DEAR DR. FOX: I recently contacted you about my four dogs eating dirt after every meal. They had been eating Purina One for seniors.

After buying your book "Not Fit for a Dog," I made your dog food recipe. The very first day they starting eating it, they stopped eating dirt! They love it! Thank you. -- S.Y., Cottleville, Missouri

DEAR S.Y.: I always appreciate feedback from my recommendations for companion animals, especially when it comes to what they are being fed and my belief that better nutrition is the cornerstone of good health.

I would like to hear from other readers on this issue -- what health problems and often obsessive behaviors, such as eating dirt, went away after your pet was put on a good diet, and what were they being fed prior to the change?

DEAR DR. FOX: I want to thank you for your dog food recipe! I know that it saved my dog, Ranger.

He is a 3-year-old husky who we adopted from a shelter when he was 4 months old. He had some digestive issues until our vet had us do a protein elimination diet. We finally realized that chicken was the problem.

He was put on a diet of Natural Balance venison dog food. Things were better until he wouldn't eat it anymore, and he started losing weight. We were really getting nervous when we started to see his ribs and backbone! I have always read your column in the paper, and I remembered your recommendation of homemade dog food.

Well, thank you! I have been making it for three months now, for both of our dogs, and I am happy to say that Ranger has put the weight back on. He just seems to be a happier dog. His coat looks better, too.

Thank you for your commitment to animals. Ranger thanks you, too. -- J.N., Manahawkin, New Jersey

DEAR J.N.: I really appreciate you letting me know that you found my home-prepared dog food recipe such a step forward. As Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, advised, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." I wish more human and animal doctors incorporated this principle in their practice.

Look out for the next wave of special diets for dogs that some of the big pet food manufacturers like Purina are coming out with -- including a "brain-protection blend." Some are specially fortified with supplements that can help prevent age-related mental decline and joint problems. It is ironic that nutritional deficiencies in various manufactured pet foods are being "fixed" by these "fortified" special diets.

DEAR DR. FOX: How long do you recommend giving Heartgard to a dog?

With colder weather approaching, do I still have to give it? I live in Michigan in a condo; my dog is mostly an inside dog. -- S.H., Flint, Michigan

DEAR S.H.: I often get this question, and veterinarians are somewhat divided over the issue.

Some advocate year-round preventive medicine regardless of where they live. But climate change is here to stay, so caution is called for, especially when people travel with their dogs to warmer states in the winter. I join those veterinarians who stop the medication in appropriate states when the mosquito season is over and advise a blood test the next spring before the mosquitoes hatch. If the blood is clear of filarial heartworm larvae, then the preventive medication is safe to start giving once every month until the next fall and mosquitoes are dormant again.

MORE INCORRECT PET FOOD INGREDIENT LABEL CONCERNS

Ever-vigilant Susan Thixton of truthaboutpetfood.com reveals that Chapman University in Southern California has released the results of a study finding, "Of the 52 products tested, 31 were labeled correctly, 20 were potentially mislabeled and one contained a non-specific meat ingredient that could not be verified." The study did DNA testing for beef, goat, lamb, chicken, goose, turkey, pork and horse.

This report comes two years after a similar study found that eight of 21 pet foods tested contained an animal protein ingredient not listed in the pet food label.

"Although regulations exist for pet foods, increases in international trade and globalization of the food supply have amplified the potential for food fraud to occur," said Dr. Rosalee Hellberg, co-author of this latest study.

The frequent discovery of unlisted pork, possibly derived from the millions of pigs that have recently died in the U.S. from a virus (porcine epidemic diarrhea) found in pig feed imported from China, is one concern. Another is in determining which pet food ingredients may be causing allergies or other health problems when the ingredient label is incorrect and cannot be trusted.

(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 recent column in which someone indicated that their Himalayan cat "goes crazy" when her owner sings.

I, too, had a female cat who responded in a strange manner to my whistling. When I whistled "The Yellow Rose Of Texas," Tobey would meow and paw my arms. I only saw this behavior in Tobey when I whistled that particular song; she would not react when I would sing it or whistle another tune.

Thank you for your time; I enjoy your columns. -- C.B., Alexandria, Virgnia

DEAR DR. FOX: I am responding to your request for personal experiences about cats and music.

I am a cat lover and have lived with cats for decades. Every time I played melodious music, one of my cats would join in. She did not sing for the entire length of the song (that would be too long and difficult for her), but she would make some sounds. The amazing thing is that she would try to match the sound on my CD by being tuneful. Cats and other animals love music and respond.

So, in my opinion, the cat who comes running and jumps up on her guardian and paws her face and arms is not only showing appreciation, she is very emotional about the whole experience, similar to some people who cry during an opera. -- Y.H., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR C.B and Y.H.: Thanks for contributing to our understanding of what makes cats sing. Yes, indeed, many animal species enjoy hearing us sing, whistle, play musical instruments and listen to various kinds of musical recordings. They also have ways of making their own rhythmic sounds and even melodies that surely inspired early humans to emulate.

DEAR DR. FOX: I would like to share with you an unusual behavior of my 4-year-old Labrador-rottweiler mix.

