DEAR DR. FOX: I wonder if you have changed your views about animal rights over the years? You once said that the life of an ant or a mouse and the life of your own child should be given equal consideration. That did seem extreme a few years ago, but is there more acceptance today? -- J.M., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.M.: Back in the 1980s, I joined many voices from academia calling for the acknowledgement of animals' rights to equal and fair consideration and for their humane treatment and liberation from all forms of cruel exploitation. My critique of misapplied science and technology adding to the social ills of humanity put me in the same league of anti-science and anti-society environmental extremists in the eyes of at least one reporter writing for U.S. News and World Report, who linked me to Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber!

Now, 20 years later, I see the business world and aligned industries seeking to change their public image to appear more animal- and environment-friendly. This is ultimately enlightened self-interest: When we harm the Earth, we harm ourselves, and when we demean animals, we do no less to our own humanity. All lives matter.

I regard humans as animals, too; we all share a will to live and a telos -- intrinsic nature and purpose -- that we should respect and not thwart. Nor should we harm animals' ethos or spirit by not enabling them to develop, express, experience and satisfy their inherent natures and basic needs. This is a continuing ethical and welfare issue for caged and live-alone "pets"; caged animals in laboratories; chained and puppy-mill dogs; and especially factory-farmed animals. For more details, see my book "Animals and Nature First."

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a rescue hound who had to be crated when I went to work, or else she would destroy my house. Two days ago, I forgot to secure the side of the crate. When I pulled into the driveway, she met me inside the backyard -- I have a pet door and fenced-in backyard. When I walked inside the house, nothing had been touched! I praised her immensely. The next day, I purposely left the door unlocked to the crate again, to the same results -- no damage in the house! Hopefully, I'm onto a lasting cure. -- L.B., Glen Carbon, Illinois

DEAR L.B.: I hope your experience will help others with dogs like yours who are destructive when left alone to give them a chance to be free from the cage or crate -- at least on a trial basis. Having access to the outdoors is not essential. The main issue is feeling secure; the crate or cage, left open, serves as a "den," which can contain hidden treats and toys. Be sure to hide a few treats in the open room where the dog is allowed, and leave on a TV or radio to help the dog feel less alone and to act as a sound barrier to external noises.

It is advisable to reward the dog with a walk or outside play activity when you come home. If anything has been chewed that shouldn't have, blame yourself for leaving the item within reach of the dog, and do not reprimand, since that will only serve to increase the dog's anxiety -- ditto for accidental house-soiling, which can be an issue when the dog is left inside for several hours. Have a dog-walker come over and take the dog out to evacuate and have a break. People should not have a dog if it means keeping the poor animal caged all day.

(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 and I have an 8-year-old French bulldog, Lucy. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old. Over the past four to six months, she has had episodes of drooling that have lasted between two and six hours. She usually goes a week or two between drooling episodes. This drooling is akin to a leaking faucet (drip-drip-drip), and not like how even English bulldogs slobber. Lucy has no prior history of slobbering.

Since the drooling started, we have taken her to the dentist, who cleaned her teeth and removed a tooth that had early signs of decay or disease. He also took X-rays and found no other issues with her teeth.

We have taken her to our regular vet, who cannot determine specifically what may be wrong. The vet believes it is allergies and has recommended Benadryl. If that does not work, the vet's next step is a sonogram to determine if something is wrong internally. Do you know what may be wrong? -- T.S., Oakton, Virginia

DEAR T.S.: Your poor dog and other similar breeds with brachycephaly (pushed-in faces) often develop distressing facial problems. Some can hardly breathe for much of their lives.

My first thought is interference with the normal saliva-swallowing mechanism, because the dog does not have enough time to swallow with the mouth always being open. This could be because the dog is half-asphyxiated, possibly due to a partially collapsed trachea, which the veterinarian should check. Use a harness and leash for walks, since a collar may aggravate the problem.

Breeds like bloodhounds and Great Danes drool a lot because their pendulous lips simply funnel the saliva to each side of their lower jaws -- very messy! Also, some dogs salivate copiously when they are excited or anxious.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a cherished tortoiseshell cat who is 19 years old. She eats little bits of food, and weighs around 7 pounds. Our doctor's only observation is that he thinks she is deaf. Her eyesight appears fine. She has regular senior wellness checks, but her veterinarian cannot explain her recent behavior. We hope you can shed some light on it.

She wails when she wants us to notice her. Even though we have a regular routine and she is rarely alone, she is increasingly vocal. Lately, she goes to her bed (at the foot of our bed) earlier and earlier, and she wakes us up one to three times a night, wailing and wanting to be petted. She settles down within minutes, but we are, of course, sleep-deprived.

Do older cats get the kind of restlessness that older humans may show in the evening? -- M.T., Newtown, Connecticut

DEAR M.T.: This is a common problem in older cats, and one must consider possible dementia and chronic pain, as from arthritis. Both conditions can be helped with a few drops of fish oil in the daily diet, and possibly melatonin or catnip around bedtime. Full-body massage, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Cats," can also help.

