DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3-year-old boxer name Mattie. She is smart and beautiful.

Eight months ago, we were both in a hit-and-run accident, and ever since then, I can’t get her into the car. I hate leaving her home alone in nice weather, and she always loved riding in the car before the accident, but now she won’t even walk by it.

Can you help me get my dog back to normal? -- G.B., Poughkeepsie, New York

DEAR G.B.: Poor Mattie! I hope neither of you sustained physical injuries. The car phobia is understandable.

Try coaxing her into a different car or easy-access van. Have the interior sprayed with diluted lavender oil, and put a couple of drops of this essential oil on a bandana around her neck. Lavender is calming and has been shown to help dogs who don’t like being in a car.

If this fails, get a prescription of alpralozam (Xanax) from your veterinarian, and give Mattie about 0.5 grams 30 minutes before coaxing her into a vehicle, offering her favorite treats and lots of verbal reassurance every step of the way.

Alternatively, have someone help get her in the vehicle after she has been medicated, and sit quietly with her, repeating the "total immersion" every other day until she shows improvement. Then give her half the dose of Xanax, and taper off completely.

DEAR DR. FOX: When we first got our tiny poodle, Cinnamon, 18 years ago, her weight was 7.2 pounds, which was overweight for her frame. After suffering from pancreatitis about five years ago and being on a basically fat-free diet, she got down to 4.6 pounds. She was slowly starving to death, and I finally made the decision to euthanize her.

My daughter has a friend who is a vet, and her day off was last Friday, so she came over to euthanize my dog. I wanted to be sure it would be a peaceful death, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t. As the medicine went in, Cinnamon started yipping and arching her back and trying to get out of my daughter’s arms for too many seconds before she collapsed.

I can’t get that scene out of my mind, and I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken -- my dog was so sweet and precious and didn’t deserve to die like that.

What went wrong? Our other two dogs just peacefully closed their eyes and stopped breathing. How common is this reaction? I have a friend who went through the same situation with his cat, and he, too, cannot get that image out of his mind. -- J.K., St. Louis

DEAR J.K.: My sympathies to you and to the veterinarian who came to euthanize your dog.

Old dogs with poor circulation often have adverse reactions to the euthanasia solution that normally reaches the brain swiftly and smoothly, bringing unconsciousness in seconds. But poor circulation can delay this process, so the animal is semi-conscious and may struggle and cry out. It is advisable to give an injection of a strong sedative into the muscle tissue 10 to 20 minute before giving the intravenous euthanasia solution that is essentially an overdose of barbiturate anesthetic.

Heavily sedated animals are less aware of the euthanasia drug’s effects, which, when delayed by poor circulation to the brain, can make animals fearful because they become disoriented and have increasing difficulty moving and breathing.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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: We no longer take our gentle, playful 40-pound dog, Kota, to our local enclosed dog park after an altercation with a young woman regarding her 60- or 70-pound young neutered male dog, who was an intimidating bully. He would engage in playful, high-speed chasing with other dogs, body slam the dog at the head of the pack with his tail up and hackles raised, and then he and the other dogs would pile on top of whichever dog went down. This dog displayed this dominance behavior, which could result in injury and over-excited dogs turning the melee into an aggressive altercation, while a dozen other dog owners stood by as though they were watching a football game.

There was a sign in the enclosure that dog owners should have their dogs under control at all times, but this assertive dog was clearly out of control. When I asked the owner to leash her dog and let the others run and play without her dog constantly interfering and turning it into a violent scrum, she turned on me, proclaiming that I knew nothing about dog behavior and that this was a dog park for dogs to be dogs. She threatened to call the police if I caused her further harassment.

So we left, and Kota was very sore that night from her two body slams by this assertive young dog. What also disturbed me was that the other dog owners standing around said nothing to support my concerns and seemed oblivious to the body language and sequences of behavior this dog was manifesting. In my professional opinion as someone with a doctoral degree in animal behavior, this dog should have been under more control or not allowed into the dog park.

This event has left me wondering how illiterate many dog owners and keepers of other animals are about body language, the signals of emotion, intention, temperament and character displayed in various social situations. This may in part account for the high incidence of people, including uninstructed children, being harmed by animals in their own homes.

I also wonder, given so much exposure on television, how certain individuals whose body language does not lie about their temperaments and character -- but which many people evidently are incapable of reading -- have been recently elected to political office.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am a new pet owner of a 7-month-old Shih Tzu named Oreo. She is smart, energetic and very entertaining. However, I have two problems.

The first problem: As soon as she sees a person, she starts nipping them.

And the other problem: After she had her last shot -- about four months ago -- I started trying to walk her. She refuses to walk on a leash. She runs around anywhere and everywhere so long as there is no leash, but as soon as I put on the leash, she lies down and won’t budge.

Any advice you may have on either of these issues would be greatly appreciated. -- D.C., Brooklyn, New York

DEAR D.C.: Your dog is young, playful and attention-seeking, which is what all the nipping is most probably about. Set up regular play sessions -- chasing a ball or stuffed toy and pulling on a rubber or rope tug-of-war toy -- to give her the attention she desires.

