DEAR READERS: As a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, I have been a longtime advocate of integrative medicine and a holistic approach to animal health, including the use of nutraceuticals and various botanicals. But I am concerned about reports that access to websites on these subjects as they relate to human health is now being blocked by Google, which has just contracted with the Mayo Clinic to “improve diagnoses, treatment and outcomes by mining the medical records of people ...” (Star Tribune, Editorials, Sept. 16).

Several years ago, when I gave a lecture at the University of Minnesota in Rochester -- the hometown of the Mayo Clinic -- I was told by the graduate student organizer that the university bookstore and the main bookstore downtown had both been instructed by “the powers that be” not to stock my controversial books on industrial agriculture and related environmental and consumer health concerns. Now, it would seem, there is further censorship that is proceeding at an unprecedented pace to further vested interests in conventional medicine, rather than advance the first medicine of prevention, and also the use of alternative treatments to various pharmaceutical products that are often costly and have harmful side effects.

For details, see naturalnews.com and healthnutnews.com. The latter reports that popular websites like Mercola and GreenMedInfo have lost significant visibility over the year studied (Mercola -84.02%, GreenMedInfo -81.14%), while the Mayo Clinic showed a 59.98% increase in visibility.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 3 1/2-year-old spayed female Boston terrier constantly licks and scratches. She has been on Apoquel for the last three years, which does not help.

Is there anything that can help her? I have tried different brands of dog food, but there’s been no improvement. Would holistic treatment help?

I also think she has psychological issues, and that may be part of her problem. It also seems that she does not sleep a lot, even during the night, as she is constantly moving and licking. -- B.K., Barnegat, New Jersey

DEAR B.K.: I would taper off the Apoquel, which is being widely prescribed for dogs, often with no benefit and sometimes with harmful consequences of suppressing the immune system.

Considering the breed, your dog could need surgery for an upper-respiratory obstruction related to having a pushed-in face, which can interfere with sleep and limit physical activity. Such dogs often need their nasal orifices enlarged. Difficulty breathing can cause restlessness and anxiety, can lead to secondary infections such as pneumonia, and also puts extra work on the heart. With reduced physical activity, obesity is another complication.

I am sending you my home-prepared dog food recipe, which will help rule out any possible food allergy. In addition, I would give her 1,000 IUs of vitamin D3 with each meal (three small meals a day). This supplement helps in some cases of atopic dermatitis in dogs for whom Apoquel has been prescribed.

Remember to weigh your dog before starting on a new diet, and then weigh her every three to four weeks to help maintain optimal weight.

BACKYARD CHICKENS? PLEASE THINK TWICE

Keeping your own chickens may be popular these days, but it is far from harmless. More than 1,000 cases of salmonellosis from backyard poultry had been reported in 49 states this year as of Aug. 23, resulting in two deaths and 175 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A CDC survey of patients found 49% of those infected had snuggled chicks, 46% allowed the birds in their house and 10% allowed them in their bedroom. (CNN, Sept. 14)

My advice is to resist being drawn into this trendy hobby, and keep children away from such backyard operations. If you do eat eggs, do your best to find those from free-range, uncaged hens fed organically certified food. If you saw how commercial layers are housed, you would never eat another egg.

(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 READERS: African swine fever is a contagious viral disease, usually fatal to pigs, for which there is no treatment or vaccine. It has been found in pigs in at least 36 countries since June 2018, including Vietnam, Laos, China and Hong Kong, and has now been reported in the Philippines.

The only way to control its spread is through depopulation. It does not infect people.

Since African swine fever was first reported in China in August of last year, that country has lost or culled millions of animals. China may lose up to 50 percent of its pigs (around 200 million animals) before the disease is contained. Already, 100 million pigs have died from this disease, and many more have been killed to prevent its further spread. Many pigs have been buried alive in deep pits in regions where humane means of killing infected and exposed animals were either not available, or too inconvenient.

The European and American pork industries are on alert, and import restrictions and quarantine measures are in place. Bacon and pork dog treats from China, as well as pet foods, could be from infected pigs, which could put the U.S. pork industry at risk.

This is a predictable tragedy for these poor creatures confined to factory-like buildings around the world, and in poor communities where free-ranging and wild pigs contract and spread this disease across borders. Animal husbandry practices with high concentrations of animals create ideal conditions for such plagues. I see this as nature’s own “bioweapon” against monocultures. It is a hard lesson for humanity to begin to farm more ecologically and humanely, and to find alternatives to pork and other animal products in their diets. Millions of acres of good, arable land at home and abroad are used -- and wildlife habitat, including the Amazon rainforest, destroyed -- to raise corn and soybeans for pig and other factory-farmed animal feed.

As for the U.S. pork industry, which uses thousands of tons of antibiotics: According to the Environmental Working Group, 71% of pork chops carried antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The same was true for 79% of ground turkey.

Public health, consumer risks, environmental impacts and animal suffering involved in satisfying the demand for meat must be addressed by civil society leaders and advocates. Rising consumption of meat is a major contributor to the climate crisis we now all face.

