DEAR READERS: Nick Polizzi, in his book “The Sacred Science: An Ancient Healing Path for the Modern World,” writes: “On a warm summer night a few years ago, an Ojibwe elder in the backwoods of Wisconsin shared a tale to illustrate an important choice we all have to make as we walk through this world. His words have stuck with me ever since and are particularly handy in times of intensity. ... I hope this teaching serves you as well.”

“The Two Wolves”

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.”

“One is Evil: It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.”

“The other is Good: It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This story -- with no disrespect to the wolves, whom in many ways I regard as our superiors, contributing far more to environmental health than we do -- affirms our dualistic nature. It is evident in most children and adults, in every country, every day. It is a war, indeed, between our humanity and our inhumanity, which good parenting and education can help end.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 11-year-old Yorkie has Cushing’s disease. Sometimes at night, she pants and paces and throws herself down on the bed, rubs herself back and forth on my refrigerator and whines almost continuously.

Is she in pain when she does that? Right now, the pancreatitis is under control. -- V.R., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR V.R.: Cushing’s disease is an all-too-common disease affecting the adrenal glands in older dogs, often coupled with hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus.

Such endocrine gland dysfunctions may be caused by a variety of factors, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment and food, adverse vaccination reactions (vaccinosis), and complications from neutering. Typical Cushing’s disease can be associated with a tumor in the brain or in the adrenal glands, causing secretion of excessive amounts of one or more adrenal steroids such as cortisol, and in some instances, of adrenal sex hormones.

Most dogs with this disease develop a pot-bellied appearance and poor muscle tone, and have increased thirst, urination and appetite. These hormonal storms can also cause anxiety, panting, increased body heat and discomfort, and acid-base disorders.

So in addition to carefully titrated medication to stop the production of adrenal hormones, close monitoring of blood pressure (and lowering of same, as needed), I would advise 3-6 mg melatonin morning and evening. Also, talk to your veterinarian about putting your dog on a “cooling,” natural, whole-food diet, as per my dog food recipe, minus the grain ingredient. And also consider asking about a short course of treatment with an anxiety-relieving drug such as alprazolam; if it improves the quality of your dog’s life, continue as needed.

KILLING DOGS FOR MEAT RULED ILLEGAL BY SOUTH KOREAN COURT

A South Korean court has ruled that it is illegal to kill dogs for their meat. This is a landmark decision that animal rights activists say could pave the way for legislation outlawing the practice completely.

The ruling was made by Bucheon City court, in a case brought by the animal rights group CARE against a dog farm operator. The man was convicted and fined 3 million won (U.S. $2,700) for killing animals without proper reason and for violating building and hygiene regulations.

(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: All the neighbors with whom I have spoken here in Golden Valley, Minnesota did not know that our state’s Animal Humane Society (AHS) is releasing cats, in all weather, to fend for themselves. This is their “Community Cats” program. They have no registered volunteers feeding these cats once they’re released.

In June, I took two black cats that had come onto our property to the AHS. The first one turned out to be one of their “Community Cats,” with the tip of her left ear cut (yet not visibly different at a distance). She had been out all winter. The AHS released her, and she was back on our property 24 hours later.

The second cat was a young male, and he, too, was back on our property 24 hours after being taken to the AHS. As they did for the first cat, the group neutered him and gave him an anti-rabies vaccination, but did not worm him or test him for feline leukemia and immunodeficiency disease. Parasites can cause cats to suffer and die from anemia and starvation, and the viral diseases (and others preventable by vaccine) could infect other cats.

This is not a legitimate or safe way to reduce the overall cat population.

The second cat was very sociable toward me: rubbing against my legs as I coaxed him with food and easily put him in a cat crate. Yet he was deemed “unadoptable” by the AHS behavioral evaluation staff, who also put his age at over 3 years (rather than my estimate of around 10 months).

With a doctoral degree in animal behavior and three books on cat care and behavior under my belt, I find this utterly incomprehensible. The cat was given no time to settle into the shelter environment, where he would naturally be fearful, before coming to trust his new caregivers. He is now settling into our home, after appropriate veterinary tests and treatment for parasites, and we hope to find a forever home for him. Perhaps he was considered not adoptable principally because he is black, a color many people associate with bad luck.

