DEAR DR. FOX: After my husband passed away, our dog was very depressed for several days. She had no interest in her food or regular walks. Knowing from your books how animals can grieve, I gave her extra TLC; after about three weeks, she got back to her regular routines, but it is like a spark has gone out of her.

What really stood out, though, was her behavior around the time my husband died. A bit before the hospital called to tell me his heart had failed (after a long illness), Sophie became very restless. She whined and kept running to the door and crying, and then came to lie down next to me. It was like she knew that my husband had died.

Just wanted you to know that dogs seem to know things we don’t. -- J.M., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR J.M.: My condolences to you and your family. Many, but not all, animals grieve after the passing of a family member with whom they were close, be it a human or another animal. I would like to hear from other readers about how their animals reacted after such a sad event: what behaviors they showed, how long they were in mourning and what helped them recover.

I am especially interested in animals seeming to sense when a loved one has died, sustained a severe injury or been hospitalized. I have summarized some of these instances of “remote sensing” or empathic connectedness on my website under the article title “The Emapthosphere: Animal Prescience, Remote Sensing and Life After Life.”

I would welcome hearing about similar events from readers whose animals may have shown such awareness around the time of death of someone they knew, but who passed away outside their homes.

2018: THE YEAR OF THE DOG

From the Chinese Zodiac (thechinesezodiac.org):

“According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2018 is the year of the Dog, and its characteristic word is ACTION! Chinese New Year in 2018 is on Friday, Feb. 16. ... In Chinese astrology, each zodiac year (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) is not just associated with an animal sign, but also one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire and Earth. The year of 2018 meets the element of Earth, so 2018 is an Earth Dog Year.

“The Chinese Horoscope 2018 predicts that this year of the Brown Earth Dog is going to be a good year in all respects, but it will also be an exhausting year. You will be happy, yet frustrated; rested, yet tired; cheerful, yet dull! Is this going to be a beneficial year for Donald Trump? Or will the Dog Year be an unlucky year for (the rare) American president who has no dog?”

Dr. Fox here: For my part, I would not put dogs in the hands of those people who evidently lack the best qualities of dogs -- the qualities that make them honest, empathetic and trustworthy companions, faithful to the end, and who reflect and inspire our humanity.

(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, too, detest it when I see a person walking their dog, only to drag the poor thing along as it tries to do its business or just sniff at stuff. That’s what they do! It’s supposed to be their special time. If you’re not planning on letting your pet enjoy their walk, take your own quick walk and then give the poor pooches an enjoyable walk later!

I agree that the current popularity of creating smaller, “munchkin” breeds is so very detrimental. I say no to docking, ear trimming and nail removal. Leave them the way God intended and just love them the way they are! -- G.M.E., West Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR G.M.E.: Your observations and opinions are unequivocally correct, but many people find reasons and excuses for doing what they do to the dogs (and other animals) they “own.” Indeed, animals are just a heartbeat away from being objects of property -- mere commodities in the eyes of many, including the law.

It is notable that in the U.K., there was much hoopla recently over animals being recognized, under the animal welfare/protection regulations, as “sentient beings.” Until the continuing discord and pervasive disconnectedness between most humans and other animals -- and between “civilization” and the natural world -- are supplanted by justice and respect for all life, this dark age of inhumanity will persist.

Those who contend that God created animals for man’s use surely made God in their own image. St. Francis of Assisi was one who saw animals as manifestations of divinity, of God’s creation for us to cherish and hallow.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am a huge fan and enjoy reading your syndicated column. In January 2015, I adopted a 7-year-old cat with a host of problems, including inflammatory bowel syndrome. I read your columns and concluded that the best thing for me would be to gradually wean her off the junk food she had been fed, and make my own food for her.

So, now I make and feed her a soup with organic, non-GMO ground turkey, turmeric powder and coconut oil. I also give her a powder of ground flaxseed, psyllium seed, slippery elm and marshmallow root and that is very effective in controlling the smelly, soft stools that she was plagued with.

What should I add to her food to keep her in good health for many years to come? Her energy levels are much lower than a 9-year-old cat should have. -- V.A., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR V.A.: Stop the turmeric and coconut oil. The turmeric may aggravate the inflammation and coconut oil makes for loose stools.

