DEAR DR. FOX: Our 8-year-old neutered male cat, Tiger, was prescribed a seven-day course of Clavamox for a urinary tract infection, as he was urinating blood outside his litter box.

Less than two weeks later -- after completing this course of antibiotics -- I noticed that he was straining to urinate and constantly moving from place to place to try to go. It was obvious that he was in trouble. I took him to the vet immediately, and, after extensive blood work and X-ray, it was determined that he had crystals, but thankfully no bladder stones. He remained at the vet's overnight for catheterization and intravenous fluids. The vet also recommended a prescription from a combining pharmacy (sort of a Flomax for cats to help relax his urinary tract) along with a 14-day course of Clavamox. When completed, we did give him fish oil and pet probiotics in a syringe to offset the antibiotic effects.

The first week of treatment, he had to return to the vet's for additional intravenous fluids and an overnight stay. The vet prescribed Hill's Prescription Diet c/d for urinary tract health -- for the rest of his life.

My concern is that the fourth and fifth ingredients of the food are corn gluten meal and wheat gluten. As a very health-conscious individual who opts for natural solutions in my own personal health care, my concern is that these glutens are not a normal food that a cat would eat. Do animals need these grains in their diet? Also, the genetically modified organisms in corn and wheat are something else to be reckoned with, as they may affect humans and animals.

Weight gain also seems a side effect of this particular cat food.

We just spent hundreds of dollars for treatment of our pet (and we have four other cats), and do not wish for him to go through the pain, stress and anxiety of a repeat episode, nor do we have an inexhaustible budget for medical costs incurred with this problem. -- Y.J., Yadkinville, North Carolina

DEAR Y.J.: You have certainly been through the proverbial mill that was costly for you and stressful for your cat and all who love him.

I blame high-cereal-content cat foods, which make the urine abnormally alkaline; a sedentary life; and poor drinking habits or fluid intake, especially in cats given only dry cat food.

This problem is all too common in the cat population today. In some cases, it's possibly caused by corn, with secondary bacterial infection and crystals/calculi/stones forming that can block the lower urinary tract, especially in neutered males. A more biologically appropriate diet is the best preventive. For details, visit feline-nutrition.org.

I share your concern about the corn and wheat gluten ingredients in the costly prescription diet your veterinarian is selling you. Such ingredients have no place in a cat-carnivorous diet.

Keep up with the fish oil and probiotic supplements, and encourage Tiger to eat a meat-and-vegetable canned cat food, or try my home-prepared cat food recipe posted on my website, DrFoxVet.com. Several good varieties of cat foods are also posted on the website.

DEAR DR. FOX: Keltie, my 7-year-old female German shepherd, has exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which was diagnosed at about 7 months, when my son was raising her.

The main symptoms were normal for this condition: large, loose, grayish cow pies for poop and drastic weight loss. Unfortunately, it took the vet some time to diagnose, though I don't know why since shepherds are susceptible and the signs were obvious.

She came to live with me when she was around 3, after being diagnosed and having pancreatic powder stirred into her food for some months. She was quite thin, but has progressed admirably through the years and is of normal weight with normal stools. Is the powder form better than tablets?

Keltie, though a very sweet, smart, loyal dog, is also afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder (pacing) and super sensitivity to almost any odd happening, from pulling curtains closed across a window to my flipping my head back to put drops in my eyes. Meal times or visits by friends create a pacing, whirling dervish punctuated by yips or barks, sort of like Tourette's syndrome. She still periodically paces back and forth (it used to be constant) for no apparent reason. This started when she was a puppy and my son played with a laser toy pointed and moving along the floor. He's convinced that she's still looking for the dot! If she can suck you in, she will continually bring you a ball, waiting for it to be kicked or thrown back and forth until hell freezes over.

She has been on Prozac for years, which I think helps. Since coming to me, she has improved dramatically, perhaps because she has a calmer household and another dog companion as well as competition. I use a Thundershirt on her when necessary and it helps, but generally I am amazed at her progress and am able to ignore her antics.

