DEAR DR. FOX: I read your advice regarding the rescued 3-year-old German shepherd with a traumatic prior life. I’m dealing with some issues also related to a prior owner, although we inherited those issues at only 8 weeks old.

Our Rottweiler mix is very loyal and friendly to our immediate and extended family, and has no real health issues. But there have been times when she sees someone she doesn’t know and goes berserk, and in some cases it’s caused her to bite. She cannot be trusted with other dogs and sometimes with other people.

Sometimes she’ll be with other dogs in an open play area, and when they run from her, instead of playing, she’ll run them down and start a fight. Or if another dog nearby is feisty (such as many small terriers), she’ll retaliate. Occasionally she’s overly protective of her area, and won’t let another dog pass without her “body checking” them.

We have also had incidents where she has growled or bitten a person who is too close, thinking she’s being protective. So we’ve resorted to keeping her carefully under control and not letting her socialize -- very frustrating, but necessary.

She’s only 5, is big and a great athlete and companion, but a handful! Giving her away isn’t an option. -- P.M., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR P.M.: From my early research into dog brain and behavior development, I would say your dog’s behavioral issue is more likely to be genetic than associated with some environmental/experiential trauma. I say this because you first got the dog at the early age of 8 weeks, which is in the middle of the socialization period.

This is not so much a nature-versus-nurture argument, but rather an illustration of how an innate predisposition to certain behavior becomes self-reinforcing if not nipped in the bud at an early age.

I doubt very much that your dog has PTSD, since she was adopted during the best age for developing a close bond with humans, and I am sure you never abused her. However, one of my research studies showed that there is a sensitive period around that age at which pups will learn to avoid human contact if it is associated with discomfort rather than reward. This is why I have advised avoiding stress and any kind of physical or psychological trauma to pups at this age in particular, especially long-distance transportation and ear cropping (the latter of which should be prohibited).

I have visited with experienced Rottweiler rescue people, and have seen dogs like yours: difficult to train not to be protective, and often aggressive when restrained. Your task will be a combination of changing the dog’s cognitive processing, and of altering her virtually automatic aggressive response -- whether defensive or offensive -- in certain situations.

This is worth trying, provided you can accomplish the first step: having your dog sit and stay on command, at all times and in all situations. Until that time, you need to treat your dog responsibly as a potentially dangerous animal, while giving her all the love and security she needs, along with consistent daily training sessions to develop internal inhibition/self-control.

Feeding her more turkey meat -- rich in tryptophan, a precursor of brain serotonin -- to see if that changes her disposition, is worth a try, along with tryptophan supplements or another precursor of serotonin, L-theanine. This can be found in PetzLife’s dog-calming natural herbal product. A trial prescription of Prozac to elevate brain serotonin may be worth discussing with your veterinarian.

PET FOOD AND PRODUCTS SALES UP

Research firm Euromonitor found that sales of pet foods expanded at three times the pace of packaged human foods last year. Americans spent nearly $70 billion on pet products in 2017, up from $55.7 billion in 2013, according to the American Pet Products Association. -- CNBC, Feb. 23

(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: After reading a cover story in Variety magazine that singer Barbra Streisand has had one of her dogs cloned, I wondered how sentimentality and unbridled consumerism in this brave new world of genetic engineering have blindsided our ethical sensibility, as well as our ability to consider the consequences of our actions and consumer choices.

Of Streisand’s three Coton de Tulear dogs, two were cloned from cells taken from the mouth and stomach of her beloved 14-year-old dog Samantha, who died in 2017. The third dog is Samantha’s distant cousin. “They have different personalities,” Streisand says. “I’m waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her brown eyes and her seriousness.”

In an excellent follow-up article in Time magazine, Sarah Gray reports that the Texas-based company ViaGen has cloned “over a hundred” dogs and cats and is the only U.S. company performing pet cloning. The price is $50,000 to clone a dog and $25,000 to clone a cat. Pet owners can also choose “genetic preservation,” a process that stores tissue biopsies in case they want to clone the pet down the road. That option costs $1,600.

There are those who might consider spending such money on having one or more “replicas” made of a pet, rather than adopting a homeless animal, donating to a legitimate animal-protection organization or improving local animal shelter services. But they should know that clones are not identical Xerox copies. Epigenetic factors play a powerful role in development and temperament. There is no guarantee, therefore, that their personalities will be anything like the original animal’s.

Prospective cloned-pet owners should also know that kennels of dogs are kept for this purpose as a source of eggs, hormonally forced to come into heat, while others serve as surrogate mothers for the implanted clone-cell-containing eggs, many of which fail to develop normally. So many dogs are needed for this ethically questionable business enterprise; the whole situation only exploits our relationships with companion animals, rather than improving their well-being.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just read your article on mourning pets and wanted to share my story.

My dog died about two years ago. My cat, who was raised with him since a kitten, went into such mourning that I thought she was going to die. She would sit in a large walk-in closet that the dog would sleep in a lot, and meow in such a loud, sad way. She didn’t eat much, lost weight and has never really been the same.

Also, my parents had a parakeet that was never caged, and slept on a perch next to my father’s bed. My father was bedridden for a month before his death, and the bird never left his side. The bird could talk very well and even sounded like my father. The bird died the day after my father passed. -- J.L.F., Lake Worth, Florida

DEAR J.L.F.: Thanks for confirming that cats can, indeed, suffer from grief and go through a long mourning process -- from which some never fully recover -- after the trauma of losing a close companion. When we forget or deny such animal sentience (their capacity to suffer and experience a range of emotions shared by us), we are really disconnected from a dimension of reality that can lead to animal neglect and abuse.

I am touched by the death of your father’s uncaged parakeet the day after he died, and by the bird’s long vigil at his bedside. Animals can die suddenly from a broken heart, instances being documented over centuries, from elephants to horses. And certainly many species have been shown to develop depression with the loss of a loved one, which can put their health at risk. We have doubted for too long how other animals think and feel. It is better to give them the benefit of the doubt, rather than descend into the disconnected realm of inhumanity toward them -- and even toward our own kind -- for lack of respect and empathy.

MORE ON ASIAN DOG-MEAT TRADE

Olympian Gus Kenworthy, who competed for the U.S. in slopestyle skiing during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, might not have won a medal, but he didn’t leave Korea empty-handed. After his competition, Kenworthy and his partner, Matt Wilkas, decided to visit a Korean dog-meat farm, seizing the opportunity to raise awareness for the dog-meat trade and inspire others to help dogs in need. The meaningful visit also resulted in a new little member of their household.

The Olympian documented the “heart-wrenching visit” on Instagram, emphasizing that there are around 17,000 dog farms in South Korea and 2.5 million dogs are being raised for food “in some of the most disturbing conditions imaginable” across the country. Other Asian countries with dog farms for the meat trade include Indonesia, China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Thankfully, the farm visited by Kenworthy and Wilkas is now being permanently shut down, thanks to Humane Society International and the cooperation of the farmer. All of the 90 dogs kept on the farm will be brought to the U.S. and Canada, where they will finally have a chance at a decent life. One of those dogs, a female puppy that Kenworthy named Beemo, is coming to live with the skier after her vaccinations are complete.

(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 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.)