DEAR DR. FOX: I would love your input about a toy Australian sheepdog I purchased from a "breeder of merit" last September.

She was almost 4 months old when I brought her home. Four days later, my vet checked her and discovered she had giardia. It took four cycles of medications to treat over two months. After that cleared, my dog started hopping to avoid using her right rear leg; the diagnosis from the orthopedic vet was grade III-V lameness. After owning this dog for only three months, I am looking at $10,000 to treat both legs, including physical therapy and medication.

How is this breeder able to have a title with the American Kennel Club and sell puppies that do not have the health guarantee that she suggests? Many of my dog-owning friends have told me to turn in the breeder, but I don't know who to contact. I have had numerous dogs in my life -- my father-in-law was a vet -- but I have never had these issues or financial burden to deal with.

All ties with the breeder were broken after she reimbursed me for some of the giardia expenses; even then, I had to threaten her that I still had voicemail with her stating that she would pay for all of the expenses. How unfortunate that I waited more than a year to get one of these dogs for the timing to be right, and this is what I end up with. I love this dog, so I will plan on surgery next month. -- L.R., Washington, D.C.

DEAR L.R.: I appreciate your letter, which I hope will educate people to think twice before purchasing a pure-breed dog, especially of toy or miniature variety, because of the high incidence of costly inherited and genetic disorders.

As I stress in my article "Recovering Canine Health" on my website (DrFoxVet.net), buyer beware when dealing with a breeder. Consider buying a comprehensive pet health insurance policy if you get a pure breed. The best option is to adopt a small mixed-breed dog from your local shelter -- they generally have fewer health problems. For more information, visit hsvma.org/assets/pdfs/guide-to-congenital-and-heritable-disorders.pdf, by my friend Dr. W. Jean Dodds, and www.vet.cam.ac.uk/idid, "The Inherited Diseases in Dogs Database," compiled by Dr. David Sargan.

If you did not have some kind of sales agreement to the effect that your dog would be free of diseases of hereditary origin and developmental disorders, then neither you nor your dog have a leg to stand on. The AKC registration is no health guarantee -- the organization even registers pedigree pups from puppy mills. Inform the breeder, who should keep progeny records and stop breeding dogs who produce unhealthy offspring.

I understand your emotional commitment and financial burden, and I would like to hear from other readers in your predicament: What solutions did you find, and what restitution, if any, were you able to secure?

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 4-year-old Birman cat. Recently, he has started twirling in circles, always to the left. During these episodes, he becomes agitated and looks up as if he is hearing something or seeing something on the ceiling. When my husband or I pick him up, there is rapid eye movement.

We have taken him to the vet and he was thoroughly checked out, but the vet had no definite answers. Our cat is eating and drinking as usual. He uses his litter boxes, and there is no vomiting. The vet suggested some blood work might indicate something is wrong.

Can you give us any insight as to what might be the problem? -- G.N., Crosslake, Minnesota

DEAR G.N.: If your cat were very young, I would suspect a congenital condition called cerebellar hypoplasia, where the posterior part of the brain -- responsible for balance and coordination -- is malformed. Some cats learn to compensate for this remarkably well, but blindfold them as a test, and they fall over. With symptoms of weakness on one side or incoordination coupled with some circling, always on one side, plus the eye movements, called nystagmus, I would suspect a middle-ear issue. This could be due to penetrating ear mites and bacterial or fungal infection affecting the organ of balance deep inside the ear in the brain cavity. I trust the veterinarian did a thorough ear examination.

Other possibilities, more likely with an older cat, could be a brain tumor or a stroke. We lost our beloved Mark Twain to a massive stroke just a few weeks ago. Also a remote possibility, if the cat is fed the same tuna and other fish food daily, mercury poisoning or possible nutrient deficiency or imbalance should be considered.

So, aside from some detective work, I would lay off costly diagnostic tests other than some radiographs of the skull, and try a short course of anti-inflammatory prednisolone and an anti-nausea medication like Dramamine.

Keep me posted on your progress. In many instances, these conditions do resolve themselves.

(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'm responding to a query from one of your readers, asking for help with feline asthma. One of my cats, Tummy, had bouts of pretty bad asthma three to four times a year. After he was diagnosed, he had several cortisone shots before I moved on to trying some alternative therapies. I had already done those other things that you mentioned to your reader regarding food sensitivities and other possible triggers. Then I started Tummy on some acupuncture treatments with a local practitioner who made house calls. I used Greta McVey (marylandpetacupuncture.com), and her treatments seemed to help. -- P.L., Silver Spring, Maryland

DEAR P.L.: I appreciate your confirmation of the benefits of alternative and complementary veterinary medical treatments for your cat. I advise pet owners to be open to unconventional treatment protocols and seek out those veterinarians who offer what is generically termed a "holistic" approach to animal health and treatment, as I detail in my book "Healing Animals & the Vision of One Health."

The best medicine is prevention, and a holistic, integrative approach to companion animal health. We are in the 21st century. It is time for a revision of vaccination protocols, to quit feeding highly processed commercial pet foods and over-medicating pets, especially with so-called preventive medications like those sold to keep fleas and ticks at bay, when there are effective -- and much cheaper -- alternatives available that pose far less risk to animals' health.

