DEAR DR. FOX: Feral cats are disgusting. Within six months of my county instituting a trap-neuter-release (TNR) program, the feral cat population exploded. These vermin gravitated to my backyard, which abuts a wooded area. Now my yard smells like a litter box, the lawn is spotted with feces and most importantly, the health of my wife and child, both asthmatics, has been jeopardized, as the cat stench permeates everything. One day it was so bad that a neighbor's kid, another asthmatic, wouldn't leave our house unless I walked him home.

I understand the intention of TNR, but animal rights shouldn't trump public welfare. -- R.C., Bowie, Maryland

DEAR R.C.: As one of the first advocates of animal rights and as a veterinarian committed to improving the human-animal bond of compassion and understanding for the health and well-being of all, I am deeply disturbed by reports like yours.

Such examples of releasing neutered cats in relatively large numbers into unsuitable residential areas under trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs is animal abandonment, an act of cruelty contrary to most state and federal animal protection laws. Simply dumping unadopted cats (too often with no provision of food or care of any kind) because shelter staff and management are sick of euthanizing healthy animals is likewise a violation of anti-cruelty laws. Read my article "Releasing Cats to Live Outdoors" on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

Reach out to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (aldf.org) to find a pro bono attorney who may be enlightened enough to set this local TNR organization on the right path. Perhaps you will clean up the nationwide TNR movement -- a major topic in my newspaper column for some time. At the very least, you should contact the local police and public health authorities.

Personally, I find all cats, feral or not, very beautiful -- they are super-predators, not "vermin." But when people let their un-neutered cats roam free, problems arise. The cats kill wildlife, and they multiply -- and we all suffer.

Keep me posted about what happens.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a purebred Jack Russell terrier we got from a rescue 15 years ago. The rescue recommended we use Frontline on him, as did the vet we took him to. We used the medicine, and he had a seizure within about a week, at which time we took him back to the vet. The vet told us that small breeds sometimes have seizures, and there was nothing we could do about it.

After a few months of the seizures, I noticed that they always occurred within about a week of when we gave our dog the Frontline. His stool would loosen, he would be lethargic and then he'd have a seizure. All this from a dog named Ziggy because he couldn't stay in one place.

I stopped giving him Frontline and gave him a pill I found in a local pet supply store that contains brewer's yeast, garlic and some other herbs; he hasn't had a seizure since. Taking this new pill also seemed to increase his strength and exuberance. He's had only one case of fleas, which we got rid of with a Dawn dish detergent shampooing. He has an occasional tick every few years. Ziggy is going blind and a little deaf, but he still runs around like a very happy dog.

The vet told us years ago that Ziggy would need to have two knee operations on his back legs because he had been kept in a crate and his knees would lock up. I tied a piece of yarn to a fishing pole and made him chase it doing figure eights in circles just about every day for about two years. He built up stamina, and he never had the knee operations; his knees don't lock up to this day. -- R.D., Eatontown, New Jersey

DEAR R.D.: Your letter is one of my more bizarre ones. I would never repeatedly prescribe any product known to cause seizures. I can't believe the veterinarian dismissed these seizures as a common problem in smaller dogs. Totally nuts!

Brewer's yeast (NOT baker's yeast) and a little garlic on a full stomach can be good for dogs in many ways and can help repel fleas. For some excellent natural, herbal products in this domain, check Petzlife.com.

Your physical therapy exercise to help correct the kneecap (patella) dislocation issue, which was probably in part an inherited problem, is commendable.

JERKY TREATS STILL SICKENING AND KILLING DOGS

Pet owners and veterinarians are still reporting cases of canine illness associated with jerky pet treats; however, reports have decreased, according to the Food and Drug Administration. There have been 6,200 canine illnesses and more than 1,100 deaths reported to the FDA, along with about two dozen feline illnesses associated with pet treats containing chicken, duck or sweet potatoes, most imported from China. In the last quarter of 2014 through the end of 2015, only 200 cases were reported. The reported signs of kidney illness are sometimes similar to those seen in dogs with Fanconi-like syndrome.

(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: My wife is gone three or four days a week. My 8-year-old cat naturally shows preference to and positive behavior around me, and she hisses and is otherwise negative toward my wife.

I have suggested that my wife scruff her and shake her gently to let her know about the pecking order here; that seems to work for a while, but we are not consistent with this. Is Rocky just being a cat, or is there some way we can help her to be more positive toward my wife? -- D.L., St. Louis

DEAR D.L.: This is a good question, especially considering the backlash against so-called dominance training and disciplining of dogs and the favoring of positive reward training for desired behavior. But sometimes giving a reward can reinforce the undesired behavior, like giving a dog a treat to stop barking, believing that to be distracting or redirecting -- in reality, you're actually rewarding the dog for barking!

Cats hiss primarily from fear, and it is best to ignore the behavior. Have your wife spend time grooming the cat and feeding her and calling her by name to give healthy treats. Also, have your wife engage in interactive games with the cat, such as chasing a laser spotlight or a feather on a wand.

Seizing and holding a cat by the scruff of the neck (but not shaking) can have a calming effect; the action is a mixed signal of domination and control: a tomcat's love-bite -- seen during courtship -- is usually directed to the queen's nape of the neck, and a mother tenderly carries a kitten at the back of the neck. I use this scruff-hold briefly to settle a cat and then start brushing the cat or begin gentle massage, as detailed in my book, "The Healing Touch for Cats." But be warned: Your cat may soon become addicted to the latter and quite demanding!

