DEAR DR. FOX: I read one of your articles about shampooing dogs who have allergies with Selsun Blue. I have shampooed my dog twice, and it really did help: She quit biting her paws and scratching so much. But the smell is horrible.

About five or six hours after shampooing, my dog smells so toxic, with an ammonia smell, it can make your eyes water. I even did a final rinse this time with vinegar and water, hoping that would take the smell away; it did somewhat, but the smell is still there.

Should I continue to use of the Selsun shampoo? How do I get rid of that smell, since this shampoo works so well? I know my dog is happy about not itching all the time, but I am sure the smell is bothering her as much as it bothers me. -- D.A., O'Fallon, Missouri

DEAR D.A.: I have recommended Selsun Blue medicated shampoo for dogs for decades. Use it once every seven to 10 days to control seborrhea -- a greasy skin condition -- which may be related to low thyroid function. Too much shampooing can disrupt the healthy balance of skin bacteria and make the sebaceous glands hyperactive, so all things in moderation.

The ammonialike smell from your dog may upset the dog as much as you, and you will see on the label that the product does contain ammonium and sulfide compounds. So after thoroughly rubbing in the medicated shampoo and then allowing it to stay in the fur for a few minutes, a vigorous rinsing with warm water spray would be advisable.

Part of the odor issue may be a form of detoxification; the shampoo releases sebaceous secretions from skin glands that produce a foul odor because of what you are feeding your dog, or because of some underlying health issue, possibly affecting the kidneys or liver. So a full wellness examination may be advisable.

Try my home-prepared dog food recipe posted on my website -- many dogs smell sweeter when given whole, fresh foods. Add supplements such as fish and coconut oil and brewer's yeast to his food. A little turmeric, ginger and oregano in the food can also provide various benefits.

After the Selsun Blue shampooing, which you may not need if a change in diet stops the paw-chewing behavior, try misting the fur thoroughly with a natural herbal product, such as PetzLife's Bath-Eaze, a bathless shampoo and conditioner. For details, visit petzlife.com.

Keep me posted on your progress.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have read about the benefits of wheat grass for cats, and I have bought it several times for my indoor cats, who love it. The problem is that they gobble it down and then throw it up. Is its purpose to be a purgative? If not, how do I give it to them so that they don't munch on it and then spit it up? -- C.S., Baltimore

DEAR C.S.: Our two cats both love catnip, but one of them usually vomits within seconds after eating the dried herb. Vomiting may have some purging value and certainly can help clear cats' stomachs of fur balls. This may also be the case with wheat grass or other sprouts for some cats. But to get any nutritive benefits from sprouts, I would chop up a teaspoonful and mix in with your cats' regular food every four to five days.

Pet Owners Report Hemp (Marijuana) Products Helpful in Relieving Pain

According to a survey published in the Spring 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (JAHVMA), 64.3 percent of dog owners and 66 percent of cat owners felt that the consumption of hemp products helped their pets either moderately or a great deal.

A team from the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine conducted the survey. A link was provided to the survey from a website of a company that sells hemp products for animals. Responses were anonymous.

Six hundred and thirty-two people responded to the survey, with 457 using or having used a hemp product for their dog and 104 people using or having used a hemp product for their cat.

In addition to the relief from pain, 50.5 percent of the dogs and 44 percent of the cats were perceived by their owners as having either moderately or greatly improved sleep habits from the use of hemp products.

When it came to anxiety, 49.3 percent of dog owners reported that the hemp products helped moderately or a great deal. For reducing inflammation in cats, the owners perceived the products were similarly helpful in 56.3 percent of the felines.

The most common side effects reported by both dog and cat owners were sedation and overactive appetite (dogs: 22 percent, 15.9 percent; cats: 19.2 percent and 16 percent).

(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: Seven years ago, we adopted a 1-year-old rat yerrier. In the last two years, he has started acting strangely.

He will go outside and sit next to our floor-to-ceiling window and bark repeatedly. When we try to get him to come inside, he won't. He does this no matter the weather. In the coldest temperatures, he will sit there and shiver but refuse to come inside. He will also do this while sitting at the front door. When we open the door for him, he cowers and will not move. When we pick him up to bring him inside, he growls. When he does come in, he goes directly out the doggie door and repeats the same behavior.

We've asked our vet, who cannot give us any answers. Any ideas? -- B.H., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.H.: It is difficult to determine when an animal is having a hallucination, but this is what I suspect is happening.

It can be a precursor to epilepsy. The cause of many neurological conditions can be very difficult and costly to determine, so it is often best to try to treat the symptoms first. Valium to reduce anxiety may be a first step. Feed him a natural, ideally organic, whole-food, additive-free diet, as per my dog food recipe posted on DrFoxVet.net. I would avoid all soy and gluten ingredients, the latter being implicated in some epileptic and seizure conditions in dogs.

DEAR DR. FOX: Can dogs have obsessive-compulsive disorder? It's the only explanation I can think of for my 8-year-old male longhaired dachshund.

In the past week or two, when I bring his food dish to the usual spot to feed him, he runs laps around the dining room table. After a set number -- three or four laps -- he then walks over and eats his food.

