DEAR READERS: I watched the Westminster dog show on TV, alternately admiring and weeping for the various descendants of wolves and dogs in their selectively mutated, purebred forms. Some were beautiful, graceful and extraordinary in body and mind. Others were handicapped by extreme breeding for sloping quarters or flat faces, the latter being called brachycephalics (“brachys” for short).

A brachy -- a pug called Biggie -- won the Toy Group category, regrettably enhancing the breed’s public appeal and demand. Biggie’s handler said, laughing, “They sleep with you and snore.”

Such snoring is no laughing matter: It is a sign of partial asphyxiation, so-called obstructive airway syndrome, for which corrective surgery may be needed. It is cruel and unnecessary to breed dogs with extreme genetic deformities, especially the pushed-in faces of bulldogs (including the increasingly popular French bulldogs), pugs, Pekingese, Boston terriers and boxers. All are prone to chronic respiratory and eye problems, often compounded by spinal, ear, dental and joint problems -- along with not-unexpected heart disease.

So have a heart, and don’t ever buy such a human-compromised sentient being (adopt one, though, by all means). And breeders: Get it together! These loving souls should not be born with the burden of such human-selected genetic abnormalities. Hopefully, commercial breeders and the breed clubs, along with the AKC, will address these animal welfare concerns and work to eliminate these problems by changing breed standards.

The only good news in this regard is that in the U.K. and New Zealand, veterinary organizations and animal welfare groups are reaching out to inform the public about these breed-related health problems. These issues are costly, and can mean a life of suffering for the dogs -- unable to really play, run and sleep well.

The overseas groups are also discouraging advertisers from using such dogs in their ads. I see pugs, bulldogs and Boston terriers almost every night in TV advertisements and various shows. It must stop, like wearing furs in public did. Displaying one’s insensitivity to cruel animal exploitation is nuts.

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently wrote to you about our cat Sasha, who had taught herself to urinate on the toilet. I believe I have an explanation, and it may be even more interesting than the fact that she taught herself.

The past two days, this cat has sat on my lap for hours, simply purring and staring at me. Every so often, she sits up and taps my shoulder with her paw, then lies back down. This told me something else was going on, since this cat has never sat on my lap, ever (and she’ll be 9 years old in July).

Last night, I heard her using the toilet, and when I went to flush, I noticed there was blood in the bowl. I took her to the vet today and they found blood in her urine, and an X-ray revealed a large bladder stone. The vet wants to do a laparoscopic cystotomy, since he feels the stone is too large to break up with any special diet. This cat has always been fed a diet of Primal Raw freeze-dried nuggets (rehydrated), drinks plenty of water and has never been outside.

Previously, I was amazed that Sasha taught herself to use the toilet. Now I wonder if she was smart enough to do that so that I would notice something was wrong with her, since I would not have seen blood in her urine within her litter box. She seemed to have no other symptoms. -- G.S., Brandon, Vermont

DEAR G.S.: Since your cat only recently started to evacuate in your toilet, I would consider that happened because she associated pain with being in the litter box, leading to aversion.

This happens with many cats who have painful lower urinary tract problems, and usually they soil elsewhere in the house. On occasion, they will strain and urinate in front of their caregivers, clearly signaling with intent that they are in distress. Your cat coming onto your lap was her way of letting you know something was wrong. It is a fortunate and rare coincidence that you saw blood in her urine in the toilet bowl.

I am glad that she got immediate veterinary attention, and trust that all goes well.

(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 a 17-year-old female Siamese cat who has been diagnosed with dementia.

She still eats and uses the litter box. The vet says he finds nothing else wrong, but she is howling at night to the point of keeping us awake. She sleeps on a heated pad on a dining room chair.

Do you have any suggestions on what we can do to help stop the howling at night? I do not want to drug her. -- J.N., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR J.N.: This is a common problem in older cats. With already-vocal Siamese cats, it can be very disturbing.

There could be concurrent painful arthritis, and other conditions that the heating pad can help alleviate. To help further, try anti-inflammatory fish oil, a canned sardine or two a day and a prescription of tramadol or gabapentin (discuss with your veterinarian), along with glucosamine and chondroitin.

A session of full-body massage later in the evening (as per my book “The Healing Touch for Cats”) and 3 milligrams of melatonin a half-hour before you go to bed may also give your cat -- and your disturbed nights -- some comfort. (I take melatonin myself for a good night’s sleep, and it is also a purported super-antioxidant.)

Many cats like catnip, another gift from the plant kingdom we humans are rapidly wiping out around the world, along with the indigenous peoples and their herbal knowledge. It is related to valerian, from which we get diazepam (Valium). Try making a tea of catnip: Steep 1 heaped tablespoon in 1 cup of boiling water. Strain when cool, and encourage your cat to drink it, or mix it in her food (about 2 tablespoons a day). If acceptable, double the concentration to 2 tablespoons per cup of water. Be sure it is labeled “organically certified herb.”

Your cat may well just like a pinch or two of catnip at night to chew, roll on and go into a relaxed, trancelike state for a short while. But not all cats are attracted to this herb.

(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 just read your “Effective pain relief for old dogs” column, and wanted to share another thought with you.

