DEAR DR. FOX: People talk about the “unconditional love” their dogs give them. I think this is how parents should love their children. Maybe how dogs love is better than what most people are able to give. What are your thoughts about this? -- K.L.S., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR K.L.S.: Your question is really quite profound. My love of animals is based upon what they have taught and given me in countless ways since early childhood, including a career dedicated to their well-being and recognition of their rights.

In my opinion, “unconditional love” is a simplistic figment of sentiment. Before any dog or other creature will accept our affection, she/he must first trust us. Hence, the vital importance of proper puppy socialization.

Greeting, grooming and playing are affection-affirming behaviors that humans interpret as expressing love. But it is self-evident that such mutual enjoyment is an emotional, empathic engagement of two or more consciousnesses: a communion of bodies, minds and spirits. Affectionate and caregiving interactions, in particular, cause reciprocal elevations in the love/bonding hormone oxytocin and other pleasure-center and immune system-benefiting neurochemicals in puppies and people alike.

Those people who seek to be loved seem to especially enjoy smaller dog breeds with the genetics of perpetual puppies, constantly displaying caregiving (licking) and care-seeking (yapping) behaviors. Overindulgence and not shaping the pup’s behavior to complement a healthy human-animal bond -- and reinforcing the wrong behaviors and solicitations, in particular -- contribute to the obesity epidemic and other health and behavioral problems in dogs today. Separation anxiety in attachment-seeking breeds and individuals is a sad reality for hundreds of thousands of left-alone-all-day, but “loved,” dogs around the industrial world.

The twisted, often obsessive love of control can lead to the acceptance and practice of cruel training methods. The misplaced love of people who buy “exotic pets” (species who neither belong nor thrive in captivity), and of cat owners who let their cats roam free because they believe it is wrong to deprive them of their natural instincts, raise serious ethical and animal welfare concerns.

The love that normal dogs give us is indeed highly conditional -- on how we treat them, and on their history. I believe they have a greater ability to forgive (but not forget) various forms of mistreatment and cruelty than we humans and other primates. I agree with the Australian aborigines’ contention that “dingo (dog) makes us human.“ But I would be remiss not to mention that dogs have long consumed the bloody carnage of human warfare, and in some poor parts of the world today, wild dogs still roam in hungry packs and occasionally attack and kill people.

Dogs reflect the good and the bad sides of human nature. As Chief Dan George opined, “One thing to remember is to talk to the animals. If you do, they will talk back to you. But if you don’t talk to the animals, they won’t talk back to you, then you won’t understand; and when you don’t understand, you will fear; and when you fear, you will destroy the animals. And if you destroy the animals, you will destroy yourself.”

It is through such understanding and communion that transcendental love for other beings is experienced and expressed in our reverential respect for life and compassionate and protective care.

AVMA EXPLAINS IMPORTANCE OF MICROCHIPPING PETS

Time and again, microchips have helped reunite families with pets that have gone missing for months, sometimes years.

Microchips are invaluable identification tools, but they’re not magic; they require registration and updating by pet owners so that, if pets do become lost, they can be returned to the proper address. View AVMA’s FAQs on microchips at avma.org.

PET DNA TESTS MAY BE INACCURATE, EXPERTS SAY

Nearly a dozen companies market genetic tests for pets, and although it can be fun to discover a pet’s ancestry, the market is not regulated. Results suggesting a predisposition to certain diseases may be inaccurate and prompt unnecessary, drastic action, according to veterinarian Lisa Moses and genomics scientist Elinor Karlsson. Studying data from the tests, particularly canine DNA tests, could expand knowledge of animal and human diseases, but reporting and validation standards must first be developed, say Moses and Karlsson. (Science, July 25)

(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: Two years ago, my husband and I adopted a 5-year-old male neutered border collie mix from a well-known no-kill shelter in the St. Louis area.

When we asked about the dog’s history, we got two conflicting stories: One worker said that he had been part of an abuse case and removed from his home; the other worker said he had escaped from his fenced yard one too many times and that city animal control threatened to euthanize the dog if they caught him roaming again.

The day we got the dog home, I found that he growled and bared his teeth at me when I tried to examine his feet. A few days later, when I was doing clicker training with him to try to desensitize him to me touching his feet, he displayed “fly-snapping” syndrome. That particular episode of snapping lasted several hours. My husband and I saw him do fly-snapping a few more times after that, for shorter durations, and usually related to stress. He also chases bright lights when he sees a reflection move across the wall.

Another odd thing: He sometimes yelps as he jumps in or out of the car, and occasionally when going up or down stairs. I thought he must have pain in his hips or shoulders, so I started getting him in and out of the car using a ramp.

When I talked to a veterinary behaviorist about it, she suggested that the only way to know for sure if he’s experiencing pain is to get a full-body X-ray, which we did. The X-ray showed a dozen pellets in his chest and abdomen, and one at the base of his skull. The veterinarian believes that these pellets are overgrown with scar tissue and are no longer causing him pain. They didn’t find any evidence of arthritis in hips or shoulders.

I worked with the veterinary behaviorist, but felt incompetent and didn’t enjoy doing the regimented training program she advised. She had prescribed trazodone and gabapentin, but didn’t renew the trazodone prescription beyond six months because I didn’t schedule a follow-up evaluation with her. I worked with other trainers, as well, but didn’t enjoy the kind of close-up work it takes to desensitize him to grooming.

The dog is currently on 300 mg gabapentin twice daily, which our regular vet is providing. I have him muzzle-trained and can put the muzzle on him for his annual veterinary visit.