DEAR READERS: In August, English researchers Richard G. Lea and associates published a report, "Environmental chemicals impact dog semen quality in vitro and may be associated with a temporal decline in sperm motility and increased cryptorchidism," in the journal Nature. Against the background of declining semen quality and rising incidence of undescended testes (cryptorchidism) in humans associated with exposure to environmental chemicals (ECs) during development, it reports:

"A population of breeding dogs exhibit a 26-year (1988–2014) decline in sperm quality and a concurrent increased incidence of cryptorchidism in male offspring (1995–2014). A decline in the number of males born relative to the number of females was also observed. ECs, including diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and polychlorinated bisphenol 153 (PCB153), were detected in adult dog testes and commercial dog foods at concentrations reported to perturb reproductive function in other species."

Estrogen-mimicking, endocrine-disrupting chemicals have become virtually unavoidable in many of the foods we consume. Many of these chemicals are also included in manufactured pet foods, in the can linings of moist foods and in plastic bags that hold dry foods. Plastic may also be processed into the manufactured food along with discarded meats, packaging and all.

Food wrappers and other industrial and commercial products -- from firefighting foam to water-repellant clothing -- contain perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. When detected in drinking water, these substances have endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic properties.

Dioxins, predominantly released as byproducts of human activities such as incineration and fuel combustion, are a potent class of carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. They are ubiquitous in the environment. Contaminated soil and vegetation undergo bioaccumulation in the fat of cattle and seafood (especially farmed salmon), which are common pet food ingredients. Dioxin adversely impacts wildlife reproduction and sexual development in several aquatic and terrestrial species, which has been well documented.

Other estrogen-mimicking and endocrine-disrupting contaminants of pet (and human) foods include glyphosate and other herbicide residues in corn and other cereals, along with phytoestrogens in soy products.

Aflatoxin B1 -- yet another endocrine disruptor -- from the mold on corn and other cereals is often found in dry dog foods, which are recalled too late to save many dogs from acute toxicity and death. Aflatoxins, dioxins and other endocrine disruptors, estrogen mimics, carcinogens and obesogens have harmful consequences in extremely low concentrations in the diet over an extended time period. This is especially concerning for pregnant females.

For additional details, see my article "Chemical-related human diseases in companion animals" at DrFoxVet.net.

(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 want to thank you for your help over the years with our German shepherd Markus' health problems, which eventually reached the point where we had to decide on euthanasia because he was suffering so much.

Many days after his departure, which we deeply mourned, we seem to have received a "sign" from him. We are skeptical about things like this, but we found pieces of fur on the carpet runner last Thursday morning where Markus used to rest before coming down the stairs. This area had been cleaned and stepped on, but the pieces of fur (obviously from an animal) had not been stepped on and were scattered around this area. They are really noticeable to the naked eye and are displayed in a certain design, like a dog's paw. The whole runner has been covered with newspapers for the last two to three weeks. Newspapers were removed after Markus' departure, and there was no sign of these pieces of fur at that time.

I thought I would share this experience with you and hear your comments. This is beyond our comprehension. -- M.S., Washington, D.C.

DEAR M.S.: I was so saddened to hear from you about the necessary humane decision to euthanize Markus.

I detail many instances of apparent afterlife communications or manifestations by people's beloved animals in my books "Dog Body, Dog Mind" and "Cat Body, Cat Mind." Also, updated accounts are posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net, under the title "The Empathosphere."

I would like to hear from other readers who have had comparable "visitations," which can be in various modalities, such as seeing the animal's form, hearing the paws on the floor or the jangle of tags on the collar, feeling the familiar touch of the animal and finding the animal's fur around the house. While grief and trace memories of aspects of the living animal's physical presence may trigger brief sensory hallucinations, there is evidence, as when two or more people in the home experience the same physical presence or sensation at the same moment, that there is indeed more to life and death than we ever dreamed of.

I like the metaphysical statement that the spirit is not in the body, the body is in the spirit.

STOP MUTILATING DOGS!

"Tail Docking and Ear Cropping Dogs: Public Awareness and Perceptions," a research study published in Public Library of Science online by Katelyn E. Mills and colleagues at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, found that "modified (tail docked and ear cropped) dogs were perceived as being more aggressive, more dominant, less playful and less attractive than natural dogs." They also presented the first evidence that owners of modified dogs are perceived as being more aggressive, more narcissistic, less playful, less talkative and less warm compared to owners of natural dogs.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has encouraged "the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards" since 2008. It is only the breeders and dog show clubs and their "official standards" for those breeds -- like the boxer, Doberman pinscher and miniature schnauzer -- that stand in the way of ending such mutilations in the United States. Such practices are outlawed in Australia and several European countries.

Perhaps one way to bring about change for dogs' sake is for all dog lovers, animal rights activists and protectors to boycott the big pet food companies that seek to profit from supporting dog shows until all responsible parties come together and change breed standards for the better: No ear cropping or tail docking from a specified date; all dogs after that date should not be accepted into the ring if their tails and ears are not intact.

(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.)