A BOOK THAT INSPIRES AND INFORMS

“It’s the Little Things: The Pocket Pigs’ Guide to Living Your Best Life.” Photographs by Richard Austin; published by Workman Publishing, 2019.

Winston Churchill once said, “Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you. Give me a pig! He looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal.”

This beautifully illustrated book with photos of happy pocket piglets from a farm in Devon, England, offers words of inspiration to help us through these challenging times, and also provides insights about pigs’ intelligence and social behavior.

Pigs who can play are healthier and grow faster than those raised in factory pens. I especially like this book’s statement -- under the heading, “It’s OK to Feel Things Deeply” -- that pigs “cry real tears when they are sad or grieving.” And when separated from their families, they become depressed and refuse to eat.

This book is a fine gift for people of all ages -- a superior alternative to buying a pork chop, or a pig as a pet! Many who are raised to be in-house companions become too big to manage; many suffer boredom, become destructive and are prone to obesity and related maladies.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3-year-old female cat named Bijoux. She weighs 16 pounds -- very overweight, yes, I know. She is constantly hungry. I have been feeding her Meow Mix Tender Centers.

My vet did a blood test on her, and her triglycerides came back with a number of 1,044. I was told that this was serious and could lead to many complications.

I am extremely worried about her. What can I do to help my cat? -- L.M., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR L.M.: This is a very common problem with cats on dry kibble -- they can become food addicts, refuse to eat other kinds of cat food and wind up with various health complications. These include metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and heart problems.

The kind of manufactured food you are giving her is in the “junk food” category. You should transition her to a canned cat food such as Halo, Wellness or Friskies, grain-free -- or, ideally, my home-prepared diet or the Honest Kitchen’s freeze-dried cat food.

Try different varieties of moist, grain- and soy-free cat foods. Feed her a heaped teaspoon only, on a regular schedule, six to eight times a day. Weigh her every three to four weeks, and if she is not losing weight, make it a level teaspoon.

Most cats do best having several small meals daily on a clean plate, well-washed to remove any odor of old food. Avoid all dry and semi-moist cat foods.

Let me know how you progress. For more information, visit feline-nutrition.org.

(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: In rainy seasons, my dog goes crazy. It seems nighttime is worse. She pants, jumps in bed and tries to lick my face, then runs to the door and starts scratching it, trying to get out, while howling. (The neighbors are unhappy!)

I got Acepromazine from our vet (10 mg. -- she’s 17 pounds) and only give her a quarter of a pill. Even a half-pill was too much. That works fine, but I hate to give it to her too many nights in a row.

What is your opinion of giving the pills too often? -- P.K., Naples, Florida

DEAR P.K.: It is never wise to keep a dog on such medication for a long period of time.

Not being able to predict when the rain will come next, and therefore when to medicate, is a dilemma. Does she seem to respond to the sound of the rain, or start reacting before the rain comes -- the prelude to storms being wind and changes in air ionization?

If you have any forewarning, turn on some loud but soothing music and wrap a small T-shirt around your dog. Secure with Velcro like a tight wrap. These are called “thunder shirts” and are available in some pet stores and online, but you can make your own. Many dogs find them comforting.

If these steps fail, make a tape recording of heavy rain and play it at random intervals to desensitize your dog. Such immersion therapy does work when other means of eliminating a phobia or conditioned emotional reaction have failed.

Try a few drops of essential oil of lavender on a bandanna around her neck. This oil can be very calming for dogs, including those who get overexcited when in the car.

Let me know what helps your dog! Our recued dog Kota refuses to go out when it is raining, sharing many dogs’ aversion to getting wet! Good luck.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column recently and you recommended your home-prepared diet. It would be helpful to readers if you would list the recipe for dogs and cats in the column. -- P.H., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR P.H.: Many readers have requested this, but each recipe includes feeding instructions and important steps when transitioning dogs and cats onto a new diet, or even making these home-prepared meals a portion of the regular diet. This would fill more than one column, and simply giving out the basic recipe is not adequate when addressing this basic animal care need and responsibility.

Anyway, I am sending you both recipes for you to pass on to whomever you may wish.

(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: Fall is coming and mice are getting in. Please advise. Exterminators want to use poison baits. Are there alternatives? -- G.V., Houston

DEAR G.V.: I would adopt two kittens from your local shelter (if you have no cats currently) and keep them indoors, of course. Their scent will deter mice, and they may be good chasers and catchers.

Essential oil of peppermint in handfuls of absorbent kitty litter can be a deterrent, distributed where mice may travel in your home. Or try putting the same in old socks, if the mice are in the attic or ceiling.

Avoid using poisons like Decon, especially outdoors. They get into the larger ecosystem and poison raptors, foxes, stray cats and other wild carnivores who may eat the bait or poisoned mice who may not die inside your home. One’s own cat or dog could be poisoned inside in the same way.

There are humane traps for use in-home, and the mice can be trapped and released to fend for themselves in a local parkland or field. Glue traps are wholly inhumane, and wire-snap traps do not always quickly kill.