DEAR DR. FOX: I just read about the grandfather whose husky rescue, in the family home, began to bark at him after being in the household three months. Although I suspect you are correct with a PTSD diagnosis, I wonder if something could have changed in the gentleman’s health. Our Labrador retriever became very worried just before my husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Hank is an elderly dog now, but eight years ago, he was an exuberant, rowdy clown. For the period shortly before my husband’s diagnosis, however, Hank was subdued, depressed, restless and worried. He did not bark at my husband, as the dog in your column did. He seemed to be looking to us for assurance. Labradors can have an exceptional sense of smell, and I thought perhaps my husband just didn’t smell right to Hank.

My husband did survive, and is now eight years past cancer surgery and doing well. -- N.J.S., Applegate, Oregon

DEAR N.J.S.: Your letter is very much appreciated. In my opinion, any behavioral change in a dog toward one family member, whose attitude and relationship with the dog have not changed, calls for close attention.

A first step would be to have a veterinarian rule out any underlying medical problem in the dog. Then have the person the dog seems so concerned about consult with a physician. Dogs have a highly evolved sense of smell, and some can detect early changes in body chemistry and scent, which can be associated with a variety of health problems.

My wife and I recently joined the millions of others who have been infected with this year’s particularly debilitating influenza virus. Our part-Australian heeler rescue, Kota, stays close to us all the time in bed, keeping a watchful eye on us as we groan and cough, and herding us back to lie down after we’ve gotten up. The empathy of dogs is legendary indeed, and they are certainly blessings in our lives.

SAFER CHEWS FOR DOGS

News item: Hunters say dog chew trend invites antler thefts

The growing popularity of antlers as chew snacks for dogs has fueled a brisk market, but has also led to reported thievery. Police don’t have precise figures, but hunters in Anchorage, Alaska, say they suspect criminals are swiping souvenirs for resale to pet owners seeking the nutritious product. -- Alaska Public Media, Jan. 4

This news item reminds me to advise dog owners not to give such hard materials to their dogs to chew on, because the harder the material, the more likely a dog will crack or fracture a tooth. This is a painful and costly consequence. Avoid all the smoked and otherwise treated animal parts in pet stores that could be loaded with potentially harmful bacteria. Only buy dog chews that do not feel rock-hard and that are clearly manufactured in the U.S., such as rawhide strips, freeze-dried chicken strips for small dogs and PetzLife’s Complete Treats.

Dogs do love to chew bones, but monitor them closely. Try a raw beef shank bone, scalded or microwaved for two minutes to sanitize, and allow your dog to chew on it for only five to 10 minutes a day. Otherwise, there could be excessive tooth wear and damage. This is the only animal bone I recommend, since other kinds could splinter and cause internal damage -- even more so when cooked, poultry and pork ribs in particular.

Our dog enjoys chewing and stripping broken branches from our linden trees, but again, one must monitor such activities. I advise against dogs chasing and catching thrown sticks that could become impaled in their throats; rubber toys and Frisbees are safer.

(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: It’s common knowledge to anyone who has had a pet dog that they dream just like we humans do. They’ll be asleep on the floor, with their legs twitching and their mouths moving as if barking.

But I’ve never witnessed this in any pet cats that I’ve had. Do cats dream? I hope you can enlighten me. -- E.J.S., Dover Plains, New York

DEAR E.J.S.: Your question comes up on occasion in my column. Cats do indeed dream, entering the same rapid eye movement (REM) stage as humans and other animals. They exhibit the same low-amplitude, fast-frequency electrical brain activity seen in humans who, when awakened at that time, usually recall having been dreaming. Some people claim to never have dreams, good or bad, most probably because they never wake up in the middle of (or just after) a REM episode.

My wife, Deanna Krantz, and I can attest to the fact that cats and dogs do probably have the equivalent of nightmares. Regarding our recently rescued dogs, we would often hear them yelping and even howling terribly in their sleep, no doubt reliving past traumatic events. The same was true for one of our cats, whom we rescued as a survivor of several Minnesota winters. For his first two years with us, he would cry out in his sleep on many nights, and we would gently comfort him. This particular cat would “talk” for some time before going to sleep curled beside Deanna’s head and emit an extraordinary range of sounds, from coos and purrs to sighs and whispers.

One note: Always be cautious awakening any animal having a nightmare because the initial arousal reaction could be to bite or scratch out of terror.

Another rescued cat, who was semi-starved when we trapped him in midwinter, will do very tiny paw, ear and whisker twitches and flutters in his sleep, and sometimes make sucking sounds and knead with his paws as though nursing.

But cats generally show less physical activity than dogs when they are dreaming. They seem to have a different sleep pattern from dogs, enjoying frequent “cat naps,” from which they can awaken immediately, whereas awakening from a deeper dreaming state can be associated with an initial disorientation until full wakefulness is regained.

In general, let sleeping dogs and cats lie. And observe closely, especially when the old arthritic dog is woofing and wagging his tail and running like a puppy in his dreams, and the old cat is twitching his whiskers and flicking his tail at mice to catch.

DEAR DR. FOX: There is an internet controversy about whether or cats are allergic to essential oils diffused into the air. Can you please give me a factual answer? -- M.A.P., Washington, D.C.

