DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I adopted a 6-year-old Maltese rescue about six months ago.

We do not know any history on her, and it appears she was abused and mistreated. She runs away when approached, is afraid to be picked up and when picked up, turns her head so she does not face you. She will not come to us when called, except to eat. We have a doggie door that she has taken to well.

She does have another trait that my wife finds very annoying. She will go out the doggie door, then sit and bark, refusing to come back in the house. When approached, she runs out into the backyard until we finally back her into a corner to be picked up and returned to the house and close the doggie door.

Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated. -- C.F.C., Imperial, Missouri

DEAR C.F.C.: From your brief description of how you respond to your dog's reactions to you, consider ignoring the barking outdoors, which could just be for attention. Do not try to corner her and catch her to bring her inside. Let her come in when she wants to, and give her a treat when she comes in. This is best done when she has been on a 24-hour fast so she will be hungry and food-motivated.

Do you spend time playing with her outdoors, especially interactive games of fetch or hide-and-seek with some chasing? Her barking may be to invite you to play! Make a game out of chasing rather than just catching her to bring her indoors. Try some basic "sit" and "stay" instructions with the dog harnessed and leashed, using a long leash to teach her to come to you for a treat. A certified animal behaviorist may be worth consulting.

DEAR DR. FOX: In a recent column, you answered back-to-back allergy questions, one of which was about the long-term use of Atopica for a cat.

One year ago, we lost our beloved 7-year-old English setter, Otis, to liver cancer. Otis suffered from a variety of diagnosed food, seasonal and environmental allergies, which led to chronic suffering, and the related foot chewing and body scratching.

After years of trying a variety of diets, daily allergy injections and repeat courses of prednisone to try to alleviate his suffering, we started Otis on a daily dose of Atopica at the suggestion of an allergy specialist vet. After several weeks, the Atopica definitely had improved Otis' quality of life, and we followed the allergist's schedule of routine check-ins and blood tests, as Atopica can affect the liver. All was fine until about after a year of Atopica use, when Otis' fatigue and lack of eating led us to a non-routine blood test, which showed a slight elevation in liver enzymes. An ultrasound that was expected to show nothing actually showed multiple inoperable, large tumors throughout his liver; after about two months of trying to stimulate his appetite with prednisone and relieve his pain with Mobic, we euthanized him after an agonizing night of his crying showed us his quality of life was poor.

Pathetically, the allergist avoided returning my calls afterward, but I am convinced the Atopica caused Otis' cancer. I wanted to caution you and the cat owner from Florida about the long-term use of Atopica. -- J.S., Rumson, New Jersey

DEAR J.S.: Atopica risks per the manufacturer's statement:

"IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ATOPICA (Cyclosporine capsules, USP) MODIFIED. As with all drugs, side effects may occur. In a field study, the most common side effects were gastrointestinal signs. Gingival hyperplasia and papillomas may also occur during the initial dosing phase. Atopica is a systemic immunosuppressant that may increase the susceptibility to infection. Atopica is not for use in reproducing dogs or dogs with a history of neoplasia."

I am not sure that this generally effective drug could have caused the liver cancer, but certainly, from what the manufacturers say, it could have aggravated a pre-existing cancer in the liver. I believe that some breeds and individual dogs are extremely sensitive to high-gluten dietary ingredients that can cause "leaky gut" syndrome, which in turn leads to large, potentially allergenic protein molecules entering the circulation. Dysbiosis (gut microflora imbalance) can aggravate this issue. Probiotics, prebiotics and even fecal enemas are part and parcel of dealing with "atopy"(skin disease of unknown origin in dogs). Omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the food are also advised. Fungal and bacterial infections, especially in the ears and feet, must be treated appropriately as secondary infections brought on in association with atopy and related immune system dysfunction.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I am a fan -- you are an excellent columnist with much to offer.

I am a lifelong animal lover. I am also lucky enough to live on a tract of contiguous mature forest near Missouri's Cuivre River. I enjoy daily interaction with hundreds of my "pets" -- many wild species that happily live, breed and feed themselves. What a joy to watch them.

I feel that the true disgrace is not that so many unwanted animals die (as all do), but that so many people, ignorant of an animal's true needs, feel that they must "own" a living creature for their own pleasure. I don't get it. A rational look at the big picture shows the industry of providing designer pets for sale, plus all the commensurate problems, to be absurd on its face. We are creating an endless supply of pets who are doomed to be killed.

I have one rhetorical question for pet owners: How many times have you wished you could dash off somewhere for a few days, but for that adorable dependent pet waiting at home?

Pets are not for everyone, but not enough of us know that. Thank you, Dr. Fox, and keep up the great work. -- D.S., Troy, Missouri

DEAR D.S.: I appreciate your letter, but perhaps some readers may not embrace, or even understand, your concerns. My wife and I joke that we are "captives of our compassion" with the two feral cats we caught and rehabilitated; they cannot be boarded, nor could we adopt them out. We are bonded!

