DEAR READERS: Earlier this year, the newly formed International Partnership for Dogs announced the launch of a new database providing guidance on genetic testing of dogs as part of the much-needed Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs Initiative. For details, including basic guides for dog owners on types of tests and information to aid veterinarians in advising clients, go to dogwellnet.com.

CATS APPEAR TO CHOOSE FOOD BASED ON NUTRITIONAL NEEDS

When given a choice, cats and dogs eat nutrients that meet their changing needs, results of a study at Oregon State University’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine suggest, and food manufacturers could use insights from the study to improve their products.

In the study, younger cats preferred protein, but as they age, cats’ ability to process protein wanes. Older cats in the study avoided high-protein foods. (The Oregonian, July 29)

DEAR DR. FOX: Thought you might like some good news.

Chuckie (our little fella with the slipped cervical disks) has not had another painful episode or a minute of discomfort since his canine chiropractor has been treating him. He needs only minimal adjustments, mostly to his lower spine, every six weeks. He gets physical therapy twice a week, and is swimming 13 laps in the therapy pool: one lap being 80 feet walking on the pool step and 80 feet swimming back to the start. His chiropractor says he has a neck like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

He is happy, funny and playful. We’re looking for brace support for independent walking, but in the meantime, he uses his wheelie with ease and grace. -- P.H.P., Milford, Connecticut

DEAR P.H.P.: Thanks for affirming the benefits of veterinary chiropractic manipulation, to which I would sugest you add a daily full-body massage, as per my book “The Healing Touch for Dogs.”

Certainly physical therapy, swimming in particular, can help develop stabilizing muscle tone and strength. Your devotion -- cost and time notwithstanding -- is an essential part of your dog’s well-being, and a lesson to all not to give up too soon and opt for euthanasia in similar cases. Much can be done beyond expensive surgery to help dogs enjoy some quality of life with less or no pain!

DEAR DR. FOX: I was very surprised to read the endorsement by a vet of a letter from Teresa Chagrin of PETA in Norfolk, Virginia.

I cannot believe you agree with her statements about TNR (trap-neuter-release protocol for feral cats). Feral cats, for the most part, are not adoptable, so they would have to remain in a shelter for the rest of their lives. Then they are put to death by shelters to make room for other cats that are adoptable. TNR is the best possible result for these cats.

Ms. Chagrin’s view is a utopian one. TNR works better than the status quo. At least feral groups do not grow, and the cats are vaccinated. I am wasting my words here, as I am sure you have heard variations on my points many times.

Bottom line, I have lost respect for your column. -- R.H., Boynton Beach, Florida

DEAR R.H.: I don’t believe that Ms. Chagrin’s views about TNR, and what society should do with unadoptable feral cats, are utopian. I see these views as humane and reasonable.

We are dealing with a veritable dystopia: a cat plague. In poor countries and communities, TNR does mean there will be fewer kittens being born and suffering. But in many other places where there are TNR /”Community Cat” programs, there are serious problems, including public health, wildlife and cat health and welfare.

For more details, visit my website (drfoxvet.net). In most places, such “feral” cat colonies should be contained. Group housing facilities for such cats are well established in several European communities, along with cat cafes!

(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 just read a column of yours from last year on health concerns about the product Seresto.

My dog died today. I had loosely fitted a Seresto collar on my sweet boy on July 9, and noticed his neck lymph nodes were swollen in August. Today is Oct. 3, and my dog is dead.

How would I investigate? -- A.H., Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

DEAR A.H.: Your veterinarian should report this to the manufacturers, as well as to the FDA and EPA, even if she or he believes that it is mere coincidence.

In my opinion, it is very telling evidence. Many similar cases have been reported, and cannot be discounted just because only a few animals show such immediate adverse reactions. The “benefits” of these products do not outweigh the risks.

You may want to explore online and link up with, or start, a website to gather more evidence from other pet owners. There are several online reports that suggest that Seresto collars can cause lymphoma and/or seizures in some dogs. Keep me posted.

FARMED ANIMAL SUFFERING

Considering our growing numbers and appetite for meat and other animal products, it is time to reassess our engagement as consumers with this industry.

For instance, on pig factory farms, the breeding sows are being selected to birth many piglets at such an early age that many die from a prolapsed uterus. (See the article “Why are sows in factory farms dying in surprising numbers?” on civileats.com.) Pigs and poultry in particular, raised in factories called CAFOs -- confined animal feeding operations -- are a constant source of influenza virus epidemics and other diseases transmissible to humans.

Animals raised for their produce under free-range conditions can fare terribly in other ways. Foot-and-mouth disease in livestock in East Africa costs around $2.3 billion in annual production losses, never mind the creatures’ suffering. This highly contagious disease, which can also infect elephants and other wildlife, causes the hooves of cows, goats and sheep to rot off, eaten away by maggots. And that’s only in those animals that survive thirst and starvation, since the virus that invades their mouths makes it too painful to eat.

In countries rich and poor, the veterinary profession is challenged to keep farmed/food animals healthy and minimize their public health and environmental risks. Their success will only come when fewer animals are raised for human consumption and alternative sources of essential nutrients from plants and microorganisms are successfully incorporated into the food chain and markets. This includes the diets of dogs and cats, who are currently the recipients of recycled waste from the livestock and seafood industries, especially in developing countries.

The good news is that the urgent need to reduce meat consumption for the good of the planet is being more widely recognized. (See the article “Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown” on theguardian.com.)

(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 am asking for your help with a nasty problem. My neighbors and I, and our dogs, live in doggy paradise! It’s a small development with our own fenced dog park, just about a full acre. Shade trees, running water, picnic tables, etc. All of us keep it clean. The development requires that owners pay a small monthly “pet rent,” and every dog is required to be vaccinated and registered with the community office.

But sure enough, somebody broke the rules! Two dogs --untrained, unregistered and unvaccinated -- were recently on the property.

These two dogs used the dog park as their private potty. It is now filthy. Our property manager gave the owner seven days to remove them from the property, and thankfully, both of them have now been rehomed.

We need to know how to make our dog park safe for use by our dogs again! Aside from picking up all the droppings, what do we have to do? Are our little dogs at greater risk than the bigger ones?

The Boynton Bay Canines are really looking forward to playing in the park again, but only if they are safe! -- M.W., Boynton Bay, Florida

DEAR M.W.: You have my sympathy and support concerning this evident dog-owner irresponsibility.

We have had a comparable problem where I live: Dogs recently adopted from a local shelter have tested positive for hookworm, whipworm and giardia, and have visited our local dog park and pooped around our neighborhood.

Appropriate action was taken in your case to prohibit these neglected dogs from returning to your dog park, but the possibility of parasite eggs in these dogs’ feces remains, and you have no freezing winter to eliminate them. I would therefore advise all dog owners who use this park have their dogs’ stool samples checked for parasites and be treated as needed.

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.)

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.