DEAR READERS: The Cornucopia Institute, an organization that supports small-scale farmers, recently published an extensive report on pet food quality, ingredient sources and how to decode pet food labels. Some highlights:

-- It addresses the FDA compliance policies that allow diseased animals and animals who have died in ways other than slaughter into pet food. "Since these materials are processed at very high temperatures, their nutritional value is degraded compared to fresh meat that would qualify for human consumption. Research has demonstrated that carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are formed when muscle meat is cooked at high temperatures."

-- "The primary reason why 'adulterated' ingredients from dead and downer (those unable to walk or who show other signs of disease) animals have not been prohibited from pet and animal feed in the U.S. is economic. Due to the cost of their disposal, and the environmental and human health risks of improper disposal, there is economic incentive for the use of these materials."

-- "There is no denying that there are environmental challenges surrounding the disposal of SRMs (specified risk materials), and dead and downer animals. But putting this material into animal food to increase the profitability of rendering plants, livestock producers and pet food companies is clearly not an ethical solution to the problem."

-- The report names companies that render dead pets, and mentions, "the two largest companies that pick up carcasses from shelters and clinics ... are both owned by rendering companies ..."

-- It also notes, "China also supplies ingredients that go into pet food made in the U.S. and Canada, including pea protein, soy protein, vitamins and minerals."

-- The report provides warnings concerning other common pet food ingredients, including carrageenan, synthetic preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin and proplyene glycol), BPA, sodium selenite, food dyes and grains.

I am glad to see such confirmation of my concerns that I have documented over the past several years in my column and in the book "Not Fit for a Dog!: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods."

Thanks to Susan Thixton at truthaboutpetfood.com for this synopsis of the highly respected and credible Cornucopia Institute.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a small 7-year-old female standard poodle who usually loves to walk. Lately, if she is upstairs and hears her leash rattling, she will come downstairs, knowing we are taking a walk. We live in the country, and hunting season started recently. If she hears gunshots in the distance, she stops walking and even sits down. It has gotten so bad that even if there are no gunshots, she will not walk out of the driveway. Even when our toy poodle joins us for a walk, she does her sit-down routine. Hearing fireworks or thunder does not have this effect. When we let her out in our fenced-in backyard, she will run, so there does not seem to be any physical problem. What do you suggest? -- M.M. Woodbine, Maryland

DEAR M.M.: Your gunshot-shy dog is showing signs of phobia in a fairly specific situation and location, considering that she runs happily in the fenced yard regardless of gunshot, thunder or firework sounds. Your dog may be indicating to you that it is not safe to go out any further, and sitting is her way of telling you that she feels it is unsafe. She may be right: There are too many idiots pointing their guns at live targets during the hunting seasons, even shooting each other.

She may feel unsafe and more vulnerable herself while on the leash and unable to flee. Fitting her with a harness may provide more comfort, and for some dogs, a chest harness can act like a comforting "thunder shirt." Perhaps going out the back way and not out front via the usual driveway route may break the conditioned emotional reaction. 

But be alert -- she may be wiser than you think. When I first came to the United States from England in 1962 and lived in Maine, that first hunting season I experienced resulted in a child on a bicycle being shot, a cow-hide hanging on a line to cure on private property being shot at, and a couple of deer hunters injuring each other, presumably by accident!

Regularly Petting Shelter Cats Helps Prevent Disease

A study confirming the benefits of petting cats in shelters who are already human-socialized has been reported by Dr. Nadine Gourkow and Dr. Clive J.C. Phillips in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine. They compared a number of tame cats in shelter cages who were given human contact with those who were not, finding that human interaction by petting, playing and grooming improved shelter cats' welfare. Cats so treated were more content and less anxious and frustrated. Treated cats had increased concentrations of immunoglobulin A in their feces. Within 10 days, treatment had substantially reduced viral shedding. Treated cats had less respiratory disease, especially good responders to treatment.

(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: I am 74 years old; I live alone and have a chronic disease. I have had pets all my life.

About two years ago, I lost my wonderful cat companion of 17 years. I had been unable to pay for veterinary care since I had to retire. The cost of care, food and other related expenses is beyond my reach now.

I have been extremely sad and lonely since I lost my cat. Is there any service out there that can help me? I am physically unable to care for a cat or dog, so I am now considering budgies (parakeets) when I can save up enough money. --E.B., Norman, Oklahoma

DEAR E.B.: I urge you to call your local animal shelter or humane society; if you are mobile, ask them if you can come and be a "socializer" for the animals. Many facilities realize the benefits of having volunteers come and pet, groom and play with amenable animals.

I wonder if any have the funds and staff to take a dog or cat to spend a day or more with people in situations like yours. I would be a win-win for all.

In Tokyo, a Japanese friend tells me there is a dog-for-a-day rental service that he uses for his son, since his apartment is in a "no pets" high-rise!

DEAR DR. FOX: My question is about a dog we had several years ago. She was a private adoption from some friends who could not keep her. She would not stay in any type of confinement -- no kennel of any type. If they tried to confine her, she would escape and always ended up in "doggie jail." Our friends would bail her out, bring her home and do it all over again. They asked us to take her because we lived in a very rural area where she could be free. We provided her with a nice doghouse that she refused to even enter. She preferred to sleep under a bush in our yard.

