DEAR DR. FOX: Please settle an argument I am having with my brother, who insists that dogs are smarter than cats and that pigs are really stupid because they wallow in mud and get all dirty. -- H.F., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR H.F.: People have a lot of misconceptions about intelligence, which comes in many modes -- from cellular microorganisms, to the cells and organs in more complex plant life-forms, to animals that include insects and us.

In complex life-forms we have innate, genetically determined tropisms, like most plants' sense of light and gravity and recently discovered chemical communication between trees. In animals we have genetically programmed instincts, which we see in kitten and fawn play as they engage in predatory and anti-predatory behaviors. Many birds and mammals can mimic and understand human speech and have sensory abilities, such as navigation, scenting and sonar, evolved far beyond some of our best technologies. Some possess remote supersensory abilities ("psychic" in the vernacular), as I document in my book "Animals & Nature First."

So, to answer your question: Differences in dogs and cats are more noticeable between individuals than between breeds. There are, however, games one can engage in that help test and determine an animal's basic IQ, which I explain in my books "Supercat" and "Superdog."

As for your question about pigs and mud, they instinctively wallow to keep cool and repel flies, a survival skill they have learned. Wild pigs, as I have seen in the Indian jungle, are a highly empathic species, and savage in defense of their young and sounder (social group). They are little different from the millions of pigs raised in hog factories under inhumane conditions, which reflect our disregard and ignorance.

Intelligence is a universal, self-organizing and creative phenomenon that can be genetically encoded and expressed as we live and breathe.

BRITISH GROUP WARNS AGAINST USING REGULAR TOOTHPASTE TO CLEAN PETS' TEETH

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issued a warning last fall that toothpaste meant for human use should not be used to brush pets' teeth, because exposure to high fluoride levels or the artificial sweetener xylitol is dangerous for animals.

Moreover, pets don't like the flavor or foaming action of toothpaste for humans, says RSPCA London veterinary director Caroline Allen. The organization recommends using dentifrices, chews and foods formulated specifically for pets. (From telegraph.co.uk, Nov. 12.)

(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: Our 11-year-old, 20-pound Pomeranian had a pancreatitis attack three months ago.

Our vet warned us about the need to avoid high-fat food to keep the condition from recurring, but our dog is a very picky eater. He doesn't like the prescription food to help with digestion, so we have been feeding him low-fat food that he loves -- human-grade low-fat chicken breast, low-fat ground beef and scrambled eggs with half the yolk discarded. He also has developed a fondness for fat-free milk, which we drink.

He has not had an attack of pancreatitis since he has been eating these foods, but his elimination feces are always very runny in consistency, so we need to shampoo his backside frequently.

I have researched ways to firm up his eliminations, but the suggestions I have gotten, such as giving him pumpkin, have not worked. Meanwhile, he can't or won't eat manufactured dog foods.

Before we resign ourselves to this routine, can you suggest any safe supplement that we could give our dog that would allow him to eat the food he enjoys while processing it better in his digestive system? -- C.C., Washington, D.C.

DEAR C.C.: I am sorry about your dog's situation. Prescription dog foods are generally unpalatable and too often contain ingredients not fit for a dog.

You can find my basic dog food recipe on my website, drfoxvet.net. You can tweak the recipe to reduce all fats. Lightly simmer all meats and poultry, then chill and skim away the fat. Also, feed your dog three small meals a day and be sure to give him good, human-grade quality probiotics and a teaspoon daily (in one of the meals) of unsweetened pineapple or papaya as a source of digestive enzymes to help support the pancreas.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just finished reading a woman's story about her beloved cat that crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but still visited her frequently at night.

This made my heart smile. My beloved mixed calico cat, Poco, passed a little more than two years ago. Though my heart is still broken, I often hear her running up and down the stairs at night. Ours was a friendship deep-rooted in mutual love. Is this crazy? -- L.P. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I read your column about the dog owner who said he saw his dog after he passed away. We had a cat, Junior, for 22 years. He passed away eight years ago. For a few years afterward, my wife and I would wake up having felt Junior walking across the bed at night just like he used to, going around our feet from her to me. He would split the night with each of us, always sleeping on the outside and never between us.

I never would have thought such things occur, but it did. After a time, it stopped. I am sure someone will say it was grief. I will not try to argue that, but it was very real to us. We miss Junior still. -- T.S., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

DEAR L.P. & T.S.: This question of life-after-life is important to me because we as a culture have become so embedded in materialism-consumerism and the addictive virtual reality of social media and entertainment. We no longer have communion with nature, or talk to the trees and listen to the birds, and we cannot see the stars because our energy-consuming night lights have brought the end of darkness across all densely inhabited regions of the planet.

Where is the place and time in our daily lives for most of us to engage with nature and the great mystery of life?

Companion animals, regardless of their human-created genetic anomalies and dependence on their caregivers, provide countless people with such a spiritual connection of love and trust. Those who neither understand nor respect such mutual affection between humans and other species are sadly disconnected.

