DEAR READERS: Proper preventive health care for our dogs and cats entails more than providing good nutrition; a safe, stress-free and clean environment; the satisfaction of behavioral needs; and a caring and understanding primary caregiver. It must include an annual wellness exam by a veterinarian, a key factor emphasized by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association responding to a decadelong decline in the utilization of veterinary care. But too many primary caregivers fish for animal health and behavior answers on the Internet -- including on my own website -- and in the process could put their animals at risk, especially when an annual veterinary examination has not been done.

I applaud people assuming more responsibility for their own and their animals' preventive health care. It's true that I berate some veterinary health care providers in my books for overprescribing vaccinations, anti-flea drugs and special prescription diets, and for performing questionable diagnostic tests, all of which add to the costs of a wellness exam. However, there is no better person than a veterinarian to advise, on an annual basis after a full physical examination and basic blood panel evaluation, if you are on the right track with maintaining your animal companion's health and well-being.

Make the wellness exam part of the needed annual blood test for heartworm prior to resuming post-winter preventive medication; this exam should evaluate kidney and liver function, blood glucose and other essential health indicators. A visit to the veterinarian is stressful, especially for cats, and I am encouraged by the increasing number of veterinarians doing house calls and in-home wellness exams. This is also of great help to the elderly and the homebound.

An annual wellness exam may reveal neglected dental issues, early signs of kidney failure, heart disease or endocrine dysfunction, and you can nip the problem in the bud -- ultimately saving animals from considerable suffering, pain and distress.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our two wonderful female miniature longhaired dachshunds just turned 7 years old in July, and every year at their annual checkup, our veterinarian wants them to have their teeth cleaned. Unfortunately, that means sedation, and since our other two dogs (a female dachshund mix and a female poodle-Chihuahua mix) "contracted" congestive heart failure within months of being sedated for their teeth cleaning and then passed away within a year, we are vehemently against having our dogs sedated.

We brush their teeth every other day and give them fresh carrots and occasional Greenies to help with tartar. Unfortunately, working full-time, we end up not getting them brushed on a daily basis, which we know is preferable.

The vet continues to almost harass us every year to have their teeth cleaned by their office. We are not against teeth cleaning; we are against having them be sedated to have it done. When we brush their teeth, they give us a hard time, but it is nothing that we cannot handle.

Now our family is in search of a veterinarian or veterinary dentist who will perform a dental cleaning without sedation. Do you know if such a thing is possible? We are due to take our dogs to the vet at the end of the month, and I know she will give us a hard time about bringing them back in for a dental cleaning. -- L.K., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR L.K.: I hear from many readers whose veterinarians are insisting on sedating, even anesthetizing, their dogs and cats for routine dental cleaning (scaling tartar as needed) and oral examination. Other veterinarians are doing the treatment simply with an assistant providing safe and effective physical restraint. For animals with diagnosed or possible heart disease, mild sedation to reduce the fear associated with being restrained and the violent escape response that may then be triggered may be necessary.

Many veterinarians promoting preventive health care are prescribing VetzLife oral care spray or gel to help keep their clients' animals' teeth and gums healthy. As a routine application, this is easier than daily brushing. It is also for use for a few days prior to dental work being done in cases where tooth extractions are needed. Also available at lower potency from Petzlife, this formula helps reduce oral infection and inflammation. For details, visit Petzlife.com. To find a holistic veterinarian in your area who does not use general anesthetics for routine dental work, visit holisticvetlist.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: My townhouse neighbor has three beagles who she leaves in her yard for hours; they bark and howl a lot. I have tried a little device that was supposed to emit a sound to make them stop barking, but it didn't work. The howling sometimes makes it hard to hear guests in my home, since our living room is adjacent to her backyard.

My neighbor has accommodated me by not leaving them out between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. They are sometimes, but not usually, out for hours. She said that if she leaves them in the house when she is gone, they would tear up the place.

I could go through the town animal control, but that requires a hearing and a fine of $25 to start. More importantly, I believe this neighbor could be vindictive, and I don't want to risk that given the fact that only a wall and fence separate us. Her scary, abusive husband, who once threatened a neighbor, was killed in a car crash, but his mother owns the house and she is a tough cookie. It would be nice to have some level of politeness and friendliness -- something we had before my request to keep the dogs inside.

I would appreciate any suggestions you have, short of selling our house, although I'm beginning to question whether moving or enduring the dogs is worse. Thanks for any ideas you might have. -- H.B.W., Columbia, Maryland

DEAR H.B.W.: You have my sympathy and understanding -- in my neighborhood, there are knuckle-dragging morons who let their dogs stay out barking, even in the dead of Minnesota winter. Others let their cats roam free and kill birds and chipmunks before our very eyes while my wife and I are sitting on our deck.

I was sent a product called First Alert Bark Genie Automatic Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent by the distributors. I will mail it to you for you to try. Let me know if it is helpful; if not, pass it on to someone else who may find it effective for their own dogs or troubling neighbor dogs and have them email me if these devices prove effective.

