DEAR DR. FOX: I am reaching out regarding my client, Healthy Paws Herbals, a new line of medical-strength liquid herbs for pets that offers a natural way to help with itching, anxiety and pain -- there really is nothing else like this on the market.

Created by licensed herbalist and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Kyle Burton, Healthy Paws Herbals offers three liquid herbal extracts (Calming, Allergy, and Itch & Pain) that can be added directly to your pets’ food or water. -- M.M., REVELE Public Relations, Los Angeles

DEAR M.M.: I frequently receive solicitations and offers of remuneration from many companies seeking to market new pet care products. Because of failures in conventional health care practices and ever-increasing costs, including that of the companion animals themselves, people are seeking alternatives. I, for one, am an enthusiastic supporter of herbal, nutraceutical and other alternative and integrative treatments, health maintenance products and protocols.

The primary responsibility for health care and maintenance lies with every individual -- for their own health and for those in their families, including companion animals. However, I would not endorse any product like those from the company you are representing, which markets directly to the public, offering treatments to cure cats and dogs from various conditions such as allergies, itching and lameness. There can be several causes for such conditions, which these herbal products will not help; in fact, they could delay appropriate treatment, which would be obtained after a proper veterinary diagnosis rather than the owner’s opinion.

In my professional opinion, clients such as yours who are seeking to “penetrate” the pet health care market -- no matter how qualified with Chinese and other certifications, and who are not also certified as, or partnered with, veterinarians -- should either go away or market only to veterinarians. Once their products are established for use by veterinarians, clients such as yours can fine-tune their formulations or abandon them, based on clinical evidence provided by vets.

I have serious reservations about the direct marketing to consumers of various products with human and veterinary health claims, which may or may not be substantiated, and yet are generally denied by Big Pharma and its government agencies. The best solution as I see it, for your client in particular, is to have veterinarians refer clients to purchase these herbal products, or for the veterinarian to provide them in-clinic. Note: Over the years, I have endorsed very few companies, with two of the exceptions being PetzLife and VetzLife. They are very conscientious about their ingredients and have over 7,000 veterinary clinics recommending and selling their products, especially for holistic oral care.

DEAR DR. FOX: I was told that you have suggested that veterinarians who work in the farm/food animal sector are less compassionate and empathetic than those who work in the companion animal practice. I beg to differ, since I work in the farm animal sector, and I do care. Would you care to clarify? -- Anonymous

DEAR ANON: I appreciate this opportunity to explain and clarify. I contend that since food animals in general, and those in CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) in particular, are ultimately destined for slaughter, veterinarians and their clients generally have less emotional investment in the animals as individuals in contrast to the companion animal sector.

I have never intended to imply that animal doctors in the farmed animal sector have less empathy, but that they may be more protected or distanced emotionally because of the ultimate fate of these animals.

Research has shown that animal caretakers’ sympathetic and friendly attitudes toward farmed animals have a positive effect on their well-being and productivity, as documented in my book “Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health.” But these effects are surely diluted in modern production facilities, where the daily inspection of individual animals is physically impossible because of the sheer numbers crammed in “finishing” pens. Piglets are healthier and grow better given the freedom to play.

I sympathize with the challenges and moral distress veterinarians may face working in this sector, which may well account for the low recruitment of graduates entering this sector and the lack of large-animal vets in many rural communities. I also admire their courage and recognize that their involvement does not necessarily mean that they endorse such systems of animal production: The animals and the producers need them, especially to reduce the excessive use of antibiotics, anabolic steroids and other pharmaceuticals, including toxic arsenicals, in farmed animals people eventually consume. But ultimately CAFOs should be phased out -- they are an abomination for the animals.

(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: I expressed public concern 40 years ago that some breeders of cats would start to selectively breed certain varieties whose physical structure and genetics would mean a life of suffering and costly veterinary treatments, as had already happened with many breeds of dogs selected for extreme traits.

The babylike, and for some, comical, appearance of brachycephalic (flat-faced or “Peke face”) Persian and exotic shorthair cats are of especial concern. This extreme facial deformity is associated with many health and welfare problems, including: tear staining and eye problems; respiratory difficulties and associated inactivity; misalignment of the jaws, with dental and oral problems; deformation of the skull, leading to difficulties giving birth; and later development of hydrocephalus, reduced brain space and herniation of the brain into the base of the skull with serious and painful neurological consequences. The Scottish fold cat with deformed ears often has severe osteoarthritis.

So cat fanciers, please wake up and be more caring and responsible. And prospective cat owners, adopt only from your local shelter. Don’t support such inhumanity by purchasing a purebred cat with such extreme abnormalities, no matter how appealing they may seem to you.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 13-year-old Aussie mix that started developing lipomas about five years ago.

Since then, a few more have appeared, but at least two have grown significantly over the years. One on her right hip is now as big as a grapefruit; so much so, it looks like she’s lost fur there. The other one of concern is just inside her right leg, possibly close to her chest.

I’ve read contradictory info on treatment -- from shrinking them with diet to mandatory surgery. Until last year, our vet said no action was needed, but is now concerned about the one near her chest.

I am concerned about putting her under at her age but don’t want to risk her health. -- B.H., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR B.H.: There is no special diet or magic pill to shrink these fatty tumors. At least they are not malignant, even though new ones will continue to develop.

The best ways to prevent lipomas in the future may well be a low starch/low carbohydrate diet for mother dogs (from conception through pregnancy) and for pups after weaning, along with regular physical activity. Full body massage, as per my book “The Healing Touch for Dogs,” may also help.

