DEAR DR. FOX: After reading your latest column about fleas and ticks, I wanted to mention that I had a lot of success preventing ticks for my cats (whom I walk on a leash) using hydrosols, which are water-distilled oils and, therefore, safe for cats (since oils are toxic for them). These sprays would also work for dogs, and I believe the oils from which they're made are not toxic for dogs. Bay laurel and lavender are both available in hydrosol spray from originalswissaromatics.com. Rose geranium and eucalyptus are hugely effective and available from rivendellaromatics.com.

The other thing that I did to prevent fleas and ticks was to purchase garlic flower essence tincture and put a few drops in their water and take it under my own tongue because it is purported to prevent ticks. -- B.N., Potomac, Maryland

DEAR B.N.: The search for and application of safer and effective anti-flea and tick products is ongoing, and your contribution is appreciated. For other products and practices, check my website on this topic at DrFoxVet.com. I am unaware of garlic flower essence being a good tick repellent and would like to see in-field test data to confirm.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 15-year-old tuxedo cat, Tim, who is quite creative with his multicolored ribbon on a plastic wand. For the past five years, he has been using his mouth, teeth and feet to make a variety of different designs in the shape of flowers and other objects for us to notice and praise him over. Is this unusual behavior for a cat? -- B.P., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR B.P.: I am always glad to hear about the amazing things cats do. You should take photos of these cat creations -- or maybe we should call them "paw sculptures"? -- and let me see and post them on my website.

Such creative activities give us insights into animals' consciousness, dexterity and imaginative abilities. While some dogs will learn to identify spoken words and pictures of specific objects and retrieve them from an assortment of others, cats will spontaneously sort certain toys and place them in particular orders or patterns. One friend sent me photos of one of her foster-homed cats placing certain toys on separate steps on her stairs, which he did in a pattern on a regular basis. This may indicate cats' ability to essentially put things in order, if not count, and find an outlet for creative activity in the generally unstimulating domestic environment. 

But what you praise your cat for doing, he may not perceive in the same way as flowers and other objects or designs. He may simply derive great pleasure from manipulating these materials, just as our Mr. Mark Twain, a formerly feral cat, will spend intense minutes hooking a spiral of pipe cleaning wire from one claw to another, then hiding it and pulling it out from behind a leg of furniture or from under a rug where he has pushed it.

NESTLE PURINA SETTLES JERKY LAWSUIT FOR $6.5 MILLION

Julie Scheidegger reports in DVM360 Magazine: "Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and its Waggin' Train brand have agreed to a $6.5 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by pet owners in Illinois in 2012. The company makes jerky pet treats -- some manufactured in China -- that have been implicated in a nearly decadelong U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation into jerky-related illness.

"Nestle Purina is not admitting that the treats made pets sick, however. Bill Salzman, director of corporate communications for the company, says, 'There is no indication the treats negatively impacted the health of dogs; this resolution allows everyone involved to move forward.' If the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois approves the agreement, it will resolve the disputed claims related to Waggin' Train jerky products and establish procedures for monetary relief and compensation.

"If the deal is approved, settlement class members will be able to claim 100 percent of reasonable economic damages incurred after their pets consumed the implicated jerky treats. Those with a documented injury, a deceased pet, food-purchase claims or health-screening claims will be compensated upon verification. Without documentation, claims are capped at $300."

For more details, visit dvm360.com. For some of the long history concerning these and other treats causing sickness and death in dogs and a few cats, visit DrFoxVet.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: A stray kitty adopted me a couple months ago and has since been tamed enough that I have found a vet to neuter him and do some much-needed dental work. My fear is that the poor boy will be so traumatized by this ordeal that he will no longer consider my home his own and strike out on his own. He currently is still an outside cat as I already have four indoor-only cats in a tiny two-bedroom house. Due to the remoteness of where I live, the vet I will take him to is about an hour away. Do you have any recommendations on how to make his first vet visit a success? -- K.B., Snowflake, Arizona

DEAR K.B.: Cats, as you know, are exceptionally sensitive to the stress of being put in a crate and going to the veterinarian. There is no way to avoid such stress when performing neutering surgery and teeth cleaning under a general anesthetic. But first I would advise a blood test for feline AIDS and leukemia because if the cat is infected, you could be putting him at risk. Also, the cat should be scanned for an identifying microchip under his skin.

The bond of trust that you have with this cat will probably be broken because he will be suffering from the equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder when it is all over. If you plan to bring him in to live with you, check my article on my website, DrFoxVet.com, on the steps to take when introducing a new cat.

Ideally, to avoid additional stress, have the cat given whatever vaccinations are called for at a later date by a home-visiting veterinarian. This is because I do not advise vaccinating cats that are already severely stressed, although the rabies vaccine may have to be given when he goes in to the vet's. It is a good idea to separate giving the rabies vaccination by three to four weeks from the three "core" vaccines of feline parvovirus, panleukopenia, calici virus and herpes virus. These vaccines can often give lifelong immunity. Injecting the vaccines under the skin at the end of the cat's tail is a new protocol veterinarians are following to reduce harmful complications if a fibrosarcoma were to develop at the site of injection.

Dog owners should note that similar long-term immunity has been shown for the "core" canine vaccines -- canine distemper virus, parvovirus and adenovirus -- and it is advisable to separate the rabies vaccination from these others to avoid "carpet bombing" the immune system.

