DEAR DR. FOX: I read the letter in your column from the older couple who wanted to adopt an older dog. There are some local organizations that specialize in adopting out older dogs.

For instance, the St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a nonprofit that places older dogs. Your readers could see if there’s a local organization in their area, perhaps by Googling “senior dogs for adoption.”

Senior dogs for seniors is a win-win! The senior dogs get a stable and usually more quiet home, and the senior citizens get companionship. Plus, they stay in better shape physically and mentally, due to walking the dog every day, often getting more social interaction in the process.

I agree with you that a good pet adoption agency should request an in-home follow-up visit after the adoption. -- T.S., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR T.S.: Thanks for the information about a senior dog adoption project in your community. I hope that more communities will pick up on this initiative for many reasons, including the fact that dogs are living longer with better care these days. As their caregivers age and go into no-pet retirement centers and nursing homes, these animals need to find new homes if younger family members cannot take them.

Older dogs are generally quick to adapt to a new home environment, and form devoted bonds with family members without the time and effort having to house-train and educate a younger dog or puppy. They are probably the best choice for relatively active seniors who do not wish to have their animal companions outlive them. And many less active seniors have had their lives and hearts enriched by adopting easy-to-care-for senior cats.

Making resolutions for 2018? Don’t forget to include your pets! Dr. Mike Topper, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), offers these suggestions (paraphrased from a recent AVMA news release).

-- Exercise more. Planning on hitting the gym more regularly? Follow suit with your pets, keeping them healthy with regular exercise and activity. Take your dogs for more frequent and longer walks, visit a dog park for more active play and socialization, or sign up for agility training. Get your cat moving with new toys and games that will encourage her to run and jump. Before starting, however, talk with your vet about healthy and appropriate activity levels for your individual animals.

-- Eat healthier. If you’re committing to eating healthier in 2018, consider whether your pets would benefit from a similar change. Watching what our pets eat can help them maintain a healthy weight and add years to their lives. There are a number of steps you can take: eliminate table scraps and fattening, high-calorie treats; keep food treats to a minimum; don’t give in to those sad, begging eyes. Talk with your vet about a nutrition plan.

-- Schedule a visit to the veterinarian. Visiting your doctor regularly for checkups is an important way to stay healthy and catch illnesses and injuries early before they become a bigger problem. Since our pets can’t schedule their own checkups, resolve to take your pets in for wellness exams.

DEAR DR. FOX: We found a young kitten and are now having trouble teaching it to go in the litter box. Wondering what we can do. -- B.H., St Louis, Missouri

DEAR B.H.: Good for you for rescuing the kitten. Do have him/her checked by a veterinarian, since many are born with intestinal worms that can give them a bad start in life.

A very young kitten may not yet be able to climb easily into a regular-sized litter box, so get a cardboard box and cut it down to have about a one-inch lip all around. Put some cat litter in this cardboard “tray,” set the kitten in it and gently massage his/her abdomen.

Very young kittens need to have their rear ends wiped with a moist tissue, like their mothers lick them, to stimulate urination and defecation. Transfer any excrement gathered in this way to the litter in the temporary cardboard container. This will give a scent signal to the kitten and attract it to the litter.

DEAR DR. FOX: My beautiful 11-year-old mini schnauzer, Kokonut, has had lipomas for a quite some time. Aspiration has indicated they are benign and do not impede activity.

I have read that lipomas can be reduced in size and/or eliminated by removing all toxins. Kokonut is on Sentinel, and I would like to prevent heartworm via a more natural method. She wears an amber collar to deter fleas and ticks. We do not frequent dog parks and she is never boarded or in doggy day care.

What do you recommend to help get rid of the lipomas while providing protection from heartworm? -- J.P., Naples, Florida

DEAR J.P.: There is no conclusive evidence that anti-tick and -flea products play any role in dogs developing fatty tumors. Genetics and a diet high in starches seem to be the main triggers.

I would like to hear, from readers who have put their dogs on grain-free and raw-food diets, if they found any differences in lipoma development compared to prior dogs who did develop these growths and were fed conventional kibble.

Don’t believe what you may find on the internet concerning ways to reduce these growths with various supplements. In my experience, once they develop, one must simply wait, deal with any concurrent obesity and arthritis, and have the benign tumors surgically removed when they cause discomfort and interfere with physical activity.

There is no “natural” method to prevent heartworm infestations transmitted by infected mosquitoes. I would take the pesticide collar off your dog and check out my article on preventing fleas on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

(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 read the letter from the woman from Falls Church, Virginia, who is concerned about giving meds to her 9-year-old female cat for travel distress. I wanted to share my personal information with you, as it may help her.

Our female indoor cat is 17 1/2 years old, and doing very well. Because we’re retired, my husband and I have started to travel weekly between our home and a lake cabin two hours away. In the beginning, it was an awful trip whenever we took our cat! She yowled the entire time, and it was distressing for all of us. We didn’t like leaving her on her own for a weekend, and knew if we wanted to spend more time at the cabin, she’d have to go with us.

We tried using a regular cat carrier, then we tried a large one. Neither worked, and I was sure allowing her to be loose in the car wasn’t a safe plan for any of us, either.

One night, I decided to watch a few cat videos and came across an ad from a woman who makes fabric cat carriers. All of the reviews were very positive and I decided to order one, hoping it wasn’t a waste of money. The carrier came, we used it for the first time, and voila! It was a pleasant drive for all of us. Miss Kitty meowed once or twice but then settled down. Since then, we’ve traveled to the lake many times and have even started to bring her with us to Madison, Wisconsin (an eight-hour trip) for extended stays.

