DEAR DR. FOX: We have a cat who may have a heart murmur. I thought that you might have some thoughts or advice that I should consider when talking with our veterinarian about the murmur and any treatments.

Rocky is a 3-year-old domestic shorthair orange tabby. He has always received a good bill of health during his annual checkups. We adopted him from a shelter foster family when he was 6 months old. He eats a grain-free diet of Wellness CORE canned food and Orijen dry food. He loves to chase (and be chased) and play with his toys. He can be very jumpy and will hide when friends visit or the doorbell rings.

During his last checkup, our vet detected what might be a quiet heart murmur. She told me that it might not be anything to worry about, but she advised us to make a follow-up appointment after six months so she could check again. From my basic research, it seems that heart murmurs are very common in cats, and many heart murmurs are not serious or require much treatment. I read that sometimes stress can be a contributing or complicating factor.

Do you have any general advice or recommendations for owners of cats diagnosed with heart murmurs? Can you suggest any questions that I should ask our vet when Rocky has his next appointment? -- D.B., Hyattsville, Maryland

DEAR D.B.: Your veterinarian is following the protocol that I endorse: When there is the possibility of a congenital heart disorder and the cat appears quite healthy, evaluate the cat's overall condition and heart function after a few months to see if there have been any changes.

Most probably, all is well. Your cat probably has a "noisy valve" that in most instances is a congenital developmental defect. If the defect is minor, the heart muscle and size should remain normal. This should be re-evaluated during your cat's annual wellness examination.

As a precaution, I would give your cat a daily supplement of heart-protective taurine, Coenzyme Q10 and a few drops of fish oil, and have your veterinarian help you determine the dosage.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am sitting here looking at the rain pouring down after reading your column about poisonous water worries in today's newspaper. You mention "agricultural runoff," which brought up a memory of a discussion I had with some friends about squirrels dying at people's doorsteps after the golf course is sprayed with chemicals. And I had a visual of all the runoff seeping into the oceans. We are the only mammals who kill that which sustains us. We are our own doom. And, believe it or not, I am an optimist.

Thank you for writing such good advice on natural remedies. Hopefully, more people will follow your direction. I've been a natural health advocate for more than 30 years. It's taken a long time for people to realize that there is a natural cure for everything -- if it's caught in time. If you lead a healthy life, this will help keep the pollutants around you at bay longer. Thanks again for all the important work you do. -- N.H., Royal Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR N.H.: Your account of the golf course chemicals killing squirrels reminds me of some sudden-death reports of golfers playing on recently sprayed greens.

We are the only animal that fouls its own nest, yet we call ourselves Homo sapiens -- man, the wise. Because of our numbers, we have become a planetary infestation, and because of our position in the chemically contaminated food chain, the milk of far too many mothers puts their babies at risk.

It is time for us to wise up and realize that when we take care of nature, nature will take care of us. I applaud Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's advocacy of all rivers having buffer zones of natural vegetation to reduce agricultural chemical runoff (the black mark of his supporting wolf hunting and trapping in the state notwithstanding).

MAJOR PET FOOD MANUFACTURING PLANT GETS FDA INSPECTION NOTICE

Nestle Purina PetCare Co's. plant in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, where some 400 employees work to make cat and dog food, received a warning letter Jan. 14 from the Food and Drug Administration's Philadelphia office. The company's foods were possibly prepared or packed improperly under "insanitary conditions." Some of the products cited in the letter include Alpo Chop House Rotisserie Chicken Flavor in Gourmet Gravy; Friskies Mariner's Catch; Friskies Mixed Grill; Mighty Dog Lamb and Rice; and ProPlan Senior Beef and Rice Entree -- all wet food in cans or pouches. The FDA is legally authorized to assess and collect fees from this company to cover the FDA's costs for certain activities, including reinspection-related costs. It is good to see our taxes at work for the good of our animal companions!

(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: Three years ago, I adopted my beagle, Ben, from a research lab. He had been there for four years, doing something with dental research -- he has six missing teeth.

He is a very sweet, gentle boy but has very high anxiety levels. It took him about nine months to settle in and begin feeling comfortable and at home. He had never been outside and appeared to be on sensory overload when I would try to housebreak him. He is about 7 years old now, and is settling in quite well as he is finally starting to play with toys, chew on chew sticks and act like a pet.

He is very sensitive to noise, which causes him a lot of anxiety. If I set down a coffee cup, he will run upstairs from the noise. He hates the kitchen noises of cooking, and paces and continually runs upstairs and down again hundreds of times while I am preparing a meal. We love him dearly, but his pacing and running is nerve-wracking. My 89-year-old mother (who has cancer) is afraid he is going to make her fall as he races past us when he gets so nervous. I am 64 and have had two knees and one hip replaced; I am also afraid he may cause a fall for me.

When we first got him, we tried Prozac, Xanax and Clomicalm. He wasn't on any of it for too long, as it seemed to make him more nervous and it took away his appetite, causing him to lose 3 pounds. I didn't like the thought of drugging him anyway, but felt so bad for him since he was so nervous. We find that when I cook or do things that I know will make him anxious, crating him is the best thing since he snuggles right in and goes to sleep or at least is more relaxed.

