DEAR DR. FOX: My 14-year old pit bull mix, Cocoa, has a large growth on the side of her body. She also has many other lumps, which she has had for many years; her vet always advised us to leave them alone.

The large lump has grown to about the size of a baseball and has recently begun to bleed. Additionally, a second small lump, which also bleeds, has grown near it. We clean and dress this lump every day, and we keep her in a T-shirt. We are home most of the time to supervise her so she doesn't try to lick the wounds.

Now the vet says that even though Cocoa is happy, hungry and playful, she will eventually need to be euthanized because of this mass, which she thinks has become necrotic. She suggests removing the lump, even though we do not know if it, or one of the other lumps, is cancerous.

We are hoping to avoid expensive pre-op tests, which won't change the treatment plan. More problematic is the fact that Cocoa has a heart murmur, which the vet says gives her about a 50 percent chance of surviving the surgery.

We do not know what to do. Cocoa has always been anxious around strangers, and we don't want to put her through the fear of having surgery for such uncertain results. The lump doesn't bother her, but it may be making it a bit more difficult for her to get up and down. We are afraid, though, that it will rupture and be a very scary emergency for her and us. -- G.S., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR G.S.: Since the veterinarian said it was best to leave it alone in the past, she was probably making an educated guess that this was a benign fatty tumor called a lipoma. This is very common in dogs, and a combination of neutering and high-carbohydrate diet may play a role in their genesis. I am surprised that the veterinarian did not take a biopsy, but now that the growth is ulcerated, bleeding and probably infected and causing the dog discomfort, I would opt for surgery.

The attending veterinarian should be candid with you, and she may know of a competent soft-tissue veterinary surgeon who can do a thorough removal of all growths with carefully monitored anesthetics and pre-operative fluids if she feels unqualified. Many veterinarians call in specialists for certain patients.

Personally, I would have a biopsy done first -- it's virtually painless and no risk -- just in case you are dealing with a malignant growth, such as mast cell tumors (they bleed and can cause internal bleeding). Then I would get X-rays to see if cancer, if diagnosed, has spread to the lungs and other internal organs. Considering your dog's age, I might reconsider surgical removal and possibly just make your dog as comfortable as possible and feed a carbohydrate-free, high-antioxidant cancer diet.

DEAR DR. FOX: This note is in reference to the cat with sound-triggered seizures owned by P.J. in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.

When I read that the cat's owners said they were putting tuna juice in their cat's water, I immediately thought the problem was probably mercury poisoning. Tuna is not good for man, nor is it good for animals on a daily basis, as it has the most mercury of any fish -- the bigger the fish, any fish, the more the mercury.

Stopping the tuna water could cure or decrease the seizure episodes if the mercury has caused the problem. I don't know what to say about detoxing a cat from heavy metals, but I am sure you know the answer to that one. -- B.W., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR B.W.: Thanks for adding to the discussion of sound-triggered seizures in cats. Mercury may be a factor, and it is one reason why I advise against feeding mercury-loaded tuna fish and juice to cats. But the reports on audiogenic seizures did not document any other pre-seizure neurological signs, which one would expect with chronic mercury poisoning. In my opinion, high gluten in cat foods could be an epileptogenic factor, as could omega-3 fatty acid complex deficiency, but these possibilities were not mentioned in the report.

Fortunately, more veterinarians are considering dietary factors as possible contributors to animals' neurological and behavioral abnormalities, along with a host of other health issues arising from various manufactured pet foods.

Big Dog Natural Pet Food Recall

Big Dog Natural of Brick, New Jersey, is voluntarily recalling a select production lot of Big Dog Natural Chicken Supreme raw dehydrated dog food potentially contaminated with salmonella, and Fish Supreme potentially contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.

Read more at truthaboutpetfood.com.

(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: One of my adopted cats has developed tartar on her back teeth. My vet recommends a dental cleaning, which, of course, involves general anesthesia. What are your experiences or thoughts on the need and safety of the procedure? -- L.A., Springfield, Missouri

DEAR L.A.: There are veterinarians who try to avoid having to anesthetize dogs and cats for dental work because of the risk. Others feel the risk is justified to do a really thorough cleaning of the teeth -- especially just under the gums, in the gingival margin. A through examination of a lightly sedated animal is an intermediary step to determine if any teeth may need to be extracted, and in many instances, X-rays are needed to check for root abscesses and jaw infection, especially in cats. Cats often have kidney problems associated with serious dental disease.

If your cat is young and otherwise healthy, I fear he may be subjected to one of those veterinary practices that makes general anesthesia an unquestioned routine for even minor dental scaling on an annual basis. Such practices also routinely declaw cats at the time of neutering without question.

