DEAR DR. FOX: Coyote and fox killing contests occurred last month in Minnesota. These wildlife killing contests are cruel, ineffective, and do not reflect the state's tradition of sportsmanship and respect for the outdoors.

Hunts like this are unregulated, with no rules and no limits. There is no place in a civil society for these contests. These types of tournaments are disastrous to wildlife and the balance of ecosystems, and they glorify violent behavior by encouraging killing simply for the sake of killing. Organizers of these events often claim that they are helping to control predator populations, when in fact this is not about controlling wildlife populations. This is a nonsensical, savage contest to see who can kill the most wildlife.

Minnesota deserves better than this. -- Maureen Hackett, M.D., president and founder of Howling for Wolves, Minnetonka, Minnesota

DEAR DR. HACKETT: Minnesota is not the only state having such competitions, according to conservation nonprofit Project Coyote, an organization founded by my daughter, Camilla.

As a veterinarian, I appeal to all parents and citizens in communities where such activities are sanctioned: Stop them for your children's health and for your own.

According to Project Coyote, "Wildlife killing contests are a violation of the Public Trust Doctrine, a foundational judicial principle mandating that governments hold natural assets, including wildlife, in trust for the general public and future generations. Allowing a minority of the population to slaughter coyotes en masse at the expense of the majority of people who value the intrinsic, ecological and aesthetic value of native carnivores damages the reputation of state wildlife management agencies and sportsmen alike."

My concern is the potential spread of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and flea-borne sylvatic plague that are carried by rodents. Foxes and coyotes, along with various raptors, keep the rodent numbers in check, thus reducing the chances of ticks carrying the infection to humans and to deer.

Instead of a hunt, perhaps a community could have a photo contest and offer cash prizes for the most photogenic live, free red fox or coyote. Let's put respect and understanding over outmoded traditions and questionable customs, such as the sport of competitive killing. What does that teach children? And what does it say about the state of humanity in those living close to the last of the wild?

(For more information on these hunts, visit howlingforwolves.org and projectcoyote.org.)

ONE GREAT STATEMENT FOR THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

"We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein do we err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: They are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth." -- Henry Beston, "The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod."

(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: 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.

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.

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: 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.)