The bond both of you had with your cats lives on in your hearts and minds. Their presence to you in sounds, running up and down the stairs at night or snuggling in bed as they did regularly when alive, is possibly a projection from your own memory that your grief keeps awakening.

Another possibility is that your grief keeps calling them back because they loved you so much. Either way, let go. I find that reflecting on the life of a beloved animal companion through writing or even putting together a photo album helps alleviate the sense of loss; this reflection leads to celebration and gratitude for that companion animal's presence in your life.

L.P. REPLIES: Though I miss Poco every day, I feel as though I have let go. I connected with Poco like I never connected with anyone before. We were special to each other. We had her for seven of her eight years. She was diagnosed with large-cell lymphoma and received treatment for nearly two years. She let me know it was time to say goodbye. Her ashes sit on our mantle. I celebrate her life and am thankful for our time together.

DEAR L.P.: Then I would say that the power of love can indeed transfigure and transcend our mortal lives.

ANOTHER TECHNOLOGICAL DISCONNECT FROM RESPONSIBILITY?

A high-tech litter box from the PurrSong company automatically cleans and refills the receptacle. The LavvieBot also can be monitored with an available smartphone app. It is marketed as a device to relieve cat owners of litter box chores. (From digitaltrends.com, Jan. 6.)

In my opinion, this kind of litter box system does not enable the cat caregiver to make a daily inspection of urine and feces to see if there is a problem, such as blood in the urine or diarrhea. The more we rely on technologies in animal care, the more we must be mindful of technical limitations.

Also, animal husbandry (the old term for animal care) is a relationship of attentive engagement, which applied technologies should enhance. Technology should not limit our engagement with our pets or become a substitute caregiver.

(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: Our dog is a very anxious 8-year-old Morkie (a Yorkshire-Maltese mix).

In your opinion, would there be any advantage to giving her a drop of CBD during anxious activities such as flying? Would it be safe to give her a drop every day? -- J.J.E., Estero, Florida

DEAR J.J.E.: First, get your dog used to being in an airline-approved dog crate. Keep it open, with soft bedding and a few treats inside, so it becomes like her den.

As for your query, I asked veterinarian Dr. Robert J. Silver to respond. I have known him for many years, and he is one of the pioneers of integrative veterinary medicine and the application of cannabis in veterinary medicine.

Here is his response:

"Your question is a good one. It is known that CBD has a calming but not sedating effect on dogs, and it works pretty well at much lower doses than we would use if your dog was in pain, had epilepsy or cancer.

"When you ask if a drop a day would help, that is an impossible question to answer for these two reasons:

"1) I have no idea what the potency and concentration are of the CBD oil you have in mind; and,

"2) I have no idea what size (weight in pounds or kilograms) your dog is, since the most successful way to give CBD is by basing the dosage on the body weight of the animal.

"Another issue here is that with the incredible popularity of CBD, there are some shysters out there who just want to take your money and give you a bogus product. So look carefully at the CBD oil you are interested in and see if there is a contact number on the bottle. There should be. Call that number and ask for a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) that will tell you what the laboratory tests said in terms of how much CBD is in the formula, and if there is any THC in it. THC can be very troubling to dogs, so we want to give them only the very small amount that is found in hemp oil, which should be less than 0.3 percent THC.

"A good starting dose for calming your Morkie is 0.1 mg of CBD for each pound of body weight twice daily. The best way to give the oil is just into the mouth, so it absorbs through the oral mucous membranes.

"I hope this is helpful. All the best to you and your four-legged companion." -- Robert J. Silver DVM, MS, CVA; Boulder, Colorado

(You can check out Dr. Silver's blog at NurseYourPet.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: Please help me settle a discussion I had recently with a relative. She claims you cannot bring a new cat into a house that already has a cat (cats). I have heard of cases where one cat gets so bored all day alone that a new cat would be welcome. What say you? -- C.D., Naples, Florida

DEAR C.D: I really appreciate your question because it is a common misconception that you cannot introduce a cat into a home where there is already one or more cats.

You are right that cats can suffer from extreme boredom when left alone for hours during the workweek and not getting the kind of stimulation another cat could give. This can contribute to obesity and other health and behavioral problems. As I document in my book, "Cat Body, Cat Mind," two cats living harmoniously together are generally happier and healthier than those living alone.

As to your contention that a cat will get bored when home alone all day, this I can confirm from a photo just sent to me from the family who adopted our latest rescue cat, Black Bean. The photo shows Black Bean hugging his buddy cat, Zorro, who my wife and I also rescued. This family adopted Zorro a year before Black Bean.

After following the basic steps of helping the cats get to know each other and develop trust, the new owners reported a month later that Zorro is more alert and losing weight, even though he was living with a family with two young children and an old dog. And his new companion Black Bean loves to leap, chase and play.

For details of the steps best taken to introduce a new cat to the home, see my article on this topic at drfoxvet.net.

(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.)