From WJLA in Washington, D.C.:

“Retailers pulled at least 31 varieties of dog food off the shelves nationwide after a months-long investigation found the euthanasia drug, pentobarbital.

“After releasing the results of lab tests that identified the drug, the FDA launched an investigation. Days later, Smucker’s, the owner of almost all the brands in question, announced a voluntary withdrawal. It includes products in the Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘N Bits, Skippy and Ol’ Roy lines of canned food.” -- WJLA.com, Feb. 14

While concentrations of pentobarbital high enough to kill a dog were not found, the question is: How did ANY amounts of this drug get into any major pet food manufacturer’s formulation? The most probable sources are euthanized cats, dogs and horses, meaning that the pentobarbital-contaminated body parts of these animals were rendered into an unsafe and undeclared ingredient of many pet foods.

DEAR DR. FOX: I’m responding to your “top pet peeves” with a few of my own.

-- Like you, the litter box non-scooping has to top my list. I know people like that. A sister who used to have four cats and one litter box would scoop it once a week, maybe. Two of the cats were put down for peeing in the house. Sickening.

-- Farm “cat factories.” A few of my cats were the only lucky survivors from a couple of bad ones. At one place, they drowned them all. I grabbed one kitten and I stayed up all night with her. It was a long road and she had to be quarantined for a while, but Sweet Pea is almost 15 years old now.

-- Leaving dogs in crates and making them hold their pee for 10 or more hours.

-- People who refuse or “can’t afford” to get their cats fixed. I could go on and on about that subject.

-- My state (North Dakota) has some of the weakest laws concerning animal abuse and neglect. It has also had its beautiful West devastated by oil companies. A large majority of North Dakota voters elected the current president, who is busy destroying all of our environmental progress.

On another note, I’ve finally found a vet I trust, after having issues with previous vets. My cat Stubbie was severely bitten by a coyote. The first clinic stitched him up while his wound was full of infection. The emergency Fargo clinic did the same ($2,500 so far). Then my current vet simply used raw honey and left the wound open. It healed in three months. My vet is the best! -- J.Z., Buffalo, North Dakota

DEAR J.Z.: I hope that many readers with cats will take careful note of your “pet peeves.”

Yes, coyotes will kill and eat small dogs and cats, and sometimes severely injure those able to escape. We humans have enabled coyotes to proliferate across much of the U.S., and attempts to cull them actually help increase their numbers. (See projectcoyote.org for more.) So we must learn to cohabit with them, and not provide them with food by allowing them to access garbage and freely roaming pets.

I have heard much about the environmental devastation in your state, and others subjected to virtually unregulated drilling and fracking. Those led by greed choose to deny any connection between long-term human health, security and world peace with planetary CPR: conservation, protection and restoration.

I am glad that you have found a local veterinarian who has adopted some holistic treatments and natural remedies. Honey is one gift from the animal kingdom, like aloe vera from the plant kingdom. The healing powers of such natural products should move us all to respect and cherish what Earth’s creation can offer us. Those who harm the Earth ultimately harm themselves and generations to come, and those who justify violating the rights and well-being of other animals, as history informs, will do no less to humans in the name of profit and necessity.

(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: You asked about dogs knowing their owners have died. This is my story.

My husband had a bad stroke, and the determination was made to let him go. So, he went to hospice in a hospital near our home.

Our dog, Reppi, a poodle Havanese mix, was allowed to come to hospice with me each day. Reppi would lie at the bottom of the bed. When my husband -- who seemed to be in an unreachable place, mentally -- would put his hand out, the dog would come and lie either between his legs or at his side, and my husband would pet him. Eventually, Reppi would return to the foot of the bed and remain there.

Nurses and aides would come and go, but Reppi knew which ones were kind and tender and which ones weren’t. The kind ones were allowed to care for my husband -- anything from turning his position in bed, changing the IV fluids, changing his pajamas -- but with others, he would growl and sit up on guard the minute they opened the door. Then I would have to remove him from the room so the work could be done.

After 11 days of this, my husband stopped breathing. He was gone. The dog, after the last breath, got off the bed, went to the door and sat, waiting for me to take him home. He knew. Neither he nor I have been the same since, which has been three years minus one week.

The other night I decided to brush Reppi, which hadn’t been done since my husband had his stroke. It had been an evening routine: My husband would sit at a certain spot on the couch with a treat in his pocket, put a towel over his legs, and brush the dog. Reppi would jump off after being brushed, always in the same way, and wait impatiently for the treat. I decided to try the same thing: I put the towel over my legs, sitting in the same spot with the treat in same pocket, and held the brush. Without missing a beat, Reppi jumped on my lap, tolerated the brushing, jumped down and went to the same pocket, waiting for the treat to appear. This was three years later.

They know and remember. Be good to your dog; they are your best friend, always. -- L.A., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

DEAR L.A.: Many thanks for your touching account of your good dog, Reppi, who was so attuned to your husband and to his caregivers’ levels of kindness.

