DEAR DR. FOX: I have a rescued beagle with separation anxiety. He chewed my curtains, woodwork around the windows (Plexiglas solved that) and the sofa skirt. Each time I left for short periods, I petted him and said, "I'll be right back." Upon returning, I said, "Right back, right back." Although the words probably didn't mean anything, he'd hear them every time.

After three weeks, he was fine. I still say the words as a habit. He'd had a companion beagle, but that didn't calm him down. The routine I mentioned did. -- J.M., Fairfield, Connecticut

DEAR J.M.: Thanks for confirming how many dogs can overcome separation anxiety following your common sense -- and intuitive -- approach.

Far too many dogs and other animals are overmedicated for their separation anxiety; I appreciate the way your managed your dog's.

DEAR DR. FOX: A few weeks ago, I was very sick with food poisoning. At times I was moaning in pain, moving from place to place; my cat Cleo followed me everywhere, much like the stories you hear about pet cats in hospitals. My cat looked like she felt sympathy for me.

Is it just speculation or scientific that she can feel emotions for me? Am I being too anthropomorphic? I think she really felt for me. -- C.O.D., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR C.O.D.: Many people have written to me expressing their surprise, appreciation and amazement that some cats seem to know when to become attentive and caring when their human companions are clearly suffering -- be it from abdominal pain, a broken leg or pure and simple grief or depression.

Many cats will lie right against a painful part of the person's body, and their purring may be both relaxing and healing. Just as with humans, some cats seem self-involved and lacking empathy, while others are highly empathetic, which can make them more vulnerable to others' emotional distress.

No, you are not "anthropomorphizing" so much as "zoo-morphizing." Cats and humans (like other animals) have similar brain centers and neuro-endocrine systems mediating emotional responses that enable us to understand each other at an intuitive level.

Such interspecies communication is limited for those who are instrumental rationalists and doubt even that animals share with us similar emotional states and, therefore, cognitive processing.

For more details on the topic of empathy, see my books "Cat Body, Cat Mind" and "Animals and Nature First."

FIREWORKS -- NO FUN FOR ANIMALS

Setting off loud fireworks is an unquestioned cultural tradition, but for animals' sakes, it is an abomination and should be strictly limited, if not prohibited. For several days before and after the July 4 Independence Day celebrations -- and New Year's Eve -- there are sporadic bursts in many neighborhoods, causing injury to unsupervised children and wildlife, especially roosting birds, who fly in the dark and injure or kill themselves. People with cats and dogs should not leave them unattended during the peak time. Draw the blinds and put them in a quiet room with the radio or TV on at high volume to act as a sound barrier. For dogs who are scared and may try to go through a window or screen door in terror, a tight T-shirt or ThunderShirt can have a calming effect, as can melatonin given 30 minutes before the expected explosions.

(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 READERS: Extremist idealism in any shape or form, exemplified by the high priest of Mammon, Donald Trump, can attract a certain coterie of tribal acolytes and sycophants, surprising in their numbers and vitriolic rhetoric. In a May 25 letter to the editor in The Washington Post, Alley Cat Allies president and founder Becky Robinson, who is ostensibly concerned about the well-being of cats and in protecting them from suffering, decried my suggestion of communities developing humane sanctuaries for unadopted cats as an alternative to euthanasia. Robinson would rather have them released back outdoors, where they never belonged in the first place.

Robinson asserts, on the basis of one instance, "Cats stacked in cramped spaces suffer from disease and mental anguish. Sanctuaries are expensive and cruel." Actually, sanctuaries can mean safe, humane, group housing in enriched environments and the frequent recovery and rehabilitation of cats so they can be adopted to loving homes.

Robinson refuses to acknowledge the article "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors" on my website, DrFoxVet.net, which concludes that well-run sanctuaries and well-run trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs can both help reduce cat suffering and overpopulation. But for some, there is no middle ground, and it is regrettable that ideology should trump the greater good -- in this instance, the ultimate well-being of cats.

DEAR DR. FOX: We recently lost our 5-year-old dog. He was in good health before his veterinarian changed his medicine for heartworms, ticks, etc. to Trifexis.

Our dog became sick and couldn't eat. The vet said he was acting like an old dog. We had to have him put down.

Do you know if Trifexis has caused any problems or deaths to any other dogs? -- M.E.S., Lexington, North Carolina

DEAR M.E.S: I am saddened to hear about the death of your young dog associated with being given anti-parasite medication. The attending veterinarian should report your dog's death to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine.

