DEAR DR. FOX: If we addressed the issue of puppy-breeding kennels, would that not reduce the number of dogs in animal shelters?

My children bought a dog online from a breeder in the Midwest. The dog had health issues, so they contacted the breeder and vet who checked the dog. The breeder did not return calls, and in trying to locate the "vet," we found that the region had 38 breeders listed.

We are happy to have this great little dog, even with all her problems. We are sure had we not purchased her she would have been destroyed. -- P.P., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR P.P.: The only way to reduce the number of cats, dogs, puppies and kittens awaiting adoption in shelters across the country is to close down commercial breeding facilities and for people to go to shelters and adopt animals rather than impulsively purchasing them online.

Puppy mills are notorious for marketing pups whose health is compromised and genetic background rife with potential lifelong health problems. Many such animals end up being euthanized or put up for adoption in shelters because they are too much trouble or expense for the breeder.

The only time to go online to possibly find a companion animal is to go to a reputable animal shelter website or specific cat or dog breed adoption network. Purchasing a purpose-bred purebred or "designer" breed cat or dog online is the height of idiocy when common sense calls for seeing what the parents are like, temperament-wise, and how well the animals are being cared for. Your children just gave more support to an industry that should be abolished.

DEAR DR. FOX: My English setter is close to 10 years old. As a puppy and for the first five years, it was difficult to make the time to give him all the exercise he needed, but he has slowed down in recent years.

Every day, my husband takes him down to a park near our house where several other dogs and owners meet to let the dogs play and run. He loves this time and plays with two dogs who are much younger than he. When he gets home, he is wiped out and limps for the rest of the day.

I am concerned that he does not make the connection between running with the dogs and the pain he has later, but my husband is convinced he would not run and play if it bothered him.

Should we be limiting the time he spends running or trust that he knows when to say "no more"? He truly seems to enjoy his time with the other dogs. -- N.M., Waretown, New Jersey

DEAR N.M.: Many dogs who are high-spirited really enjoy running and playing with other dogs, regardless of their physical infirmities and subsequent pain and exhaustion after a good long romp.

When dogs run, the thing that makes them run more (and even become running addicts) is the release of natural "feel-good" opiates and endorphins into the blood stream. So you should put limits on how much time your old dog should be out there playing and check my website for information about dog lameness/arthritis and supplements for joint problems. Also consider my book "The Healing Touch for Dogs" -- a good massage after playing is a great gift for all old dogs! Giving your dog a few canned sardines every day could make a world of difference because of the joint and heart-benefiting omega-3 essential oils.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have always had cats, but Bella is the first to have a constantly wet mouth. Every so often she will give her head a quick, hard shake, which sprays excess saliva everywhere. This is very annoying, both to cat and human. What can I do to help her and save my clothing? -- L.W., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR L.W.: Some cats do drool more -- it's just their physiology and temperament. They get very "drool-y" when they are relaxing and being petted.

But don't take that as the single cause of excessive drooling. It is most commonly associated with gingivitis/stomatitis, and at your cat's next wellness examination, you should have this checked out.

To check for yourself, open your cat's mouth, and if the gums look bright red and the teeth have brown scales or tartar (compare the cat's mouth with your other cats'), make an appointment as soon as possible. This is a common malady that can cause multiple health problems.

DOG TREAT RECALL

Barkworthies issued a nationwide recall of chicken vittles dog chews because they have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.

The recalled product was distributed nationwide beginning on May 6, 2014. More information on the recall can be found at barkworthies.com/recall, or call toll free 877-993-4257.

(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 have a dog, Gizmo, who is almost 4 years old. We believe he's a pug-Chihuahua mix. He's a good guy and wants to please me. About a year ago, he had some sudden and strange behaviors that had a manic quality.

I came into the room and he knocked over a vase on a table and began to gobble up the flowers. I told him no. Then he ran to the carpet and started trying to pull up pieces and eat it. When I told him no again, he ran over to some string curtains and tried to devour those. It was totally out of character and a bit alarming. He was trying to mind me, but it was obvious he couldn't control himself.

We were going out of town, so I got him into the car. I have a tiny dashboard flower vase. He grabbed the artificial flowers out of it and tried to eat them. Then he went to the blankets in his booster seat and tried to eat those. I called our veterinarian, who asked if Gizmo could have gotten ahold of any medications or poisons. He hadn't had access to anything, and our vet didn't have an idea of what was going on. After about two hours, my dog stopped and was "normal" again. A couple days later, he had the same behavior for about 15 minutes. Since then, it's never happened again. However, I remain somewhat concerned. Do you know what it could be or what I should do if it comes up again?

I have another question, this one about my 15-month-old mini-dachshund, Pippin. He's a good guy, too... he just has dachshund traits. You have to love them!

The issue is barking. He barks long and loud if he hears anything outside. I don't want to hurt him with a shock collar, but I need to alter this behavior so as not to disturb my neighbors. He doesn't respond to verbal correction, positive reinforcement or redirection.

