An article recently published in “Contingencies,” the American Academy of Actuaries’ journal, about pet health insurance in the United States provided some helpful information.

In descending order, here are the 10 most common health problems in dogs, based on Petplan Pet Insurance’s top claims by frequency. Average cost of treatment is in parentheses.

-- Nonspecific GI disease (vomiting/diarrhea ($1,016)

-- Cancer -- especially prevalent among the most common dog breeds, namely Labs/retrievers ($2,321)

-- Unspecified lameness ($1,084)

-- Allergies ($740)

-- Periodontal disease ($1,017)

-- Cardiac disease ($1,351)

-- Cruciate (knee) injuries ($3,583)

-- Skin infections ($538)

-- Foreign body ingestion ($2,091)

-- Ear infections ($413)

Most of these claims could be drastically reduced by investing in the preventive “health insurance” of a healthful diet and lifestyle, meaning good nutrition and physical activity. It is no irony that both the human and pet populations suffer from similar maladies, considering that many share a sedentary, relatively solitary existence on highly processed, manufactured foods, and are exposed to the same hazardous environmental chemicals of anthropogenic origin. One common consequence is the obesity epidemic, affecting 60 percent of North America’s cats and 56 percent of its dogs.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am a longtime skeptic, but after reading your entry about “Life After Life” on your website, I did some more research online. I found several books on this subject, and am now less of a skeptic.

I have had no such “visitations” after a long life shared with many much-loved animals. I guess there is no way science can prove it. We can only believe, or not, until we have such experiences ourselves. -- N.C.L., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR N.C.L.: I am surprised how many books there are on this topic. Readers are welcome to share such experiences with me so that I can add to the many accounts sent already and posted on my website (drfoxvet.net) and in my recent book, “Animals & Nature First.”

As a scientist, I call for objectivity as well as impartiality to go along with an open and inquiring mind. The mind can play tricks on us, especially when we are grieving. Simple conditioning also plays a part, such as hearing one’s dead cat’s meow around feeding time, or one’s departed dog’s claws on the hardwood floor. I call these “memory echoes.” But there are instances of two or more people sensing, and even seeing, an image of their deceased cat or dog at the same time.

Such corroboration is difficult to refute. It suggests that the animal’s spirit does pass into another realm, but can also manifest/communicate on occasion in various sensory modalities, which are accessible to our perception of our physical reality.

It seems that dimensions of non-physical reality can be experienced existentially where there is an enduring bridge of love. Such experiences bring great comfort to many, and affirm that there is more to life and death than we fully understand as we continue on our own life-journeys. Readers who have had such experiences, please send me your stories to share with others.

HUMAN CASE OF GLANDULAR TULAREMIA LIKELY CAME FROM DOMESTIC CAT

A 68-year-old man who was presented to physicians with bulbous, red lesions on his face and neck was diagnosed with glandular tularemia acquired from his outdoor cat. The cat had died two days before the lesions arose, according to a case study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, and the cat may have picked up the pathogen from consumption of infected prey, later transmitting it to the man when he tried to administer medication. (Kansas City Star, Sept. 12)

This saga is a reminder to raise cats to enjoy life indoors and not let them roam free.

(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: The owners of 47 dogs in 14 states say their pets died during or soon after being groomed at a PetSmart, and 32 of those deaths have occurred since the company was purchased by a private equity firm. PetSmart says its employees have done nothing wrong, and did not disclose the number of deaths it has recorded. (N.J. Advance Media, Sept. 20)

English bulldogs and similar breeds -- known as brachycephalic dogs, those with short noses and smushed faces -- accounted for 20 of the 47 documented deaths. Those dogs can have trouble breathing, especially in stressful environments or areas that get hot.

I also wonder about the possible effects of ractopamine contamination in some dog foods. This drug is given to farm animals to make them grow more lean muscle mass, but pharmaceutically, it puts them in a state of semi-panic with high heart rates and elevated stress hormones. Most significantly, it results in greater susceptibility to heat stress. This drug, widely used by meat producers in the U.S., is banned in many other countries for consumer health reasons.

For details, see my report “Pharmaceutical Cruelty Down On The Animal Farm,” posted on my website.

POSSIBLE HERBAL TREATMENT FOR THYROID DISEASE IN CATS

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an older cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Research has shown several possible treatments: methimazole gel, surgery, radiation therapy or chemo.

Surgery seems very risky; radiation would be cost-prohibitive, even if I could find a vet in my area familiar with this; and chemo would be for the rest of his life.

I would very much appreciate your thoughts on these treatments. Also, I’ve found some natural remedies that have gotten good reviews, including an organic herbal remedy by the name of Primalix. It’s BBB accredited. Any thoughts on this? It contains:

-- bugleweed to lower thyroid hormone activity and increase iodine absorption;

-- motherwort to calm rapid heartbeat and help overactive thyroid without altering normal function;

-- lemon balm as an antidote to stress and to help symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorders;

-- rehmannia root to fortify against effects of stress; used for treating hormonal disorders, including thyroid imbalance.

