DEAR READERS: If we do not feel for animals, how can we accept that they, like us, have feelings? In many species, these range from terror to joy. Many mourn the loss of a mate or offspring.

Naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch conjectured that “perhaps certain of the animals can be both more joyful and more utterly desolate than any man ever was.” He also opined that “whoever listens to a bird’s song and says, ‘I do not believe there is any joy in it,’ has not proved anything about birds. But he has revealed a good deal about himself.”

For documentation of animals’ emotionality, including their ability to empathize, see Frans de Waal’s book “The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society,” Carl Safina’s “Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel,” and Marc Bekoff’s “The Smile of a Dolphin: Remarkable Accounts of Animal Emotions.” The time has surely come when we must reassess how we treat other sentient beings. For the sake of our own humanity, we should strive to end all forms of cruel exploitation through education and rule of law.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing to you about our dog Buddy, who has ear infection issues. He is an 11-year-old Shih Tzu.

We have had him since he was 7 months old. We have spent many trips to the vet and many dollars (probably in the thousands) that we can’t afford. We cannot pay the prices for his treatments anymore.

We have tried everything that everyone tells us, and nothing works. We fear he might lose his hearing. Even the vet we take him to doesn’t seem to know what else to do, and we can’t continue spending up to $200 for each visit to have his ears treated.

We love him so much. My husband has cancer, and Buddy is a real comfort to him. We hate to see him in pain because of his ears. We are seniors (72 years old) and we don’t get much Social Security. I hope you can tell us how to treat Buddy at home. -- D.S., Walnut Cove, North Carolina

DEAR D.S.: Many people are in your kind of predicament, and those who can afford to do so are buying into various pet health insurance policies, some set up by local veterinary clinics. Pet health insurance is in its infancy in this country, and with rising pet health care costs, it is worth considering -- ideally in discussion with your veterinarian.

Another option with your dog needing constant treatment for a chronic ear condition is to ask the veterinarian to show you how to clean the ears and apply the medication prescribed. You will probably need a second person to help you hold your dog when you do this. With some breeds, there is often fur in the external ear canals, which must be plucked out regularly to keep the canals aerated and prevent fungal and bacterial infection.

Many dogs with ear problems show significant improvement when, instead of just dry dog kibble, they are fed good-quality canned and freeze-dried dog food with a few drops of fish oil added. Some dogs with ear problems have an underlying food allergy or intolerance, which calls for some detective work to find out which diet works best for them.

For routine, as-needed ear cleaning, use a mixture of equal parts of apple cider vinegar and warm water. Flush the mixture with a syringe into one ear canal and then the other. Dry the ears well, and after an hour or so, put a few drops of organic, cold-pressed olive oil into each external ear canal. Ideally, do this in a place where the dog will not make a mess with his head-shaking, getting the oil all over the place!

RAW CHICKEN MIGHT CAUSE DEBILITATING CONDITION IN DOGS

Research suggests Campylobacter bacteria in raw or undercooked chicken can cause a debilitating condition in dogs called acute polyradiculoneuritis. It starts as weakness in the hind legs that progresses through the body, resulting in paralysis and death, in some cases.

“We recommend owners choose regular dog food rather than chicken necks until we know more about this debilitating condition,” researchers wrote. The researchers reported their findings in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

(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.)

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.)