He's just started this recently. There haven't been any changes in the house, routine, etc. This just came out of the blue. It's not really a problem, just a little bizarre. What do you think? -- K.K., Odenton, Maryland

DEAR K.K.: Yes, dogs do sometimes suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorders, sometimes quite serious and requiring behavioral modification and psycho-pharmaceutical intervention. For details, see my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind." They may be anxiety-driven or pre-seizure repetitive actions, with possible underlying hallucinations -- "fly snapping" behavior being one manifestation.

The repetitive nature of such abnormal behaviors has a ritualistic element that can be confused with relatively normal behaviors associated with excitement and pleasurable anticipation. Many dogs spin and even chase their tails when their caregivers ask them if they are ready to go out for a walk. Your dog has developed his own little ritual before eating, which you can take as a sign that he is delighted and excited in anticipation of a good meal.

DEAR DR. FOX: Since my cat is older, my vet suggested I get a litter box that was lower to the ground, making it easier for my kitty to get in and out. I hadn't realized how high most cat boxes are. I bought new low boxes, and they work beautifully. -- A.O., St Louis

DEAR A.O.: Thanks for the information to help older cats who, especially because of arthritis, may have difficulty in entering a litter box with high sides. But it is also important to treat the arthritis if that is the primary cause of limited agility.

In Praise of the Natural Aboriginal Cat

The black-striped, barred and spotted tabby or alley cat is the prototypical original domestic cat, coming in shades of gray, brown, gold and silver that provide them with excellent camouflage as crepuscular hunters of small prey. Many of these graceful, agile and resourceful felines can be found in free-roaming populations as the predominant phenotype or landrace, possibly descendants from early settlers' cats. They may be in some ways more behaviorally demanding than many less highly vigilant and active purebreds, but overall are probably healthier -- if not more intelligent and interesting.

I wish that more people would adopt such cats and kittens rather than purchase pure breeds, many varieties of which are highly inbred and can be emotionally and financially demanding, with various diseases of hereditary origin. This situation is far worse in purebred dogs, who have been domesticated for thousands of years prior to the cats domesticating themselves. We can all surely save the cat from a similar fate.

(Excerpt from Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors posted on 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: We own a 4-year-old fixed female cat with a pleasant personality. She was a stray, so we allow her to go outside, but she always comes in at night. About a year ago, she returned with several puncture wounds in her tail. We took her to the vet, who shaved the center portion of her tail and treated the wounds.

Due to either her tail's appearance or some other unknown reason, our cat would become disturbed and hiss at and chase her tail. This occurred several times each day without warning. The fur has grown back and the wounds have healed, but she continues this behavior, mainly in the morning and evening.

We have tried calming collars without success. What is the problem? -- J.H., Baltimore

DEAR J.H.: The problem with bites is that they are deep puncture wounds, which can leave bacterial infection in the tissues and bone after the surface of the wound has healed. Your veterinarian should X-ray your cat's tail to see if there are signs of bone infection. If there are, then the tail may have to be amputated. Otherwise, there could be chronic nerve damage, and the veterinarian may wish to try anti-inflammatory medications and possibly acupuncture to help the cat.

It is regrettable that you could not keep this cat permanently indoors; such injuries from catfights and tangles with wild animals are all too common in indoor-outdoor cats.

DEAR DR. FOX: We recently took in our daughter's 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier. The problem is his constant marking in our house and on our car tires. My daughter said he has had this behavior for years, and nothing they did stopped it. Is there anything we can do this late in his life to change his behavior? And what will remove the smell from inside our home and on our tires? We are desperate for help; otherwise, we will need to surrender the dog. -- B.H., Mayville, North Dakota

DEAR B.H.: You mean have the dog killed, rather than "surrender," since no one would want to adopt a dog who marks his territory all the time. Did your daughter seek a professional animal behavior consultant and veterinary advice? What did she try to do to inhibit this behavior earlier on in the dog's life? Now it is a fixed habit. Use a hose on your car tires and an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle indoors.

If he has not been neutered, neutering may help reduce his motivation to mark. Cocking his leg against various objects to urinate on may be related to anxiety-arousal, and a trial treatment with a low dose of anti-anxiety medication would be worth a try. Scolding would just make matters worse if there is underlying anxiety.

DEAR DR. FOX: Recently, you had an inquiry from E.B. about his sadness over losing his cat and his inability to take on another cat due to finances. I am a senior in a program called Senior Cats for Senior Laps in St. Louis. I lived in Phoenix, and I know they had a program there.

In this program, we provide a loving home for a senior cat, and the nonprofit organization that sponsors the program assumes all cost, including food and vet bills. It's certainly a win-win situation! Unfortunately, not many of the people at the Humane Society are aware of this program; however, pet stores like PetSmart and Petco often sponsor events, so that might be the best resource for a senior to find a program in his or her area. -- B.S., St. Louis

DEAR B.S.: Thank you for contributing this information in response to concerns about the plight of lonely seniors -- human and nonhuman -- and what resources there are to help. Certainly we need more as the population of baby boomers ages and animal shelters, which must have more funding and public support, seek to reduce the kill rate of old and unwanted animals.

(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.)