DEAR DR. FOX: At the proper time, our four cats were declawed, as we were in favor of intact furniture and zero cat scratches.

These cats spent their lives happily doing what cats do, even scratching their front paws on whatever met their fancy -- instinct. They lived to the age of 18, never being allowed outdoors, and passed within two weeks of each other (11 years ago).

That leads me to the question: It’s not OK to declaw cats, but perfectly OK to cut off dogs’ tails and operate on their ears for purely cosmetic reasons? I also disagree with the breeding of both cats and dogs that leaves them with pushed-in faces, making it difficult for them to eat properly; it can bother their breathing, too. -- H.O., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR H.O.: I have addressed these issues -- cropping dogs’ ears, docking their tails and deliberately breeding dogs with extreme facial and other physical abnormalities -- many times in my column, as well as in the articles on my website entitled, “Don’t Let Them Mutilate Your Dog” and “Recovering Canine Health.” Breeding Persian and other cats with deformed faces and others with abnormal limbs is also very inhumane.

I appreciate you sharing your experiences with declawed cats, but this is a wholly radical procedure that can have lifelong adverse physical and behavioral consequences. More details are available in my review of this issue on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). In many countries, declawing is considered an unethical practice for veterinarians to engage in.

DEAR DR. FOX: Come Thanksgiving, I will host my extended family at my home: siblings, spouses, in-laws, nieces, nephews, etc. We have lots of room and they will bring their dogs.

I do not have any pets, but I like animals, especially dogs. Most dogs cozy up to me almost immediately, often far more quickly than they do to other people. Most of the dogs who will be here are great and well-behaved.

However, my sister’s family has two German shepherds: a female about 8 years old and a male about 4 years old. The last two times they came to visit, the male dog took to barking at me, almost incessantly. He did not bark at other people, just me. I ignored it as much as possible. My sister tried to give me guidance on how to behave so that the dog would not bark at me. However, this was a 100-pound dog acting aggressively towards me in my own home; I would have no part of “acting” a certain way to minimize the dog’s behavior.

My sister and her husband have only ever had these two dogs, and while they have gone to some sort of obedience school, it does not really seem to have made a difference. They have had to crate the dog on more than one occasion while visiting, since he acted so erratically. The female German shepherd has no such issues.

The other dogs who’ll be visiting are a Rottweiler, a Shih Tzu and a shepherd mix (a rescue that used to be very anxious, but has really calmed down in the last couple of years). All the dogs get along with each other, whether in the house or outside on the lawn. Do you have any advice for this Thanksgiving? -- E.Z., Walkerton, Indiana

DEAR E.Z.: You are a good host, inviting so many dogs and their human families!

This German shepherd is probably not being aggressive so much as fearful and defensive when you are close and make eye contact, trying to reassure the dog. Yelling to make the dog be quiet is too late in the behavior-shaping process, and remote-controlled electric anti-bark collars are unacceptable -- very inhumane in the wrong hands.

I would ignore the dog and avoid eye contact. If the dog just will not settle down, he should be put in the owner’s vehicle (only if the weather is good), or outside with the other big dogs. I would advise against giving the dog any sedative drug prior to the visit.

This does sound like an unstable animal, but extend him some special understanding: German shepherds are very bright, and bark for attention, especially when people are ignoring them and are engaged in conversation.

When we had a “pack” of three rescued dogs, their response to us having visitors was to play together on the floor in front of us, after greeting and sniffing everyone. Also, one of our dogs would often bring a gift -- anything she could find, even a leaf from the porch -- with no other intention than to give it to our visitors. (She wasn’t looking for a game of fetch, because she would never respond to or retrieve a thrown toy.)

About Thanksgiving, visitors and in-home animals: This time of celebration can be marred by a cat or dog slipping outdoors as visitors come and go and then getting lost. Be sure collars and tags are on, and maybe consider keeping your animals in a separate room while guests are coming in or leaving. Keep them there if they are very shy or fearful, or if there are children coming. Also, do not give many treats: Many cats and dogs given meaty, fatty holiday leftovers go into emergency care with acute pancreatitis.

Best for all is to make it a compassionate and environmentally sensitive time of celebration by making the meal meat-free, vegan or vegetarian. I think we need a special day of Thanksgiving for all creatures great and small. Some people choose the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4, for this purpose.

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I am an avid reader of your columns and books, and have learned much about caring for my pets. They have lived long and healthy lives because of the information you provide.

I am writing in response to the letter writer who threatened to stop reading your columns unless you stayed out of politics. When did it become problematic to read opposing views on issues, or acceptable to deny facts readily available from multiple sources? Shouldn’t we all seek more information on a subject so that we can evaluate that information and have more informed opinions?

I, for one, appreciate the knowledge you provide on all aspects of our world, the treatment of it and the animals we depend on. I encourage you to continue your advocacy of our planet and the animals that inhabit it. Thanks for your insights. -- M.R., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR DR. FOX: I loved your article titled “Trump brazenly claims environmental leadership.” It takes guts to make a political statement, because so many people are so easily offended.

Thank you for saying it like it is without beating around the bush. We need everyone to start seeing the facts and the truth about Trump. The only hope we have is for a completely overwhelming number of people to vote Democratic if there is any hope of saving our country -- and the world, as well. With all the gerrymandering, voter suppression, short voting hours on a workday, long lines at too few voting locations, picture I.D. requirements, misdirections sending people to the wrong voting places and so many other tricks and cheats being pulled to restrict voting only to the chosen few, we need the truth to come out by every source possible.