He craves being petted, but doesn’t hesitate to bare his teeth and growl if you touch him in the wrong place. Occasionally he will yelp in fear if he’s sleeping deeply when someone comes into the room and walks toward him. In truth, I’m scared of him. He usually acts depressed and rarely wags his tail. He’s happiest when he’s outside on a walk or retrieving a ball or Frisbee.

Sometimes I think I’d like to have this dog euthanized because I don’t like doing the training that might change his behavior. My husband and I both think that he suffered brain damage and shows signs of PTSD.

I doubt that any other person would want to do the work necessary to rehabilitate this dog. I feel that the shelter was dishonest regarding his history and mental problems. I wouldn’t want to return him to the shelter because I don’t think they’d find a home suitable for him, or be honest with future adopters.

What would you advise us to do? -- M.L., Kirkwood, Missouri

DEAR M.L.: This is a sad story of animal abuse, and you have done your best to help this poor dog enjoy some quality of life.

My first concern is about the shotgun pellets and the possibility of chronic lead poisoning from those, so a blood test is called for. Even if they are not lead, I would consider surgical removal under general anesthesia. The chronic inflammation and fibrosis could be causing pain, especially when the dog is being touched or groomed over these lesions.

The fly-snapping syndrome could be a sign of epilepsy or close-to-seizure brain activity triggered by fear. Has your veterinarian considered prescribing an anti-anxiety medication such as Valium or Prozac as an alternative to the trazodone?

Since your dog enjoys chasing a ball or Frisbee, focus on providing such activity regularly, especially since he is a very active working breed of dog.

Trying to train some dogs with a clicker can be a disaster when the sound of the device scares them. Clearly, this dog has complications from PTSD, and I would not force him to accept grooming so long as he reacts defensively.

I would also try herbal supplements such as PetzLife’s @-Eaze to increase his “feel-good” brain neurochemicals. Also add lightly cooked ground turkey to his regular diet, and 1 tablespoon per meal of coconut oil. A few drops of lavender oil on a bandanna around his neck twice daily and 6 mg melatonin at bedtime may also help. Keep me posted!

HAPPY CATS, HEALTHY BIRDS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

I am pleased to announce a new initiative from the American Bird Conservancy. The “Happy Cats, Healthy Birds” campaign focuses on positive solutions and resources for keeping pet cats safely contained.

Cats make wonderful pets (and many American Bird Conservancy staff have cats), but free-roaming cats are responsible for approximately 2.4 billion bird deaths in the United States every year. Free-roaming cats experience harsher lives and reduced life expectancies, and may threaten communities with diseases such as rabies or toxoplasmosis.

By keeping pet cats safely contained, cat owners make an important choice to protect not only birds, but also cats and people.

Check out abcbirds.org for resources and solutions for responsible cat ownership, and join the American Bird Conservancy in supporting simple solutions to keep cats safely contained!

(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.)

The Interior and Commerce departments proposed changing rules under the Endangered Species Act in a way that administration officials say would strengthen the law, but that conservationists say would eviscerate it and accelerate extinctions.

The proposal would end the practice of granting automatic protection to threatened species and would instead extend protection on a case-by-case basis. It would also delete rules requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ignore the economic effects of protective measures.

On top of that, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently confirmed that it will again try to develop a proposal to remove wolves from the Endangered Species Act protections in the Great Lakes region. Please consider calling your member of Congress and asking for their opposition to any changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act.

Like the proverbial juggernaut, the U.S. government is undermining proposed standards for organically certified food, essentially deregulating the nascent organic farming industry to open the doors for the dominant pesticide- and drug-dependent agribusiness industry, which will put smaller, more humane and environmentally conscientious producers out of business. Organic farmers have long been calling for strict standards, especially when it comes to the well-being of animals raised for meat, as well as eggs from hens and dairy produce from cows. Organic producers say strict guidelines are crucial to consumer confidence in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Certified Organic label.

So what are conscientious consumers to do, when our government is undermining both organic and humane farming practices and our ability to make informed choices in the grocery store? This is an outrage! For more details, contact the Organic Trade Association, and also express your concerns to your congressional representatives.

DEAR DR. FOX: I wanted to let you know that several years ago, our 3-year-old standard poodle started suffering from seizures. Based on an article you had written, I changed her diet to eliminate corn. She has never suffered another seizure. I attribute her long life (age 13) to a great diet and exercise. She is our longest-living standard poodle!

Also, I want to mention how beneficial we are finding acupuncture for Marni’s arthritis. We can’t believe the difference in her! -- K.R., Shrewsbury, New Jersey

DEAR K.R.: Thank you for sharing the benefits of my advice concerning your dog’s epilepsy. Corn and wheat in dogs’ diets have been implicated in many cases of seizures due to the high gluten content, as well as lentils, beans, soy (pulses), oats, wheat, barley and dairy products high in brain-exciting glutamate and aspartate.

More and more veterinarians are becoming aware of how these and other ingredients may cause or aggravate canine epilepsy (which can be caused by many other factors, as well), and are no longer simply prescribing barbiturates and other anti-seizure drugs. For details, see the excellent book by Dr. W. Jean Dodds and Diana R. Laverdure, “Canine Nutrigenomics.”

Many readers will appreciate your assertion that acupuncture treatments can be of benefit for our canine companions. Skeptics should note the following: Veterinarian Daniel Eckman of Texas A&M University says that when acupuncture is performed by trained veterinarians, pets may experience numerous benefits with a low risk of side effects. Acupuncture can play a role in pain management, anxiety relief and treatment of respiratory, gastrointestinal or other disorders, says Dr. Eckman. (The Bryan-College Station Eagle, 7/8/18)

(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.)