It contains no drugs, alcohol or artificial ingredients, and the label mentions no side effects or dietary restrictions. -- R.V., Cape Coral, Florida

DEAR R.V.: Radiation seems to be the most effective conventional remedy. I have checked the herbal reference resources you have provided, and yes, the herbs you list do have the properties claimed on the label.

The lemon balm may also lower thyroid activity. I would add a teaspoon of oral aloe vera gel to your cat’s food daily, which is reported to lower thyroid activity. And give a few pinches of catnip herb early in the evening for your cat to nibble, smell and roll in -- although not all cats are attracted to this feline equivalent of Valium.

It would be ideal if you could get your cat’s T3 & T4 thyroid hormone levels determined before this alternative treatment, and again in four and eight weeks.

Keep me posted. Your cat should calm down, stop excessive grooming and begin to gain weight, which you should also monitor.

I would advise caution because cats have a specific detoxifying liver enzyme deficiency, which can make some herbs and drugs more potent and potentially harmful for them. So I would treat your cat every other week to play it safe, considering this would probably be a lifelong treatment. Have a holistic veterinarian work with you if possible.

STUDY: FELINE THYROID PROBLEMS MAY BE LINKED TO HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS

Levels of chemicals commonly found in carpets and upholstery until 2000 were higher in cats with hyperthyroid issues, according to a study by the California Environmental Protection Agency reported in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Only 43 cats were used in the study, and researchers said more work needs to be done to confirm the link between the chemicals and feline thyroid problems. (HealthDay, Sept. 28)

FDA ADMITS: PENTOBARBITAL IN PET FOOD BIGGER PROBLEM THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT

Pet food safety advocate Susan Thixton has posted this alert, adding that the FDA admits pet foods are a “waste disposal system” for other industries.

Association for Truth in Pet Food is a stakeholder organization representing the voices of pet food consumers. Consider becoming a member of this pet food consumer association. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities, such as the Association of American Feed Control Officials and with the FDA.

(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 read your column every Sunday, and know your concern about flea and tick treatments. I refuse to use the topical or oral treatments on my dogs any longer, no matter what the vet says.

Instead, I have been giving my 18-month-old adopted pit mix garlic chewables since he was 7 months old. I buy them from a company that makes natural health supplements for dogs, cats and horses. Knowing garlic is on the list of toxic foods for dogs, I was wary at first, but the company provided me with information on why their garlic is safe and why it would keep fleas and ticks off my dog.

It works. Spanky has never had any fleas, and only a couple of ticks, ever. He goes to dog daycare once a week, and plays with other dogs in backyards and parks. No problem. He’s very healthy.

Since I have never seen you address garlic as a pest preventive, I was curious if you have concerns about giving it to dogs. If not, it would be great to spread the word, so that other owners can stop using chemical treatments that risk harming their dogs. -- M.A.S., High Point, North Carolina

DEAR M.A.S.: I have often mentioned in my column that garlic will help keep fleas off dogs. Give one large, raw, organic clove per 30 pounds of body weight, chopped, mixed daily into the dog’s food, plus 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast. Garlic can upset dogs’ stomachs, so only give it with food. Garlic is not safe for cats, since it causes a kind of anemia. But cats can have nutritional or brewer’s yeast (NOT live baker’s yeast) at one half-teaspoon daily in the food for a 12-pound cat. Onions are unsafe for both species and can cause anemia.

For an integrative approach to the problem of fleas, see my report “Preventing Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes” on my website, drfoxvet.net.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 4-year-old cat, Sam, and I want to thank you so much for writing about the benefits of getting a second cat.

My husband and I decided to do just that. We both worried Sam was bored being alone all day when we were at work. We adopted a neutered male, about 1 year old, from a cat rescue place, and followed your advice on introducing a new cat. Sam loves the new cat, Teddy. They play together all the time, groom each other and sleep together. Sam is so much happier, and with all the activity, seems in better shape mentally and physically. -- J.L., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR J.L.: Thank you for confirming what so many cats need. I think it is a sad situation for thousands of cats, and dogs too, who spend all day alone in the home with no stimulation, month after month and year after year.

This is a form of cruelty for these sociable animals, and you have confirmed the best remedy: Get a cat for the cat -- or a dog for the cat, or a cat or dog for the dog!

SEZURE WARNING FOR SOME FLEA & TICK TREATMENTS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting pet owners and veterinarians to be aware of the potential for “neurologic adverse events” in dogs and cats when treated with drugs in the isoxazoline class.

Since these products have obtained their respective FDA approvals, data received by the agency as part of its routine post-marketing activities indicates that some animals receiving Bravecto, Nexgard or Simparica have experienced adverse events such as muscle tremors, ataxia and seizures. Another product in this class, Credelio, recently received FDA approval. These products are approved for the treatment and prevention of flea infestations, and the treatment and control of tick infestations.

The FDA is working with manufacturers of isoxazoline products to include new label information to highlight neurologic events because these events were seen consistently across the isoxazoline class of products.

For more information on the hazardous nature of various insecticides to cats and dogs, see my article “Companion Animal Risks of Flea & Tick Insecticides,” posted on my website.

(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.)