DEAR DR. FOX: In many of your columns, you write about nutrition and how important it is for animals' health.

When I take my dog and two cats for their annual wellness examinations, I don't recall any vets ever asking what I feed my animals. Last time, I took in copies of your home-prepared cat and dog food recipes, and the vet took no interest. He said it was best to feed my pets the kind of scientifically formulated and balanced pet foods they were selling at the counter.

I gather these manufactured foods aren't always good for animals. So why are veterinary clinics and hospitals selling them? -- E.L., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR E.L.: Good nutrition is the best preventive medicine. It is one of the few factors that we can control in our own lives and for those for whom we care, especially our children and animal companions.

The foods containing "scientifically formulated," highly processed ingredients, many of which are byproducts of the human food and beverage industries, are accepted by a dwindling number of veterinarians. These vets were propagandized by the mainstream pet food industry into believing that such manufactured canned, dry and semi-moist pet foods are wholesome and healthful.

By not addressing the possible nutritional basis for a lot of health conditions their patients present, a fortunately dwindling number of animal doctors instead treat the symptoms with various drugs and make costly, even erroneous, diagnostic tests, profiting at the expense of their animal patients and trusting owners. This form of malpractice, also evident in the human health care industry, is at last being supplanted by a more holistic and integrative approach to disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

For a selection of the better-manufactured dog and cat foods, some formulated by veterinarians, check my website, DrFoxVet.com.

DEAR DR. FOX: After reading your column about barking dogs, I was reminded of another incident concerning an outdoor dog tied up in our friends' neighbors' backyard.

The poor dog was tied up on a short rope outside 24/7, rain or shine. At feeding time, the owners sent their young daughter out with a bowl; being scared of the dog, she would place the bowl just short of the dog so it had to struggle to get a bite.

All this broke our friends' hearts. When they sold their house, a couple of days after moving, they went back at night, cut the rope and took the dog home. He was a beautiful dog, and he lived out a happy life at -- make that in -- their home.

I cried when I met the poor dog and heard his story. This was in Miami. I surely hope that ignorant family didn't go get another dog to tie up outside. -- M.K., Naples, Florida

DEAR M.K.: Many readers will appreciate your story. I am all for people being law-abiding citizens, but when animal cruelty laws are not enforced and when the laws do not adequately protect the rights and interests of animals under our care, we do need to take extraordinary measures.

An old friend living in a small town in Florida did just that -- went up to his neighbor's house and knocked on the door. He had the neighbor's dog on a leash and collar. This dog had been tied up and left out on the porch day and night; it needed adequate food, water and veterinary care. My friend announced that he was confiscating the dog to give it a good home. The neighbor just shrugged and said, "Take him. He is old and useless." That dog is now with my friend and living out his life in a secure and caring environment.

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FROZEN PET FOOD RECALLS

-- Oma's Pride is recalling Purr-Complete Feline Poultry Meal because it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. Distributed nationwide, it is sold frozen. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Oma's Pride at 800-678-6627.

-- J.J. Fuds is recalling a select lot and product of J.J. Fuds Chicken Tender Chunks because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. This product is a frozen raw poultry product.

Pet owners who have the affected product at home should return to retailer for a refund and proper disposal.

For further information or questions regarding this recall, contact the company at jjfuds.com or by phone at 888-435-5873.

(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 very concerned about my daughter's female Shih Tzu, who will be 2 years old soon. For the past few months, when we go to visit, she will greet us and then go to her bed in the kitchen or on the landing of the steps. When we get ready to leave, she will come and allow us to pet her and say goodbye.

Yesterday, she came to our home and was obviously stressed the whole time she was here. She was panting and insisted that our daughter take her outside or home. As soon as she arrived home, she was back to her normal self.

She has always been a licker, especially of hands, feet or the kitchen floor. She is being fed dry dog food (a half-cup a day) and water, but she acts as if she is hungry all the time.

Before she was born, I had a failed surgery and I have two stomata. The upper one has an ostomy bag that allows me to eat small amounts of food and then empty it. The other stoma has two tubes for formula feeding and meds. We are very careful to keep everything clean and sanitary so there is no odor. There was a time when the dog was more playful, and my daughter would warn me to make sure the dog didn't accidentally puncture the bag.

We cannot figure out why she doesn't want to be around me in particular, other than to greet me and let me tell her goodbye. I am the only person she acts this way with. -- J.H., Woodbridge, Virginia

DEAR J.H.: Your daughter's dog may well be reading your body language, which may include protective/guarding movements and posturing to stop the dog from damaging your ostomy bag. As for odor, you don't have the nose of a dog; most likely, from the dog's perspective, you smell and behave differently from other people.

My real concern is that the poor dog may be starving -- not for affection, but for food. A half-cup of dry dog food once a day is ridiculous. Small, active dogs need three meals a day of a half-cup of good-quality dry and canned dog food. Check my website for some good brands and varieties.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 14-year-old male tuxedo cat who has had the perineal urethrostomy surgery. He is prone to struvite crystals.

I feed him canned Royal Canin Urinary SO and switch off with Iam's Urinary-S canned. With the dry food, I switch between Urinary SO and Purina One SMARTBlend Urinary. When I used to leave dry food down for him, he developed a urinary tract infection, so I am cautious about too much dry. I used to cook chicken for him, but then he wouldn't eat anything else.

I also have another female cat who is 2 years old. I feed her canned Fancy Feast (she loves it) and either Purina or Taste the Wild dry. She doesn't like Blue Buffalo.

All of this food is expensive. I try to feed them separately, but they, of course, wind up eating each other's food when they get the chance.

Is there a food I can feed them both? If not, what is your recommendation for the individual food? I heard Fancy Feast is rather like McDonald's, and that has me concerned. I want to feed and keep them healthy, but there are so many choices nowadays. -- N.C., Salt Point, New York

DEAR N.C.: I see no reason why you shouldn't feed both cats the canned special diets to control the struvite crystals in the one cat if it is difficult to separate them for feeding -- expense notwithstanding.

Alternatively, feed both cats a grain- and soy-free recipe posted on my website (DrFoxVet.com), or try some of the alternative cat foods also posted there.

Cats fed mainly dry foods high in cereals and who don't drink much water are especially prone to develop cystitis and struvite crystals that can lead to urinary tract blockage, especially in male cats -- a most painful emergency situation easily diagnosed when the poor cat repeatedly squats and tries to urinate, often crying and even passing some blood.

(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: 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.)