DEAR DR. FOX: In your books and column, you have mentioned that you are convinced that animals have souls that survive death. But what do you imagine happens to animals' souls after death? Do they stay with their former owners? Do they journey to the other side? Do they transmigrate into the body of another living animal? Do they reincarnate? I don't believe you have mentioned what you believe happens. I'm sure we are all "dying" to know (no pun intended). You have our full attention! -- R.D.P., Hendersonville, North Carolina

DEAR R.D.P.: Your question has been asked since humans first became aware of death, and many saw the spirits of the deceased, be they human or animal. I do not believe in a heaven or hell except in the terms of what we create ourselves here on Earth.

Many cultures and religious traditions believe in the transmigration of the spirit and its eventual reincarnation into another physical form. Reincarnation was accepted by early Christians but was later declared anathema, probably for political reasons. For further details, see my book "The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation." In my opinion, we should be more concerned about and responsible for the here-and–now rather than wondering about or praying for a better hereafter.

(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: What is your opinion about the role of dogs in transmitting Ebola? A dog who was living with an infected person in Spain was killed, but one in the United States was put in quarantine. Some fear dogs will be blamed for helping spread this disease in West African countries and subsequently poisoned and killed. -- S.A., La Belle, Florida

DEAR S.A.: This is a pertinent question, considering the hysteria over this virulent but not highly contagious disease. Reports that dogs have dug up and eaten Ebola victims' corpses -- they have eaten human waste and corpses for millennia -- may lead to hysterical persecution and mass killings of dogs, which could make the situation even worse. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association is calling for testing and quarantine and opposing automatic euthanasia of dogs who have been in contact with infected people.

Dogs serve a significant public hygiene service in many communities by consuming garbage, human waste and carrion, which reduces the potential spread of various diseases by flies and other animals. Through a process called "passage," infective organisms, such as viruses (like Ebola) and harmful bacteria, may lose their virulence when taken in by community dogs; any that survive passing through the dogs may be rendered harmless to humans once through the dog.

Humans may put themselves at risk dismembering and consuming infected dogs (a common practice in many parts of the world) and other animals such as bats, antelope, monkeys, chimpanzees and other wild animal sources of "bush meat." This is the primary source of Ebola infection in human consumers. It then can spread rapidly between humans via various body secretions. So rather than exterminating community dogs, public health authorities should take action to keep them healthy and outlaw the bush meat trade.

Some see Ebola as nature's revenge or divine retribution. But these kinds of public health crises will never end until we have the same compassionate concern for our own families and for the victims of the next plague we bring upon ourselves as we must have for the health and well-being of all animals and the natural environment under the banner of One Health, One Earth. (For details, see my recent book, "Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health.")

The relatively low transmissibility of the Ebola virus, at least to date, pales before the highly infective airborne influenza strains that affect millions of people annually, along with E. coli, salmonella and other bacterial foodborne illnesses, which come from the epidemic disease-creating centers of our cruel and inhumane pig, cattle and poultry factory farms. Thanks to the World Bank and other international agribusiness aid and development organizations, these concentrated animal feeding operations have proliferated globally. We need to consider the personal and public health, animal welfare and environmental/ecological wisdom of vegetarianism and humane sustainable agriculture coupled with addressing the most serious planetary plague -- human overpopulation.

DEAR DR. FOX: I got my first cat at the end of January. She was a rescue cat given to me by a friend who already had several.

When she was found, she was in good condition. My friend took her to a vet, who thought she was about 1 year old. She got her shots and was spayed. She is curious and funny, and I enjoy having her around except for a couple of things:

She doesn't seem to like being petted. I can pet her briefly under the chin and on her chest, which she especially seems to enjoy when I return home after being out. But then she tries to grab my hand with her paws and bite -- usually not hard enough to break the skin, but it is quite uncomfortable. If I stroke her back, she will almost immediately turn over and do the same thing.

She also, at times, will "stalk" my feet and grab my ankles, trying to hang on and bite them. I interpret this as playing, but I am not sure if that's correct and wonder whether she will grow out of these behaviors. She has a variety of toys that she will play with, but isn't distracted by them when she is doing these things. I have a spray bottle that I have used occasionally while telling her "no." By now, she knows if I show her the bottle she should stop these behaviors. Am I doing the right thing? Is there anything else I can do to stop these actions?

On a related issue, she usually likes being in the same room with me and frequently sleeps on the foot of my bed but never sits on my lap or next to me on the couch. I am wondering if she is ever likely to become more of a "lap cat," or if I should just get used to her habit of more distance. -- K.A., Sandy Springs, Maryland

DEAR K.A.: Since this is your first cat, you must learn to "be" a cat and understand her behavior and needs. You need to read up on cat behavior and psychology. I have books that can help; find them on DrFoxVet.com.

Your cat wants to play! Put down the spray bottle and get a 3- to 4-foot cane. To that, tie a string and a feather or fluffy lure for her to chase and "kill," especially in the early evening. This is the best interactive game for cats. Some like a laser spotlight to chase. After playing, brush her -- grooming will calm her down and reinforce the bond.

(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.)