DEAR DR. FOX: I have been using kratom for pain in my almost 16-year-old shiba inu. Following a bout with vestibular disease, he slipped on a single stair and dislocated his hip. They were unable to put it back into place under light sedation, and an operation was considered very risky in a dog of his age. He was sent home with tramadol and Metacam to keep him comfortable. He was a cranky zombie dog, uninterested in his usual activities, and had liquid stools constantly.

I tried kratom; within hours of the first dose, he seemed a lot happier. I have been using 1/4 teaspoon of red strains of kratom twice a day for about eight months now. He is old and likes his sleep, but with the kratom, he is more like his old self: interested in dog things and engaging with his people, a great appetite and firm, regular stools. I know he is feeling a lot better, and he has nearly all of his mobility back (except stairs).

Also: When he was about 13, he started having seizures at the rate of one or two a month. I tried cannabidiol hemp oil (known as CBD oil) and since starting that, the dog has not had one single seizure. -- D.N., Londonderry, New Hampshire

DEAR D.N.: First, I must stress that a recently published clinical evaluation of the widely prescribed tramadol showed virtually no pain relief for dogs with osteoarthritis, while carprofen was of benefit. I hope that many veterinarians will read your confirmation of the benefits of kratom, as well as CBD from hemp, that you found so effective for your dog’s pain and discomfort. They seem to have significantly improved the quality of his life in old age.

There is increasing interest, also, in extract of dandelion root and thunder god root for a variety of conditions, including some forms of cancer, the latter holding particular promise for inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases.

Readers and veterinarians with experience with these and other potentially beneficial plant-based treatments, from aloe vera to thyme, are welcome to share their findings in my Animal Doctor column.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am wondering if you can help us with our rescue dog, Maggie. She gets all excited when she knows that she is going for a ride -- jumping around and running to the door. The problem starts when we actually get in the car. She gets extremely nervous, panting and whining. What can we do to help her get over this? It’s just so confusing because she really acts like she wants to go! -- Lisa H, Marionville, Missouri

DEAR L.H.: Good for you for adopting a rescue dog. She may have anxiety over confinement in the car and the motion and noise of the vehicle. The first step is to desensitize and habituate her.

Sit in the car with her for 10-15 minutes and give her treats. Put some calming music on the radio, then get out and take her for a walk. Repeat this until she is calmer in the car, then switch on the engine in your driveway and simply sit with the music on, giving her occasional treats, then take a short walk. Do this for another few days. Repeat this same ritual, but drive around a block or two, then come home and sit quietly in the car (with music and treats).

By this time, she should be more accepting of being in the vehicle. You may also improve the situation with a few spritzes of water containing essential oil of lavender, or a with few drops of the concentrate on a cloth in the car and on a bandanna around your dog’s neck.

DOG POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDAL FOR BRAVERY DURING WWII

The U.K. posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal to a German shepherd-husky mix named Chips, who ran into a machine-gun nest, grabbed an Axis soldier by his neck and pulled a weapon from its mount in World War II. Chips also served as a sentry at the Casablanca Conference in 1943, where he met Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. Despite suffering scalp wounds and powder burns in battle, he eventually returned home to the Pleasantville, New York, family that donated his services to the U.S. Army. -- Boston Herald/Associated Press, Jan. 15

(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 have been a forever reader of your newspaper column and all of your books, but my question is of a different nature.

We all heard the hoopla surrounding the Olympic Games in South Korea, but we never heard of anything in the media about how dogs and cats there are tortured -- by being beaten, hanged, electrocuted and boiled alive before being skinned while semi-conscious. I was made aware of this practice on Koreandogs.org, as well as on Youtube and on change.org.

I guess my question is: Why aren’t the Olympians speaking out about the abuse so that the whole world knows about it and protests this barbaric suffering? I haven’t been able to sleep thinking about this horror. These people think that inflicting pain and suffering on the animals brings out the adrenaline and gives the meat more flavor. There is no scientific proof of this, yet it continues unabated.

These Olympians are in a unique position to blow the whistle on the dog meat trade and do some educating for those who are unaware of this horror show. Swedish skier Charlotte Kalla has spoken out, and she has become a hero of sorts to the rescue world. She was totally unaware of the dog meat trade before coming to South Korea.

How can we get more Olympians to speak out to try and save these poor souls and make the suffering stop? -- M.S., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR M.S.: There is no exaggeration about the documented fact that in some Asiatic countries, dogs are traditionally strung up and beaten alive before their throats are cut and they bleed out. This is done to tenderize the meat. Also, cats are skinned alive and thrown into boiling pots. All of this is many degrees worse than the way livestock are handled in the West, where bruising and stress during long-distance transport to slaughter lead to “slimy” pork and “dark cutter” beef.

It is risky to criticize the inhumanity of other cultures without acknowledging those of one’s own. But in this particular instance, with this extreme cruelty often witnessed by children -- who become desensitized and consider such animal abuse as normative -- more vocal outrage by high-profile people such as Olympians would be appropriate. This cross-cultural gathering, after all, should not only feature fair competition (no performance-enhancing drugs!) but also the civilizing ethos of the values and virtues that respect and protect the rights of humans and non-humans alike.

I would give a gold medal to Switzerland, whose government leads the world in considering the welfare of lobsters -- ruling that they cannot be transported live on ice or in icy water, and must be electrically stunned before being put into boiling water for cooking.

DEAR DR. FOX: I’m writing because I’ve noticed a phenomenon with one of my cats that I never thought of before: cats reacting to human pheromones.

There’s a legend about human pheromones that goes something like this: If you want a potential girlfriend to be attracted to you, get one of her father’s T-shirts to wear, and the pheromones on it will do the trick.

Well, I have a young female cat who goes a little bit crazy for catnip -- but when I come home wearing a bandanna, having worked up something of a sweat, this cat goes bonkers over that bandanna! I’m sure the dried perspiration has something to do with it, but I also think she’s in love with my pheromones.

Am I assuming too much? I never gave a lot of credence to pheromones, but this little cat has me believing they can have a strong impact -- she seems to be in seventh heaven. -- T.U., Minneapolis, Minnesota

DEAR T.U.: Your observations are intriguing, and cats are indeed profoundly affected emotionally and behaviorally by various scents. The classic example is one cat coming home from the veterinary hospital and being attacked as though he/she was an invading stranger by formerly friendly fellow resident cats.

When cats must be boarded, I advise people to include the cat’s bed/blanket and also a T-shirt that the owner has worn for a few days prior. I have also advised people who will be on vacation for any length of time, or in prison, to send a well-worn T-shirt or two to help affirm the bond and possibly alleviate separation anxiety (especially for their canine companions).

I would like to hear from other readers about their experiences similar to yours, concerning how their animals react to various body odors/pheromones. The most amusing one is the cat urinating on the clothes or shoes of a visitor or boyfriend staying for the night.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (Feb. 20) -- Dozens of dogs destined to be eaten have been saved from the butcher’s knife by In Defense of Animals and Jindo Love. 47 puppies and dogs were among the survivors rescued from horrific conditions in slaughterhouses and backyard dog-meat farms across South Korea. The American-Korean partnership aims to save 200 dogs this year from the dog-meat trade in South Korea, and is calling for an outright ban on dog meat.

(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.)

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.)