Teach her self-control by learning to sit and stay on command. This can easily be done with patience and tasty food rewards. When visitors come, have her sit and stay, and give her lots of verbal praise and treats. She may also respond well to a squeaky toy that you squeeze to distract and re-motivate her whenever she starts getting nippy.

MORE FOOD WITH POSSIBLE FATAL AMOUNTS OF PENTOBARBITOL

Evanger’s Pet Food is recalling additional lots of pet food. Here are excerpts from the statement sent to retailers on Feb. 28:

"We are aware that these recalls have caused a great deal of justified concern, mistrust and anger among pet owners and pet food retailers. The Evanger’s family, like many families, is also incredibly angry and upset by these recalls. We’re angry not only because we let you down; but we’re furious that we allowed ourselves to be lied to and deceived by the supplier responsible for introducing pentobarbital into our meat supply. Sadly, this company was once one of our most trusted meat suppliers. But they are solely responsible for the pentobarbital-tainted meat found in some cans of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef and Against the Grain Pulled Beef. We of course immediately fired this unscrupulous supplier, and have undertaken steps to address this matter in a lawsuit on behalf of our customers and retailers. ... Out of an abundance of caution we have decided to issue an immediate recall of the products in which this supplier’s meat may have been used."

Suppliers of the various ingredients that go into manufactured cat and dog foods are ultimately the responsibility of the manufacturers, since it is unrealistic and costly to expect the government to effectively monitor the quality and safety of the byproducts from the human food and beverage industries that are used in most pet foods and livestock and poultry feed. This includes a significant quantity of imported from abroad, including countries like India, where I have worked with my wife and where the humane and sanitary treatment of animals in slaughterhouses are generally extremely deficient. For further details, see our recent book, "India’s Animals: Helping the Sacred and the Suffering."

Since corruption and malfeasance are commonplace in the global marketplace, I urge pet owners to either make their own pet food or seek those brands using human-quality food ingredients, ideally certified organic and produced in the U.S. For more details, visit truthaboutpetfood.com.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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 letter concerns the euthanasia of our pets. Our animal companions will suffer tremendous trauma simply due to their deep love for us, plus their ability to understand our need for them.

During euthanasia, stay beside your pet and stroke them lovingly as they leave this world. Speak familiar words of love as the injections are being administered, and say your goodbye then. I was blessed in having our well-trained, kind veterinarian make that suggestion and guide me through those difficult moments.

Make plans for taking care of your pet’s remains, too. In our case, the date was set, my working husband dug the grave the night before, and I took care of the rest. It’s just something we must learn to deal with. There may be times when one must leave a deceased companion with the veterinarian, or times when the weather doesn’t permit digging, there’s no one to do it for us, or our health problems prevent what our hearts long to do.

I still cry from the loss of Tater, Cujo, Harley Ray, Sophie Jordanna, Tia Xena, Prancer, Sally Ann, Tommy Tom, Pookie Tootie, and many more. Humans, be proud, and speak out for those dear and loved companions. Learn more from your veterinarians. Ask questions. -- M.L., Humboldt, Tennessee

DEAR M.L.: Many readers of my column will appreciate your concern and encouragement to be with their animal companions at the time of euthanasia administration.

It can be emotionally challenging for some people to be present with their animals at this time, but I agree with you that courage is called for to be with the animal -- to hold and comfort them. Not all veterinarians will allow every client to be present for a variety of reasons. Others offer in-home euthanasia and in-home palliative/hospice care -- humane, compassionate services which I advocate for those who can afford them.

Taking the deceased animal home and allowing surviving animals to view the body may help with their grieving and sense of loss. Some animals may seem indifferent, just as with some people after the death of a family member. I wish that more people understood how deep the grieving experience can be, for both animals and humans, after losing a beloved animal companion.

Burial on one’s own property may be prohibited in some municipalities, so do your research. Cremation services and legal burial plots are available in most communities.

DEAR DR. FOX: My husband and I are vegan. We feel bad having to feed our newly adopted cat, Timmy, meat and fish, but the vet says that is right. I have heard that there are special diets you can make or by so that cats will be healthy on a vegan or vegetarian (eggs and dairy) diet. Can you send me more information? -- Y.T., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR Y.T.: This question often comes up in my column, and I must reiterate that cats are obligate carnivores, and that we should not impose our own values and dietary choices on them. They must have a daily intake of animal protein and fats, ideally from various organ parts and different animal species, preferably organically fed and humanely raised.

As for your own diets, I applaud your veganism. In today’s world, with over 7 billion people, vegetarianism is an ethical imperative. Vegetarianism and veganism occupy the higher moral ground over daily meat and fish consumption for people in most parts of the world, where there are nutritious alternatives that do not involve the slaughter of billions of animals.

There are sound, scientifically documented reasons for such enlightened dietary decisions, including humane concerns over animals’ suffering and the economic, ecological, environmental and public health costs of a meat-based diet. But, as with those who deny climate change and global warming (to which the livestock industry is a major contributor), the politics of meat go deep in Western culture, much of it being subsidized at taxpayers’ expense in the U.S., where denial and disinformation continue to keep unacceptable industries in business.

For detailed documentation, see my review “Changing Diets for Health’s and Earth’s Sake“ on my website (drfoxvet.net), especially the postscript: “The Vegetarian Imperative.”

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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.)