DEAR DR. FOX: I recently became aware of a situation that bothers me quite a bit. This time of year, the Maryland Department of Agriculture starts spraying for mosquitoes -- at least around where I live. This program is a few years old. The official reason is to protect us from horrible diseases. The suburbanites around here enjoy their mosquito-free backyards, though for as long as I’ve lived here, I have never heard of a case of malaria or Zika or whatever. Applying some DEET before spending the day in the backyard would probably inconvenience them.

The state uses a poison gas that is supposed to be safe, whatever that means; however, it tells people to lock their windows and keep their pets inside on the nights it gets sprayed. This raises the question of what this stuff does to the wildlife that lives, or used to live, around here? There are, or used to be, foxes, deer, turtles, snakes, birds (although diminished in numbers in recent years) and insects of all sorts.

The state allows homeowners to apply an exemption for their property so that it is not sprayed, but the lots are not that big, and I’m sure that the gas drifts. I sent in an exemption with a required copy to my homeowner's association. I’d suggest that if you have not before brought up the subject of mosquito spraying and wildlife in your column, you might consider doing so. -- G.F., Annapolis, Maryland

DEAR G.F.: As a frequently irrational species, we do many stupid things out of fear, compounded by our collective ignorance and adversarial attitude toward all that is natural and beyond our immediate control. Sound ecological management is part of preventive medicine. But preventive medicine has been corrupted by the overuse of pesticides, antibiotics, vaccines and other profit-driven interventions to control diseases. In the process, we have reduced health-promoting natural biodiversity and made the planet less habitable for healthy species and communities now under constant threat of human encroachment and annihilation.

Sound ecological management in the specific instance of controlling mosquitoes and other insects that might harbor and transmit diseases to humans (zoonoses) and domestic animals does not rely simply on insecticides. These will also kill the other beneficial creatures -- from bats to various fish, frogs, reptiles and birds that rely on insects as their only source of food and help prevent zoonoses by consuming mosquitoes. So the animals either starve to death or are poisoned by the insecticides while the targeted insects quickly evolve insecticide resistance and come back with a vengeance after their natural controls have been exterminated by public health authorities.

As for use around the home, pyrethroids are notably toxic for cats. In many areas, preventive medicine against heartworm disease is advisable for cats as well as dogs. A variety of insect-repellant sprays, candles, secure window and door screens, fans and netting can also protect us quite effectively, along with appropriate clothing and staying indoors when mosquitoes are most active. Essential oils such as vanilla, peppermint, lemon and eucalyptus are my first choice to keep the pesky bugs at bay.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 21-month-old female golden retriever. She is very thin, despite being fed twice a day -- same as my 11-year-old. She does not seem to be maturing internally, and she refuses to be housetrained. She defecates in quantity and still urinates indoors too often. She has been cleared of parasites. She has lots of energy, and is wired tighter than my previous goldens. I can’t afford more testing. What can we do? -- J.M., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR J.M.: What kind of dog food are you feeding your young pup? Since no internal parasites have been detected and she passes large amounts of fecal material, you may be feeding a poor-quality, high-grain, soy and fiber dog food that does not give her sufficient nourishment. So get a high-protein, high-fat dog food -- dry, canned, frozen and/or freeze-dried -- and give your dog three meals a day, weighing her every two weeks to make sure she is gaining weight.

Your dog may also have a digestive issue that can be helped with a couple teaspoons of chopped canned unsweetened pineapple in each meal as a source of digestive enzymes. Don't hesitate to add a tablespoon of cottage cheese or plain yogurt to her regular food as an occasional treat, along with meaty table scraps.

Once you get her food issue corrected, you can address her incontinence, which may be due to her being indoors too long and not being taken out on a set routine -- especially first thing in the morning, last thing at night and after she awakens from a nap during the day and for some quality time outdoors before meals.

(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 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.)