EXOTIC PET HAZARDS: BEARDED DRAGON LIZARDS PUT SOME IN HOSPITAL

I am not an alarmist about people capturing, breeding and selling wild animals as pets and putting people who purchase them at risk from injury, disease and even death. My primary concern is about the plight of these animals being caught up in the international commerce of the exotic pet trade, which ignores the rights of all creatures to live wild and free regardless of the pittance in-field collectors receive and captive breeders may reap. As always, my advice to never purchase a non-domesticated animal is affirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports that over the past two years, 132 people contracted a rare form of salmonella bacterial infection, a little less than half of them requiring hospitalization. The source of infection was traced to their Australian bearded dragon lizards.

If you have one or more of these or other wild species held captive in your home, don't go out and dump them in the wild like many idiots have -- in Florida, escaped pythons, monkeys, parakeets and other formerly "exotic" pets are now multiplying in the wild and competing with indigenous species, many already endangered by other human activities. Just keep what animals you may have as healthy and in as enriched, natural-imitating environments as you can -- seek advice from local zoo experts -- and wash your hands well after handling.

TAKING YOUR DOG TO WORK

Many people experienced the fun of bringing their canine friends to work in June on "Dog Friday," when employers across the country opened their doors to workers' dogs. Companies such as Google, Procter & Gamble and Amazon allow dogs every day, and there are reports that workers are happier, healthier and more productive as a result.

Human Resource departments need to have canine resource specialists and move forward to "canidize" the work place! In my estimation, this would be good for most dogs, too, rather than being alone at home during the working hours, which is borderline cruelty that too many cross when they keep their dogs in crates all day.

(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: This letter is in reference to the article about the itchy dog who is costing his owners a fortune, we, too, had a similar experience, but I kept insisting to my vet that there has to be a better, less costly way to resolve this.

She finally told me that she had heard of a medical shampoo and a maintenance spray that has some positive results. Douxo shampoos and sprays by Sogeval can be bought online. Soon after I started using this, following the instructions, my dog had immediate results; if I used too much, it caused extremely dry skin. Also, my vet mentioned to keep my dog on food that has a cooling effect, such as canned salmon. I mixed this with a dry dog food that also has a fish base, and pour capsules of fish oil over her food occasionally. I noticed during my desperate experimenting procedures that chicken was the only food I could not feed her because skin bumps and redness would appear immediately, and she would lick her front paws excessively.

It has been a few years now, and she still appears to be completely cured and has a very shiny coat, too. I feel sorry for dogs and cats who have skin problems. I can relate -- many years ago, I had skin allergies myself, which were eventually resolved. I hope this has helped animal lovers out there. -- B.J., Chesapeake, Virginia

DEAR B.J.: Because of the prevalence of various distressing and costly skin conditions currently afflicting dogs, I appreciate the opportunity to post successful outcomes for canine companions.

There is no one cure, and tests and treatments are costly and can have harmful side effects. Your letter will be added to the archives on my website (DrFoxVet.com). In my opinion, it is the omega-3 fatty acids in the salmon and fish oil that really helped improve your dog's skin and coat. Keep up the good work.

AVMA DEVELOPING POSITION CONCERNING FREE-ROAMING, ABANDONED & FERAL CATS

As an Honor Roll member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and after sharing concerns from readers about feral cats and trap, neuter, release initiatives in this column, the following excerpt from the AVMA's policy statement on this issue adds significant clarity and helpful standards:

"The AVMA encourages and supports actions to eliminate the problem of free-roaming abandoned and feral cats. As a result of irresponsible societal attitudes, millions of these cats exist in the United States. Unfortunately, most of these cats will suffer premature mortality from disease, starvation, or trauma. Their suffering is of sufficient magnitude that it constitutes a national tragedy of epidemic proportions. These free-roaming abandoned and feral cats also represent a significant factor in the mortality of hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. This population of cats also poses a zoonotic disease risk for the public.

"State and local agencies should adopt and enforce ordinances that:

-- Prohibit the sale or adoption of intact cats by humane organizations and animal control agencies.

-- Require licensing, rabies vaccination, and permanent animal identification through micro-chipping of all cats.

-- Encourage that owned cats be kept indoors, in an outdoor enclosure, or on a leash. Cats in rural areas must be confined to the property.

-- Prohibit public feeding of intact free-roaming abandoned and feral cats.

-- Prevent establishment of managed cat colonies in wildlife-sensitive ecosystems."

Further, "The AVMA neither endorses nor opposes appropriately managed cat colony programs. ... Managed colonies should be considered an interim solution to the problem of feral, free-roaming cats -- the first step toward reducing the size of the colony through attrition.

"The AVMA opposes placement of managed cat colonies on public lands or in any area that could threaten at-risk wildlife or in areas that may pose a zoonotic risk to the public.

"Should managed cat colonies be established, natural or artificial restrictive barriers should be employed to protect both cats and native wildlife.

"If sanctuaries for feral cats exist or are to be built, the AVMA encourages properly designed and maintained facilities. High-quality care is imperative and overcrowding must be avoided."

I would add that "high-quality care" must include proper nutrition, preventive vaccinations, anti-parasite treatments and routine veterinary inspection and appropriate treatments as needed.

(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.)