In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists have helped advance a patient-specific, precision medicine treatment for bone cancer in dogs.

By creating a vaccine from a dog’s own tumor, scientists at the University of Missouri worked with ELIAS Animal Health to target specific cancer cells and avoid the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, while also opening the door for future human clinical trials.

“A vaccine is made out of the dog’s own tumor for the dog’s immune system to recognize,” stated Jeffrey Bryan, a professor of oncology at Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Comparative Oncology Radiobiology and Epigenetics Laboratory. “The dogs received no chemotherapy and received only immunotherapy after their surgery. It’s the first time that dogs with osteosarcoma have experienced prolonged survival without receiving chemotherapy, which is really exciting.”

Overall, the dogs receiving this therapy had more than 400 days of remission, compared to about 270 days for dogs receiving chemotherapy in a separate study by the National Cancer Institute.

As a veterinary student in the early 1960s, I recall reading about Soviet scientists who proposed this approach to treating some cancers. This is the first clinical confirmation of this concept that I have read since then.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your article about coyote contests, and you never gave a good answer on how to control coyote populations. It would be great if a photo contest worked, but you and I both know that doesn’t help the overpopulation.

The coyote is a beautiful animal and resource. As you should know, all resources have to be managed.

In Oklahoma, I trust our expert wildlife biologist to determine the correct carrying capacity. You might want to speak to the wildlife experts before you write a fairy tale article.

-- C.S., Norman, Oklahoma

DEAR C.S.: If you want to really read fairy tales about coyotes, read how some state and federal wildlife agencies regard coyotes and other predators as "sustainable resources," while others call them varmints and vermin, and have an open season to shoot, trap, poison and even set big dogs on them.

Sheep and cattle ranchers who have no guard dogs have played a major role in exterminating apex predators, decimating America's wild heritage and biodiversity. Lyme, Chronic Wasting and other diseases spread, along with increases in wild prey species (deer, elk, etc.) once managed by wolves, coyotes and other predators. Systematic, nationwide extermination of wolves has enabled coyotes to fill the niche. Trying to exterminate coyotes is futile because they quickly re-colonize and produce more offspring, all a consequence of gross mismanagement and a lack of sound science.

The notion of "carrying capacity" is absurd, another fairy tale considering the extensive damage caused by ranchers grazing their livestock on public lands. Coyotes can help dysfunctional ecosystems recover, and more than one rancher who understands such interspecies dynamics has told me that they welcome coyotes whose presence helps improve the land. But, with climate change and increasing evidence of the global impact of livestock production and consumption, the days of ranching, as practiced today, will go the way of the Dodo.

"Coyote America," the book by Dan Flores, may give you a more informed perspective. Also, visit www.projectcoyote.org for more details.

(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 was planning my charitable donations for the year, and in the past, I have contributed to PETA, the Humane Society and the ASPCA. However, this time I did a search and found a lengthy article online that was unfavorable toward all three. What pet organizations are deserving of donations? -- S.W., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR S.W.: I checked with a reliable person who's active in the field of animal welfare, and she suggested donating to the Humane Farming Association (hfa.org), Fish Feel (fishfeel.org) or Project Coyote (projectcoyote.org), a nonprofit I've written about previously. (Full disclosure: My daughter, Camilla, is the founder of Project Coyote.)

Other organizations to consider are the nonprofit Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), based near Chicago, which has teamed up with HFA on some issues, and the St. Louis-based Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, which works to shut down puppy mills and fights agribusiness-backed legislation in the state. (For more information on both groups, go to sharkonline.org and maal.org, respectively.)

You can also look into your local Humane Society or another local animal welfare organization. I would also suggest joining a community foster-care network to re-home cats and dogs from animal shelters or checking out local conservation, wildlife protection and rehabilitation organizations. (You can investigate any nonprofit's charity status and ratings at charitywatch.org.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have had a new rescue cat since November, and she's been in her cage for a couple of months. I can pick her up in her bed, take her to the recliner, pet her, brush her and everything. Then, after a few hours, I put her back in her cage. She has been out of her cage for two weeks at a time.

Then she will hide and eat only one meal per day. I can't work with her; she reverts back to being semi-feral. Do I just let her out and let her continue this behavior? When I hold her on my lap, she swats at any other cats that come up for attention. -- D.A., Springfield, Illinois

DEAR D.A.: "Wow!" is my response to your issue because my wife and I have exactly the same problem with Fannie, a feral cat now in our home. The cat spins and pirouettes for food and likes to chase a feather lure at night, but hisses when I approach, bats and yowls at our gentle dog, and will not allow me to pick her up.

