DEAR DR. FOX: My Yorkie-daschund mix has been diagnosed with mange. So far, she has had three shots of ivermectin, just finished Simplicef tablets and has some special shampoo.

Her condition seems to be improving, but now she has matted patches of hair on her hind legs. When you scratch the matted hair, it comes right off. The vet says the entire family -- my husband and I -- needs to be treated for mange, but so far our medical doctors will not help. My husband has a recurring rash on his back, arms and legs. I have had few symptoms. 

We don't know how the dog came into contact with mange, although there was a mangy timber wolf in our pasture. We actually saw the wolf a number of times when he was sleeping in our pasture; we burned the brush pile he was sleeping in this spring. The doctors have been clueless, and my husband has visited the emergency room twice, a walk-in clinic twice, a dermatologist (who said he had dry skin), his regular doctor and the same dermatologist. I have only experienced minor irritation.

When my husband burned the brush, he thinks the smoke may have gotten on him. But my mother and brother-in-law were diagnosed with scabies recently. We told all this to our doctors, but all we have gotten so far is various creams for ourselves, none of which are working very well.What else can we do -- for the dog and ourselves? -- M.J., Bemidji, Minnesota

DEAR M.J.: First, good for you for at least giving that poor wolf some shelter through the winter in your pasture. Many wolves with mange, having less and less fur insulation, die during the winter. The disease can wipe out one pack after another. Although it's against state wildlife regulations, providing food for such suffering wolves is one humane option. Severe cases should be euthanized or captured, treated and released.

Your dog probably picked up the Sarcoptes scabiei (itch mite) while sniffing around where the wolf had been sleeping in the brush, and then infected you and your husband. I came home from India one time after treating dogs and other animals and developed itchy bumps on one arm, which I recognized as probable scabies. I went to the emergency walk-in clinic at a major teaching hospital, where they did a scraping and found nothing -- which is not uncommon. The only thing I needed was Benzyl benzoate cream.

This is what you and your husband need. Essential oils of lavender, black pepper or citronella can also help. A lime-sulfur shampoo may help your dog. Usually, no more than two injections of ivermectin are needed to clear up the infestation in dogs. Boil all sheets, covers and clothes; don't sleep with your dog; and put out clean sheets for the dog to sleep on to break the infection cycle.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3-year old tonkinese cat who chews off all my purses' leather zipper pulls. She does not chew the leather purse itself, or leather shoes, just the long leather fringelike pulls. I have been replacing these pulls with beaded pulls as I find them, but she always seems to find another purse fringe to chew on.

My guess is that chewing on dyed and processed leather is not healthy, but is there a small leather chew toy suitable for cats? Is this indicative of something missing from her diet? -- M.G., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR M.G.: One of our cats likes to chew and swallow any kind of threadlike material -- string, clothing tassels, shoe laces, etc. This can put cats in jeopardy from swallowing harmful materials, including needles on the ends of threads, and in large quantities could cause intestinal blockage and perforation. A cat-safe environment includes keeping all such materials out of cats' reach, which calls for vigilance!

Your cat may crave more fiber in her diet, and part of a cat's natural diet includes skin, tendons, etc. from their prey. In some cases, this becomes an obsessive behavior and may be associated with underlying chronic infection/inflammation, which chewing and swallowing may help alleviate. Try giving your cat some sprouted wheat grass to chew on and scalded raw chicken wing tips or very thin, 3- to 4-inch long strips of raw chicken or turkey with the skin attached. Be sure to scald or briefly microwave first to kill potentially harmful bacteria that contaminate these kinds of factory-farmed animal products.

(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.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: After reading your article about the importance of giving animals the purest possible water to drink, I purchased a water purifying system for my cats and myself. In a few days they were drinking more water and had fewer, if any, episodes of vomiting and loose stools.

Thanks for pointing out this important aspect of health care. We take water for granted, but what comes out of our taps, as my cats confirmed, may not be fit to drink. -- G.C., Duluth, Minnesota

DEAR G.C.: I am not the only veterinarian advocating pure drinking water, especially for cats, many of whom do not drink sufficient water on a regular basis. Some enjoy a bubbling water dispenser, but the water must not come straight from the tap. Surprisingly, "spring water" sold in stores may not be the best, and distilled water lacks essential trace minerals. I use a ZeroWater filter; the reverse ionization method is a good investment for every family.

We are facing a global water quality crisis that is reaching critical mass as governments around the world do little to protect this vital resource. I live in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 (many now seriously polluted) lakes. This state's recent abolition of the Pollution Control Agency's Citizens' Board -- for dubious political reasons -- casts a shadow across the state's image of responsible wilderness management and protection and is a potential national disaster in the making. The business-friendly initiative of abolishing the Citizens' Board underscores the influence of various industries that marginalize long-term environmental risks and costs. Public health consequences are virtually ignored and trumped by the promise of jobs and taxable products and services.

Surely, without containment and immediate environmental remediation of the multiple existing and well-documented harms of Minnesota's major industries (agriculture, mining, energy and forestry), further industrial expansion is imprudent. But this continues virtually unabated, as fracking, sod-busting biomass fuel and livestock feed production, expansion of concentrated animal feeding operations and yet more mining take finite water resources at a non-sustainable rate. And what of the downstream public health costs and irreversible loss of biodiversity?

