DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 13-year-old deaf female beagle who barks at me constantly.

The vet says she is OK physically, and no calming meds were recommended. The barking can begin as early as 2 a.m. and continues until I feed her. This can go on for one or two hours, as I have tried ignoring her. Feeding seems to help, but she is getting fat even though I give her a small amount each time. In the evening it’s like an alarm goes off about 9 p.m. when she begins again.

I have tried frequent small feedings, petting her, trying to calm her, but nothing works. I’ve even tried calming treats. She will whine and bark even when I am petting her. I guess it is “dog-heimers,” but this is taking its toll on me. -- J.K., Royal Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR J.K.: You are correct in suggesting that your dog probably has “dog-heimers,” i.e., senile dementia.

It is regrettable that your attending veterinarian did not consider that there was a behavioral issue to be addressed. This is a serious professional lapse in service and responsibility, and an issue raised in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association: Veterinarians in companion animal practice are not adequately covering the behavioral and psychological aspects of animal wellness.

Worldwide, there are currently only 79 board-certified veterinary behaviorists, called Diplomates, of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB). As a result, not all states or provinces will have a Diplomate nearby. I was one of a handful in the 1970s who got the ball rolling in this field, and by now, I would have thought there would be many more. The ball is too often passed to uncertified animal behavior therapists and trainers, many working out of local animal shelters and humane societies.

Because of this serious dearth of veterinarians providing behavioral counseling, prevention, therapeutic intervention and client education, dogs and cats of all ages -- many with no physical problems -- are being surrendered to shelters and usually euthanized. One solution would be for large municipalities to have an ACVB Diplomate work with their animal care and rehabilitation teams and serve as a referral specialist for private practices.

In your dog’s case, stop the overfeeding and stick to a regular schedule of three small meals a day. Add these anti-inflammatory and antioxidant supplements, as follows: a half teaspoon of fish oil and turmeric in one meal; a tablespoon of coconut oil and two tablespoons of mushed blueberries in the second meal; and a tablespoon of unsweetened pineapple and a half teaspoon of ground ginger in the third meal.

Take your dog out often to urinate. Old dogs with failing kidneys need to go out more often to urinate, and some will bark a lot to let you know. Often, they are also in pain from arthritis. The turmeric will help that, as will the ginger, which will also help digestion (along with the pineapple). My massage book, “The Healing Touch for Dogs,” especially helps older dogs with arthritis and other physical and emotional problems.

The coconut oil, which you can increase if the dog’s stools are not too loose, may help with the dementia, along with 6 mg of melatonin at bedtime. A few drops of essential oil of lavender on a bandanna around your dog’s neck during the day may provide some calming effect. And all old dogs need a soft bed!

If these measures do not help, your veterinarian may wish to consider prescribing valerian or alprazolam early in the evening, and later in the morning if the dog is anxious and barking excessively for attention during the day.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have two aunts who reside in Missouri. They are true lovers of nature at its finest and all animals that grace this beautiful world, and I know that the situation they are currently dealing with is breaking their hearts. Their sweet adult cat is struggling on a daily basis with some type of skin disorder.

They first noticed the issue back in July 2015. They immediately took “mommy cat” to the vet, and after shaving all of the hair off her back hip/side, they saw what appeared to be many open ulcers that would ooze pus and blood.

Well, for the past three years, our aunts have continued to nurse “mommy cat” to the best of their ability. There are times when it appears to begin to heal, but then another ulcer opens up and the process begins again.

As you can see from the pictures, the poor cat doesn’t appear to be getting better, and we are hoping you can make a suggestion on what this skin disorder is and how it can be treated. -- D.S. and E.S., Doylestown, Pennsylvania

DEAR D.S. and E.S.: The photographs that you sent are helpful. My initial impression is possible cat-bite wounds -- one reason to always keep cats indoors.

First, the fur all around the edge of any non-healing wound must be shaved or clipped close, since it will interfere with the healing process and carry bacterial infection. Then the lesion should be thoroughly cleaned with normal saline, dried off with a sterile gauze pad, and smeared with honey at the beginning of the day. More than one veterinarian has hailed the healing benefits of honey, especially manuka honey from New Zealand.