Is it possible that, like some humans, she couldn't tolerate confined spaces? -- L.W., High Point, North Carolina

DEAR L.W.: This condition of claustrophobia, in my experience, is more prevalent in cats than in dogs. Its origins are surely complex, with genetics, temperament and early socialization (or lack thereof), and traumatic experience all being contributing factors.

I have seen the reverse many years ago in a colony of research beagles used in a government study of long-term effects of radiation exposure. I was called in as a veterinary behavioral consultant to help these poor dogs who had been kept confined in small cages their entire lives. Many of them simply froze into catatonic immobility when given larger indoor-outdoor living quarters.

So the fear factor can work in different ways, depending on an animal's early life experiences. I was able to help most of these research dogs with a resocialization and gradual environmental exposure and enrichment program. Your dog found her own solution and preferred to be semi-feral, possibly feeling more secure under the bush than in an enclosed space wherein she could not flee if alarmed. Most dogs prefer a kennel, crate or cage with the door always open, using the enclosure as a secure "den" in the home or yard.

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you very much. I doubt that our dog had much socialization before we got her -- her previous family was too busy. We tried, but I guess the damage had been done. Our current dog loves her kennel or our den. She just wants to be where her people pack is, and that's exactly where we want her. -- L.W.

(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 READERS: The animals suffer with us, for us and because of us in many ways. They are as much victims of the human condition as they are of our inhumanity toward our own kind. That animals continue to be exploited in so many ways as commodities for our consumption, for trophy hunting, for entertainment and for drug testing are all symptomatic of the spiritual and ethical crisis of modern "civilization" and its increasing disconnectedness from the life and beauty of the earth community -- dystopia, indeed! We must all do what we can to restore these sacred, ecological, ancestral, biological and spiritual connections.

Here are some suggested resolutions to consider for the good of the animals in the 2016 new year:

-- Make an annual wellness exam appointment for your animal companion, and consider making one every six months for older animals.

-- Support your local animal shelter by volunteering, giving money or donating needed supplies.

-- Consider adopting from a shelter. If you already have one animal, consider getting a second.

-- Cats are carnivores. A high-carb diet can kill cats and sicken dogs, so resolve to learn more about their nutritional needs. Visit DrFoxVet.net for more information.

-- Eat less meat, become a vegetarian or go vegan, and support organic producers.

-- Examine the use of animals in society, as I describe in my book, "Animals & Nature First." Helping animals is in our best interest, too.

DEAR DR. FOX: Do you have any special recommendations for an older cat whose asthma has gotten worse in recent months? She has been put on a steroid inhaler and still takes Terbutaline, but her hacking is getting worse. Are there any homeopathic remedies that we could try?

It's painful to watch her in such distress, with attacks coming more frequently. -- J.W., Silver Spring, Maryland

DEAR J.W.: Sorry to hear about your old cat's asthma. Veterinarians are now recognizing that some cases of feline asthma are triggered by a food allergy or an intolerance to certain cat food ingredients -- notably corn, soy, beef, fish and dairy products.

You might therefore discuss with your veterinarian changing your cat's diet and see if there is improvement. Many cats become addicted to dry foods, but I would try to transition your cat onto a grain-free and soy-free canned cat food, or try my home-prepared cat food recipe.

Let me know if this helps. I know of one cat with this issue who immediately improved when there was no rice in his food! I know of no homeopathic or herbal remedies that may help your cat. To be on the safe side, I trust that your veterinarian has ruled out congestive heart failure; enlarged and dysfunctional hearts, often a result of a dietary deficiency in cats, can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs and asthmalike symptoms.

Dusty cat litter and corn-based litter can be problematic, as can artificial fragrances (volatile organic compounds) in many cat litters, laundry detergents and room fresheners.

Open the windows (screened so cats can't escape) and freshen your living space naturally (a morning ritual when I was growing up in England), and check your air vents and filters for your central air conditioning and heat ducts. Cat dander is in every cat's environment and causes human asthma, and I wonder if cats can become allergic to themselves or possibly to their human companions. I know of one dog recently being diagnosed with an allergy triggered by human dander!

PET FOOD NEWS

-- The Blue Buffalo pet food company has entered into a settlement agreement in the consumer class action lawsuit brought against them. This settlement of $32 million is the largest in history. For details, go to truthaboutpetfood.com/blue-buffalo-agrees-to-pay-32-million-in-settlement/

-- Bravo Pet Foods of Manchester, Connecticut, is recalling a select lot of Bravo Chicken Blend diet for dogs and cats due to concerns of the possible presence of salmonella. Visit bravopetfoods.com/consumerrecall.html for more information.

-- Stella and Chewy's of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, has announced it is voluntarily recalling select lots of its raw dog and cat food due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Visit fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm477540.htm for more information.

-- Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies of Torrance, California, has announced it is voluntarily withdrawing all its Welcome Home Duck Jerky and Duck Treats due to the presence of unapproved antibiotics and antiviral agents.

-- MARS Petcare has issued a voluntary recall of the 4-ounce Nutro Chewy Treats Apple dog treat due to potential mold.

Contact your pet food supplier if you have any of these 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.)