I constantly voice concerns over the use of both oral and spot-on anti-parasite drugs, which are all too often given without due caution.

A quick internet search reveals many reports of adverse reactions in dogs with Trifexis. The Drugs.com website states, "The following adverse reactions are based on post-approval adverse drug event reporting. The adverse reactions are listed in decreasing order of frequency: pruritus, anorexia, diarrhea, trembling/shaking, ataxia, seizures, hyper-salivation and skin reddening."

All dogs should be tested for the presence of heartworms before being given this product, and it should not be given if they test positive.

For safe measures to take to prevent fleas and ticks, see my article on this subject, posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net

DEAR DR. FOX: I have had many cats in my 70 years, but never one like this.

Her person died, and she was put in a shelter, where she was not doing well. She's very shy, so a vet had her moved to a sanctuary, where she stayed for seven months until I brought her home.

She's been here for six months and seems comfortable -- unless someone else comes into the house, and then she hides. She's still shy, but she has settled in and is getting along with the older male cat -- they are both indoor only.

The problem is that she has mats on her back that are really dense, and I cannot trim her. I'm sure they are tight and uncomfortable. I managed to get her to the vet once in the beginning to make sure she was healthy, but I cannot afford to repeat the visit.

One day after that, I finally caught her, but I couldn't get her into the carrier because she was so hysterical. I got sedatives from my vet, but I can't get a whole one down her -- she's taken half twice, but they seem to have no effect.

Something has to be done about the mats, but I've never had a cat who was so uncontrollable. She likes to be petted, but she won't let me pick her up or even get too close. I've left out a carrier and she'll go in to eat, but only when I'm not around. It feels like I'm letting her suffer, but I don't know how to fix it. -- S.B., Talent, Oregon

DEAR S.B.: I am sure that you are not the only person with a cat who is impossible to get into a crate or carrier to get to the veterinary clinic for much-needed professional care.

My advice is to call your local animal shelter or humane society and ask them to send one or two experienced cat handlers to net and cage your cat. After all, this is a serious animal welfare issue. Alternatively, call the veterinary clinics in your area and see what they can do.

(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: The American Kennel Club always wants it all ways. It says that it registers dogs, not breeders or kennels, but since registration of dogs doesn't provide sufficient income -- something on the order of half or fewer are actually registered -- it also registers litters and requires breeders of those litters to register and microchip them -- a good way to track their origin. The idea was that people would then go on and register their puppies. However, they weren't bothering to do that because most of them weren't breeding or showing the dogs, so there was no need for the papers.

There seems to be a thin line between registering breeders and requiring registration of a litter. In both cases, however, they fail to deal with the middleman: the broker, who is a major part of the horror show. Brokers don't breed dogs, but they deprive puppies of everything they need to be "normal" dogs. That's where epigenetic effects would seem to begin to show themselves. -- M.D., Miami, Flordia

DEAR M.D.: I hope that the exchanges in this column about the AKC, commercial puppy mills and the genetic and environmental (epigenetic) factors that can result in much suffering and costly veterinary care will help prospective purchasers of purebred and "designer" puppies think twice. Adopt from the shelters first!

Breeders need to change breed standards -- especially extreme traits like abnormal body sizes, conformation, deformed skulls and pushed-in faces, which can mean a lifetime of distress. This issue is gaining momentum in the United Kingdom with involvement of the British Veterinary Association, Kennel Club and major animal charities. For details, see the article "Recovering Canine Health" on my website. The AKC could take the initiative here in the U.S., which we all owe to every dog.

FINDING A HOLISTIC VETERINARIAN

The best medicine is prevention, and a holistic, integrative approach to companion animal health in this 21st century calls for a revision of vaccination protocols, of feeding highly processed commercial pet foods, and of over-medicating, 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, and to the environment.

For further information, contact a holistic veterinarian in your area. Find a searchable list at ahvma.org. Veterinarians and veterinary students wishing to learn more can access this website, and I encourage them to become members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

BOOK REVIEW: "Just Life" by Neil Abramson

The double meaning in this book's title reflects the wit and wisdom of the author, a New York attorney and animal protection advocate. His deep empathy for animals and understanding of human nature drive this page-turning thriller where city dogs, strays and owned alike, face possible extermination while their rescuers and protectors deal with the corrupt elements of government and the genetic engineering, biotech and vaccine industries covering up the reason why children are dying and putting the blame on the dogs for this health crisis. If you want a good book for summertime reading and you care for animals and justice, this is the book for you.

(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.)