DEAR DR. FOX: I enjoy reading your column, and saw the recent question from N.V. regarding deceased pets.

My beautiful Kokonut, a mini schnauzer, crossed the rainbow bridge on July 19.

She was 12 1/2 years old at her passing, and fought a brave battle against melanoma for almost one year.

She gave me “the look,” and I knew it was her time. Her fairly new vet, Dr. Block, helped her cross over peacefully at home with a candle, mala (prayer beads), feather and prayers. I miss her every second of every day. She was my first dog and we were very connected.

Almost immediately after her passing, I would awake to a soft “woof” during the night. I was not dreaming, and it was definitely her bark. During the day, I would hear her sigh, something she did before taking naps.

The week after she crossed, I was going to run some errands. I made my bed as usual, pulled tight. When I returned a few hours later, her indentation was on the comforter. Almost one week after that, I felt her jump on the bed and snuggle in the crook of my legs, something she had not done since she was a pup.

These visits brought me great comfort and helped me begin to heal. On Aug. 22, Kokonut sent a new fur baby to me: Karma. He is a mini schnauzer rescue, approximately 2 years old. Kokonut has not made a visit since he arrived, but I know her spirit is within him.

While losing her was one of the most heartbreaking experiences in my 60 years, she left me a better-educated owner. Karma is on a fresh/raw diet, healthy and full of life. I take an integrative approach with his care. -- J.P., Boca Raton, Florida

DEAR J.P.: Your account of after-life manifestations of your beloved dog accord with many identical accounts posted on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). See my review: “Animal Spirits: Companion Animal Communications From Across the Grave,” posted under the tag “Spiritual Issues.”

I address this question of life-after-life from various perspectives as a scientist, philosopher (phenomenologist) and rational skeptic. The hypothesis that such experiences come from our grieving, conditioned brains, i.e. hallucinations, is null and void when these many accounts and shared existential experiences are examined. They support my theory that the bond of affection between humans and other species can transcend time and space, and endure after death. Such generally comforting “visitations” often stop when the survivor ceases to mourn and, as in your case, bonds with another animal.

For some, this raises the question of reincarnation or a “group soul” -- an esoteric realm which I neither accept nor reject. I prefer to focus on existential reality and the quality of life we can best provide for domesticated animals, and those in the wild who continue to suffer because of a cultural lack of reverence and respect for all life.

I am glad that your new canine companion was a “rescue,” and wish more people would adopt rather than support puppy mill commercial breeders.

DEAR DR. FOX: I appreciated your recent column on cat’s predation on wild birds.

I have a neighbor who harbors maybe 10 cats in a housing plan whose rules on numbers of cats is not enforced; thus, I am on the front lines of combating not so much the cats, but my neighbor’s ”cat neurosis.”

Perhaps you could address the core problem: some humans’ mismanagement of their relationships with cats, which is not environmentally sustainable or considerate of those who live near them. -- S.R.P., Uniontown, Pennsylvania

DEAR S.R.P.: Many people in communities across the U.S. are confronting the kind of neighbor you are dealing with.

Such neighbors are emotionally dedicated, but their compassion is misguided and can cause more harm than good when the cats are not neutered and continue to multiply. And even well-fed cats will kill birds and small mammals. Feral cats in many areas are decimating defenseless wildlife species, many now endangered. Recent documentation in Australia indicates that some 100,000 need to be exterminated as humanely as possible.

On my website, you will find some articles addressing this problem in the U.S:

-- “Most Feral Cats Can be Rescued and Recover from the Wild Outdoors”

-- “Outdoor Cats, Wildlife and Human Health”

-- “Releasing Cats To Live Outdoors: Humane, Environmental and ‘One Health’ Concerns”

Do look these over, and feel free to share them with local property owners, community leaders and public health authorities. Get support from any local conservation organization, such as the Audubon Society and the national American Bird Conservancy, who also have useful materials to encourage people to keep their cats happy and healthy indoors.

(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 question about our dog. We are stumped.

He is a healthy 5-year-old neutered male. He has had his teeth cleaned, and has routine vet appointments. He has no smell on him per se, but his dog bed has to be routinely washed because of a rather nasty smell. It is a sweet but “rotting” smell, and he leaves brown stains where he licks. The licking is mostly in a normal grooming manner. His breath is terrible, but it’s not the same smell.

Do you have any ideas? The smell gets so strong you can smell it throughout the room, sometimes until the bed is washed. We are currently feeding him Purina Pro Plan Focus Lamb or Chicken and rice. Is there a better dog food we should feed him? His breath is fishy and foul, but his bedding is just gross. -- D.H., Kalispell, Montana

DEAR D.H.: Healthy dogs do not have a bad smell.

Many people with stinky dogs repeatedly bathe them under the erroneous belief that will help. This can often disrupt the healthy microbiome on the skin and lead to secondary dermatological problems.

Feeding dogs a diet of only dry kibble is ill-advised, regardless of what some veterinarians and advertisements might proclaim. For details, read my article “Dog Food and Feeding Issues” on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). Also consider making your own dog food, as per my posted recipe.