Dry cat foods (kibble) do not help keep cats' teeth clean. Chewing on a scalded raw chicken wing tip (mainly cartilage and tendons) with plenty of skin attached, or a thin strip of raw scalded beef once a week will help. Scalding is advised to kill surface bacteria. One of my cats regularly develops tartar (scale) on his back teeth, and I apply PetzLife's oral gel for cats for a few days; the inflammation of the gum subsides and the scale either dissolves or can be removed with a fingernail!

One of the first signs of such problems is excessive drooling and halitosis; more serious dental problems can make it painful for cats to eat. Infection and inflammation from the oral cavity spreads to internal organs, causing other health issues.

DEAR DR. FOX: One week ago, I adopted a stray cat and took him to the vet for a checkup.

He is approximately 7 years old, weighs 12 pounds and is in good health -- except for excessive fleas, which I am treating. He is obviously litter-box trained, and he usually uses it to defecate -- though he sometimes defecates on the floor about 10 inches from the litter box. He continually urinates in various places in my home. I would really appreciate any advice you can offer to correct this behavior. -- C.S., St. Louis

You should keep the cat in one room for the litter box training for seven to 10 days, and let him out only under strict supervision for playtime and exploration. Then put him back in a room with food, water, a bed and two litter boxes with different kinds of litter, say one of corn or newspaper pellets and another of soil or dirt, about 3 inches deep.

Some cats prefer having the litter pushed into a pile so that when they step into the box, the front part is clear of litter. Your cat may have an aversion to cat litter texture and artificial scents in the product. I advise against covered litter boxes. Clean all soiled surfaces elsewhere with an enzyme cleaner.

Clone Puppies From Your Dead Dog

Laura Jacques and Richard Remde of Yorkshire, England, welcomed their new puppies, Chance and Shadow, who were cloned using their dog Dylan's DNA. Dylan died in June, and the couple paid roughly $100,000 to have him cloned at the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in South Korea. In 2004, a researcher at the facility claimed to have cloned human embryos, but the report was later discredited. This commercialized biotechnology is absurd and a misguided exploitation of owners. It's also potential animal cruelty. For details, read my article "Don't Clone Your Dog" on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

(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: When I started my first household with cats in the '80s, prevailing wisdom was that upgrading the cats' diet to a higher protein (and significantly more expensive) brand was healthier. Plus, the cats would eat less and use the litter box less often. It was also said that varying their diets caused GI distress, and again, resulted in a messier litter box. I want to know if you think this was true and if the contents of the popular brands have changed since the 1980s. -- D.A., High Point, North Carolina

DEAR D.A.: Your question is relevant to both cat and dog food quality and animals' nutritional needs, as I have documented with two other veterinarians in our book "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Foods." A snapshot between the 1980s and today, spanning around 30 years, does not give a very good picture, as I predicted in my 1986 book "Agricide: The Hidden Farm and Food Crisis That Affects us All."

Petrochemical-based agriculture, with its synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, has turned good farmland into bio-industrialized wastelands, contaminating both our food and water. Nutrient values of crops and foods have declined and consumer risks have increased with genetically modified crops. Cruel farm animal factories have spread like a blight across rural America, causing further soil, water and air pollution, contributing to climate change and putting consumers at risk from the tons of antibiotics and other drugs used to make them productive and profitable. Outrageous! The health of the public and companion animals have suffered some of the consequences of this "agricide," compounded by increased consumption of highly processed foods and unbalanced diets. This is why I am an advocate for organic and humane farming systems and vegetarianism. For more details, check my website, DrFoxVet.net.

You are correct that for cats especially, many advocate a better-quality, high-protein and ideally canned food diet -- dry kibble is higher in fiber, leading to more feces. Switching diets and brands is debated; some contend it could cause digestive problems, while others advocate for variety. I, for one, promote the idea of rotating to provide variety of nutrient sources to possibly reduce food intolerance and reduce the chances of possible nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. There are many improved cat and dog foods now available. For details, visit truthaboutpetfood.com and my website for home-prepared recipes.

DEAR DR. FOX: A few weeks back, you had an article on cat litters, where you discussed the problems with the unfortunate dust packaged with the litter as a result of manufacturing. The breeder for my ocicat suggested using rabbit food (alfalfa grass pellets) as an alternative. The argument was that it was cheaper and biodegradable. My cat is familiar with it, and it has seemed to work fine for 12 years now. I am not convinced that it is completely biodegradable, and it needs to be changed more often, since it is not as absorbent. But it is cheaper, and the smell of fresh rabbit food is a pleasant alternative to clay litter. -- J.H., Clinton, Missouri

DEAR J.H.: This is indeed a novel idea. Certainly the sweet smell of the rabbit feed would be a good cat-box odor cutter, but probably not as absorbent as the "clumping" litter many people use.

As per my earlier column, I was especially impressed with Healthy Pet LP's wood pulp and recycled wood-based cat litter products, which also have a good natural resin scent, which acts as an odor blocker. Maybe try mixing the two so you can have some easy-to-remove clumps of litter rather than a mush of rabbit food.

(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.)