DEAR DR. FOX: I put my dog on the recipe in your book "Not Fit For a Dog." She dives in, eats in record time and has been on it for about six weeks. She lets me know when it is time to eat.

I do have one concern: Her water consumption is down drastically. I have always kept a water bowl filled for her, and she barely touches it. Am I missing something? -- L.C., Union, Missouri

DEAR L.C.: I am glad that your dog has joined the ranks of the many who enjoy my home-prepared dog food recipe. It is a moist diet, which means that most dogs will need to drink less water than they did prior to going on this diet if they were fed dry dog food.

Dogs are better regulators of fluid intake than cats, who can get into difficulties when given only dry cat food to eat, with chronic dehydration leading to hyperconcentrated urine and possible urinary tract, bladder and kidney damage; low fluid intake also affects blood pressure and circulation.

Be sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise to ventilate her lungs and stimulate her circulation, metabolism and brain. It's best to exercise before eating and see if the dog is thirsty after a bout of outdoor activity. Allow your dog to drink, then wait 15 minutes or so before feeding.

DEAR DR. FOX: I adopted a 1 1/2-year-old male Weimaraner a year and a half ago. We've been struggling to keep our baby in comfort since then. We've tried everything, and vets' quest to cure him -- from antibiotics to cortisone -- haven't worked.

He has tiny bumps in his inner ear and under the fur of his earflap, and red eyes. In his ear, it smells horrible, and brown wax keeps coming out. I have to wash our baby's coat every two days with lavender, oat and all-natural dog shampoo to keep ahead of the smell. I also tried apple cider and water, boric acid, vinegar, Selsun Blue -- nothing worked.

Now it's getting ridiculous. I'm hoping the pictures I'm sending can give a better look at what to do or give the dog. He's been on a strictly potato diet for three weeks -- and no cheating. It was OK for two weeks with cortisone and other pills, but the bumps and smell are coming back. Our poor dog runs and hides to scratch.

Please help. I know dogs are tough and don't show signs of pain until it's too late. It's just heartbreaking to know he's in agony and I can't help him. -- G.C., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR G.C.: This kind of problem could be an autoimmune syndrome triggered by vaccinations to which Weimaraners are especially susceptible. This can have a cascade effect, leading to intolerance of certain food ingredients and increased susceptibility to infections, most probably mixed bacterial and fungal, in the ears.

Try my home-prepared diet for a start -- it's free of additives and preservatives. If that does not help, use only organic potatoes as the carbohydrate in my recipe, since conventional are loaded with pesticides, and use them along with the hypoallergenic white fish diet widely prescribed by veterinarians. Try adding a few drops of anti-inflammatory fish oil or a few canned sardines to his daily diet.

Go online and look at the ear products from Zymox. Find the over-the-counter ear medications, one with cortisone, which is effective against fungal infections.

(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 adopted Juliet from the pound in 2011. She was 3 years old, and it was love at first sight for me.

In 2012, she fell in my backyard on the concrete patio and injured her back. She had a herniated disc pressing on her spinal cord. She had major surgery within days, and can now walk short distances (she has wheels for long-distance walks). She has all her bodily functions, but seems to be prone to urinary tract infections.

When she has a UTI, she urinates and defecates all over my house. My vet doesn't know why this is happening. Could it be her diet? I feed her Nutro. When she is on antibiotics, she is fine and goes back to normal, but when she goes off the medication, she seems to get the UTIs again. Any suggestions? -- G.S., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR G.S.: Good for you for adopting this little dog.

I'd suggest keeping her weight down; giving moderate exercise; avoiding jumping; providing a few drops of anti-inflammatory fish oil and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric in her food daily; and getting her used to massage therapy as per my book "The Healing Touch for Dogs."

A good-quality chondroitin and glucosamine supplement will also be of value and may help reduce her bladder infection problem. Recurrent cystitis is best treated with a short course of antibiotics after the antibiotic sensitivity of the bacteria in the urine has been determined, then with preventive probiotics in the food, a cereal-free diet -- cereals make dogs' urine too alkaline and prone to cystitis and formation of urinary stones -- and periodic addition of concentrated cranberry extract or d-mannose. Make sure Juliet always drinks plenty of water, even flavoring it with a little low-salt chicken or beef bullion. Her incontinence could be a consequence of being spayed, and your vet should consider short-term periodic hormone replacement therapy for it.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column all the time but have yet to find a solution for my cat, Hank. He is a 13-year-old neutered front-declawed housecat. I love him as if he were my son. I feed him both dry and moist food. The dry food is usually Friskies, and the wet food varies between Fancy Feast and Friskies.

He lost a sizeable amount of weight a year ago. Since he is hard to examine at the vet's office, I had a mobile vet come to the house. The vet had to sedate Hank to find out that he had bad teeth. I took him to my regular vet to do an extraction. Hank still did not seem to put on weight. He went from 14 pounds down to 7 pounds. He did not have any interest in food. The vet suggested I take him to a specialist.