So you are ahead somewhat in socializing your cat. You might try using a Feliway Plug In cat pheromone dispenser in the room the cats frequent most; keep your semi-feral cat in that room. Feed the cats all within sight of one another, but with plenty of space, and try to engage all the cats in play together. Your rescued cat should be eating three to four small meals a day (canned, raw or freeze-dried, ideally) and a little dry food. Call her at feeding time and do not let her hide out in other rooms.

The cat needs to stay "immersed" in your living area. Having a cat condo and other places where this cat can hide or stay high off the ground and feel secure will help. If she feels most secure in her cage, which is her "den," then put it in view of your main living area with the other cats. But leave the cage open because isolation in other rooms may cause regression. Being able to groom her is a big step. Keep me posted!

(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. You can find past columns at www.uexpress.com/animal-doctor.)

A story in The Guardian earlier this month warns that "(m)ore than 40 percent of insect species are declining and a third are endangered," citing a study from the journal Biological Conservation. (From The Guardian, Feb. 10.) The main culprit? The newspaper quotes study author Francisco Sanchez-Bayo, an environmental scientist at Australia's University of Sydney, who says, "The main cause of the decline is agricultural intensification" through "synthetic fertilizers and pesticides."

Insects are a foundation class of animals, far more ancient than we are. They sustain life on Earth, from pollinating plant life to being the primary food source for other creatures. In damaged ecosystems, some insect species, such as disease-carrying ticks and mosquitoes and crop pests like locusts and weevils, can suddenly flourish because natural biodiversity controls have broken down. Asian longhorned ticks, for instance, which can transmit several diseases, are now invading the United States.

Insect decline is but one issue on the agenda of civil society awakening to the importance of planetary CPR (conservation, protection and restoration). This is the foundation for our own health and future viability.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 11-year-old Cardigan Welsh corgi is eating and exercising normally, but he has all but stopped having bowel movements.

On a walk, he stops and appears to strain until one or two nuggets come out. Our longtime vet can't feel any organ abnormalities or impacted stools, and an X-ray showed nothing special. He has the dog on the laxative Lactulose, which has had little effect after nine days. Other than straining, the dog seems happy. What are your thoughts? -- R.H., Red Bank, New Jersey

DEAR R.H.: Unless your dog is on a special low-fiber diet that results in a small fecal load, the animal could well have an intestinal blockage, possibly cancer. I would advise more tests and a second opinion referral to a veterinary internal medicine specialist. Treat this as an emergency, and do let me know the outcome.

DEAR DR. FOX: Thanks for responding. We took the dog for a second opinion and ultrasound. The exam and ultrasound image showed an enlarged bladder and his prostate impinging on the colon. The dog's condition improved within a few hours of catheterizing to empty his bladder. The specialist recommended we neuter the dog to reduce prostate enlargement, and we are working on that. I hadn't noticed his reduced urination during walks, but there you are. -- R.H., Red Bank, New Jersey

DEAR R.H.: Do contact the first veterinarian who found nothing wrong with your dog and get your money back. Ask why your dog was not properly examined. A finger up the rectum is a diagnostic tool par excellence!

EUTHANASIA DRUG IN INGREDIENT SHIPPED TO PET FOOD MANUFACTURER

Last month, TruthAboutPetFood.com (a site I contribute to) reported that two shipments of an ingredient laced with pentobarbital were sent in March 2018 to Champion Petfoods, the maker of Orijen- and Acana-brand dog and cat foods. Pet food industry monitor Susan Thixton confirmed the shipments through a Freedom of Information Act request. Still, no FDA recall was required.

Thixton, who runs TruthAboutPetFood.com, writes: "No uniform enforcement of pet food regulations leaves pet owners confused at what the FDA is actually doing to protect pets ...

"If pentobarbital was considered an adulterant in so many other recalls -- just the Smucker's-manufactured Gravy Train, Kibbles 'n Bits and Skippy pet foods was over 107 million cans recalled -- why wasn't it considered an adulterant in Champion Petfoods?" (For more information, go to truthaboutpetfood.com/pentobarbital-champion-pet-food-and-no-uniform-enforcement-of-law.)

(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 woke up one morning to find my 11-year-old, 9-pound cat dead. He had always been an indoor cat and never had fleas or ticks. He was playing and seemed healthy the day before. The vet thought it might have been a stroke or blood clot.

Was there anything I could have done to prevent this from happening? I did not do yearly checkups with the vet. Now, of course, I regret not doing this to keep my cat alive longer. -- T.A., Trinity, North Carolina

DEAR T.A.: I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Your cat probably died of a massive brain hemorrhage associated with high blood pressure or a blood clot, which better nutrition might also have prevented.

Cats need regular veterinary health checkups; most cat owners are seriously negligent in this regard. Getting the animals used to a cat crate (and keeping it as an open den in the home) should be standard care.

The suffering of your cat was blessedly brief in all probability.