BOOK REVIEW: "What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins" by Dr. Jonathan Balcombe

This book is a scholarly and engaging review of what scientists have discovered about fish behavior and intelligence. Balcombe documents the commercial exploitation and suffering of fish, about which most consumers know nothing.

The author takes readers through the objective eye of natural science's disciplined focus and discovery to reveal the extraordinary and surprisingly highly evolved physical, social, cooperative and yes, emotional and cognitive abilities of fish, which in many respects far surpass our own.

With unblinking eyes, no facial expressions or cries of pain and fear when caught and cold to the touch, they are of a species difficult for most people to empathize with. But with other animals, especially the warm and fuzzy who are kept as pets and companion animals, we develop close attachments, often deeply mourning their passing and suffering their pain when they are in distress. In deepening our understanding of the whys and ways of fish, this book informs and expands our empathic embrace of other sentient beings from an aquatic realm almost alien to our sensibilities.

Thank you, Dr. Balcombe, for presenting scientific evidence that fish feel and are highly sentient beings with intrinsic value, interests and rights as well as ecological purpose. I hope this book will make people pause -- in the blink of an eye in evolutionary time, the last of the great and diverse communities and world-spanning shoals and intelligences of fish life will soon all be gone from the waters of the Earth, along with the ocean mammals and birds dying of starvation, and increasingly impoverished native fishing peoples from shore to shore.

(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: Once again, I must reach out to you because you ran a letter that includes false statements about the American Kennel Club.

First and foremost: We do not "sponsor" dog shows. The AKC approves local member or licensed dog clubs to hold events under our rules and regulations. The individual clubs or organizations put on dog shows at their own expense. The money does not come from AKC registrations. 

As for our inspection process, we do both announced and unannounced inspections. There is no policy stating that the AKC gives a one-week notice for inspection. Any breeder who refuses our inspection is prohibited from using AKC services. As for any of our suspensions, breeders who are not in compliance with our policies are put on referral, which is a temporary suspension that is lifted only when they come into complete compliance. It should also be noted that we are not the only registry in the United States. There are at least 20 others that people choose to do business with, meaning not all of their dogs may be registered with us.

Lastly, there was a statement regarding the majority of dogs rescued from puppy mills being AKC-registered dogs -- that could not be farther from the truth. A study conducted by the National Animal Interest Alliance in 2015 found that less than 5 percent of all dogs in shelters were purebred dogs. That hardly coincides with any majority.

To be clear, just because a breeder has registered or does register some of its dogs with us, it does not mean that they use our registry services for all their dogs. That remains at the discretion of the breeder, as do their ethical practices. -- Brandi Hunter, vice president of public relations and communications for the American Kennel Club, New York City

DEAR B.H.: Here is the reply from the writer of the letter to which you refer:

In reference to the AKC's claim that it does not "sponsor" dog shows, the AKC is simply playing a game of semantics. According to information contained in AKC Annual Reports and information displayed on its own website, the AKC sanctions, regulates and licenses dog shows; approves the judges for the shows; and processes plans and maintains records for the shows.

Dennis Sprung, the president of the AKC, in an article written for Dog News, stated that individual dog registration fees bear the costs of supporting events (dog shows). Sprung went on to say, "Last but not least, the financial impact of declining registrations speaks for itself. This revenue enables our ability to continue all the good work AKC does to support events ..."

If the AKC prefers the word "support," as used by its president, over the word "sponsor," I am more than willing to change my original letter to read that the AKC-"supported" dog shows are sustained on the backs of puppy mill dogs through AKC registration fees.

In reference to the AKC's statement, "there is no policy stating that the AKC gives a one-week notice for inspection," an AKC flier detailing what to expect with an AKC inspection states, "Your AKC Executive Field Agent will typically call you about a week in advance to set up a day for your inspection." While the AKC might not have a policy statement requiring a one-week notice, it also does not have a policy requiring an unannounced inspection.

I want to emphasize that my letter never alleged that the majority of dogs being rescued from puppy mills were AKC-registered dogs. My letter stated, "Many dogs rescued from puppy mills are AKC-registered."

I just came across an article in a 2012 Kennel Spotlight, a trade publication for commercial dog breeders. (Note: The magazine's publisher was at one time the largest dog broker in the country.) Mike Ganey, vice president of marketing for the AKC, indicates in the article that AKC events are for the purpose of having a "positive impact on your business whether you are a breeder selling to distributors, dealers, pet stores or direct to customers." He goes on to tell commercial breeders that AKC events help "create preference and demand for purebreds, no matter where the consumer chooses to buy their purebred dogs."

This article tells puppy millers that one of the purposes of AKC dog shows is to help sell puppy mill dogs. You can see that article in full here on the auctioneer's website: kennelspotlight.com/AUGUST__12_ISSUE_pg_16-17.pdf. -- Bob Baker, executive director of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, St. Louis

PETS EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE

Pets exposed to secondhand smoke in the home are more likely to gain weight and develop cancer than animals in smoke-free homes, according to research by veterinarian Clare Knottenbelt of the University of Glasgow. Pets, especially cats, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke because they spend so much time inside, grooming and in close contact with the carpet, where toxins accumulate.

(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.)