Your cat needs good-quality probiotics (human-grade, over the counter) and a few drops of anti-inflammatory fish oil in each meal. A canned sardine (in water) per day can be highly beneficial. The flaxseed meal is of little nutritional value to cats and, along with psyllium husks, may cause further inflammation. Try my home-prepared cat food recipe or one of Honest Kitchen’s grain-free, freeze-dried cat foods.

Also, put a few drops of aloe vera liquid (oral, human preparation) in each of your cat’s meals, and increase that up to a half-teaspoon for five to seven days to help soothe and heal the intestinal wall and provide a prebiotic support for probiotic bacteria.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regularly. We are concerned about our 6-year-old rescue cat, Mia. She has sneezing episodes from time to time that worry us. Most times, the thick mucus she expels is light yellowish to brownish, but at times, it is bloody. A couple days ago it was bloody, and about half the size of my pinkie finger. Sometimes she just has a clear, drippy nose, and at other times, it’s normal.

There doesn’t seem to be anything noticeable that triggers the episodes. I wonder if they are due to her exposure to smoke from the house fire we had almost five years ago; the episodes started a couple of years after we moved back home after the rebuild.

Is there anything we can do, or should do, for her? She is a very loving girl ... we want her to be well, and she appears to be in every other way. -- K.H., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR K.H.: I doubt that the smoke from the house fire was the cause of this condition. Respiratory virus infections, common in kittenhood and especially in shelter situations, can lead to chronic secondary bacterial infections, especially in the sinuses. When the cat is stressed, or even just during changes in seasons, there can be a flare-up of sinusitis. But a chronic, persistent herpes or feline immunodeficiency virus infection could be involved, along with secondary bacterial infection -- meaning lots of pus and mucus. And in some cases of sinusitis, there are dental problems, where an infected tooth root and bone erosion can actually track infection into one of the sinuses.

So I advise a full veterinary wellness examination. This is a drain on your cat’s immune system and overall health and resilience.

(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 14-year-old toy poodle, Charlie, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and a gallbladder mucocele (cyst).

The doctor prescribed Vetoryl and Denamarin. Within a few months, the poor boy was listless, he resisted holding and petting, and he looked at us with vacant eyes. It was pitiful!

My personal physician suggested treating him with hemp oil for canines. We started him on the recommended dosage, and within a week, he was a changed pup. He began to interact again, enjoy his walks and his eyes were sharp.

He was fine for more than four months, after which his gall bladder gave out. I am by no means suggesting this is a cure, but it certainly did make him more comfortable during those last months. -- P.P., Naples, Florida

DEAR P.P.: More veterinarians are using medicinal components of cannabis/marijuana to help alleviate chronic, painful conditions in companion animals. I am glad that your human doctor urged you to try this on your dog -- not as a cure, but to improve his quality of life.

Another natural herbal product, kratom, is gaining recognition as providing similar benefits for animals, especially those suffering from painful arthritic and spinal conditions, and other debilitating conditions like cancer. I would like to hear from readers who have had personal experience with some of the available strains of this herb, on themselves and on their animals, and especially from veterinarians. Kratom seems to be a safer alternative to conventional analgesics for humans and nonhumans alike. For details, visit speciosa.org and read Paul Kemp’s article, “Kratom Use by Pets: Anecdotal Reports by Pet Lovers.”

Clinical trials by veterinarians and veterinary college hospitals on this particular herb are called for, even though the federal government sought to take it off the market recently -- probably under pressure from the big drug companies now under investigation for flooding the country with highly addictive synthetic opiates.

DEAR DR. FOX: I’m wondering what you would substitute for grains in your home-prepared food, since my dogs are grain-free. -- L.S., Silver Spring, Maryland

DEAR L.S.: A “grain-free” diet is not mandatory for all dogs. Specifically, it is for certain breeds and individual dogs who may get inflammatory and other bowel problems, allergies, pancreatic enzyme deficiency and even epilepsy, and whose maladies improve on grain-free (and GMO-free) diets.

A small amount of grains are good for most dogs, but all things in moderation. It is the excess in cheap dog (and cat) foods that have made many animals ill over the years. The pet food industry, which has always flatly denied any connection with its products and pet illnesses, is now widely touting grain-free dog foods.

Such grains as amaranth, quinoa and chia, ideally organically certified, are good for most dogs, especially those with possible gluten-related digestive and other health problems.

For details, see my book “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Foods” that I co-authored with two other experienced veterinarians.

(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.)