I would appreciate any suggestions you might have for such a super-sensitive startle-prone dog. I understand that shepherds are susceptible to OCD and believe it is probably mostly bad breeding. What a shame. -- G.B.G., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR G.B.G.: Poor Keltie has her genes to curse for her need for digestive enzymes. I am not aware of the powder being any better than tablets, but you might also try three to four cubes of canned pineapple, which also contain digestive enzymes. Before meals, give the dog some probiotics. A couple of tablespoons of plain kefir or "live" yogurt may also prove beneficial.

One theory is that shepherds and some other breeds raised on a high-cereal diet don't fare well because the diet leads to pancreatic enzyme deficiency and all the well-known symptoms you describe.

It seems you have done a good job dealing with Keltie's OCD, which may indeed have been triggered during her formative months by hyper-stimulation with a laser light. You may want to increase the daily dose of Prozac, but first try melatonin morning and night. This super-antioxidant can help calm down animals, and several readers have found it helpful for their dogs' "thunderphobia" and old dogs suffering from insomnia or dementia.

(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'm writing to thank you for all the great information I've read in your columns over the years, but especially your whole foods diet for dogs.

I grew up hearing from vets: "Don't feed your dogs 'people food.' The companies that manufacture dog food spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to research what is best fed to dogs, and they know better than you." I have been owned by various loving miniature and standard schnauzers since my early 20s (I am now in my mid 60s). As you know, popular breeds like this suffer from many health problems that get worse as the dogs are bred back too closely, even by reputable breeders.

My dogs have had problems with different dermatitis and skin lesions, bloody stools, vomiting, intolerance of many foods, allergies and cancers. I started cooking up and feeding your diet for dogs nine or 10 years ago, and they have rarely had any health problems since. As I make up their casserole and stew, both of the schnauzers that I have now, Gypsy and Midnight Bella, sit where they can keep watch on the stove. I start from scratch with a mix of brown and wild rice, dry beans, lentils and oats. I add lean hamburger, chicken, pheasant, venison, lamb, fish or turkey. The last to go in are the fresh veggies and the frozen leftover veggies and stocks. I don't add tomatoes or beets because of the color and the mess in their beards. They love green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, carrots and some fruits, like apples, bananas and pears.

I help out at several food pantries and take home produce that is a little too ripe for clients but good enough for me to eat. When everything is done it fills a 16- or 20-quart kettle; we eat two or three meals of this great stew: Theirs is served plain with cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.; mine comes with a little soy sauce. The leftovers freeze well in zipper bags, so I cook this up only every week or so. It is never exactly the same, and I do add some supplements. I sometimes add a little dry kibble of a top brand to give a crunch.

Years ago, my regular vet complimented them on their beautiful, soft and shiny coats and their weight. When I told him about your diet, he didn't want to hear me extolling veggies and "people food." Over the years of seeing them, he has changed his opinion quite a bit. No schnauzer bumps, no scratching, no hot spots, no dandruff, no flaking dry skin, no tummy and bowel upsets. I feed them twice a day, and they sit waiting, tails wagging frantically as they moan and mutter for me to hurry up.

Lastly, their teeth are in nice shape just using a finger brush and a little paste. They have sweet breath, no stinky farts and no impacted anal glands. My thanks for your great contribution to healthier dogs. -- K.K., Moorhead, Minnesota

DEAR K.K.: I appreciate your detailed account of the benefits you have discovered in providing a home-prepared, whole food diet for your dogs. You confirm what I and other holistic veterinarians have advocated for decades, and which I have documented along with two other contributing veterinarians in my book "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Food."

Yes, indeed -- good nutrition is the cornerstone of health care and is the best preventive medicine.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our kitty, Bella, adopted us a year ago. She is active and healthy. My concern is that she has never been seen drinking water.