Once you check out the website (cat-in-the-bag.com), I think you’ll see why I recommend it. -- R.W., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR R.W., Many cat owners will appreciate your affirmation of these soft, collapsible bags, which many (but not all) cats will accept as superior alternatives to carriers and crates.

I spoke with the company owner and was assured that they have a 30-day return and refund policy if the purchaser’s cat does not accept being in the carrier. They are not manufactured in America, but are made in India, such outsourcing being due to a lack of willing, able and cost-effective manufacturers in the U.S.

Getting one’s cat to the vet can be a problem, and for many cats, this soft bag carrier may be the answer.

POEM: A NEW YEAR’S WISH FOR 2018

The Circle has been broken:

The Sacred Hoop,

Earth’s cycles, life cycles.

We are too many

To live with appetites of wolves

Who save the forest for the deer.

Stones will sing again

For a humanity redeemed

With hallowing covenants,

Courage, justice and conviction

To restore the Medicine Wheel

And stop all cruelty and desecration.

-- Michael W. Fox, dedicated to the First People, native American Indians and all our relations

(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: Six months ago, my family got an 18-month-old Husky rescue. We all think he’s the world’s best dog: friendly and happy, with a great temperament. He wags his tail, greets and licks everyone (strangers included) that come near him. I’m the grandpa, and have my own apartment in the house.

Three months ago, he started loudly barking at only me, and running away as if I were coming after him with an ax whenever I came near him. I call him and walk after him with a treat, and after five minutes of barking and running away, he’ll lie down, wag his tail, lick my hand and face, and let me rub his belly for as long as I want to. Then, when I get up and walk away, the whole scenario starts again from the beginning.

This happens all day, every day, and is especially bad when I come home late at night and he wakes everyone up with his barking. I never have, never would and never will do anything to hurt him, yell at him or scare him. What can I do to fix this? -- B.K., Manalapan, New Jersey

DEAR B.K.: My educated guess is that this dog is conflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder, most probably involving abuse from a person who resembles you. The memory flares up for no apparent reason except for your presence, and possibly your body language and scent.

Try changing your scent by having all family members share the same perfume for a week to 10 days. Essential oil of lavender is a good one, with calming effects on dogs. Also put a drop or two on a bandanna around the dog’s neck. There is also a commercially available dog-appeasement pheromone, which may also help if you put some on your wrists (dogappeasingpheromone.com). Then pet, groom or massage the dog, as per my book “The Healing Touch for Dogs.” Many dogs become addicted to a good massage!

Good luck, and keep me posted.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 3-year-old cat has a cute habit that I have never seen before in other cats who have “owned” us. Poky will put his soft rubber ball and/or little soft “mousies” into his food or water bowl overnight. When I give him fresh water and food in the morning, I can almost always be certain of little treats from him to me.

My vet thought he was marking his territory because we have an older female cat, but I like to think it is a love offering. We have two water bowls, two food bowls and two litter boxes, which I think they use randomly.

What is your take on this behavior? -- R.W.R., Jupiter, Florida

DEAR R.W.R.: Some cats are very creative in the games they engage in. A friend of mine who’s involved with cat rescue and rehabilitation has one permanent resident feline, who will take her various toys and set one at a time on the stairs -- one step for each toy. Other cats will dunk some toys in the water or food bowl, like yours does.

My interpretation of these behaviors, sometimes confirmed by the cats’ yowling and parading around first with a selected toy in their mouths, is that they are carrying a “kitten” and then they put it in or beside the food or water bowl to get sustenance. Other cats use the toy as prey, in their feline imaginations, and make a game of catching it and batting it around in the water -- or, with my cat, under a towel or throw rug on the floor.

I would like to hear from other readers about their cats’ creativity in this regard. Siamese, in particular, like to chase thrown toys and actually retrieve them. And many cats are hoarders, keeping their toys in one place as though they have a litter of kittens or stash of food to be brought out on occasion, and then to be carefully put back.

DEAR DR. FOX: I’m writing to ask you why, when I’m on the floor and face-to-face with my rescued cockapoo, he looks into my face and automatically directs his attention to my right eye. It happens all the time, to the point that I asked my optometrist to check my right eye.

I am aware that dogs are able to scent out illnesses in humans. What do you think of my dog’s behavior when we are nose-to-nose with each other? -- J.G., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.G.: It is good that you did have a checkup with your ophthalmologist, since dogs do have uncanny diagnostic abilities, especially in the realm of scent. Since nothing was found to be wrong with your eye, your dog may be focusing on your right eye since you may favor it for close visual focus (your so-called dominant eye).

Most dogs are very sensitive to eye contact, which they use to gauge what their human companion is communicating, both verbally and with body language/hand gestures. Some dogs are more eye contact-seeking than others, a reflection of their attentiveness. For some, a prolonged direct stare can be intimidating, especially from strangers. They may break eye contact and become submissive, or become defensive and growl. With familiar people making prolonged eye contact, dogs will reciprocate attentively and then wait for what the person wishes them to do next. Making eye contact is therefore a critical part of canine communication and training.

MOTHER’S PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO DOGS MAY BENEFIT KIDS’ HEALTH

In a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, researchers found that children whose mothers had a dog while pregnant (with at least an hour of indoor exposure per day) were significantly less likely to develop eczema as toddlers. Prenatal dog exposure was associated with lower odds of early or persistent eczema in very young children. (MedPage Today, Oct. 31)

(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.)