On walks, he sees and smells other dogs' feces, and if it is in soft soil or sand, he will take his nose and attempt to cover it up. He is very deliberate about it and will circle around until it is covered, gently pushing with his nose. We have had similar mixes before, and they have never done that action before.

He is highly intelligent, but we have never trained him to do this and were very surprised by his actions.

What is your comment on this behavior? -- J.C., Berlin, Maryland

DEAR J.C.: Your hygiene-conscious dog is not the only one to engage in this particular behavior. Some dogs are more fastidious in this regard than others. It is also a lesson for people with dogs to bag their droppings after they have evacuated.

I have heard of instances where dogs, on seeing their owners cleaning up their poop in the yard, begin to do so themselves by consuming the droppings. This is normal behavior for mother dogs, who will eat their pups' poop when they are very young in order to keep the nursing and play areas clean.

FACTORS AFFECTING DOGS' PERSONALITIES

An interesting study conducted via a questionnaire to more than 12,000 owners of Labrador dogs in the United Kingdom by a team of animal behaviorists led by S.E. Lofgren compared some of the behavior of Labradors of different coat colors.

All dogs who were only given less than one hour daily exercise became more agitated when ignored, barked more, showed more separation anxiety, had a fear of strangers or novel objects, were more excitable and likely to show unusual behavior compared to those given longer time outdoors. Chocolate-colored dogs were more agitated than black-coated dogs when ignored and were more excitable, less scared of noises, less amenable to training and had a higher incidence of unusual behavior than black or yellow dogs.

(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: You may have written about this some time back, but I hope you'll mention it again.

Isn't it inhumane to keep birds in a cage? Pet stores still sell them, and people still keep them in their homes. Why don't animal rights groups speak up on the subject?

I hope, as a compassionate person, you agree with me. Why can't humans let other animals on our planet have their freedom? We just can't leave other animals alone, can we? To humans, other animals exist solely to be eaten, used in research or to be exploited for our amusement. -- C.E., Naples, Florida

DEAR C.E.: Your concerns, which I voiced several years ago in my book "Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals," are shared by more and more informed people here in the United States and abroad.

Collectively, we are beginning to examine, from the animals' point of view, the costs and consequences of keeping/using/exploiting them for various (and primarily selfish) purposes.

Looking specifically at birds in cages (still an accepted practice in most cultures), it is a lucrative business for the pet industry. But for the birds, it too often means a shorter life, which may be a blessing; skeletal, metabolic and endocrine diseases from lack of physical activity; and abnormal behavior such as feather-pulling and self-mutilation.

The solution is not to let the birds go free, as some people do, but to provide larger flight cages and safe flight rooms; give solitary birds the company of their own kind; and adopt from a shelter or refuge and never purchase birds from breeders, importers and pet stores. The bird trade must become extinct.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a wonderful 15-year-old indoor tabby cat, Tyger, whom I adore. I am 77 years old, and this wonderful cat nurtured me after my husband's death. We had two Siamese and two tabbies, and Tyger is the only one left -- the other three died of old age. Here is the problem I have:

He doesn't eat like he used to. He has teeth, but he doesn't eat much of his wet food. Instead, he just licks the food dry of its gravy. I have tried so many different wet foods, from cheap to very expensive, and it is the same -- he just wants the gravy. He does get a good dry food, and I always keep clean ice water ready for him. I would like to give him a bowl of gravy, but pet foods don't supply such a product, and I'm afraid the human cans of gravy have too many preservatives, etc. for him.

Can you help me? I can't do much, if any, cooking; I am in an assisted-living facility and confined to my wheelchair. When I can sit and rest, he curls up on my shoulder and kisses me on the cheek and sleeps like a baby would.

I don't know what to do. He does fine with the litter box and goes regularly. He hears me well and minds me beautifully. Is the dry food enough? Am I just being overprotective? I live near my daughter, and she says he will be OK and that this is just my fear of losing him -- and maybe she's right.

I haven't taken him to our vet in several years, but he goes nuts when he has to go, and I'm afraid he will not live through it again.

Thank you for your consideration of my problem. -- K.P., Naples, Florida

DEAR K.P.: I understand how important it is for the elderly and those who have lost their spouses to keep their animal companions with them in assisted-living facilities, and I am glad that many facilities allow for this.

You should call around and find a veterinarian who does house calls so your cat's teeth, kidneys and general condition can be evaluated without the stress of a trip to a veterinary clinic. Try flavoring his drinking water with a little boiled chicken juice or meaty Gerber baby food to encourage drinking. Most commercial gravies, as you point out, are too high in salt and other potentially harmful additives.

On a personal note, it is known in our neighborhood that my wife and I rescue free-roaming and feral cats, and we were recently the victims of a "dumping" -- also known as animal abandonment. A part-Persian, part-Maine coon cat was left in a crate by our door with no note of explanation. His coat was a painful, matted mess. We saw to his veterinary needs and discovered he was microchipped. This lead us to a person who was staying at a nearby assisted-living facility. We found a good home for this abandoned cat.

(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.)