DEAR M.A.P.: I have been a longtime user and advocate of essential oils for humans and other animals, with caution for cats because they lack an enzyme in the liver to detoxify some elements of the oils.

Generally, water-based extracts called hydrosols are considered safer than the concentrated oils for cats. But in small amounts and under veterinary supervision, oils are safe and effective for some oral diseases and for respiratory conditions, provided they are given via an aerosol evaporative diffuser. Allergic reactions to any biologically active substance is possible for any species, so the precautionary principle should be applied.

In the February/March 2018 edition of Animal Wellness Magazine, veterinarian Dr. Melissa Shelton helps dispel the widely held view that essential oils should never be used on cats in her article “Cats & Essential Oils: Unraveling the Controversy.” She asserts that the oils must be based on formulas created, tested and clinically evaluated by a veterinarian, because many on the market contain contaminants and adulterants that could be harmful to cats. She offers the website animalEO.info as one informative resource.

Hopefully, more studies will be conducted on these lifesaving and health-improving botanical products -- gifts indeed from the plant kingdom, which has yet to receive the respect and gratitude of our species.

ORANGUTAN OBSERVED SELF-MEDICATING

Researchers filmed an orangutan in Borneo’s Sabangau Forest chewing Dracaena cantleyi leaves, then rubbing the resulting lather on her body to ease joint and muscle inflammation. Indigenous people use the plant for the same purpose, and a chemical analysis showed that extracts from the leaves inhibit inflammatory cytokines. -- The Independent, Jan. 12

(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: We have a small part-Chihuahua dog, age 7, and she loves to have sips of my husband’s home-brewed beer.

The other day she licked up some Diet Coke I accidentally spilled, and really liked it. Now she wants to drink some when I sit down with my husband, and I have my pop and he has his beer. She is not interested in the beer anymore. I know dogs like sweet things, and there’s no alcohol in the pop. Is that OK? Like me, she’s a bit overweight. -- H.W., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR H.W.: Part of living with a dog is sharing treats, but ideally they should only be given as a reward for training purposes, and as a daily ritual (as we do with our dog when we come back from a walk). Once you start sharing while you are eating and drinking, you’ll have a dog who will always be pestering you and will be quite likely to get overweight with treat after treat.

I see nothing wrong giving your dog a teaspoon or so of beer when you and your husband are sitting back and having drinks together, but give it to her in her own saucer.

As for the soda: The sugar substitute aspartame, found in many diet sodas (check the ingredients in yours), is classified as a neuro-excitant. This excitotoxin is a brain nerve stimulant that may have addictive qualities for people. It can affect behavior, mood, sleep and judgment, and can increase appetite and impair metabolism, aggravating obesity and diabetes when consumed in significant daily amounts -- certain public officials being no exception.

My late mother-in-law, who had diabetes but craved sweets, used to put aspartame on much of what she ate, including tomatoes. She once phoned me to say that she felt she like was having seizures when she went to bed, and her doctor could not give her a reason. Knowing about her diet soda and artificial sweetener addictions, I advised her to switch to the herbal product Stevia. She immediately followed my advice, and her distressing neurological symptoms never recurred.

Aspartame was approved by the U.S. government (under protest from one expert panelist on the review board whom I knew well) as a safe substitute for saccharine, and is now in many manufactured foods and beverages, the absurdity of which borders on the insane.

Bake your own dog cookies as per the recipe on my website, drfoxvet.net, or get a good brand made only in the U.S. or Canada. The new freeze-dried meats are excellent options. All things in moderation. Many snack foods for humans are loaded with salt, sugar and other addictive flavorings, contributing to the obesity epidemic along with high-fructose sodas. Xylitol, found in candy, many diet cookies and other snacks, is poisonous for dogs.

OBESITY BIG ISSUE IN TODAY’S PETS

Twenty percent of the more than 1.4 million claims filed in 2016 with pet insurance carrier Nationwide involved conditions related to obesity, totaling more than $62 million in veterinary care. Obesity-related claims included care for arthritis, diabetes, bladder and urinary tract disease, liver disease and chronic kidney disease. -- San Jose Mercury News, Jan. 12

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column in our local paper religiously. I am incredulous that you would defend the likes of pit bulls, who frequently kill their owners and others for little or no reason. I have never heard of a dog like a shih tzu guilty of such behavior. I would be very pleased if you would explain your position and defense of such behavior. -- J.G., Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR J.G.: Many of those reports of “killer” pit bulls are generally more a reflection of who raised and cared for these dogs, and how they were socialized and trained, rather than on the particular breed or mixed variety thereof. Animal shelters and local humane societies have a tremendous public responsibility in this regard, but it would be ethically unacceptable to disallow the adoption of, and instead euthanize, dogs who are assessed behaviorally, socialized, and found to have stable temperaments.

The crux of the matter is deciding to whom such dogs should be adopted out. But without adequate staff to do home checks and unannounced visits, killing them humanely is a regrettable but understandable solution -- especially considering demographic realities in some areas, where these dogs are deployed for protection and for illegal dogfighting events.

All of this I see as a sad reflection of the dystopia of modern day “civilization,” and it is tragic that some dogs are being blamed. Basically, these dogs are a product and consequence of violent families and communities across the U.S., and their unconditional persecution and execution is no solution.

(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.)