Dogs can be good judges of human character and intentions, and can indeed help those in a semi-coma state reach out and connect. All hospices should allow companion animals to visit, as should hospitals -- especially for children -- because of the healing power of love that dogs, in particular, can provide.

Reppi’s demonstration of memory, remembering the ritual shared with your deceased husband, is instructive: Keeping up such bonding routines with companion animals, after the caregiver has died or gone away, may be beneficial in many ways. Nonhuman animals do grieve, as David Alderton has shown in his book “Animal Grief: How Animals Mourn.”

ANIMAL ABUSER AND SCHOOL KILLER

A statement from Stephanie Bell, senior director of cruelty casework at PETA, in response to reports that the suspected gunman in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting previously used animals as target practice:

“It is no surprise to PETA that before he allegedly massacred 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida, Nikolas Cruz is said to have talked about shooting small animals, including lizards, squirrels, frogs, and a neighbor’s chickens, and reportedly sent his dog to a neighbor’s house to attack the pigs there. The FBI has identified cruelty to animals as a warning sign of more violence to come, and many school shooters and serial killers have a history of abusing animals. While the issues of gun control and mental health rage on, one simple way to prevent future acts of violence is for local law-enforcement officials to pursue the strongest penalties possible in cruelty-to-animals cases -- for everyone’s sake -- and for those who hear about or witness animal abuse to report it.”

Regrettably, using animals “as target practice” is the norm across America. We need to identify and rectify those factors in society today that can create such nihilistic psychopathology, and address all epigenetic and cultural triggers of violence for the good of all.

(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 READERS: An Alabama court recently ruled that Nosey the elephant can remain at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, rather than being returned to her former owner. Here is a statement from the president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, Steven Wise, on the verdict:

“We are thrilled Nosey will finally have the chance to rediscover her autonomy at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Like Beulah, Karen and Minnie, our elephant clients in Connecticut, she has spent most of her life being forced to perform in circuses, fairs and other forms of human entertainment without the ability to choose how to live her life. May Nosey’s story energize all elephant advocates even further, to demand what, as a matter of justice, equity and scientific fact, these extraordinary beings are long overdue: recognition of their legal personhood and fundamental right to bodily liberty.

“Congratulations and our thanks to all the individuals and organizations that tirelessly worked for this outcome -- true sanctuary for Nosey -- over a period of many years.”

ABOUT THE NONHUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT

Founded in 1996 by attorney Steven M. Wise, the Nonhuman Rights Project works to secure legally recognized fundamental rights for nonhuman animals through litigation, advocacy and education.

Their mission is to change the legal status of at least some nonhuman animals from mere “things,” which lack the capacity to possess any legal right, to “persons,” who possess such fundamental rights as bodily integrity and liberty.

Current plaintiffs are members of species of great apes, elephants, dolphins and whales. The team works with attorneys on four continents, developing campaigns to achieve rights for nonhuman animals that are suited to the legal systems of these countries. The group filed its first cases in December 2013, and its work is the subject of the 2016 HBO documentary “Unlocking the Cage.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I read an “Ask The Vet” article with great interest about using a soft carrier, as we have experienced the same problem traveling with our cat. It would be great if we could make our cat comfortable on road trips (ranging from two to eight hours).

When on a long drive, how do you know when the cat has to relieve itself? And what actions do you take? -- C.F., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR C.F.: Good question. On a long ride with a cat, it is difficult to know, without feeling the cat’s abdomen to gauge how full the bladder is.

The best rule of thumb is to feed the cat only a small meal before a journey scheduled to last four hours or more. Allow no water beforehand, and put the cat in the litter box at home to evacuate before departure. For longer journeys, I have found cats will evacuate in their litter boxes during a rest stop, when set next to them inside the vehicle. With easily spooked cats who might accidentally get out of the vehicle during stops, make sure they’re always wearing a collar and ID tag. Ideally, they should also be microchipped.

BOOK REVIEW: “The Guide To Humane Critter Control: Natural, Nontoxic Pest Solutions To Protect Your Yard And Garden” by Theresa Rooney

This informative, sensible, practical and compassionate book should be read by all gardeners and every home- and property-owner, and garden supply centers should have a stack for sale. This beautifully illustrated, 143-page book will inspire generations to find ways to live in greater harmony with wild creatures from wasps and aphids to moles and rabbits.

The author is a self-taught Master Gardener and has turned her small urban yard into a Certified National Wildlife Habitat and home to an increasing number of critters. She has written articles for Minnesota Gardener Magazine, and teaches gardening classes.

Regardless of the vernacular, if not demeaning, use of the word “critter” -- which might actually be a draw for those who still wage war against fellow creatures -- I give this book a “Two Green Thumbs Up” salute! This kind of book reminds us that we are not apart from the land; the land is part of us -- just as the Earth does not belong to us, but rather we belong to the Earth.

(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.)