DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing to see if you might have any answers as to what could be causing my dog to have red, irritated skin around his muzzle. His hair is patchy around his muzzle, and it seems to be itchy and bothersome to him. He constantly scratches and rubs his nose on the carpet to itch it. We mentioned this to his vet, who did a skin scraping; the test came back negative. The vet also did a fungal test, and the results were negative. He put our dog on an antibiotic in case it was a bacterial infection, and he also prescribed prednisone in case it was fungal.

The medications did not help to clear up the irritation. The vet suggested changing my dog's food bowls to stainless steel because some dogs have allergies to plastic food bowls. We would have, but our dog has always had stainless steel bowls. The vet recommended trying different dog foods because some dogs are allergic to a carbohydrate or a protein in their dog food, so we tried a couple of different dog foods over the course of several months. So far, none of these changes has made a difference.

There hasn't been anything else that we use differently or anything different that we give our dog that we can think of that could be causing this irritation. However, we did move into a new house relatively recently. It has been almost a year since he started having this irritation around his muzzle, and it doesn't seem to have gotten any better, although he doesn't seem to scratch at it as much.

The last time we took him to the vet, he didn't have any other suggestions except to try another skin scraping. We did not proceed with another skin scraping as our dog would not cooperate, and the vet would have to put him under anesthesia to be able to get the scraping. We didn't feel it would be good to put him under anesthesia, so nothing has gotten resolved.

Do you have any advice or ideas as to what could be causing the irritation or any remedies that we could try? -- E.L., Moorhead, Minnesota

DEAR E.L.: That the vet said he would have to anesthetize your dog to take a skin scraping is absurd and risky, but profit-making indeed.

I would advise you to seek a second opinion. Explore a possible autoimmune disease like lupus or mange, and avoid all further topical and oral anti-flea drugs. Avoid using floor and surface antibacterial cleaners containing quaternary ammonium compounds and volatile synthetic room "fresheners."

I wonder about the carpets in your new home. Have them checked for allergens. Chemicals in fitted carpets could be at the root of your dog's problem, so put down cotton sheets where he sleeps if you do not wish to remove them.

DEAR DR. FOX: We adopted a dog about a year ago. As he was a shelter rescue, we don't know much about him, but he seems to be a mix of Chihuahua and Pomeranian, and about 6 years old.

At first we had no trouble with him aside from the occasional accident in the living room, but lately he's started biting hard enough to draw blood. We don't know what provokes him. I'll be petting him when suddenly he snaps at me. He also snaps sometimes when I try to put on his leash.

Can you offer any thoughts on what's going on? We'd hate to give him up. -- F.S., Brookfield, Connecticut

DEAR F.S.: Any change in an animal's behavior, as you are experiencing, calls for a veterinary checkup to rule out a physical cause, such as a painful ear infection or neck injury.

After that, you can move ahead with considering psychological reasons, especially overindulgence, allowing the dog to have his own way, not being consistent in rewarding good behavior and inhibiting and redirecting bad behavior. This is where the veterinarian can give you a referral to a certified animal behavior therapist or experienced dog trainer so you can enjoy your dog's company and not have to think about giving him up.

(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 my son's Yorkiepoo joined my household, she seemed to have thought she hit the jackpot. She was more interested in eating waste from our house bunnies than her own food -- to the point where she would hide in their cage. Our (now-deceased) cocker spaniel, who had never done anything like that her whole life, seemed to think that if the puppy could do it, she could, too.

The major dog food brand I'd been feeding them had multiple shapes. One looked just like rabbit droppings. Once I began feeding the dogs food prepared using your recipe, they stopped eating the rabbit waste.

I suggest people whose dogs like eating animal waste switch to your recipe and see if it makes a difference. -- R.S.B., North Beach, Florida

DEAR R.S.B.: Thanks for your confirmation of the benefits of good nutrition for dogs. Many people have written to me about the improved health and behavior of their dogs and cats after being given home-prepared food from my recipe or making a similar change in diet from highly processed "junk" pet foods.

Nestle's Purina is promoting probiotics in its foods, which can help dogs with digestive issues and poop-eating; the company has added "animal digest" as a flavor enhancer, which I would recommend readers investigate at truthaboutpetfood.com.

I have slightly revised my dog food recipe with some additional beneficial herbal supplements, now posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

DEAR DR. FOX: I've read many of your columns about stray and feral cats, and I agree that it is a serious problem in our country. But it seems you present the problem most often without offering a solution.

Spaying and neutering is the primary answer to this issue, but many, if not most, in your profession stand in the way of progress in the name of making a buck. When you take a cat in to spay or neuter, the latter of which is a so-easy-it's-crazy procedure, and leave with a bill of $200, $300 or more, you are encouraging people to do the wrong thing. Because how could they afford to do the right thing?