Thank you for reaching so many people who only get their news from (the other) Fox. -- T.L., Springfield, Missouri

DEAR M.R. and T.L.: Your words of support are appreciated -- but probably not shared by all readers!

Even if a Democrat wins the next presidency, there is an enormous agenda, not only to rectify the setbacks to conservation, public health and a sustainable economy created by the present administration, but to unify America and other nations to address the climate and extinction crises.

We pay taxes to support a democratic, civil society whose leaders should be democratic and civil -- leaders who do not abuse the power of office to undermine human rights and animal and environmental protection. The moral inversion of the Golden Rule into the rule of gold is normative to “developers” and others who destructively exploit nature, and in the process, commit crimes against humanity and other species and their communities. This global cult of mammon has its contemporary rebirth under the guise of Ayn Rand’s rational selfishness, materialism and objectivism. She stated, ”My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”

The climate crisis and associated extinction crisis -- as evidenced by the accelerating loss of biological and cultural diversity, and of indigenous native peoples, plants and animals -- is accepted as unavoidable “productive achievement” by the dominant culture. Socially and economically, this rising technocratic monoculture is nonsustainable, and suffers the same vulnerabilities we see in ecological monocultures. Dystopia and dysbiosis go hand in hand.

This commercial, industrial juggernaut of “productivity” also means a loss of our humanity: of those qualities of humility, compassion and respect for all life that make us human. Civil society faces all forms of inhumanity. The call for justice for all is ultimately enlightened self-interest, along with planetary CPR (conservation, protection and restoration).

I am not alone in calling for a United Environmental Nations, with the burning of the Amazon forest being just one example of a single nation’s actions (or inaction) harming the entire world. Our numbers and appetites are unsustainable. Many scientists and visionaries have long warned of us reaching this point on planet Earth, as per Frances Moore Lappe’s 1971 book, “Diet for a Small Planet.” Over half a century ago, Jesuit priest, paleontologist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “The day is not far distant when humanity will realize that biologically, it is faced with a choice between suicide and adoration.”

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3-1/2-year-old white purebred Pomeranian. He is 7 pounds.

About a year ago, he started losing hair -- not the long outer hairs, but the short ones underneath. I heard of a remedy of coconut oil mixed with oil of oregano, which I tried, and I thought the hair was coming back in. I then went to a vet dermatologist who said “stop that, just give him melatonin.” No results, as I expected.

Now, six months later, I am back to the coconut and oregano treatment, but nothing is happening now. I believe the hair has been gone too long.

Anything you can tell me to try? -- L.J., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR L.J.: Your little dog has a condition that will not be helped, to my knowledge, with coconut oil.

Melatonin may help in some forms of this alopecia. A daily supplement of vitamin D (200 IUs) or a few drops of cod liver oil may help, after a few weeks.

Your dog probably has alopecia X (AX), which is a hereditary condition that primarily affects Pomeranians and causes truncal alopecia and skin hyperpigmentation. To date, AX’s etiology remains unknown, although altered sex-hormone metabolism has been suggested as an underlying cause.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an 8-month-old kitten, Frankie, who is wonderful. She uses the litter box (we use pine pellets), she’s playful, she sleeps through the night and is very affectionate.

For a week, I am babysitting my friend’s terrier. Frankie has not had any experience with a dog other than a day visit. Frankie suddenly has found the corner of my bathroom rug to defecate on, though she still urinates in the litter box. I wash the mat with hot water, but it is the third time this happened.

I’m sure this will resolve itself after the dog leaves on Wednesday, but I’d like your opinion. -- K.E., Boynton Beach, Florida

DEAR K.E.: This could be coincidence, not associated with the dog’s presence, because your young cat may be constipated.

This can be a serious problem when cats are fed only dry kibble, which they should not be. Give her canned food or soaked, freeze-dried food. Constipation is painful and cats may associate painful evacuation with being in the litter box, so they evacuate outside the box.

Alternatively, the cat may feel especially vulnerable when straining to defecate because of the presence of the dog; if so, the problem will resolve itself when the dog is gone, as you said. Many dogs like to eat cat poop, so be alert to that possibility!

DEAR DR. FOX: We had to take our Doberman back to the vet after she was spayed because some stitches had come out and there was a bit of blood.

The vet put in fresh sutures, put her on antibiotics and gave her tramadol for pain and discomfort. It made her so restless and agitated -- she would lie down and try to rest, then get up again, and sometimes she stumbled. So I took her off it, and she is doing better.

What is your opinion? -- G.K., Minneapolis, Minnesota

DEAR G.K.: This tramadol issue has come up before in my column. Some years ago, I used it on one of our dogs, with the same disturbing side effects, including rapid heart rate and anxiety. Recent reports in the veterinary literature indicate that this drug should not be given to dogs because it is not an effective analgesic.

As for the antibiotic prescription: If the surgical lesion was sterile and the dog had a normal body temperature, other than application of a topical antibiotic, an oral prescription was probably unwarranted. Both the veterinary and medical professions are adopting the precautionary principle with regard to antibiotic use because of overuse, especially by the livestock industry and the rapid evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF RURAL VETS: CONGRESS MUST ACT

The United States has 190 regions in 44 states with a critical shortage of veterinarians, the USDA reports. Some of these regions have as few as one or two large-animal veterinarians available to care for thousands, or tens of thousands, of farm animals, writes AVMA President Dr. John Howe. A combination of low pay and high student debt drive the shortage, as newly minted vets opt for higher-paying work in urban areas. But Congress could alleviate the problem by passing the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act, which would eliminate a 37% tax on student loan repayment funds, Howe writes. (The Hill, 8/27)

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)