DEAR DR. FOX: This is embarrassing, but I have to ask. When I play with our 10-month-old cat, Shadow, and he is on his back, his penis sometimes comes out. He seems quite excited, even though he has been neutered. When this happens, I stop playing with him so he can settle down.

What is your opinion? -- B.L., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR B.L.: Young cats, dogs and other animals sometimes have erections when they are playing. I interpret this as an aspect of general excitement, and neutering does not eliminate this reaction, as you have discovered.

When young cats get too aroused when play-wrestling on their backs, it is advisable to back off and let them settle down. Otherwise they may bite or scratch more vigorously, resulting in injury to yourself or to another cat. Intense play with any young carnivore could trigger predatory biting and clawing. Cats playing together learn to control their claws and jaws, but people putting on a protective glove to play-wrestle with their cats are asking for trouble, because then the cat is likely to bite and scratch harder.

Learning to play with a young cat takes understanding. When the cat is engaging in play-wrestling and is getting too aroused, change the game -- have the cat chase after a laser light or feathers on the end of a string tied to a cane. One game many cats enjoy is when you put the end of the cane and the lure under a towel or small rug for the cat to pounce on and “kill.” But best of all is to have two socialized cats who learn how to play with each other and care for each other, especially when left alone all day.

DEAR DR. FOX: We were “rescued” by two adorable dogs in December 2016.

We were told they were mother and daughter (Maltese “Mamma” and Maltese/Shih-Tzu “Babi”), about 6 and 4 years old at the time. The rescue also told us they were feral dogs and had been at the shelter over two years because they had to be re-socialized to people. Once available, everyone just wanted Babi, but the rescue said they had to be adopted together. Babi is tiny, about 5 pounds, and unbelievably cute.

My question pertains to Babi. She will not look at us eye to eye. (Mamma is fine in this regard.) Other than that, they have been great. Is there anything we can do? Attached is their picture after grooming. -- T.C., Boynton Beach, Floida

DEAR T.C.: Thanks for the photo; the two little dogs are indeed adorable. Good for you adopting both of them! Use equal parts hydrogen peroxide and warm water to clean the brown pigment in the fur on their faces once a week, and give them pet foods and treats that contain no artificial dyes. Also get the dogs used to nightly tooth-cleaning, since small breeds are prone to dental problems.

When it comes to shyness, time is the great healer, along with patience. Let the shy Babi see you playing with and grooming her mother, and get Babi used to being groomed and massaged (as per my book “The Healing Touch for Dogs”). Some dogs do not like to be stared at because a direct stare can be threatening. A gentle voice helps, as well as a gentle touch and engaging in eye contact when offering a treat (such as freeze-dried organic chicken or beef) or holding up a squeaky toy for the dog to catch or chase.

BUY A BOOK, HELP AN ANIMAL

Australian activist Christine Townend’s most recent book, “A Life for Animals,” is a gripping tale about a journey to India that changed Townend’s life forever. One hundred percent of the proceeds of this book are donated directly to the charity Working for Animals, which helps fund three animal shelters in India, as well as supporting other causes for the benefit of animals across our planet.

Until now, the book has been difficult to buy in bookshops or online. The book is now available on Amazon for download in Kindle, and as of August, will also be available from Booktopia. When you buy this book, you will not only enjoy an inspiring story, you will also financially help many animals in need in India.

For more harrowing and inspiring in-field accounts of treating and protecting wild elephants, deer, village dogs, monkeys and other creatures great and small, you can also see “India’s Animals: Helping the Sacred and the Suffering” by Deanna L. Krantz and myself.

(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: 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.)