The pet supply industry spends a fortune touting the benefits of animal companionship for obvious reasons. We owe domesticated animals a huge debt of gratitude for how they have served our many needs since the beginning of civilization -- some have argued that they even helped civilize us. Now serving our emotional needs as companions, we are morally obligated to settle the score and make sure we can provide for their emotional needs and overall well-being. An honest appraisal of many people's lifestyles would indicate that they cannot. Keeping a dog alone in a crate all day, an increasingly common practice, is to trade the animal's unconditional love for the conditional, selfish love too prevalent in our own kind, which makes us the inferior species.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 4 1/2-year-old boxer-pit bull was recently diagnosed with lymphoma.

I kind of believe that a rabies vaccine triggered it. I took him to a new vet for an ear infection because he was tilting his head, and the vet prescribed Zeniquin. However, since our dog did not have a current rabies shot, she said she could not let me leave with him if I did not get him the shot that day. I should have known that you don't give a sick dog a shot (I'm not a fan of shots anyway).

About three weeks after the shot, he lost the ability to walk. He was dragging his front paws, tipping over and urinating on himself. I took him to another vet, who told us to see a neurologist and get him an MRI; she thought he had a brain fungus. The neurologist ordered X-rays and ultrasounds, and the day we had our MRI appointment, the office called us to tell us that he had a mass in his chest. The vet did more ultrasounds to get a better view of it, aspirated it and found that it was T-cell lymphoma.

He's on prednisone and doing OK for right now. But what I would like is for you to help me figure out if I'm crazy for thinking it was the rabies vaccine he got while was sick. -- A.P., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR A.P.: I see one possibility concerning the rabies vaccination, other than it being ill-advised to ever vaccinate a dog who is not in good health at the time.

It could be a very clear vaccinosis, which is an adverse reaction affecting the nervous system of the dog due to the neurotropic proteins in the vaccine and other additives (mercury and aluminum). With the dog's immune system thus compromised, a latent lymphoma problem may have been unmasked rather than actually caused by the vaccination. But more research on this consequence is called for.

The prednisone treatment is appropriate, and I would advise improving your dog's diet as per the wonderful insights in the book "Canine Nutrigenomics," by Dr. W. Jean Dodds and Diana R. Laverdure.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 2-year-old indoor house cat. She was the sweetest thing for the first 1 1/2 year or so, but in the last six months, she has developed hyperesthesia.

Her back ripples, she bites at it and she tears like a crazed cat all around the house. It has changed her personality. Before this, she was the most social cat I had ever seen -- she wanted to be with us and was happy and playful. Now she is haunted.

Nothing changed in her life. She is still the only cat. We are an older couple without children in the house. Life is very routine, calm and ordered. She does have herpes, and we stopped giving her lysine, which may have helped just a little for a while -- or maybe we just wanted it to help. I don't know.

I do know that it is hard for me to accept that there is nothing that can be done for this poor little cat. I hope you might have some better news for me than I can glean on the Internet. -- T.O., Oklahoma City

DEAR T.O.: I have addressed this bizarre condition in this column, and you will find some answers on my website, DrFoxVet.com. But we need to work together on this because there are no simple solutions. Hearing from other readers who have found ways to alleviate this condition would be appreciated.

Sometimes we miss the obvious culprits that we think are safe, such as certain cat litters, chemical floor cleaners, room fragrance sprays and diffusers, laundry detergent, tick drugs and my personal worst offender -- flea collars!

Next, consider her diet and a possible food allergy or hypersensitivity. Check some of the better cat foods on my website and also my home-prepared recipe for cats.

The skin is a reactive surface to not only environmental allergens and toxic chemicals, which can harm cats' livers and kidneys, but can be an indicator of nutritional deficiencies, especially in omega-3 fatty acids, and intolerance to certain food ingredients.

Removing all fish from one of our cat's diet helped reduce his excessive grooming and evident skin hypersensitivity. The herb catnip also calms him down, as can a low dose of Valium or valerian root. Discuss this with your veterinarian and also the possibility of hyperactive thyroid disease, which will call for a blood test.

There are nutritional supplements that can have a calming effect in humans and other animals, including dogs and cats. PetzLife's @-Eaze, which contains L-Theanine, is one of several calming natural supplements on the market that I would urge you to try.

Keep me informed as to your progress with your poor cat so we can help others overcome this distressing malady.

ANIMAL FATALITIES ON AIRPLANES

The Department of Transportation has released its annual list of animal fatalities on United States airlines.

U.S. airlines reported 17 animal fatalities and 26 injuries in 2014, according to full-year data released by the Department of Transportation. United Airlines reported the most deaths and injuries, five and 13 respectively, followed by Alaska Airlines, which had three animal deaths and 11 injuries.

Most of the injuries involved dogs and cats bloodied and hurt as they tried to escape from their cages, and many of the fatality reports involved animals that managed to escape from transport cages and were hit by vehicles at airports. Other major causes of death were underlying health conditions aggravated by the stress of travel.

From 2010 to 2013, Delta Airlines reported the greatest number of incidents of animals who died, were injured or lost during travel, followed closely by Alaska. Some airlines do not accept short-nosed or snub-nosed dogs such as pugs and English bulldogs because the stress of flight is particularly acute for those breeds.

(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.)