DEAR DR. FOX: I was dismayed at the recent letter in your column regarding a paraplegic dog. While I am grateful there are people who will take care of a compromised animal, there is a limit. I was disturbed when the owner wrote that the dog, Chuckie, screamed in pain for four weeks with a slipped cervical disc.

Tommy, our beloved 8-year-old border collie mix, was diagnosed by MRI with an inoperable tumor on his spinal cord. We had difficulty diagnosing what appeared to be a weak leg, and he began to cry out occasionally as he climbed stairs. We escalated, and our vet referred us to an MRI immediately. After the diagnosis, the vet specialist said that Tommy was quite stoic because he did not cry out more often, given the location of the tumor. We knew he was not himself, but what we did not know was the level of pain that he lived with that last month of his life.

I question the motivation of these people: How on Earth (in their own words) "during four weeks of screaming in pain" did they not decide that perhaps it was time to let Chuckie go? Who knows what pain he endures now? I was saddened to see that their own motivations have overtaken their empathy for what might be in the best interest of Chuckie. -- M.J., Manchester, Missouri

DEAR DR. FOX: I was dismayed by the excessive treatment the letter-writer has gotten and is getting for a paraplegic dog. I love animals, have taken good care of my pets and have volunteered and donated to the Missouri Humane Society, so it isn’t that I’m anti-animal, but I think what the writer has done for this one dog is too much.

Just think of the hundreds and hundreds of dogs in shelters and the care some of the healthier ones could get if the writer stopped at sensible treatment for that one dog. Actually, that dog is getting better and more extensive care than some children. Enough is enough in trying to help a pet. -- R.B., Kirkwood, Missouri

DEAR M.J. AND R.B.: The money that caring people sometimes put out for their beloved animal companions, especially with advances in cancer treatments and stem cell therapies, can be very considerable. Are they being selfish? What then of their love and concern? Some do choose instead to opt for euthanasia, especially when there is a low chance of recovery, and give a large donation in their animal's name to their local animal shelter or rescue organization.

We cannot compare the quality of medical care and what might be spent on a child in a poor village with a toy poodle in New York City suffering from comparable conditions, nor their chances of recovery. Such situational ethics are confounded by other social and family priorities, availability of services and where there is choice, just how much one feels like spending and can afford in the hope that the loved one will recover. It is a tragedy of the times that here in America, families can be bankrupted by the medical bills of one member under cancer treatment.

Just as we see with people, dogs do vary greatly in their pain tolerance; some are more stoic than others, who may border on hysteria because of fear as well as pain. This is where the experienced clinical eye of the veterinarian is invaluable to determine the best course of treatment and the animal patient's quality of life and chances of total or partial recovery.

Regardless of costs and affordability and the fact that some animal caregivers may seek to extend an animal's life for various personal reasons rather than for the animal's own sake, all involved have a duty to make the animal patient as comfortable as possible and give the animal a chance where there is a strong will to live. Being nursed at home or setting up in-home palliative care with a visiting veterinarian may be preferable to long-term hospitalization where recovery may be protracted or arrested by separation anxiety and loss of the will to live.

DOGS GOT SENSE OF FAIRNESS FROM ANCESTORS

Like people, nonhuman primates and dogs, wolves have a sense of fairness, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology, and the finding suggests dogs' sense of fairness is not a product of domestication, but their shared ancestry with wolves. Canines of both species that did not receive rewards for completing the same task that brought rewards to packmates stopped performing the task, and one wolf "was so frustrated he even broke the apparatus," said study leader Jennifer Essler of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.

These findings may help answer questions concerning jealousy, remorse and guilt and certainly affirm that the evolution of social conscience was an essential aspect of group (pack) cooperation, along with altruism.

(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: I have a 4-year-old dog, and she has always had problems with short-term memory.

When friends come over, she greets them, but if they get out of her line of sight and then appear a few minutes later, she barks and acts startled. It is like her brain is wondering, "How did this nice human friend get in the house without moving through the front door?"

She does not do this with me or with her canine buddies. She is a standard poodle and otherwise is quite smart. I have had other dogs of the same breed who have not had this issue.

Is there a training method to improve her short-term memory and recognition skills? -- L.N., Seattle

DEAR L.N.: Short-term memory deficit probably has a genetic basis and may be related to attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), seen in both humans and various breeds of dogs.

An underlying anxiety may be at the core of the problem, which you may address by giving the dog a tryptophan or L-theanine supplement, which have been shown to help reduce anxiety, aggression and depression and lower blood cortisol levels. Extract of green tea is one source. Petzlife's @-Eaze calming gel would be worth trying. Natural food sources of tryptophan (which is a precursor for brain serotonin to help calm your dog) include turkey, eggs, pineapple, brown rice, flax and chia seeds. The other brain neurochemical called dopamine, low levels of which are associated with ADHD, is supplied by foods such as organic oats, dairy products, blueberries and spirulina, any of which you can add to your dog's food.

One calming essential oil is lavender. You can put a few drops on a bandanna around your dog's neck before company arrives. One pharmaceutical solution is a prescription of Prozac to help elevate brain serotonin; a short course of treatment under veterinary supervision may help your dog reach a better point of equanimity.

