DEAR DR. FOX: I am an animal lover. I have two old dogs and I am, or was, a devout Christian. But my faith is being tested by all the cruelty toward animals and our own kind I hear about on a daily basis. The world is in chaos, and religious wars between fundamentalists of various faiths are escalating while the environment and wildlife are going to hell. I am depressed and in despair; perhaps you can help me find some hope and restore my faith. -- E.L., Silver Spring, Maryland

DEAR E.L.: You have my sympathy. Many feeling and thinking people like you are indeed experiencing hopelessness and despair.

As more than one philosopher and humanitarian has opined, the only true religion is in the spirituality of compassion-in-action and reverential respect for all living beings and the natural environment, which need no god but only our unconditional embrace and protection from inhumanity. This is ultimately enlightened self-interest.

The Buddha advised that the only true religion is in "maitri," loving kindness or compassionate friendship toward all beings, and in embracing that principle, I have my faith and hope that my species may yet evolve! I am heartened that several Christian denominations and other world religions are addressing environmental and animal welfare issues. For more details, see my book "The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation." For a lighter touch, enjoy the new book by Lutheran theology professor Andrew Root, Ph.D, "The Grace of Dogs: A Boy, a Black Lab, and a Father’s Search for the Canine Soul."

DEAR DR. FOX: I am viewing the video “Cat Behavior and Psychology” posted on your website from September 2015, and I just had to write to you regarding your comment about cats being sensitive to red and green; I was extremely glad to hear you say it, but it makes me wonder, why do animal experts say cats do not see or recognize the color red?

I can’t tell you how many articles I have read by animal "experts" who all say this, but I questioned it when I observed my cat playing with a toy that holds two plastic balls, one yellow, one red. I noticed that she paid no mind to the yellow one going round and round, but concentrated on the red one. The plastic balls are exact duplicates in size and consistency; the only difference is in their color. I wrote to these animal experts regarding this, but I never received responses. Surely they should know what they are talking about. But the behavior I see in my cat says otherwise. You are the only one who says that a cat recognizes red. -- C.H., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR C.H.: All “experts” in virtually every discipline and specialty need to have some resources on hand for continued professional development -- and they must engage in routine fact-checking. According to the entry on this issue on that excellent resource Wikipedia, “Cats can see some colors, and can tell the difference between red, blue and yellow lights, as well as between red and green lights. Cats are able to distinguish between blues and violets better than between colors near the red end of the spectrum. A 2014 study found that, along with several other mammals, cats' lenses transmit significant amounts of ultraviolet light, which suggests that they possess sensitivity to this part of the spectrum.” (Sources include the Journal of Neuroscience; see Wikipedia entry "Cat Senses" for details.)

(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 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.

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.

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.)