This nationwide practice of TNR (trap, neuter, release) is cruel and unwarranted, putting cats, wildlife and public health at risk. It is part of a broader societal pro-life ideology, based on some feel-good moralistic sentiment that causes more harm than good. It is endorsed by national organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States, where the politics and economics of appeasement put such organizations in an ethically untenable position.

Instead of this TNR program, the AHS should be focusing on: establishing group housing for the emotional recovery of rescued cats; working with cities and communities to establish ordinances prohibiting people from allowing their cats to roam off-property; licensing cats and mandating neutering and microchipping.

TNR is advertised as a tool to reduce feral cat numbers. Unfortunately, these programs have been shown to fail to do so.

For more details, see the “Trap, Neuter, Release” page from the American Bird Conservancy: abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors/trap-neuter-release/

DEAR DR. FOX: We have moved into a new neighborhood, and it breaks my heart when I drive around and hear one dog after another barking and howling.

They are so lonely. We call the police, and they say “talk to the neighbors,” but there’s nobody at home. That’s why the dogs are so lonely. What are these people doing? Do they know how their dogs are suffering? What to do? -- M.K., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR M.K.: My wife and I have the same problem where we live, in a suburb of Minneapolis.

Our municipal ordinance states: “It is unlawful for anyone to keep a dog or cat that barks, howls or meows excessively or continuously. This includes any noise by any dog or cat that can be heard by any person from a location outside the building where the animal is kept AND occurs repeatedly over at least a five-minute period of time, with less than 30 seconds between each animal noise.”

So check with your local animal control department. In my opinion, this is a nationwide problem, and a sad reflection of the quality of life of many dogs. They are basically pack animals, and suffer when left alone all day. Separation anxiety can lead to other behavioral and medical problems, as well as disturbing others in the community. It can be risky going over to speak to dog owners about their dogs barking and howling as I have learned from personal experience. Best to call the authorities.

Many people who are away at work all day and leave their dogs at home might consider asking neighbors if there are any problems, or using an in-home video recorder to see what their dogs do when they are gone. Much can be done to help dogs feel less insecure when left alone all day, which is a responsibility all owners should embrace.

(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 have raised the issue of using remote-controlled, bark-activated or fence-line triggering shock collars on dogs, voicing my disapproval of such devices -- with rare exceptions, such as their use by sensitive and experienced dog handlers, including many veterinarians.

British veterinarian Dr. Mike Smith, from my natal county of Lancashire, had fence-line triggering collars on his two Labradors, and by the age of 12, they both developed laryngeal paralysis. He wonders if there is a connection between this malady and the electrical field created by the capacitor in the collars. The collars were rarely triggered once the dogs were conditioned to keep away from the electrical fence line.

Any experiences from readers whose dogs have developed laryngeal paralysis, and had been wearing these kinds of collars, would be appreciated.

Apparently, laryngeal paralysis has recently become quite a common condition in dogs in the U.K. Genetics may be involved, as well as the dogs’ environments. Many, left alone all day, bark and howl for hours. Could this, and the use of various shock-collar systems, be contributing factors? And if addressed, might this condition be preventable?

We should also consider possible damage caused by dogs pulling hard when on a leash, and wearing narrow collars and choke-chains. Tracheal collapse, especially in small breeds, can be avoided by putting them in a harness instead.

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I are retirees with a young dog. We have two off-leash dog parks near where we live, but our dog will not go and run or play with the other dogs. She just stays close to us, but we want her to get some exercise. She’s a rescued 2-year-old Australian heeler, and has no interest in chasing balls or Frisbees. What would you advise? -- R.M., Minneapolis, Minnesota

DEAR R.M.: My wife and I have the same problem with our dog, also a rescue and mainly Australian red heeler. On rare occasions, she will have a game of chase with a friendly dog, but that is the exception for her.

You might try what gets our Kota running: On walks, my wife holds her leash while I walk way ahead, and then she lets Kota go, who runs like the wind to me. Then I walk with the dog and eventually let her run back when my wife calls her. In the off-leash enclosed dog area nearby, we stand about 50 yards apart, and Kota is happy to run from one of us to the other. She has never been a “runaway” kind of dog -- truly a heeler. She knows she has a forever home, and her attachment to us is probably in part due to some PTSD and fear of abandonment.

(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.)