Do you have any suggestions that may help calm his nerves? I tried a behavioral therapist early on and have followed her suggestions, like letting him approach the things that make him nervous and smell them; not paying any attention to him when I drop something; or using a fun, high-pitched voice and saying, "It's OK, Ben," but nothing seems to work. I would have thought that after three years of living with us, he would get used to the household noises and be more relaxed, but there are times when I think he is actually worse. -- C.K., Livonia, Michigan

DEAR C.K.: Good for you for taking in this dog who was experimented upon and kept in a wholly unnatural, deprived laboratory, probably not even taken for daily walks or given any time outdoors with other dogs. While minimal standards of humane care are now applied to cats and dogs in such facilities, rabbits, chickens, guinea pigs, mice and other small rodent species still have no protection under the federal Animal Welfare Act. They are not regarded as animals under the law!

Your dog has what I would call complex post-traumatic stress disorder, coupled with confinement syndrome, which I first saw as a consultant and sought ways to correct decades ago when I was called in to look at a colony of caged beagles in a long-term government radiation exposure study. It is insane what we do to animals and rationalize as necessary, as I documented in my book "Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals."

You have tried all the anxiolytic psychotropic medications I would recommend. You should explore dietary supplements, giving one-third the recommended daily dose twice daily of 5-HTP to try to elevate the dog's brain serotonin, along with plenty of lightly cooked ground turkey or a tryptophan supplement. Also, a small amount of melatonin may help. It has often helped dogs with thunderphobia.

The amino acid L-theanine (from green tea) can also be calming. So put some green tea in his drinking water or try PetzLife's product @-Eaze. A few drops of essential oil of lavender on a bandana around his neck may prove very calming, along with some background music to buffer sudden noises.

He has found his crate a safe place, so keep it open so he can go into it whenever he needs to. Put chew toys and treats inside, especially before you expect to be making sudden noises, as in the kitchen. Being able to go in and out of his crate when he wishes will help calm him as he develops a sense of control over his environment.

ANOTHER DOG TREAT RECALL

Jump Your Bones, Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida, is voluntarily recalling its Roo Bites (Cubes) dog treats made from dehydrated kangaroo meat because it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.

Consumers can return the product to place of purchase for a full refund. For further information about the recall, call 888-249-6755.

The mass slaughter of kangaroos for their meat and skins in Australia is a national disgrace.

(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 READERS: For several years there has been a "no-kill" animal shelter movement that, in principle, is exemplary, but in truth is unrealistic and impractical.

What if terminally ill or injured animals with no chance of recovery are found and taken to a no-kill shelter? Would they be turned away? What if some of the healthy animals who are brought in by people who found them as strays or who can no longer keep them as companion animals prove to be unadoptable because they are not appealing to would-be adopters, or they have behavioral problems, which often develop in the animal shelter environment?

Such animals often remain caged or crated for months and even years. Is such a life worth living, especially when there is no attempt to develop facilities to keep such animals in enriched environments with others of their own kind? In the absence of such compatible group-housing for dogs and cats, as I have seen across Europe while consulting on shelter care with Pro Animale, the no-kill movement could be a formula for more animal suffering. Though people feel good about not having to engage in euthanasia, they instead incarcerate animals in solitary confinement for life, or take in only the most adoptable animals and send others elsewhere.

Worse, some no-kill shelters have engaged in "dumping" cats rather than euthanizing because of the numbers coming in and lack of space for them. It's called trap, neuter, release (TNR), and it's considered humane, though it often puts wildlife at risk.

In an email to me, noted Vermont veterinarian Dr. Peggy Larson wrote, "I am very much against the 'no kill' movement. For many reasons. Unsuitable and dangerous animals are being released to the public. Animals in these 'no kill' shelters pile up and live horrible lives in tiny cages for long periods of time. Some of these places turn into hoarding situations. Unwanted cats and dogs are being shipped to Vermont from the south, not that we need any more dogs and cats here. They come in without health certificates and carry diseases like hookworms and heartworm that are not problems here."

In contrast, "quick-kill" animal shelters -- some still using outmoded and inhumane methods of euthanasia -- often have to kill many animals every week because of a lack of funding to expand their quarantine and holding facilities, employ and train dedicated staff and do public outreach to increase adoption rates and donations. This is a tremendous emotional burden on most involved, who soon suffer burnout. Many of these shelters employ behavioral assessments and temperament tests to determine animals' adoptability, rather than developing the skills of behavioral rehabilitation (from post-traumatic stress disorder and human abuse/neglect) and resocialization. After being quarantined, many fearful cats and dogs who would fail these tests and be killed (or caged for life in the no-kill setting) soon come around when housed in groups and see their group-mates interacting with humans without fear.

DEAR DR. FOX: Can you give me your thoughts regarding rawhide products for dogs, specifically items like Dingo treats? Are they dangerous? I have heard that a dog can choke on them or they can be bad for dogs' stomachs. I also heard that some manufacturers use chemicals when manufacturing these products. -- R.P., Oakton, Virginia

DEAR R.P.: Dogs do like to chew things, which is generally good for the gums and teeth. Cooked bones are harder than raw, and dogs can crack their teeth on them, especially cooked beef bones but also on raw ones. Give your dog raw beef shank bones for a 10-minute chew twice daily. Avoid all other bones unless ground up as a mineral supplement, since they can splinter and cause internal damage.

Buy only beef rawhide chew strips processed in the United States. Those with knots can lead to choking. Many imported hides are bleached and loaded with potentially harmful chemicals, including arsenic and pesticides (from cattle dips). They can also be contaminated with bacteria; ditto pigs' ears and feet on sale in many pet stores, which could make dogs -- and other household members -- sick.

GOOD NEWS AT LAST FROM PETCO AND PETSMART

After many years of delay, Petco and PetSmart pet supply chains will be removing all chews and treats made in China, bowing to consumer concerns and the thousands of dogs reported sick or dying from poisons in these treats.

(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.)