DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 3-year-old Maltipoo who refuses to eat dog food. We have tried many brands and types, to no avail.

At present, we are feeding her chicken and beef, mixed with rice, green beans, carrots and lima beans. We add several pieces of dry dog food to this mix, and she eats that well.

Her long-term health is a real concern, and we wonder if you have any suggestions. -- A.O., Edenton, N.C.

DEAR A.O.: Your dog may be exercising what I call "nutritional wisdom." She wants fresh, whole, natural food.

Some brainwashed veterinarians and other "dog experts" still insist that only scientifically formulated, highly processed manufactured dog foods are what dogs should eat. The effect on many dogs can be like what would happen to you if you got all your meals from fast-food restaurants for three to six months.

Visit my website, DrFoxVet.com, and pull up my home-prepared dog food recipe for a start; consider some of the dog food brands I endorse, along with the new generation of frozen and freeze-dried dog foods available in some of the better pet supply stores.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing to you about my cat Sara. We've had her for two years, ever since we found her in our neighbor's yard when she was a few weeks old.

I am considering moving her to my mother's house (my parents are divorced) for a few reasons:

My first reason is that my father didn't want Sara in the first place. He now has a sort of fondness for her, but he isn't attached to her the way I am. My second reason is that we live in a tiny, three-bedroom house with seven people and another cat. We all have various wake-up times in the morning and after-school activities, too. Half of us aren't home during the week. Add another cat (who tolerates mine), and you get a lot of crazy.

Sara has no front claws and is also fixed. The little kids used to run up to her and get in her face and say her name in annoying voices. She is sometimes very twitchy; her tail flicks and she runs from room to room like there's something chasing her.

I would appreciate your honest opinion: to move or not to move this cat. -- M.R., Fenton, Md.

DEAR M.R.: I think you are a remarkable young person who knows what love really means -- responsible care.

Clearly, your beloved cat Sara is not living in the best environment -- and I wonder about you, too. I would advise you to work things out with your mother to adopt your cat and be sure that you can have visiting rights. Alternatively, call for a meeting with all who live under your roof and share your concerns about Sara, without making judgments; ask the younger ones to treat Sara gently, be quiet around her and respect her space. Teach them how to pet, hold, feed and groom her. Help them grow up as well as you have.

(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 shorthair calico cat will be 11 years old this spring. I adopted her from a man in a van in the Petco parking lot who had trapped her and several other barn kittens. Immediately after adopting her, I took her to my vet. We believe that she was less than 6 weeks old.

She is a petite cat, although she is a vigorous eater. She is a lap cat, always wanting to be near or on me. I love this cat dearly, but she has an annoying habit: She jumps on dressers and tables and knocks things to the floor. This usually occurs while my husband and I are trying to sleep, but she also does this at night while I am watching TV.

She naps and eats all day and then gets crazy at night. She tries to attack me, and she also bites, occasionally breaking the skin. She is an indoor/outdoor cat, but she does not stray far from the house. When I put her out when she is acting crazy, she stays by the front door or jumps on the back deck to let me know she wants in again.

My husband is threatening to take her to the animal shelter. Because of her antics, I have been sleeping in a downstairs bedroom, and she has been sleeping on the bed with me. But just the other night, she woke up and went upstairs and knocked over something on my dresser. I thought she was doing this to get my attention, but I was asleep downstairs.

I am at my wits' end. I spoke to my vet, who gave me some treats that are supposed to calm her, but she doesn't like soft treats. The vet says there was nothing else she could prescribe, and that this is the nature of calico cats. Is this true? Do you have any suggestions? -- S.L., Alexandria, Va.

DEAR S.L.: I sympathize with your situation. You are not alone when it comes to the kind of stress a cat can bring into the home and into relationships.

That your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat is, I believe, part of the problem. This can affect her biorhythms, making her more active in the early morning and evening. Indoor-only cats generally synchronize their normally crepuscular (dusk to dawn) natural activity cycle to those of their human companions. They expect to be fed after you get up and before bedtime (with two to three snacks during the day) and enjoy interactive games early in the evening, especially with another cat. This is one of the reasons why I advise people to have two cats rather than one, and also to never let them become indoor/outdoor animals, as you have inadvertently done with yours.

Your cat is possibly too old to accept a new cat in her environment, but I urge you to engage with her during her evening crazies with various interactive games such as chasing a laser light or a lure on the end of a string tied to a cane. Her playful attacks on you are not a signal for you to put her outdoors, but to learn how to playfully interact with her. To live with cats, you must "become" a cat.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 7-year-old black-and-tan miniature pinscher who, within the past six weeks, has turned mainly brown. The fur has also gone from short and smooth to more of a fuzzy texture. He has also lost about 4 pounds since November, even though he is eating the same amount of food.

