agricultural and food security and economy.

(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: Hello. How do I get information about pet insurance? We have a dog who is almost 4 years old. We would like to get another, but would like to have some sort of way to offset the cost of vet bills for a new puppy.

Do you have any recommendations? -- C.B.

DEAR C.B.: I have no recommendations since I feel it best to set up a savings account for each animal in the household -- for instance, you can set aside the $10 to $20 a week you might spend at the local coffeehouse if you switch to brewing at home. Discuss your concerns with your veterinarian, who may help you identify the exclusions and conditions, some of which may mandate overvaccination and questionable annual tests.

It would be good to have a reserve fund of at least $2,000 for each cat and dog in case of some health emergency so that you are not cut short and have to pay interest on your credit card. Some veterinary hospitals will arrange for fees to be paid by installment, but having some funds at hand can save a lot of uncertainty and anguish.

DEAR DR. FOX: We recently adopted an adorable old cocker spaniel, whose estimated age is around 8 or 9. The veterinarian has tried various ear ointments to clear up her smelly and uncomfortable external otitis. Do you have any suggestions we may try? -- L.B., Arlington, Va.

DEAR L.B.: Good for you for taking in an old dog and for helping make her life more comfortable for whatever time she has left.

As you know, chronic ear problems are the bane of this breed. There may be an underlying food allergy, but most often the issue is one of poor aeration of the external ear canal with the development of bacterial and yeast infection and inflammation. The inflammation may be reduced by giving her a teaspoon daily of good-quality fish oil in her food, which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Cocker spaniels may need additional vitamin A supplementation when they have an oily, smelly coat, which Nordic Naturals cod liver oil for dogs contains. This skin condition is often associated with hypothyroidism. Up to a tablespoon daily of coconut oil may also help her coat and improve her brain function as well!

Get her used to having her ears tied up with a ribbon for part of the day so they can get a good airing. Flushing and irrigating her ear canal with equal parts warm water and apple cider vinegar every day for seven to 10 days is the first step to healing. Be sure to do it outdoors since she will shake her head, and have someone hold her as you administer it. Use a large syringe. Never poke around with a Q-tip. After this treatment, dry her ear well with a soft cotton pad or cloth, and keep her ears tied up over her head afterwards since thorough dryness is advisable. If her infected ear is generally more dry than moist, work a few drops of olive oil into the ear canal after drying it following the flushing.

The ear treatment for this condition of external chronic otitis, called Zymox, can be very effective. Also, try PetzLife's Bath-Eaze (petzlife.com), a soothing and refreshing spray shampoo and conditioner you can mist her coat with, then gently rub into her fur -- no bath required. Old dogs tend to get stinky, and this kind of product can certainly make them and those around them feel better, especially when a full shampoo is too stressful.

(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.)