DEAR DR. FOX: Our cocker spaniel, Roxy, was having seizures quite often, and we followed your recommendation of no-grain dog food. She has had only one small seizure since, and that was the same week we started the no-grain diet. She's been on the no-grain for about eight months now and no seizures! -- P.W., Moorhead, Minnesota

DEAR P.W.: I always appreciate feedback from readers concerning the effectiveness of the advice I offer.

I am very glad for you and your dog that the simple solution to stopping her seizures proved to be so immediate and effective. While this does not mean that all seizures in dogs are associated with wheat, corn and possibly other grains, it does indicate that this should be one of the first causal factors to be considered by veterinarians presented with an epileptic dog. From the letters that I receive, it is clear that some veterinarians are too quick to prescribe anti-seizure drugs. Fortunately, it is only a dwindling minority of vets who still believe that manufactured "scientifically formulated" or "prescription" pet foods are good for all their patients.

For more details, read my book "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Cat and Dog Foods."

DEAR DR. FOX: I live in a large apartment with my two kitties, Brooke (girl) and Dietrich (boy), who are both 5 years old. When the three of us are together, we are a happy little family. Dietrich is always a perfect kitty, but Brooke does not like for me to have human company. With most visitors, she comes into the room, prances around and leaves. But my sister Michele, who lives out of town, is not so lucky -- Brooke hates her.

Last year, my sister was here for a week in July and a week in December. The bad stuff started with the first visit. Brooke was OK at first -- I think she thought Michele would just visit and then leave, like the other company. The real event came on Sunday morning. I left to play organ for the early service at my church, leaving Michele alone with Brooke and Dietrich. Michele started to walk out of the bathroom, but Brooke would not let her out. Brooke growled, hissed and acted as if she would attack Michele. Michele picked up one of my blouses and shook it at Brooke. Brooke hissed and growled again and ran under the piano. Michele walked toward Brooke again and shook the blouse. Brooke continued growling and hissing, then ran into my bedroom, at which point Michele closed the door. That was her last day of that trip, so I just kept Brooke in my bedroom until Michele left.

When Michele visited in December, I had hoped Brooke would not remember Michele, but as soon as she walked in the door with her suitcase, Brooke started her mean little chirp that leads into hissing and growling episodes. I kept Brooke locked in my bedroom when Michele was there, but let her have free access to the whole apartment when we were gone.

By the way, Michele loves cats and dogs -- she has three dogs of her own, but she says she is afraid of Brooke. Michele is coming again in a few weeks. What should I do? I have talked to our veterinarian, and she said to keep Brooke away from Michele as I have been doing. -- P.M., Washington, D.C.

DEAR P.M.: Some cats develop quite specific human phobias; these phobias can manifest in fleeing when a particular person comes into their home environment or going into attack mode. The cat-calming room spray pheromone Feliway, dispersed a couple of days before your sister comes to visit and sprayed on her clothes when she enters, may be worth trying.

Alternatively, have your sister visit wearing the same perfume as you. For several days before her visit, be sure that both your cats have some of the perfume rubbed into their coats.

DOG JERKY TREAT DEBACLE

More than 1,000 dog deaths and 5,000 adverse reactions have been linked to ingestion of dog jerky treats made in China. Three humans -- two toddlers and one adult -- have fallen ill after eating them. The toddlers ate the treats accidentally, and one was diagnosed with salmonella infection while the other developed gastrointestinal symptoms similar to those reported in dogs who ate the treats. The adult developed nausea and a headache. The Food and Drug Administration, which has been looking into the issue for seven years, hasn't identified a causative agent, but investigators have found drug residues, including antibiotics not permitted in the U.S. and amantadine, an antiviral drug, that shouldn't be present in pet foods. These jerky treats have caused kidney and gastrointestinal diseases, convulsions and skin reactions. For more details, visit TruthAboutPetFood.com, and do not buy pet treats made in China!

Should we applaud Petco for announcing that it will remove all China-made pet treats from its shelves, or say "it's about time"? All other stores selling these treats should follow suit, since our government seems to be ignoring the risks in favor of finding the cause before calling for a total recall.

(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 16-year-old cat has understandably slowed down and sleeps a lot, but otherwise seems fine.

However, beginning a couple of months ago, every week or so he will make a hissing sound (not directed at anyone or anything) and drool or empty his bladder on the floor. Each episode lasts about 30 to 60 seconds, and afterwards, he reverts to normal behavior.

Could he be having a seizure of some kind? My vet says his blood work is normal for a cat his age. Thanks for any insight you can provide. -- V.B., Cabin John, Maryland

DEAR V.B.: Your diagnosis of your cat's bizarre behavior may well be correct. Cats can have brief, silent "seizures," quite unlike the more violent, falling-over, limb-trembling and extending "fits" seen in dogs and humans. Older cats can also suffer from dementia.

Considering your cat's relatively advanced age, some degree of brain deterioration is probable, especially if his diet was deficient in certain essential fatty acids and other nutrients (a common problem with many manufactured foods, dry or moist). As noted in my review (posted at DrFoxVet.com), neurological abnormalities can develop in cats when fed thiamine-deficient cat foods.

You should first have your veterinarian check your cat for cystitis, a painful bladder condition, and for urinary calculi, stones or sand -- all of which can make urination difficult and painful. This could make your cat hiss out of fear because of the pain.