For further information, contact a holistic veterinarian in your area. A searchable list can be found at holisticvetlist.com. Veterinarians wishing to learn more are encouraged to become members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at www.ahvma.org.

POPE FRANCIS SPEAKS FOR ANIMALS AND ALL LIFE

In his wide-ranging encyclical letter, "Laudato Si'," Pope Francis has incorporated much of the philosophy and terms of the animal liberation and "deep" ecology movements to which I contributed in some of my writings and in a DVD a quarter-century ago.

Some highlights:

-- "The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves."

-- "Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on one another."

-- "The Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures."

-- "... Our indifference or cruelty toward fellow creatures of this world sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings."

-- "Once the human being declares independence from reality and behaves with absolute dominion, the very foundations of life begin to crumble."

-- "It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly."

I applaud and pray his letter will touch every nation and community worldwide and that its assertions and directives will be embraced by all religious and secular authorities for the good of all.

(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: Is there an epidemic of cancer in dogs and cats? My healthy 7-year-old German shepherd has a cancerous tumor in her mouth (lower jaw near the little front teeth). It was quite red and about the size of a nickel.

Our vet gave us several options, and we decided to have it removed with a laser treatment. After four weeks, it has returned. The vet said it might, but we thought it would be worth it to save her.

Since all this has been going on, I have found out that there are at least six other dogs in our

area with cancer problems. Over the 50-plus years that I have been married and have had German shepherd dogs, this was never a problem. We are absolutely devastated that we might lose her.

I have read some articles pertaining to immunotherapy for dogs and how that might help. What do you think? -- A.H., Wappinger Falls, New York

DEAR A.H.: Check the archives of my column, where I have written about this issue. In my opinion, cancer is one of the human-caused diseases where one or more environmental factors -- such as carcinogens in heat-processed meat -- damage cellular DNA, especially in those dogs who are genetically more susceptible to developing certain cancers. Anti-flea drugs may also be cancer-causing in some animals.

Immunotherapy is another big hope of the medical industry, but it can have harmful side effects on the immune system. Prevention and genetic screening are the way of the future, but it's not profitable! The politics of disease -- cancer in particular -- are a major issue, notably when government continues to "regulate" agricultural pesticides and food additives known to be carcinogenic.

DEAR DR. FOX: My veterinarian thinks that my 60-pound, 8-year-old pit bull-mix might have a cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) tear in her right rear leg. She has had intermittent lameness in that leg for the past two years, but it seems that lately she is more lame than healthy. She can bear weight on the leg, but she does not use it when squatting to urinate. The vet prescribed a 10-day course of Rimadyl, which seemed to help.

Our vet discussed options that are currently available; the most expensive but best choice is tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy (TPLO) or tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) surgery, given her weight and size. I called around to six veterinary surgery centers and even to one group that travels from vet to vet performing surgeries, and the average cost for that surgery is $3,500. I am currently out of work with two college-aged children. Do you know of any other less expensive surgical options for our dog? I was told that suture-based techniques (extra-capsular or tightrope) would not be a good option. I am worried that she is putting too much strain on her “good” rear right leg. The vet indicated that the lameness will only get worse over time. -- K.R., Washington, D.C.

DEAR K.R.: Many dogs suffer from torn cruciate (knee) ligaments. This common affliction may be due to several factors, including abnormal conformation (hind legs too straight), being overweight, being very active after a long period of relative inactivity or adverse reaction to vaccination.

All dogs suspected of cruciate ligament rupture or tearing should be confined and not allowed to run or jump for at least four to six weeks, then have the veterinarian evaluate your dog. After that time -- and if your dog seems better -- slowly increase the duration and intensity of physical activity. Avoid going back to high-speed running, and no jumping.

Powdered ginger, turmeric and fish oil nutraceutical food supplements can be beneficial and certainly safer than Rimadyl. Give a half teaspoon of each twice per day during the rest and possible recovery period.

Surgery is costly, not always effective and complicated by the other knee ligament giving way. Smaller and lightweight dogs can often self-heal and not require surgery. If your dog is overweight, work on that with a grain-free diet, or use my home prepared recipe using one-quarter of the suggested grain portion.

Keep me posted.

SECOND PENTOBARBITAL RECALL

Against the Grain Pet Food voluntarily recalled one lot of pulled beef due to potential contamination with pentobarbital. The 12-ounce Against the Grain Pulled Beef With Gravy Dinner for Dogs has an expiration date of December 2019.

Note: Against the Grain Pet Food is owned by and manufactured by Evangers Pet Food.

Read more at truthaboutpetfood.com/second-pentobarbital-recall-against-the-grain-pet-food.

For detailed documentation, see my article Changing Diets for Health's and Earth's Sake, posted on my website -- especially the postscript, The Vegetarian Imperative.

Additionally, the FDA has provided pet food consumers with another update to the Evanger’s Pet Food investigation. Some very interesting information can be found at truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-provides-qa-update-to-evangers-pet-food-investigation.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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.)