We tried switching bowls, using a fountain-type water bowl, using a dropper -- she will not drink water! Our older male kitty is always drinking from his bowl. We think that when she was outside, something happened to her that makes her afraid of water. They are both indoor kitties now. She is always licking things like carpets, tables and whatever is on the floor. Should we worry? -- T.M., Charleston, South Carolina

DEAR T.M.: This can be serious, especially when most of the cat's diet is dry food. The net result is more concentrated urine with the possibility of bladder inflammation, formation of urinary crystals or stones and serious complications from dehydration affecting kidney function and overall health. Some cats have a poor response to becoming dehydrated, which some theorize is the result of an impaired thirst mechanism that harkens back to their desert ancestry and ability to adapt to low fluid intake, primarily in the live prey they consume.

Moisten part of the kitten's dry food or feed her a good-quality canned cat food (such as Wysong), which contains no carrageenan thickener, which could pose extra risks for cats who do not hydrate themselves daily with plenty of water.

Coax the kitten to drink a little regular cow's milk, canned goat's milk with a little water or water with the juice of a piece of boiled chicken leg. Cow's milk in particular can cause loose stools in lactose-intolerant cats, and if this becomes a problem, try lactose-free milk.

(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 husband and I adopted a 10-week-old rescue domestic shorthair kitten, who was the runt of the litter. She has just turned 4 years old. We love her; she has very dear little ways about her.

Her problem is she doesn't like to have her nails clipped. The groomer who had it down pat is no longer employed at the place where we take her. Our cat needs her nails clipped every other month. She spits, growls and sometimes screams, and she has every groomer frightened. We don't want her nails surgically removed. When we bring her home, she rubs up against her carrier and us as if to say, "I got away with it again."

Can you give us any suggestions? We know those nails have to be clipped. She doesn't claw the furniture because she has a carpeted scratching post. -- L.W., Toms River, New Jersey

DEAR L.W.: Generally, cats do not need their claws trimmed if they regularly use a scratching post. However, when the nails do get long, they can get snagged on materials, and struggling to get free can damage the claw. One of my cats has this issue, and I regularly massage his paws so he gets used to having his nails squeezed and exposed. Then I can easily snip his nails with regular human clippers when needed.

Some of the guillotinelike clippers used -- especially on dogs -- actually squeeze the entire claw, which could be painful and make the animal afraid. Dogs and cats who are afraid of these devices often accept regular human nail clippers, and others will habituate to the sound of claw grinders, which put no pressure on the claw.

Sometimes it takes two people to manicure a cat. One holds the cat on a table or sofa, grasping the cat by the scruff of the neck. This has a partially paralyzing, immobilizing and possibly tranquillizing effect on the cat; is not painful; and inhibits struggling while the cat's nails (or teeth or ears) are being seen to. A light muzzle and firm scruff-hold can help keep dogs still for similar purposes, but they are less profoundly subdued than cats.

BOOK REVIEW

"The Soul of All Living Creatures: What Animals Can Teach Us About Being Human" by Dr. Vint Virga.

After reading some glowing reviews of this book, I requested a review copy from the publisher. I expected more accounting of treatments and resolutions of animals' distress and abnormal behaviors from a veterinary practitioner of behavioral medicine. Describing a few case histories with elaborate prose and interspersing them with folk tales relating to human values, actions and morality did not, for me, accomplish the promise in the subtitle of this book.

Anthropomorphizing and zoomorphizing aside, the current notion that animals can be our teachers needs to be tempered by the fact that our relationships with them reveal the best and the worst qualities of human nature. You can read more about that in Dr. Charles Danten's book, "Slaves of Our Affection: The Myth of the Happy Pet." With all respect to Dr. Virga, who undoubtedly has helped improve the lives of many animals in homes and zoos, his book falls short by seeking to apply some understanding of animals to the human self-help movement, essentially turning two separate books into one.

Minor quibbles: Virga attributes Chief Seattle's famous quote to someone else. He rescues a mouse by picking it up by its tail rather than scooping it; mice can "slip" or "deglove" their tail skin to break free when held by the tail. Regardless, he clearly documents that the emotional and behavior-impairing suffering of nonhuman animals is very similar to our own, which can help enhance empathy and acceptance that like us, animals are living souls. I hope that his next book will offer more from his wealth of knowledge, practical experience and deep heart, especially with regard to animals "who have somehow surrendered their spirits."

(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.)