DEAR DR. FOX: Please help me; I am at my wits' end: My 9-year-old shepherd/rottweiler mix, Max, has a very bad skin condition.

His skin is raw, but he won't stop scratching and biting. I have taken Max to the veterinarian and spent more than $800, not including new food (at $48 per bag) and shampoo ($25). His hindquarters and legs are all chewed up. The vet has run skin tests that indicate that there is no parasite and it is not mange.

Please advise. I can't stand to see my baby like this -- he is a great boy, and I am now near penniless. I drive a school bus, and with holidays and snow days, there has been no work. I don't know where to turn. -- B.B., Walden, New York

DEAR B.B.: I trust the veterinarian has also ruled out the possibility of fleabite hypersensitivity while also checking for mange.

Various ingredients in many manufactured dog foods can trigger allergic reactions or hypersensitivity -- symptoms range from severe scratching, redness and hair loss to chronic diarrhea. One possible solution may be in preparing your own dog food as per the recipe on my website, DrFoxVet.com. You can then take control of the ingredients and find out which kinds of meat or poultry and a few grains your dog does best with. Some dogs fare best on a "rotation" diet -- chicken one week, beef the next and so forth. A week on a diet using lentils as the main protein works well for some dogs.

Add a few drops of fish oil or flaxseed oil to each meal. Commercially available dog foods, such as AvoDerm, and diets based mainly on whitefish and potato, have helped many dogs. Be sure to give your dog a cotton sheet to sleep on, laundering it with fragrance-free detergent every three to five days. Wearing a tight T-shirt secured with Velcro strips around his chest and flanks may help reduce the itch.

(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 rather good singer -- I was even a finalist on "American Idol"! My beautiful 5-year-old female Himalayan cat, Cleopatra, goes crazy whenever I sing. If she's out of the room while I'm singing, she comes running to me, jumps up next to me and cries or starts pawing at my face and arms. It is cute, but in all of my experience and reading about felines, I've never seen this addressed.

Does she like my singing, or does she hate it? I can't tell for sure. She has a cute look on her face when pawing at me, like when she reacts to catnip. -- C.O., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR C.O.: Your letter will amuse many readers, and some will have their own stories -- which I would like to read -- about how cats respond to us when we sing or play musical instruments.

Some cats like to walk on and "play" pianos, while others come running when they hear a harmonica or whistle. Cats are quite vocal and can have a significant repertoire of sounds that may be accidentally mimicked when you sing and when certain notes are struck on various musical instruments. Some sounds may mimic mating or distress calls and even sounds of various prey that trigger the hunting instinct.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an 8-year-old schipperke dog who is in good health. However, he has an "attack" every five or six months. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but he starts licking everything. He gets extremely restless and then starts to chew on and swallow any material he can find. He has chewed clothing, rugs, plastic bags, etc. It is as if he is obsessed. I can't distract him. I am really concerned because he has had two attacks in the past three days.

I feed him Authority dog food: 1/2 cup in the morning with a sprinkling of Himalayan salt and 1/2 cup at night with a fish oil capsule. For the last number of months, I have been giving him three or four green beans at each meal.

What can I do to help my little guy? He is so distressed when he is in these episodes. -- A.N., Naples, Florida

DEAR A.N.: I am glad that you wrote to me, because your dog is showing a sudden change in normal behavior and that means one thing: You need to make an immediate appointment with a veterinarian.

What you may be interpreting as a benign, neurotic or obsessive-compulsive behavior could actually be a symptom of a deep abdominal, internal organ pain or disease. Dogs with cancer or liver disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other maladies sometimes behave like your dog, and such behavior calls for a thorough veterinary examination.

BRAVO! RAW PET FOOD RECALL

Bravo! raw pet food of Manchester, Connecticut, is recalling select lots of raw food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled products were distributed nationwide and can be identified by the batch ID code printed on the side of the plastic tube or on a label on the box. For these codes, visit bravorawdiet.com/bravonews.html or DrFoxVet.com

Customers can return the food to the store where they purchased it and submit the product recall claim form available on the Bravo! website for a full refund or store credit.

(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 writing in response to your frequent mention of the benefits of having two cats in a household.

We have a 3-year-old tabby who we adopted from a shelter when she was about 8 months old. She is very people-oriented -- she greets us at the door and often sits on our laps. She is also very playful -- she gallops around the house, plays with toys and plays hide and seek with me. To us, she is the perfect companion cat.

I am wondering why you think she would be happier with another cat around, and why, in a recent column, you stated that a cat was probably too attached to its owners. We think things are great just as they are. -- L.B.R., Williamsburg, Virginia

DEAR L.B.R.: Your seemingly happy, playful cat always greets you when you come home, but have you asked yourself what she does all day when she is alone? Long naps for cats are normal, but they need and enjoy some stimulation during the day. Companion animals who live without any contact with their own species (cats, dogs, rabbits, parrots, etc.) naturally develop varying degrees of human attachment. This can become abnormal, behaviorally, including over-attachment and misdirected sexual behavior, and it is a common cause of separation anxiety and abnormal self-comforting behaviors such as excessive grooming.

I do not question the love and care of people with a single animal companion such as yourself. But what I am saying is that we must first consider these matters as best we can from the animal's point of view.

I applaud the April 2014 National Geographic magazine's cover, focusing on "Wild Pets: The Debate Over Owning Exotic Animals." Whatever animals we take into our homes and hearts, we must consider their needs first -- especially their social and emotional needs.