I've used a citronella no-bark collar for about five months. At first it quieted him, but only when it was on all the time. Now he decided he'd rather bark and just put up with the sprays of citronella. My last dachshund died more than a year ago. He did the same thing when he was young. I tried a sonic-sound collar that wasn't effective. Eventually, I took him to a specialist and had him "de-barked." He still barked, but it was much quieter. We lived in a condo with close neighbors, so I had to do something. I always had mixed feelings about it, though. Ethically, I'm not sure elective surgery is great to do to people or our furry friends. On the other hand, the specialist I used said she started specializing in that surgery because so many dogs were losing their homes or even being killed because of their barking.

Do you have ideas to stop the barking in a kind way? -- D.G., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR D.G.: One of our dogs, Tanza, whom we rescued as a pup while working in Tanzania, startled us one day by bizarrely walking stiff-legged across the room with eyes fixed and a worried expression on her face. Then she grabbed and tried to swallow anything she could get into her mouth -- carpet edges, pillow corners, etc. So I immediately took her outside, where she ate some grass and leaves and eventually vomited.

Clearly, her bizarre behavior, which on occasion she subsequently repeated, was an indication of acute nausea and an urgent need to empty her stomach. This is what your dog was most probably experiencing. Dogs have an almost automatic response to vomit when anything irritates their stomachs, which is probably a survival mechanism after generations of living as scavengers and garbage-eaters. 

Your other problem dog is another issue for whom, as you have discovered, there is sometimes no easy solution. Some anti-bark collars emit a high-frequency sound and can work well to stop some dogs from constantly barking. For others, the simple solution is to leave a talk radio or TV channel on to act as a sound barrier to outside noises that can trigger indoor dogs to bark.

(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: Because I have worked for a veterinarian for 13 years, I find your ideas both interesting and useful in our clinic. I have been a volunteer at my local animal shelter for 25 years. My shelter is county-operated, so we must accept all strays, turn-ins, ferals, etc., from anyone who lives in our county. We are open seven days a week, and we do have bona fide hours of operation, but those go by the wayside daily because there is so much that doesn't get done by the end of the day.

We never have enough money, personnel, volunteers, foster families or fundraisers. Although this shelter is county-operated, the budget for animal welfare is very small. Usually, the money allotted for medical care has run out by February or March. We try to raise funds any way we can, but the county residents get resentful because they think that their taxes should pay for everything. I know this sounds like a personal problem, but when you write a three-column article in a newspaper like The Washington Post, it is going to get noticed. And when you say that most animals entering a shelter need quiet quarantine rooms, I am not sure you know the nature of a crowded animal shelter. How can we provide any more than we already do when we don't have enough people to help us? The turnover of paid help and volunteers is enormous because of the stress and sheer volume of the daily work. I have spent an entire day just doing laundry. It never ends.

What I would like you to know is that shelters all over the country are having the same issues. It usually boils down to lack of money. Can you give us some solutions to these problems instead of drawing attention to problems that will keep people from checking out shelters for adoptable animals because they are afraid of what they might see? We are doing a marvelous job with what we have; our animals are safe, warm, fed, watered and exercised as much as possible -- but it is not easy. -- J.O., Stevensville, Maryland

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for writing about what a shelter should do to enhance the adoptability of its animals. Even better, shelters should find a way to minimize disease; instead, newly adopted dogs frequently have kennel cough, or worse, and cannot show their true personalities because they are sick.

You are so right about trap-neuter-release (TNR), which turns its back on cats so that its advocates can feel good about themselves. They won't acknowledge pictures of starved, maimed, diseased, injured and dead cats who are victims of the concept. As for no-kill shelters, they often flaunt the term. Some warehouse animals, but many also ship animals they can't adopt out to another facility that euthanizes.

The other flaw of the no-kill movement is that it endorses adoptions to practically anyone who can "talk the talk" and knows how to fill out an adoption application, often with omissions and falsehoods. People surrender pets to a shelter because "he didn't know how to behave" or "he got sick," and then they ask to see other ones. Home visits are not conducted to educate pending adopters on successful transitional techniques and how to work through inevitable problems. Most public and private shelters/rescues do not choose to meaningfully screen and educate adopters because the marching orders are to get these hapless animals "adopted." Even some private rescue organizations have succumbed to handing out animals. Thus, these animals are really "sold" for fee generation, and they often pay a terrible price.

Rehabilitating and nurturing shelter animals would save more of them, but why bother if the animals are being shoveled out the door or handed over to someone who has an irresponsible attitude toward defenseless pets? In my mind, euthanasia is a better option to a life of hell. I believe there are far more adoptable pets than responsible pet owners.

Please do not use my name, as I have been in the rescue business for 15 years and have been attacked by people who don't like it when I stand up for animals and tell the truth. And thank you for you relentless efforts on behalf of animals. -- Anonymous, Rockville, Maryland

DEAR J.O. & ANONYMOUS: Thank you for sharing your experience working in the trenches of animal rescue and sheltering, and blessings to you both for doing so. I wish more people, especially active, healthy retirees, would volunteer and, more importantly, do fundraising and get old blankets, towels and other supplies to local shelters.

We are still in the season of giving, and I urge all people to consider donating to their local animal shelters that should have nonprofit 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, so donations are tax-deductible. Better to start locally rather than donating to the well-heeled national organizations, whose big money doesn't always get down sufficiently to the local communities and may actually turn off potential donors to local shelters thinking that the problems are being cared for by the larger organizations. We need both -- national appeals and grassroots activism and involvement, plus more dollars coming from the municipal coffers.

(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.)