DEAR DR. FOX: I am a cattle farmer, and your readers might like to know what I have been facing with my animals and at the auctions.

My Holsteins, and those belonging to other people, have been developing visible tumors on their bodies. The cows with tumors bring $.10 per pound, as opposed to $.50 to $.55 per pound for the good cows. A classmate of mine did NOT bid on or buy the cows with lymphoma. I asked him why anyone might buy those cows. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. I wonder what the going price is for meat for pet food?

The remarks below are from a consultant who was working with a particular dairy operation in the Midwest. The consultant sent feed samples to a Lab in Fairfield, Iowa, for glyphosate and AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) residue analysis:

"The particular farm where I took these samples has had cows reach a poor peak, weaken and die for years. Once they had allowed me to start taking urine samples, which showed around 10 ppb of glyphosate/AMPA last spring, they promised to quit using Roundup on the crops that were to be fed to their cows and heifers.

"Three months ago, one of the owners asked me why the cows they are shipping are being 'tanked' (condemned): 'How are they getting lymphoma?'

"When I asked if he had heard about the lawsuit Monsanto lost in California and had to fork out (millions of dollars) to a groundskeeper who was exposed to Roundup and was dying of lymphoma, the owner looked at me in total bewilderment and didn't ask me another question!

"I've been begging them for six years to stop using the stuff!"

A high school classmate of mine is a pound cow buyer for a major cow and bull slaughter packer. He has been buying pound cows and bulls ("pound cows" is a term to describe a cow whose life of efficient production is over and now is headed for McDonald's or Burger King). I asked him if he was seeing much lymphoma in pound cows. His response was "YES, especially dairy cows." This is because the feedstuffs the dairy cows consume contain a constant level of glyphosate/AMPA residue, and glyphosate has been scientifically proven to cause lymphoma in certain cases. -- H.V., Maurice, Iowa

DEAR H.V.: I share your concerns about bovine lymphosarcoma, leukemia and malignant lymphoma. Lymphosarcoma in cattle may be sporadic or result from infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV), the latter being often referred to as an enzootic bovine leukosis. Sporadic lymphosarcoma in cattle is unrelated to infection with BLV. It can significantly reduce animals' well-being and productivity. Why it is so prevalent today may be because of herbicide (glyphosate) residues in cattle feed, which may act as a co-factor in reducing animals' resistance to the virus or be a primary cause of a similar lymphatic cancer as seen in laboratory animal studies of glyphosate toxicity.

Lymphatic cancer is also an issue with dogs, and herbicide residues have been found in some dog foods. We have surely reached the point where the use of such chemicals in food production needs to be curtailed, since they are now being detected in drinking water as well as various foods, beer and wine. Organic farming practices need to be more widely adopted for the good of all.  

DEAR DR. FOX: My 2-year-old Jack Russell has been potty box-trained since birth, and has been great about using his box in the middle of the night.

However, after moving to a new house two months ago, he refuses to use it. Twice, he has pooped on the floor. So we placed his box where he pooped on the floor, but nothing!

We don't understand this new behavior, and don't know how to get him to go in his box again. -- M.B., St Louis

DEAR M.B.: Most dogs do not like to defecate inside their homes, even though they can be trained to do so on a poop (and pee) pad when they are young. Your dog wants to keep the new home clean, perhaps? I do not condone this practice unless you live in a high-rise apartment, or are handicapped and unable to take the dog outdoors on a regular schedule.

Most dogs like a schedule of going outside about six times a day, with at least one long walk or some time off-leash in a safe area to run around and play.

An active terrier dog like yours needs lots of stimulation and activities, including sniffing and urine-marking around where you live. Regular physical activity is good for the mind and body, helping prevent obesity, bowel issues, and other health problems associated with a sedentary existence. Outdoor physical activity stimulates the digestive system, and is always best done before meals.

Your dog is probably trying to tell you enough is enough. He is not a litter box-using cat and needs to get outdoors as often as possible. Teaching a pup to get used to pooping indoors can make it difficult to later have the dog poop outdoors. How often does he get out? No healthy dog needs to poop in the middle of the night.

(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.)

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.)