Because of the poor quality of ingredients in many manufactured dog foods and various additives that may cause oxidative stress and release of free radicals affecting brain, behavior and immune function, I would strongly advise you feed your dog an organically certified diet or try my home-prepared recipe, which is rich in both serotonin and dopamine as well as antioxidants that deal with the free radical problem. Find it at DrFoxVet.net.

NATIONWIDE PET INSURANCE SUBSCRIBERS SPENT $81 MILLION ON 10 COMMON CONDITIONS

Subscribers to Nationwide's pet insurance plans spent more than $81 million last year on 10 common conditions, including their dogs' skin allergies and cats' dental problems, which were the most common conditions by species. Canine skin allergy claims averaged $233 per dog, while feline dental disease claims averaged $376 per cat.

(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.)

LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR ANIMALS

"Connecticut tests legal advocates for animals." This is the title of an Associated Press article by Pat Eaton-Robb, describing a program initiated by a group of lawyers and University of Connecticut law professor Jessica Rubin to serve as legal advocates for animals in animal cruelty trials. If accepted by judges, this initiative may be adopted by other states, especially since there is wider recognition of the connections between animal abuse and human abuse.

Yet according to Eaton-Robb, the new law in Connecticut establishing the legitimacy of legal advocates for animals is opposed by the American Kennel Club (AKC), which says the law “could create confusion over responsibility for an animal.” Clearly, the AKC is not confused about whose vested interests they are seeking to protect.

DEAR DR. FOX: When it comes to litter boxes, I don't understand the "rule" of one per cat, plus an extra.

I have two litter boxes for my two cats, but both use the same one -- even if it's already been used. In my previous apartment, there was no room for more than one box, and even in the house where I had two boxes on each floor, they both used the same one most of the time. I use newspaper instead of purchasing litter; I started with shredded and now use whole sheets that they enjoy shredding themselves. It's very absorbent and cuts the foul stool odor after a short while. -- I.I., Hendersonville, North Carolina

DEAR I.I.: I do not know from which cat expert you received this advice about cat litter boxes, but my experts are my own cats. They will share a litter box amicably and without any complications -- such as pooping outside the box -- provided the box is cleaned out three to four times a day.

I feel for those poor cats whose boxes are not kept clean so they must poke around in their own waste to dig a pit to evacuate and then to cover. Just as bad is having to enter a covered box that has not been kept clean, filled with the fumes of acrid urine and feces. This does contribute to cats developing cystitis from holding their urine; to urinating elsewhere in the home, which is a death sentence for many cats; and to constipation and aversion of using the litter box.

For details, see my article "Cat Litter Box" on this complex but essential aspect of caring for cats posted on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I recently rescued a 2-year-old Chihuahua-mix with a puppy mill history who needs potty training. We reward and praise her on our walks when she does her stuff. We take her out many times on the same schedule; however, once inside, she has accidents and without any indications of wanting or needing to go outside.

Are there any hints or insights you can provide? She sleeps on the floor in a small fenced enclosure in our bedroom. We get her out immediately when she wakes in the morning -- if we don't, she will have an accident. It would be good if she would sleep an hour or so later as well. -- A.P., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR A.P.: Good for you taking in a former puppy mill dog. This business is a sickening side of humanity -- sorry, of our inhumanity -- when it comes to so many puppy mill breeders here and abroad who keep these poor dogs in small cages and treat their pups like commodities.

My advice to people seeking a dog or puppy: Never buy a pup without seeing the breeding facility and the pup's parents. There are so many scams you can avoid, such as buying online or from a pet store. Go local -- to the animal shelter or to a local, reputable breeder of a particular breed you have in mind.

As for your Chihuahua's incontinence, it may be physical or behavioral. First, have her urine tested for possible cystitis, a common affliction in young dogs, which can lead to house soiling.

Second, the behavioral consideration: She may have been confined in a small cage, so she got into the habit of urinating inside the enclosure. If she sleeps well in a long and narrow pen or dog crate and does not cry all night to get out, crate training may help.

Since most dogs will not evacuate where they sleep, have her sleeping pad or pillow set at one end of the enclosure and a puppy pee-pad securely laid down at the other far end. Put some of her urine on the first pad you put down so she gets the scent and hopefully understands that this is where she must urinate while confined.

She should not need any food or water overnight in the enclosure, but she may enjoy a chew toy or two. Later, when she is trained, you can leave the crate or enclosure open during the day so she can use it as her den if she wishes, and her toilet, too!

COLORADO CAT TESTS POSITIVE FOR PLAGUE

A Weld County, Colorado, pet cat tested positive for plague, and the cat and its owner are undergoing treatment.

Plague is spread through flea bites and contact with infected animals, so flea control medication is an important preventive measure. So is keeping cats indoors and not allowing them to roam free and unsupervised outdoors.

Remember: The plague, called the Black Death, caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, wiped out 30 to 50 percent of Europe's population between 1347 and 1351, at which time there was no effective treatment.

FIND OUT IF ADVENTURE CATTING IS FOR YOU AND YOUR CAT

Adventure catting involves taking pet cats on outdoor excursions, and in "Adventure Cats," author Laura Moss explains the particulars, including training cats from the outset, acclimating them to a harness and walks outdoors. Not all cats may be interested, enthusiasts note, but when they are, adventures can provide a great bonding experience for human and pet.

(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.)