As for your dog’s current treatment options: There is always some risk with general anesthesia, which will be needed for surgical removal of your dog’s lipomas. I appreciate that your attending veterinarian took a conservative approach and did not operate a year ago, and now he or she is the best person to decide if the risk is justified. These kinds of tumors can become ulcerated, painful and interfere with a dog’s ability to move easily and enjoy some quality of life.

(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 appreciate C.L.’s concern for pit bulls, but take off the rose-colored glasses: Yes, a pit bull can be a loving pet, but in our cities, most people who own pit bulls would not own other dogs. The pit bull is a prop to a “badass” persona, and the dogs are often abused to make them “tough.”

I’ve checked out our local shelter, and at any given time, nearly all dogs taken in are pit bulls. I love dogs, but to me, attempts to “rescue” shelter pit bulls, who probably were abused, is a dangerous tossing of the dice. It may sound cruel, but euthanasia is preferable, especially given the number of other breeds waiting for homes. -- R.F., Bridgeport, Connecticut

DEAR R.F.: Your point is very important, and one that I have made on many occasions. I have been criticized for being a closet racist -- not only for singling out a particular breed of dog, but also the people who live in violent communities where these dogs are kept for personal protection, often left in outdoor yards, and forced into illegal dog fights.

All of this is a sad reflection of the times. The more openly we can discuss these kinds of issues, getting beyond “racist” epithets, the better chance civil society has in the Divided States of America. Without the right breeding and the right rearing, the American pit bull, like those who mistreat them, is yet another tragic product and victim of dystopia.

Expert Paul Scimone of St. Louis, who has rescued and rehabilitated many traumatized, neglected and abused pit bulls, writes to me on this topic:

“Folks in impoverished communities mistreat this breed much like they did Rottweilers, Dobermans and German shepherd dogs in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. It’s not a racial issue, but a cultural issue. The problem begins with those who mistake racism for cultural criticisms -- very complex, divisive forces that will no doubt be here for a long time.

“Street ‘pitties’ (pit bulls) have been bred to assume a dominant role in their pack for a long time, from their origins in England to their journey to the States (with exceptions, of course), so I understand the writer’s concern here. Even the role they played as ‘nannies’ at the turn of the last century was one of protection and assertiveness. From there, they were used for ‘sport’ fighting.

“It has been a mess from there. In fact, most of the behavioral cases I get calls on are about pitties that are aggressive with other dogs or strangers. You are spot-on, though, in that it is people who have cultivated this aggression -- not nature itself, or just genetics.”

MICHIGAN SENATE APPROVES BILL BANNING DOG BREED-SPECIFIC ORDINANCES

The Michigan Senate voted to prohibit cities, counties and other local governments from instituting dog breed-specific regulations, including ownership bans, compulsory neutering, muzzling rules and requirements for owners to carry additional liability insurance.

A study by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) found that specific dog breeds are not more prone than others to aggression. AVMA animal welfare scientist Dr. Emily Patterson-Kane says human behavior is more to blame for dogs’ aggression. (Detroit Free Press/Associated Press, April 13)

AVMA’S VIDEOS TEACH KIDS ABOUT DOG BITE PREVENTION

National Dog Bite Prevention Week focused on educating people about preventing dog bites. The AVMA has developed a series of videos featuring Jimmy the Dog, a helpful pooch who shares tips for kids on how they can be safe around dogs and prevent bites. Search for “AVMA Jimmy the Dog” on YouTube.

DEAR DR. FOX: Over the years, I’ve heard so many conflicting opinions on giving bones to dogs. A friend of mine has a 25-lb. mixed-breed dog who loves to grind up all kinds of bones, mostly ribs and chicken bones. She has incredibly strong jaws (I think she has some pit bull in her).

Other dog owners I know say, “You should NEVER give a dog a bone, because the slivers can tear their insides.” My friend says the dog enjoys this, and he won’t stop giving them to her.

What is your opinion? Is he running a big risk doing this? He loves his dog dearly and would be devastated if he were responsible for her death. Is it OK for some breeds? -- J.M.K., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR J.M.K.: I appreciate your concern for your friend’s dog, and you should lay down the law with him about giving bones to dogs.

The so called “BARF” diet for dogs (“bones and raw food”) gives the false impression that it is OK to give dogs bones to chew and swallow. A proper BARF diet has some bones already ground up in the formula to avoid the serious, costly and sometimes fatal penetration of the digestive tract by bone splinters.

Cooked bones, rather than raw, are more likely to splinter. The only safe raw bone, in my opinion, is a raw beef knuckle or stewing marrow bone. Avoid all cooked, smoked and otherwise processed bones, along with the bull penises and pig parts sold widely in pet stores, because of the risk of fragmentation and internal damage or obstruction. Obstruction is a not-uncommon consequence of dogs swallowing the knotted end of rawhide chews. Salmonella and other bacterial contamination are also of concern with these items. Hard bones and deer-antler dog chews can crack dogs’ teeth, another painful and costly consequence of purchasing a product from a store that one believes to be safe.

Dogs do enjoy chewing, and I just bought our dog some rawhide made from U.S. cattle that comes rolled into tubes without any lumpy knot on each end. I let her chew on those for 10-15 minutes a day. But her safe and tasty chewy delight, which she has twice daily, is a natural dental chew called PetzLife Complete Treats. Our dog’s teeth need no cleaning! Visit petzlife.com for more details.

(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.)