DEAR DR. FOX: My rescue cat has a small bump on its jaw that the vet thinks is a tumor. It is firm, and doesn’t seem to bother him. Is there anything I can use, such as oils or supplements, that would help him to fight this?

Thank you for all you do for our animal friends and for the planet. -- A.T., Rolla, Missouri

DEAR A.T.: I am glad that you have had your cat examined by a veterinarian.

You must keep an eye on the growth, which could be cancer or a dental-root abscess causing jawbone inflammation. Cats are prone to chronic dental problems, which can get worse with age. One such disorder causes resorption of the tooth sockets in the jaw, necessitating tooth extraction. For details, check out my article on dental problems on my website, drfoxonehealth.com.

I would give your cat a few drops of fish oil daily for its anti-inflammatory properties. Begin with one drop in his food, since cats are finicky, and work up to five drops per meal. Meals should ideally consist of canned cat food fed in small amounts, five or six times a day. Cats do best with small meals.

Hope this helps. If the lump gets larger or the cat shows any discomfort eating, make another vet appointment.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read with interest about a Pomeranian with alopecia (hair loss) in your recent column. Our little dog Yogi Bear suffered from the same condition, also known as “black skin disease.” Yogi was diagnosed with the condition in 2005. He was 10 years old at that time. As the condition worsened, so did Yogi’s health, but we were told the condition was cosmetic and that his other problems were age-related.

I found a company called DERMagic that had a wonderful group of products that helped our Yogi. Yogi went from having very little hair in June of 2010 to a full coat by October that same year. Even our vet was amazed.

Company veterinarian Dr. Adelia Ritchie told me that Yogi’s energy would improve as well as his appetite, which they both did. But to us, the amazing thing was that the little quirks of his personality also returned. Even though he is nearly 16 years old now, Yogi is sleeping less, is more interested in people and his surroundings than he used to be, and is just a happier little guy in general. We have also seen a change in his bladder. When we began using the Skin Rescue Lotion, Yogi needed to urinate three times to empty his bladder as his stream was slow, much like a man with an enlarged prostate. In the last month, we have noticed that he is no longer needing to “three-pee” -- he will go one time, then back-kick and strut like he did a good job. He always used to do this.

We don’t feel there is any other explanation, other than his improved health from using DERMagic. -- D.G., Talent, Oregon

DEAR D.G.: I checked out this lotion and the other products on the website, which states:

“Founded in 2006 by Dr. Adelia Ritchie, DERMagic has been striving to help dogs and cats live a more comfortable life. In our all-natural skin care formulas, we use only the finest ingredients, including certified organic whole-leaf aloe vera gel, vitamin E, lanolin, beeswax, and soothing natural oils. DERMagic products promote fuller and healthier hair, protect skin and hair from damaging elements, and restore good skin condition. If your pet is suffering from black skin disease (alopecia-x), yeast, hot spots or dry and itchy skin, we have an all-natural product for you.”

I find none of these ingredients questionable, and am a longtime advocate of using aloe vera and natural oils for various skin disorders in animals as well as humans. The evident clinical benefits of such practices are discounted by drug companies that would rather see no such natural products on the market.

But I do not encourage dog owners to make their own diagnoses when their animals have some skin issue. These issues could be due to mange mites in the skin; flea bites; or other allergens, including seasonal pollens and certain food ingredients. A veterinary examination and diagnosis should be the first step, and then, based on the diagnosis or probable cause, discuss using a product like DERMagic with the veterinarian.

I would certainly try this option before using steroids or immunosuppressant drugs like Apoquel in treating chronic skin diseases.

(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: This posting from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), authored with D. Lee Miller of Duke Law School’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, and Gregory Muren, is an important message for all:

“Corporate livestock facilities, known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), can threaten the health of communities and pollute our air and water.

“Manure from CAFOs contains more than 150 pathogens that have the potential to contaminate water supplies, while fumes and particulate matter elevate rates of asthma, lung disease and bronchitis among farm workers and people living nearby.

“Nitrates from animal manure poison drinking water sources and contribute to epic dead zones in sensitive aquatic habitats. To confine large numbers of animals in close proximity, many companies compensate for filthy conditions by using routine antibiotic regimens, and this, in turn, fuels the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.

“CAFOs are theoretically regulated by the EPA, under the Clean Water Act. However, a decade of NRDC research reveals that the EPA has left these health threats largely unmonitored. In fact, the EPA lacks basic information about most CAFOs, including their location, how many animals they confine, how much waste they produce and how they dispose of that waste. The NRDC is encouraging states to step into the federal gap, using an NRDC-designed permit to monitor and regulate CAFOs that endanger the health of their citizens and environment.”

This statement doesn’t mention the inherent animal cruelty and suffering of these animal-production systems. On that basis, as well as those enumerated above, we consumers must go beyond this proposed better regulation and monitoring by adopting more plant-based food sources for the good of all -- including our sickening planet. When it comes to cruel animal exploitation, an abolitionist position is appropriate, and preferable to a reformist one. Political expedience should not override fundamental bioethics, as per my book “Bringing Life to Ethics: Global Bioethics for a Humane Society.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I would like to know what the difference is between feral cats and pythons. They are both invasive species to North America and both decimating wildlife, yet are handled much differently.

We TNVR (trap/neuter/vaccinate/return) cats and put them right back out there to keep hunting and diminishing bird and small-mammal populations. Pythons, on the other hand, are caught and euthanized. I am in no way a cat hater, as I have five indoor rescues and 12 outdoor felines (that the people next door just left when their house was foreclosed upon). We feed them heavily, wet and dry, as to help keep them from hunting. They are all fixed and very docile.

