DEAR DR. FOX: I recently read the letter in which C.H. related the condition his Belgian shepherd was in when purchased from a breeder. The dog was in poor shape -- skinny, poor coat, bad teeth and her vocal cords had been cut. The writer said he reported it to the American Kennel Club shortly after he got her, but the AKC did nothing. Your reply cited AKC being a dog registry only, not an advocacy group.

From the writer's letter, it does not appear that he contacted the police or any other animal organizations to report animal cruelty and abuse. In your reply, you did not address the animal cruelty and his failure to report it and the breeders to the proper authorities. Failure to report these people allows the perpetrators to continue their vile practices with no repercussions.

Human beings need to stand up for dogs -- and ALL animals. People need to stop buying from breeders; adopt from shelters to put breeders out of business! -- K.K., St. Louis

DEAR K.K.: I agree with you that contacting local animal protection organizations and authorities is more likely to get an immediate response. (I will be writing a column about reporting to the American Kennel Club soon.)

One problem, though, is that local agencies are often not interested or reticent to prosecute and have few resources to seize and house neglected and abused animals, especially from the commercial puppy mill breeders.

Then there is the virtually unmonitored online market for purebred pups, which I vehemently oppose. I agree with you: Adopt from your local shelter first. Anyone wishing for a particular breed or mixed-breed might well find one there or on Petfinder.com. If you go to a local breeder, insist on seeing the parents and evaluating their temperaments and how well they are being cared for.

DEAR DR. FOX: I'm following the Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue protocol for treating a wild fox with mange, and the fox is growing fur again. The protocol consists of 11 doses of ivermectin in hot dogs. I use a very small amount of horse ivermectin, which I got from my daughter, who is a veterinarian, and it's working. Thanks for your advice. -- L.L.

DEAR L.L.: Yes, this product does work well and can help rid the fox of some other parasites, too.

It is heartbreaking to see wild animals afflicted with skin-destroying, infection-spreading, fur-removing and disfiguring sarcoptic mange -- known as scabies in humans. I call it the mad itch. However, in some states, you could be arrested for interfering with wildlife. Indeed, in wildlife circles, there is a debate going on about interfering and intervention, including treating wolves for mange and releasing a healthy pack on Isle Royale National Park, where the moose population is at risk from overcrowding, or letting nature take its course.

I am opposed, on ethical and humane grounds, to an across-the-board hands-off approach. In many places, wildlife needs our help more than ever. Here in Minnesota, there is no debate about planting feed for deer on private property and putting feed out for them in bad winters -- as much for the hunters as for the deer. Yet it is taboo to treat wolves, coyotes and foxes ravaged with the mange.

For too long, wildlife species under state and federal management have been managed from a human-centered perspective in terms of value for fur trapping, sport and trophy hunting or risk to livestock. So these animals are systematically exterminated with traps, cyanide guns and poison bait. The virtual extermination of the wolf across much of the U.S. has enabled the coyote population to explode, which has reduced the red fox and other small carnivore populations.

BOOK REVIEW: "Proboscidea -- The Emotional Lives of Elephants" by Hamish John Appleby

The beauty of this book is a reflection of the author's sensibilities as an artist and empathic spirit. The layout is engaging, and the high-quality images of the Asian elephants in Sri Lanka is captivating and riveting. To be able to seize such fleeting moments with evident consistency is a quality of photography calling for prescience: knowing, through careful observation and feeling, what the subject is going to do next. Hamish John Appleby is a rare master of that.

Appleby's skill in capturing the spirit and essence of being of these ancient, distant cousins of ours was enabled by his evident affection and respect.

This book is a call for liberation and safe sanctuaries for elephants. In itself, as a green, carbon-neutral print production, it is a beautiful collectible. "Proboscidea -- The Emotional Lives of Elephants" is a tribute to their living presence and a public appeal for much-needed funding of elephant CPR (conservation, preservation and recovery).

The book price is $80 plus shipping costs. The price tag is a result of a totally recycled paper book, made in Germany with nontoxic inks, under fair conditions, with a special climate-neutral stamp. All proceeds go to the Elephant Transit home. Visit proboscidea.elze.org/en/ for more information.

(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 have a 3-year-old female cat that was formerly feral, and still is to everyone but me. She sleeps with me every night, and is perfectly normal except for when I return from short trips (three or four days away). My neighbor looks after her -- makes sure she has food and water, lets her in and out if she wants to stay in the house -- so it isn't as if I abandon her, but the day I get back, she takes off. The last time, she was gone for 30 days.

Is it possible that she is trying to punish me for leaving? I have had cats all my life and never had anything like this happen before. -- R.S.K., Reeds Spring, Missouri

DEAR R.S.K.: I doubt that your cat is punishing you -- more likely she is just upset by change. Unlike dogs, who are essentially open books when it comes to their emotional reactions and social relationships, cats can be enigmatic and unpredictable -- the traits of a super-predator.

When cats hide or run away, like those who stay alone in the basement and rarely come out, or stay outdoors for days on end, it is as though their "flight" behavior takes over and blocks them from coming close to anyone. The article on my website entitled "Cat Behavior: Cognitive Disassociation and Social Disruption" documents this seemingly bizarre behavior in my formerly feral cats after one, and later the other, accidentally got outdoors.

My advice is to no longer let your cat outdoors. Make life indoors as stimulating as possible with elevated perches, walkways and cat condos, and install padded window ledges looking out on bird feeders.

Also, adopt a healthy, easy-going and well-socialized cat for companionship. Two cats are generally happier and healthier than those who live alone. There are several important steps to introducing a new cat into a home with one or more existing cats, which I detail on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

DEAR DR. FOX: I currently own and care for two dogs. My question is about my 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever and my lawn. I have an invisible fence to allow her freedom to roam with safe boundaries. Our yard backs up to woods, as well, giving her additional room. Unfortunately, every time she eliminates, she uses her rear legs and digs into the yard, removing large clumps of grass (with the dirt still attached). Even when I take her for a walk outside of our yard, she will exhibit the same behavior, kicking up leaves or whatever is near after she eliminates.