The worldwide problem of ever-expanding, biodiversity-diminishing and polluting carbon footprint of industrial exploitation gives short-term benefits to a diminishing few. Will it deprive our children's children of their right to purer water, cleaner air and more wholesome food? Climate change, loss of biodiversity and the obesity and cancer epidemics are all interconnected. Land, water and air are part of the global public commons. Minnesota, with fresh water as one of its greatest natural resources, should steward this hydrological ecosystem/watershed as a national treasure. If every governor, aligned chamber of commerce and legislature were to make the waters flowing out of their states purer, we might yet get on the right track for the recovery of democracy, public health and a more viable future.

To tout water quality remediation/purification as the ultimate solution is to continue the tradition of bad, albeit profitable, conventional medicine. It treats the symptom, but does not address the problem. The more we harm the Earth, the more we harm ourselves, and the quality of our drinking water mirrors the quality of our relationship with the natural environment.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 6-year-old dachshund-greyhound mix was recently diagnosed with granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME). She is under the care of a neurologist and is being treated with steroids and antibiotics. When I did research on her condition, medical literature states it is a common neurological disease in dogs. However, no dog owner I know has ever heard of it. We were told the prognosis is poor, even though she is responding well to the medication.

Is there any information you can give me about this disease? Is there anything I can do to extend this period of remission? I was told that the treatments can give her a good quality of life for a certain period of time, but the disease is ultimately fatal. -- J.B., Newark, New Jersey

DEAR J.B.: This is certainly a devastating condition for your poor dog. It is a fairly common condition of unknown origin, affecting smaller female dogs in particular at around 5 years of age.

There is increasing evidence that this is an autoimmune disorder that could be triggered by certain components in vaccines. Treatment with oral procarbazine and prednisone can help subdue the inflammation. I would also explore potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplements such as Resveratrol, fish oil, quercetin and melatonin, especially before bedtime.

(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.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: We adopted Willie, our bulldog mix, four years ago. He had very thin fur, with barely any on his belly and none under his arms. The poor dog has lots of red, raw rashes on belly. My husband began cooking his food, and within months, the change in his skin was amazing. After several months, we noticed what a beautiful white coat he had -- he'd never had a nice coat before. His skin is clear, and he's not itching or chewing his paws. Willie weighs 57 pounds, and the doc says it's "all muscle." He's very active, happy, content and now healthy. We were feeding him costly premium foods, and using shampoos that cost $30 per bottle. Now, he gets only homemade food (meat, veggies and rice), and he's in the best condition ever.

My sister has two Labs. Skin conditions, digestive problems and pale gums always bothered them. She was buying expensive dog food from Colorado. Now she, too, cooks for them, and they're healthy and problem-free. It's a little more work, about the same price and makes an amazing difference in your pet's health. -- A.F.C., Millbrook, New York

DEAR A.F.C.: You are giving the kind of testimony that the mainstream pet food industry does not like to hear. I had a call recently for an interview from a newspaper reporter writing about "humanized" pet foods, a term she apparently picked up from the mainstream pet food industry. The industry is quick to point to studies that show that some home-prepared diets have nutrient deficiencies. In its eyes, that means that the scientifically formulated "complete and balanced" pet foods are superior. But the evidence is clear, as per your experience, that a biologically appropriate, properly formulated diet with fresh ingredients (human-grade and from known sources) is just plain common sense.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read in your columns your opinions about how animals are being mistreated along with your concerns about the environment and wildlife. I wonder if your scope as an "Animal Doctor" for a pet-owning readership is going beyond its purpose, and if you have some political or other agenda. After all, we have God-given dominion over the Earth, and with 7 billion of us, I think we are continuing to do a great job putting food on the table and doing our best to give peace and freedom a chance in the world. -- G.K.M., Reston, Virginia

DEAR G.K.M.: I see my mission as a veterinarian and bioethicist to help heal the broken relationships between humans and the rest of Earth's life-community, which begins with animals we keep as companions and the others whom we choose to eat and otherwise exploit. I disagree with you that I have "dominion" to rule over the animal kingdom and may use the natural world for my own pecuniary and other selfish interests. It is my understanding that the word "dominion" in the Christian bible is derived from the Hebrew verb "yorade," which means "to come down to, to have communion with" -- a call for humane, compassionate planetary care.

For more details, see my book "The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation," the essence of which is embodied in Pope Francis' recent encyclical concerning climate change and the collective, harmful impact of our species on this living planet and all creatures great and small -- which theists see as God's creation and I, for one, see as "ours" only in sacred trust. Peace, freedom and justice have no chance if we cannot exercise self-control over our reproductive and consumptive behaviors and have reverence for all life.

IS IT TIME TO ROUND UP ROUNDUP?

Widely used by homeowners, municipal services and especially by agriculture, the main ingredient of Roundup weed killer is an endocrine-disrupting, chelating (mineral-nutrient binding) herbicide now used worldwide. Glyphosate is classified as a "probable carcinogenic" agent, according to a report recently published in The Lancet Oncology.

I have discussed this issue on my website, DrFoxVet.net, in relation to the use of this herbicide and others on crops that have been genetically engineered to resist these toxic agents. But we have not moved forward! This affects our companion animals, since glyphosate residues have been recently found in some pet foods containing genetically modified organisms, such as corn and soy.

(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.net.)