The idea of just putting felines back where they were after fixing and tipping their ears -- what is the difference? -- M.H., Lake Worth, Florida

DEAR M.H.: Some people may ridicule you for comparing cats and pythons, but it is only human sentimentality and bad press that makes euthanizing one invasive species, and not the other, acceptable. I have spelled out my opinion concerning local animal shelters and so-called “humane” societies releasing cats considered unadoptable to fend for themselves, and accepting that they will kill wildlife, on my website (drfoxonehelath.com). This is also cruel to cats and is a public health issue. No cats should be allowed to roam free. We do not allow dogs to do so.

I am also opposed to people keeping any kind of nondomesticated “exotic” animal, especially reptiles and amphibians. The accidental escape or deliberate release of these animals has resulted in the spread of diseases that are decimating indigenous species across Europe and probably also in the U.S.

AUSTRALIA STEPPING UP ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS

Dog owners could be fined up to $2,700 (AU $4,000) if they don’t walk their pets at least once a day under new legislation recognizing animals as sentient beings in the Australian Capital Territory. The territory is the first jurisdiction in Australia to recognize animal sentience.

The Animal Welfare Legislation Amendment Bill imposes a range of strict penalties in a bid to improve animal welfare. Owners can face heavy on-the-spot fines if they fail to provide basics like shelter, food and water. People who confine dogs for 24 hours must also allow them to move freely for the next two hours, or face prosecution.

There are no such laws yet in the U.S., and I feel sorry for the many dogs who are confined all day, rarely getting out or having any social contact with their own species. What is notable about this legislation is that animals are recognized as sentient beings -- a recognition that various animal industries, especially livestock, hunting and trapping, see as a threat to the status quo of animal exploitation.

(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: The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is filing suit against the Environmental Protection Agency over its continued approval of flea collars and powders. These products can put children, in particular, at risk from their highly toxic chemicals, as well as other animals in the home.

For details on the suit, visit nrdc.org/fleaproducts. The NRDC is also challenging the EPA over its continued approval of the herbicide Roundup, whose main ingredient, glyphosate, is linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

When governments fail to protect citizens, other animals and the environment, personal responsibility is called for in the name of Earth justice and respect for all life.

DEAR DR. FOX: In your article about the benefits of children being in contact with livestock, you mention animals at petting zoos in state fairs.

I would like to point out that, at a lot of those fairs, there are livestock animals in exhibits that are privately owned. I would like to remind readers that these animals are not part of the petting zoo, and should not be touched without permission from the owner. They are there as show animals and may not be accustomed to strange people touching them.

I speak from experience. I have a horse that I take to the local fair, and I usually have to hang a sign on her stall telling people not to touch her. We take our animals there because it’s fun for us, and we want to share their beauty with everyone else. The majority of people passing by respect the sign, but there are some who don’t. My horse, when spooked, will slam herself against the stall door. If someone has their arm in between the bars to pet her, they could end up with a broken arm.

When visiting fairs, please obey the “Don’t Pet” signs, and always ask permission to pet an animal. -- S.A., Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania

DEAR S.A.: I would never leave any animal in an enclosed space without a person present when at a state fair, or any other outdoor event with large crowds, unpredictable adults, rowdy teens and curious children with inattentive parents. I adhere to the general rule of protecting animals wherever there are people, rather than the reverse!

I firmly believe that some animal exhibits should be prohibited for humane and public health reasons. Sows, for instance, would normally build a nest in a quiet spot before giving birth, but at state fairs, they are in pens surrounded by a gawking -- and sometimes screaming -- public. And that is after enduring transportation over long distances in late pregnancy.

Just this summer, public health authorities traced a strain of E. coli 0157, which can sometimes be fatal to humans, to exposure to pigs at the Minnesota State Fair’s Miracle of Birth exhibit. (Minnesota Star Tribune, 9/18) Handwashing and footwear-cleaning stations will not suffice. Time to stop this exhibitionism of what, in my opinion, is unacceptable animal mistreatment.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 7-year-old Westie. When she was around 5, we discovered that eating turkey or chicken (whether freshly cooked or in packaged dog food) would make her sick. She would throw up, not eat or drink for several days and be very listless. Finally understanding the cause, I researched dog food labels and settled on a poultry-free, beef-based food from Whole Earth.

All was well for a couple of years, but then the same condition reared its ugly head. When nothing showed up from tests at the vet, I tried changing her food on a suspicion that the latest bag may have been contaminated with poultry. Almost immediately, she was better. Afraid it might happen again, I searched for a new food and settled on Zignature.

Once again, all was well, until I read one of your articles about dog food. I was shocked to see Zignature was second-highest on the list of cases tying it to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Will you please recommend some good dog foods that do not have poultry? We are running out of options.

Also, she has trouble from time to time with impacted anal glands. A friend has suggested giving her canned pumpkin for this issue. What is your opinion? -- T.W., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR T.W.: Sorry to hear about your little dog’s issues.

Food allergies and intolerances can cross over from one kind of meat to another, so many holistic vets suggest a “rotation” diet, changing the kind of animal protein in the food every five to seven days. This can mean rotating among fish, eggs, cottage cheese, lamb, mutton, duck, high-protein pulses (lentils, chickpeas or butter beans, containing 250 mg taurine per serving). Your dog may need digestive enzymes, such as a tablespoon of papaya or crushed pineapple at each meal.

Try my home-prepared recipe, since many manufactured pet foods can contain animal proteins other than the main one or two indicated on the label, which is problematic for many dogs -- and for veterinarians trying to determine which ingredients may be causing problems.

Anal gland problems can be a sign of food intolerance/allergy, as can lack of exercise and too little fiber in the diet. Two tablespoons of canned pumpkin, oatmeal porridge or crushed white beans once daily can help.

(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.)