I would love to see a column with a more concrete plan of action than just "don't feed them." That isn't, and won't ever, end this "plague." -- J.S., Middletown, Ohio

DEAR J.S.: I appreciate your concerns. I encourage people to have their cats neutered, adopt neutered cats, keep their cats indoors and not feed stray cats unless there is the intent to capture them and have them neutered and vaccinated and rehabilitated for adoption.

Teams of veterinarians across the country offer their services at low cost to spay and neuter cats in an effort to help reduce the "cat plague." Such efforts can make a difference, but they are costly, not quick-and-easy and involve general anesthesia and blood tests. Additionally, there must be owner education and local animal control ordinances put in place, which you can read about in my article "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors," posted on my website.

We have yet another feral cat we trapped on our property in our home; after five weeks, he is becoming attached and playful and will soon be ready for a good home. He would have been killed in the average animal shelter or released back on our property soon after neutering under our local humane society trap-neuter-return community cat program so they can fly the no-kill flag. I say nuts to that -- a total abdication of responsibility.

PURINA DOG FOOD RECALL

Nestle Purina has announced it is voluntarily recalling select lots of its Beneful and Purina Pro Plan wet dog foods because they may not contain the recommended level of vitamins and minerals. The recall includes select lots of wet dog food under the Beneful Prepared Meals, Beneful Chopped Blends and Pro Plan Savory Meals brands.

Purina is conducting this voluntary recall as a precaution for those dogs who may have eaten the affected product as their only meal for more than several weeks. If you have questions about your pet's health, the company suggests that you contact your veterinarian.

Although most of the recalled product contains all of the vitamins and minerals your dog needs, Purina recommends that you discard any of the affected product you may have. For more information, visit newscenter.purina.com/10ozwetdogfoodtubrecall.

(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 was intrigued when I saw a question about separation anxiety in your column this morning.

Are you familiar with the work Malena DeMartini (malenademartini.com) is doing for dogs with separation anxiety? Almost two years ago, my husband and I adopted a frightened puppy mill-rescue beagle who suffers from separation anxiety. We worked with multiple vets, dog trainers, dog nutritionists and behavior consultants, and it wasn't until we began working with Malena last summer that Emma the anxious beagle finally started being able to cope with our absences.

Please inform readers about this effective training program to help dogs with separation anxiety. Malena DeMartini has devoted the last 15 years to working with separation-anxious dogs exclusively, and, along with more than 20 trainers certified in her treatment protocol, is helping clients across the globe. Her protocol is based on scientifically proven desensitization methods, by chipping away little by little at the dog's fear.

Each dog is paired with a trainer, who meets with clients via Skype or a similar app to watch the dog in his natural environment. Trainers assess how long each dog can cope with being alone (some are fine for five minutes, others can handle only five seconds), and then build a training plan from there.

Using shared spreadsheets, the trainers give clients a 20- to 30-minute "mission" to do five days a week, broken down into exercises, such as grabbing a briefcase and keys and leaving through the front door for different time intervals. The clients then type in how the dog behaved while they were gone and also how he recovered after they returned.

In order for the treatment to work, dogs cannot be left alone except during training missions. With the help of pet sitters, doggie daycare centers, friends, family and even businesses that allow employees to bring their dogs to work, clients are able to find creative ways to give Fido company. -- T.K., Ashburn, Virginia

DEAR T.K.: I am always open to encouraging people and their veterinarians and behavioral consultants to address the issue of separation anxiety in their canine companions through behavioral desensitization, and not just rely on psychotropic medications that can turn dogs into zombies. Associated confinement phobia and extreme boredom, compounded by escalating hypervigilance and self-mutilation, are on the rise with the dogs of those people who want a dog but don't have a lifestyle suitable for canine ownership. They would be better with two cats.

Keeping a dog in a crate all day is one of the worst mental cruelties for a pack animal. The book "Decoding Your Dog" by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists is a useful guide on this and some other dog behavior problems.

QUESTIONING THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND'S PET FOOD INTELLIGENCE

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has a long history of turning half-truths into fact and missing the larger picture for reasons attributable to shortsightedness or vested interests. Their WWF magazine article "What's the environmental impact of pet food" is illustrative of the organization's limited perspective. Adhering to the nebulous dictum of sustainability, the article asserts that the increasing public demand for human-grade ingredients in pet foods is wrong-minded environmentally, and that cats and dogs should continue to be fed animal byproducts.

Millions of tons of diseased, dying and dead animals and condemned animal parts are recycled into pet foods and livestock and poultry feed, much of which is of questionable nutritive value and poses a significant health risk. High-temperature processing to destroy bacteria also destroys nutrients and creates carcinogens.

How much more progressive and visionary it would be for the WWF to address the rising human population and its insatiable demand for meat and other animal products and promote vegetarianism? Rather than making responsible and informed pet owners feel guilty, it should advise biologically appropriate, healthful whole food ingredients for companion 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.)