At the end of the day, the lesions should be cleaned with saline again and then anointed with aloe vera gel (available in most drug stores). This botanical product also has remarkable healing properties. The next morning, repeat the saline cleanse and honey application.

Have your relatives discuss these options with the cat’s veterinarian. While the honey and aloe will not harm the cat if ingested, if the cat is able to reach and lick the lesions, that could interfere with the healing process. In that case, the cat may have to wear a “lampshade” collar around the neck for a while, which can be removed to allow for eating and drinking.

A fish oil supplement, or two canned sardines a day, may also boost healing processes and skin health.

UPDATE FROM DR. FOX: Two weeks after I emailed this treatment to D.S. and E.S., I received an updated photo of the cat. I am very pleased with the healing progress the picture showed.

(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.)

On Aug. 22, British newspaper The Daily Mirror headlined: “Puppy and kitten farming to be BANNED in victory for Lucy’s Law.”

Anyone buying or adopting a pet less than 6 months old will have to deal directly with a licensed breeder or rescue center under the proposed ban. Environment secretary Michael Gove announced the new regulation. Breeders will only be allowed to sell puppies they have personally bred, and any online sellers will be obligated to publish their license numbers, along with the pet’s country of origin and country of residence.

This new ban comes on the back of the Lucy’s Law campaign led by a coalition of animal rights charities. The campaign was started after a severely malnourished spaniel was rescued from a breeding site. Now it’s time for America to start to become great and get the same done. The puppy mill breeding industries flourish in the U.S., and thousands of animals suffer.

DEAR DR. FOX: I appreciate what you have been writing to discourage and condemn animal shelters that sterilize and abandon cats to fend for themselves. You may like this synopsis that I wrote for the TheNewsEnterprise.com in Elizabethtown, Kentucky:

Cats who are abandoned outdoors face daily battles against parasites, deadly contagious diseases, extreme temperatures, speeding cars, predators on two legs and four, and more -- battles they inevitably will lose. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is just 2 to 5 years, compared to 12 to 15 years for a cat who lives indoors. These cats aren’t being “saved.” Their deaths are merely being moved from the comfort and peacefulness of an animal shelter to the misery and violence of the streets.

Moreover, trap-neuter-release doesn’t even work: It actually encourages more people to abandon their cats because they think the cats will be cared for, and the food set out for “managed” colonies attracts more cats -- as well as rats, and rabies vectors such as foxes and raccoons. The truly humane and effective way to address the homeless cat crisis is by requiring that all cats be spayed /neutered, licensed, microchipped and kept indoors, not by turfing cats out to die slowly on the streets. -- Teresa Chagrin, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Norfolk, Virginia

DEAR T.S.: Thanks for your concise synopsis of this cruel activity perpetrated by many animal shelters and endorsed by some humane organizations. The more voices against this practice, the better. Most essential is for people with cats to have them neutered and let them enjoy life as totally indoor companion 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 DR. FOX: This summer, we had a bad time with fleas on our two cats. I know I should not be letting them outdoors, as you say, and we will be doing our best to get rid of the fleas and keep the cats indoors from now on.

My neighbor has a dog who wore a flea collar and got sick (vomiting), so she took it off. What do you advise to keep fleas and ticks off our pets? -- L.P., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR L.P.: Check my website (drfoxvet.net) for my article on preventing fleas and other biting insects without resorting to potentially harmful insecticides, and the new article “Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides.”

Most of the current products on the market being sold to kill fleas, ticks and other insects on dogs and cats should be avoided -- for long-term and preventive use -- for animal and public health and environmental reasons. I’ve done an assessment of their documented insecticidal action and incidence of harmful side-effects. Their short-term use in emergency situations of confirmed insect presence may be justified, with caution, when all other control measures have failed.

The public has been brainwashed, in my opinion, into accepting various oral, locally applied and collar-impregnated insecticides as safe and effective ways to control fleas and ticks. But cats in particular, and small dogs, old dogs and those with various health issues, are at risk from developing acute and chronic adverse reactions to these products.