I have tried pulling on the leash and firmly telling her "no" when this occurs. What can I do to correct this behavior? -- P.W., Clifton, Virginia

DEAR P.W.: Your dog is engaging in marking behavior after urinating, an action more common in males of the canine species. She is leaving visual cues on the ground along with scent from her footpads that "point" to where she has urinated.

I would not try to correct this behavior by discipline or negative reinforcement, since that could increase her anxiety and motivate her to mark even more. Instead, try to redirect or remotivate her: Use a clicker or squeaky toy as soon as she has urinated, and then after the sound, give her a treat. If she were my dog, I would let her do her own thing and just plant some wild and hardy grasses and bushes where she likes to dog-mark. Lawns are an environmental abomination anyway!

TICK ALERT

Angell Animal Medical Center veterinarians in Massachusetts report a 220 percent increase in canine tick-borne disease cases this fall and winter compared with a year prior. Warmer winter days with less snow kept ticks, people and pets in closer proximity, and new tick species are migrating north, bringing diseases such as monocytic ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and southern tick-associated rash illness with them.

Most veterinarians recommend that owners use year-round tick prevention, check pets (and people) for ticks after spending time outside, keep yards clear of debris that attracts ticks and know the signs of disease. I advise extreme caution when using most anti-flea and tick 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.)

TO GRANT SIZEMORE, DIRECTOR OF INVASIVE SPECIES PROGRAMS AT THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY: I am writing to express support for the idea of community-by-community cat sanctuaries to keep as-yet unadoptable cats in a safe environment to better protect cats, wildlife and the public interest. Your call for cat sanctuaries or confinement in some enclosed space to contain feral cats (after trapping, neutering, vaccinating and parasite-ridding), as quoted in an April 8 Washington Post article by Karin Brulliard ("The cat people vs. bird people war has made it to federal court") is where all cat lovers and bird lovers should converge.

I also want to share with you my review of the feral cat issue from a veterinarian's and animal welfare professional's perspective: "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors: Humane, Environmental and One Health Concerns." It is online at DrFoxVet.net.

I believe that we are now facing a pro-life and feel-good "Samaritan" sentimentality in the animal-loving community, whose location-indiscriminate trap, neuter, release (TNR) efforts are doing more harm than good by releasing cats to live outdoors without supplemental food and veterinary care.

The Post article reported on a clear example of this feel-good sentimentality gone awry. Undoubtedly started with the best of intentions, feral cat colonies maintained at New York's Jones Beach State Park as part of a TNR program are adjacent to nest sites for threatened piping plovers and, as such, are entirely inappropriate.

Unfortunately, there are organizations that promote TNR at all costs and actively oppose humane, wildlife-friendly strategies. The organizations that you named in our recent phone conversation -- such as Ally Cat Allies, Best Friends Animal Society, the Humane Society of the United States (of which I was once a vice president), and PetSmart Charities -- need to be held accountable. They support shelters' and municipalities' efforts to "save" feral cats, often exploiting them as "working animals" in inappropriate situations, or forcing them to endure a miserable existence in inclement conditions as a competing and opportunistic predator. The consequence of these conditions is promoted as "natural attrition," which too often means an inhumane death caused by vehicle collision, exposure, disease or coyote attack.

It is time to re-evaluate the "no kill" policies that incentivize these terrible outcomes for cats and wildlife, and it is time to work for responsible solutions such as feral cat containment.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have two golden retrievers: a mom (Megan, 6) and her daughter (Lily, 3). They've barely spent half an hour apart since Lily was born. They argue and playfight a lot, but are also soulmates and get stressed if we separate them for any reason. Thinking ahead to when one of them passes away, we are worried about how the other dog will take it, and want to have a plan in place.

Assuming Megan passes first, should we let Lily see Megan's body? Not the death itself, but I have heard that seeing the body might help the second dog to understand that the first dog is gone and not coming back. Or would it be kinder for Megan to go into a room and never come out? I feel like this is a very important decision, but I'm torn as to what to do! --Holly R., Birmingham, Alabama

DEAR H.R.: Your proactive consideration of how to help the surviving dog cope with the emotional loss and grieving process is commendable. Some dogs (and cats, and even humans) may show no overt signs of grief/mourning when a close companion either dies or is no longer living with them. Others can grieve for weeks and may never be the same, notably the shy ones who relied on their companion for emotional support.

As described in my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind," many dogs will benefit from seeing their canine companions laid out in a quiet room after they have died. It evidently provides some closure and realization of mortality that dogs seem to comprehend. And my book "Animals and Nature First" deals with the spiritual and metaphysical aspects of death, which you may find inspiring. When we are in tune with the animals, they can indeed teach us much.

BOOK REVIEW

"My Dog Is Dying: What Do I Do? -- Emotions, Decisions and Options for Healing" by Wendy Van de Poll, Center for Pet Loss Grief, 2016

Many dogs are diagnosed with cancer and other incurable diseases that can be emotionally devastating for their loving caregivers. This book, and the free additional Pet Grief Support Kit downloads the author offers, will help many people make this time with their canine companions meaningful and bearable, and facilitate their grieving and recovery when death comes. The author is writing a second book in this series, as well. For more details, visit centerforpetlossgrief.com/my-dog-is-dying-what-do-I-do/.

Grief can be physically, mentally and spiritually crippling, but it can also empower. That is my hope for those who feel the suffering of fellow creatures, wild and domesticated, worldwide; it can move us to help and make a difference.

(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.)