We took Hank to a veterinary hospital in July. The vet examined him externally and did not find anything except that he was constipated and impacted. He expressed his anal glands and suggested that I mix Miralax with his moist food. We did that, but Hank still wasn't eating, so we stopped that. When we took him back, the vet told us that an endoscopy might yield some results. We let Hank stay overnight and picked him up the next day. They said that there was no cancer (thank God), but that his intestinal track seemed inflamed. Hank got a prescription for prednisone for 60 days. His vitamin B-12 was also low, so I have to give him injections once a month for life. After 60 days, Hank did gain some weight back. He was up to 10 pounds, and the vet told me to cut back to half a prednisone pill every other day for the rest of his life.

Today Hank weighs around 12 pounds. He is pooping out of his box most of the time (he has been doing that since he got sick). His stool is still hard. My questions are:

1. Can he take prednisone for life as the vet suggested?

2. Is a B-12 shot also necessary for life?

3. Should I start the Miralax again?

4. Do you think I should take him back to the vet for more testing?

I know you mentioned that some cat foods do create intestinal problems. Are Friskies and Fancy Feast some of them? Can you suggest which brands other than the above I might try? -- H.G., Manchester, New Jersey

DEAR H.G.: Your cat is going through what many cats are experiencing that I attribute, in part, to the kinds of manufactured foods they are given to eat. This happens especially in those containing soy, corn (or other various grains) and the additive carrageenan, along with Red Dye No. 3.

For more details on this problem, visit my website, DrFoxVet.com, and search "inflammatory bowel disease." Check some of the better cat foods available on my site and feline-nutrition.org. Serious health issues can also arise from neglected chronic dental problems, and you may find some of the PetzLife oral care products helpful in maintaining your cat's oral health.

Supplements to help the gut problem include probiotics, a few drops of fish oil or a canned sardine daily, digestive enzymes, glutamine and calcium aluminosilicate, which you should discuss first with your veterinarian.

The prednisone will have to be tapered off soon. A B-12 shot is not necessary for life. Many cats have hard stools, and abdominal massage, the oral paste called Laxatone and more canned food with a few white beans mashed in for extra fiber can all help. Miralax contains polyethylene glycol that draws fluids out of the intestines to soften the stools, and is not advisable for long-term use in cats since it might interfere with nutrient uptake and fluid balance.

(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 three cats -- two females, ages 10 and 4, and a 3-year-old male. Recently, especially in the morning, the male has terribly harassed the other two.

Is there any homeopathic remedy I can use to calm down my male in the morning? He is less obnoxious later in the day. -- F.P., Stratford, Connecticut

DEAR F.P.: A sprinkle of fresh catnip may spark him into a more sedated state -- cat Valium! Not all cats eat it, but those who do generally calm down. The cat pheromone product Feliway, available in a plug-in dispenser, may help. It works well with some cats and is worth a try.

He may need to be fed separately or have a separate litter box -- you need to look at the dynamics of where the other cats are when he harasses them. He may even be bored and want to rough-play, so give him some time with you and interactive playtime with a laser light or lure on a string. His aggressive behavior may be linked with hyperactive thyroid gland, which should be considered if these other measures fail to improve his demeanor.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just read your article about tearstains on dogs. I wanted to tell you I have found a way to practically eliminate them in my 1 1/2-year-old Maltipoo.

I started feeding him dry food brands with just chicken as the main ingredient. There are several to pick from. Since he has been on this diet, he no longer has the orange stains running down his face.

As you mentioned, probably much of it is caused by the red dyes in much of the dog foods, or perhaps it's the red meat ingredient. -- B.S., St. Louis

DEAR B.S.: Thank you for adding to the number of simple solutions for dealing with tearstains on the faces of our canine companions! I have said for years that a major cause of the stains is the dyes that are put in dog foods.

One ingredient/additive to make beef red-looking is Red Dye No. 3, which of course is not put into manufactured canned chicken dog foods. This dye most probably caused the stains on your dog's face; it could also possibly have harmed your dog's thyroid gland and even be cancer-causing.

When dogs' tears stain their faces, we should first take it as a warning, first of a possible eye problem, then consider the crying shame of what additives are still being put into many manufactured pet foods that are considered by the companies to be safe and profitable.

A REPRIEVE FOR THE GREAT LAKES GRAY WOLF

The good news came just before the 2014 Solstice: On Dec. 19, U.S. District Court judge Beryl Howell ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2011 delisting of the gray wolf population in the Great Lakes region, which gave management authority to the state authorities of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, was scientifically unsound, politicized and premature. Howell ruled that the species had not recovered fully across its natural range. The delisting has resulted in the trophy killing and trapping of more than 1,500 wolves, which the estimated population of 3,500-4,000 cannot sustain.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association immediately responded with the threatening statement that illegal killing of wolves will result because many deer hunters will want to "protect" the deer from the wolves, adopting the practice of "shoot, shovel and shut up." The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources considered an annual kill of almost one-quarter of the state's wolf population "sustainable," as did federal wolf biologist David Mech, who favors state-regulated and managed sport hunting and commercial trapping to conserve the species and has long opposed federal endangered species protective listing.

(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.)