Over 44,000 reports of adverse reactions to topical anti-flea and tick products were compiled by the U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency in 2008. The division of regulatory and approval authority between the Food and Drug Administration and the EPA facilitates the divisiveness and irresponsibility evident in the continued marketing of many of these products -- even after the sellers and manufacturers have been informed of thousands of adverse reactions and many fatalies in dogs and cats.

The fundamental question of the health consequences of long-term/lifetime use of these insecticides on companion animals has not been addressed by the manufacturers, but may be a significant factor in the rising incidence of cancer and other chronic, degenerative and systemic diseases in dogs and cats. It should be noted that fleas and ticks carrying disease could infect dogs and cats on whom they feed before they are killed by these chemicals, and that flea bites trigger allergic reactions in many animals.

I would like details from readers whose animals have had adverse reactions to these products.

DEAR DR. FOX: The recent announcement of a $5 million lawsuit against Ainsworth’s Rachael Ray pet food got my attention. When we first adopted our rescued Jack Russell, he was on a grain-free salmon diet, which I initially continued. However, on a trip out of the country, we found ourselves without enough food to last, so a friend gave us a bag of Rachael Ray Nutrish.

I mixed his salmon food for a few days until our guy was totally on Nutrish. I immediately noticed his previously soft, loose, light-colored poop was harder and a darker normal color. (I had discussed his poop with the vet previously, and she had already suggested a change in diet.) I was very delighted at this change. He did well on this food, and his coat, eyes and skin are very healthy. Ainsworth has a very good history of finding a healthy, natural balance in dog food, so I had no problem switching.

But the announcement of traces amount of glyphosate has me concerned. I know it’s difficult for humans to avoid this toxin as it’s in so much food, but our diet still consists of non-GMO and organic foods. I am searching for a totally organic brand I can use. In the meantime, I switched to Rachael Ray’s Salmon and Sweet Potato Grain-free in the hopes there is less or no glyphosate. I cannot find any outside lab reports on the grain-free food.

Am I over-reacting about this situation? A recent checkup shows our guy has swollen lymph nodes, and he is currently on a round of antibiotics due to a tooth extraction. His blood work shows no high levels of white blood cells. We’ll be looking further into this if it persists after this round of antibiotics. But it scares me that glyphosate can cause lymphoma in humans if consistently exposed, and although it’s a small amount in his food, that food is 99 percent of his diet. -- D.G., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

DEAR D.G.: The problem is not simply the possibility that glyphosate may cause cancer, but also that it is a chelating agent that interferes with plants’ uptake of some minerals, thus lowering their nutritional value. Also, as one of many herbicides that can get into our food and drinking water, there is the high probability of causing dysbiosis and irritable/inflammatory bowel problems when health-promoting intestinal bacteria are destroyed by such chemicals.

Don’t forget that there are GMO potatoes, beets and rice to be concerned about, so buying organically certified foods is a prudent decision. I am concerned also about the “grain-free” fad and the inclusion of possibly GMO potatoes and sweet potatoes, which would not be good for diabetic and pre-diabetic animals.

For your dog, I would suggest you try some of The Honest Kitchen’s GMO-free freeze-dried dog foods, and also Organix and Dr. Broderick’s Cornucopia canned dog food, which my dog relishes. Go online for more details, and consider trying my home-prepared dog food recipe with all human-grade ingredients and no by-products.

UPDATE ON DILATED HEART DISEASE IN DOGS

Susan Thixton (truthaboutpetfood.com) writes:

“The dog foods linked to nutritionally based DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) were labeled as ‘Complete and Balanced’ pet foods. But those Complete and Balanced foods failed thousands of dogs. Who should be held responsible for the nutritional failure of these Complete and Balanced dog foods?

“Right now (August 2018), multiple Complete and Balanced dog food brands are linked to diet-related taurine-deficient DCM in possibly thousands of dogs. There are more than 8,000 pet-owner members of the two Taurine Deficiency Dilated Cardiomyopathy groups on Facebook. Thousands of pet owners are questioning why the ‘Complete and Balanced’ claim on their pet food label failed their dog.”

(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.)