Years ago, I had a Brittany spaniel who wouldn’t forgive me if I went out without her out to hunt, even though she was old and would spend several days in pain from the exertion. While hunting, I met a man and told him I felt a little bad about bringing her out, knowing how much pain it would cause her. He told me that he gave his old dog a child’s chewable vitamin C tablet whenever his dog was going to get a workout, and it relieved her pain. I tried it with my Brit, and it seemed to work wonders!

Thoughts? -- T.R.K., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR T.R.K.: Anecdotal evidence, such as yours regarding vitamin C as a treatment for activity-related pain, calls for clinical evaluation.

Many holistic veterinarians have long recognized vitamin C as a beneficial antioxidant, helping reduce oxidative stress. I would caution readers to give this vitamin with a little food, since it could otherwise irritate the lining of the stomach. Give your dog 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This could be done on a daily basis, or on occasion, with a larger dose a few hours before exercise.

I would like to hear other readers’ experiences along these lines, and reiterate that the widely prescribed analgesic for dogs, tramadol, has questionable benefits. And NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), widely used by humans, can be fatal for dogs.

While humans need an external food source of vitamin C, healthy dogs do not, since their livers normally produce this essential vitamin. But where there is liver disease, vitamin C supplementation is advisable. It is not advised for dogs with urinary calculi of the oxalate type, since it may aggravate the condition.

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently read a letter sent to you by a reader who was extremely upset over learning of the treatment of dogs and cats in Asian countries. She didn’t mention the animal cruelty that also goes on in predominantly Muslim countries, but I’m very aware of that, as well.

The practice in Asian countries of eating dogs and cats is bad enough, in my opinion, but the way the animals are tortured prior to being eaten is barbaric to the extremes. No need to go into details; I implore people to research this for themselves, but warn that you’ll never be able to forget it. I also find the argument that always follows -- that people in the West eat animals, too -- to be ridiculous, in the sense that there’s no comparison to this practice I’m writing about. But for argument’s sake, I also find the way animals are treated in the West appalling, and would like to ask all the “smart” people why a better, humane method hasn’t been found yet in our own part of the world.

I’m not a vegan; I do eat meat. But over the years, it’s become less appealing to me due to my love of animals. I wish I could completely give meat up, and maybe one day I’ll be able to.

In the meantime, I encourage all your readers to investigate and see for themselves what goes on in other parts of the world in this modern day and age. -- M.W., Cumberland, Maryland

DEAR M.W.: Muslims do not eat dogs. And from what I have witnessed, I would not single out Muslim practices of slaughtering food animals as any worse than ritual Jewish slaughter -- or what I have seen in large industrial slaughtering facilities here in the U.S. In the latter, one must also have empathy for those working under such stressful conditions of animal terror.

If I may quote my 2013 article “Islam and Animals: A Veterinary Bioethical Perspective” (available in full at drfoxvet.net):

“The practice of Islam, as well as of the two other monotheistic traditions (Judaism and Christianity), has become severely corrupted over the centuries. ... If we take, for example, Jesus’ actual teachings, then what G.K. Chesterton once said about Christianity may hold a grain of truth for most other religious traditions: (paraphrasing) ‘There is nothing wrong with Christianity except that no one has ever tried it.’

“I have witnessed ritual slaughter in Canada, the U.S., Tanzania and India, often being executed with neither skill nor reverence, the absence or presence of which makes little or no fundamental difference to the helplessness and terror of the animal. Either way, the Golden Rule is broken. ...

“An indirect affirmation of the benefit of extending the Golden Rule to include other sentient beings is captured in the Qur’anic statement, ‘Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself.’ The Holy Prophet Muhammad also said, ‘A good deed done to a beast is as good as doing good to a human being; while an act of cruelty to a beast is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human being.’”

Compassion in World Farming (in the U.K.) and the Humane Farming Association (here in the U.S.) are two of several organizations pressing for better treatment of farmed animals, especially in how they are raised, transported and slaughtered.

M.W. REPLIES: I’m in full agreement that ALL animal cruelty needs to be ended, and it amazes me in this day and age that there are still people who either practice this barbarism or turn a blind eye to it. I have to admit I’m not familiar with Jewish practices, so I’ll get informed. My reference to Muslim countries was in regard to the mass slaughter/torture of dogs -- I’ve had family members in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries who’ve witnessed this firsthand. Regardless, I hope many voices will help to end animal cruelty in all areas of the world, including here.

DEAR M.W.: In many faiths, there are religious traditions concerning sanitation and animals. These are well-founded, since dog bites and saliva can transmit rabies, while pig meat can transmit trichinosis and other parasites. But they can manifest as irrational prejudice, such as the shunning and gross neglect of dogs, which rabies vaccinations efforts may or may not quell.

Another religious tradition (as documented in my book “India’s Animals: Helping the Sacred and the Suffering”) is Hindus and Jains applying vegetarianism to dogs, cats, captive lions and other zoo and temple carnivores, including eagles and other raptors. In China, there is no specific religious association, and animal cruelty is widespread, from bear bile farms to skinning stunned cats alive.

STEM CELL THERAPIES BEING TESTED IN FELINE DISEASES

Therapies based on stem cells derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue are yielding promising results in feline chronic gingivostomatitis, enteropathies and asthma, according to a review in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. However, stem cell therapies have not worked as well in feline chronic kidney disease, the researchers reported. (ScienceDaily, March 13)

(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.)