Our vet ran a blood test, and everything came back normal, even his thyroid levels. Do you have any idea what could have caused this? -- E.H., Chaptico, Md.

DEAR E.H.: Some animals have genes that change the amount of pigment in their fur, which is linked to changes in ambient temperature or amount of daily sunlight. Some dogs develop a seasonal alopecia (hair loss) that may be due to lack of sunlight while living indoors during winter months. This may be what is going on with your dog.

Almost all living beings are light-sensitive. One of the regulatory hormones, also found in plants, is melatonin. Since your veterinarian has ruled out possible thyroid disease (and hopefully Cushing's disease of the adrenal glands), my intuition leads me to suggest giving your dog 2 milligrams of melatonin late in the evening. Also, get him outdoors as often and as long as you can during daylight hours. Let me know if his coat color returns to its former shades.

DEAR DR. FOX: What is your opinion of NexGard, the new oral medication for killing fleas and ticks? Do you consider it safer for the dog than Frontline Plus? -- S.B., Washington, D.C.

DEAR S.B.: This new oral product, approved by the Food and Drug Administration and produced by the manufacturers of Frontline Plus, supposedly kills fleas and ticks for up to 30 days after the drug -- afoxolaner -- has been given. The company states, "NexGard is for use in dogs only. The most frequently reported adverse reactions include vomiting, dry/flaky skin, diarrhea, lethargy, and lack of appetite. The safe use of NexGard in pregnant, breeding or lactating dogs has not been evaluated. Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures."

I would not use this on my dogs. Check my website, DrFoxVet.com, for safe methods of flea and tick control.

(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 appreciated your advice about animals in our newspaper for many years. Now I seek your insights.

My 15-year old cat, Greyboy, passed away from chronic kidney disease, and it has shattered my life. I know that with time, my grief will pass. Sure, I've lost some relatives and buried my parents, but I never expected to grieve so much with the passing of Greyboy.

How do you account for that? My close friends give me words of sympathy, but they do not understand. -- V.C., Arlington, Va.

DEAR V.C.: You have my deepest sympathy and understanding. I have received many letters over the years from readers grieving the loss of their animal companions. Worst of all is the uncertainty of not knowing the animals' fate, as when cats slip outdoors and never come home. Many, like you, are surprised by the intensity of their grief, often far more emotionally devastating than the death of one of their own relatives.

In my opinion, such intense grief is an indicator of our capacity to deeply love other beings whose souls have touched ours more profoundly than most other people. I see no reason to question the intensity of your grief, which few of even your most supportive friends may fully comprehend. Simply mourn the loss of the blessing your beloved cat bestowed upon you, carry that memory with you as you get back to your familiar routines, recover your appetite for food and life -- and perhaps consider adopting a rescued animal from your community in the future.

DEAR DR FOX: Our 8-year-old, spayed, 20-pound female tabby has urinary tract infections every month or so.

We feed her wet food during the day and a small amount of dry food at night. Our vet has her on ClinDrops, which work after a week. The vet says that she has sludge in the bladder and a very small opening to let the urine through. He has suggested keeping her on a low dosage of ClinDrops forever.

Any suggestions would certainly help. Thank you. -- W.C., St. Louis

DEAR W.C.: I would advise transitioning your cat to a raw food diet (visit feline-nutrition.org for details) or a canned cat food that has no corn or other cereals.

A natural meat diet keeps the urine acidified and can help prevent and cure UTIs. Corn, still widely included in cat foods, is, I believe, a major contributing factor, and soy may be an issue. Giving your cat good-quality probiotics in her food and a few drops of fish oil, which has potent anti-inflammatory properties, may also be of benefit.

DEAR DR. FOX: In a recent column, a reader had tried everything to stop her pup from severe scratching. My Yorkie had a similar issue many years ago, and the issue turned out to be mites left by the deer that traipse through my yard. The mites were visible only under a microscope, but a topical spray of Frontline got rid of them. The mites also migrated to me and my husband, which the vet techs said happens. It was pretty bad. I hope you can pass this along. Thank you. -- E.U., Annapolis, Md.

DEAR E.U.: Many thanks for your warning about mites from deer. Also, indoor house mites are a common cause of skin allergies in dogs. One dog even got mites from infested dog food. This is why a thorough veterinary examination is needed when a dog or cat develops some skin issue that could be caused by a number of factors. Local veterinarians know best what the most prevalent local pet issues are and can often make a cost- and time-saving rapid diagnose of the most probable cause.

(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.)