Some of the ingredients in what you are currently feeding your dog, such as “animal digest,” I would never give to a dog. For verification, check out the book “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Food,” which I co-authored with two other veterinarians. Your dog’s “fishy and foul” breath is from the fish in this manufactured material. Such kibble, with all the cereal glutens in it, tends to linger between the teeth like glue.

At the very least, feed your dog some good-quality canned dog food or freeze-dried food with some grains, such as The Honest Kitchen’s line of dog foods. And be prepared to spend more, since good nutrition is the best medicine for us and our animal companions alike.

DEAR DR. FOX: In one of your recent columns, a reader had a dog with a barking problem.

I have successfully stopped my fur baby’s barking by using either a squirt bottle of plain water or a pop can/plastic bottle filled with a few pennies. The squirt of water or the rattling noise seems to distract the culprit, and helps them learn to stop the habitual barking.

I would never use chemicals, and I consider shock collars inhumane and would like to see them banned.

We recently adopted a 3-year-old female rescue Chihuahua, who knows that one bark at the sound of the doorbell is all that is necessary. -- M.H., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR M.H.: Many thanks for the reminder for all dog owners about how quickly and easily dogs will learn to stop barking using the simple aversion conditioning of a sudden noise or squirt of water. Throwing a bunch of keys toward them also works well. But it is best to first give the warning signal of a verbal command, such as “No! Quiet” before shaking the can of coins or pebbles, or using a spray bottle. This is called conditioning, and eventually you only have to give the verbal command and can abandon the aversive stimulus.

Stopping a dog from barking when you are not there to control the dog is a common problem and, as I stress in my book “Dog Body, Dog Mind: Exploring Your Dog’s Consciousness and Total Well-Being,” snipping dogs’ vocal cords is an ethically unacceptable veterinary service when other measures are not taken.

(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: Thanks to the efforts of Project Coyote and other nonprofit wildlife-protection organizations, coyote-killing contests are being banned in many communities.

The good news: In January, the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, approved a resolution that condemns wildlife-killing contests. Hopefully the state of Minnesota will soon join California, Vermont, New Mexico, Arizona, Massachusetts, Maryland and Colorado, which either prohibit or restrict these hunts.

The bad news: Wildlife-killing contests continue, including the recent Buffalo Ridge Coyote Hunting Tournament in Marshall, Minnesota. At this event, contestants compete for cash for the most, largest and smallest coyotes killed.

The Howling for Wolves organization posted this comment:

“Hunts like this are unregulated, with no rules and no limits. They are wrong for many reasons. First, there is no place in a civil society for wildlife-killing contests. These types of tournaments are disastrous to wildlife and the balance of ecosystems, and simply glorify violent behavior by encouraging killing simply for the sake of killing. Second, the organizers of these events often claim that they are helping to control predator populations, but the fact is this is not about controlling wildlife populations. This is about thrill-killing: a nonsensical, savage contest to see who can kill the most.”

Those who disagree with this statement need to learn about the true nature of the animals they kill. Then they might feel some remorse, evolve into more compassionate members of society and lay down their guns.

Coyotes are expanding their ranges southward. More than 400,000 coyotes are killed in the U.S. every year, but they have a remarkable ability to adjust and adapt, and they are expanding their range into Central America and moving toward South America.

Project Coyote (projectcoyote.org), founded and directed by my daughter, Camilla Fox, has valuable information on facilitating such harmonious coexistence in communities where coyotes are establishing themselves.

DEAR DR. FOX: I rescued a stray cat this December. I took it to the vet hospital with the understanding that it would stay overnight and be neutered, after first checking for a microchip and for FVL and FIV.

They said he was a 2- or 3-year-old cat, and gave him antiparasite medication, but then said I must take him home because the hospital would be closed the next two days. They said I could bring him back for neutering later. I said it would be stressful on him to have to bring him back in again, and that my other two animals would be stressed having an un-neutered tomcat in a large cage in our living area. Plus, if he started spraying, it would stink up my home.

So the veterinarian said, “Why not let him out and trap him again later and then bring him in for surgery?” She had no idea about animal behavior. Any intelligent animal, once caught in a humane box trap, is not likely to go near it again. And it is freezing cold and snowy outdoors!

I argued more, and after she spoke to one of the clinic owners, she decided to “make an exception” because he seemed to be healthy. They held the cat over the New Year’s holiday and scheduled surgery the next day. I just wanted to share this with you. -- J.Z., St. Paul, Minnesota

DEAR J.Z.: Many veterinary hospitals are cautious about taking in stray cats and keeping them on the premises if they do not have any quarantine area, because of the risk of spreading infection to other cats being treated for illness or recovering from surgery.

They were very accommodating of you, but I agree: The veterinarian who saw your cat needs to broaden her animal behavior knowledge, and common sense, when it comes to trying to retrap an animal who has recently been trapped. The suggestion was also insensitive with regard to the stress on the poor animal.

I wish you all the best in resocializing this cat. In my experience with all the stray cats we have trapped, they soon adjust to life indoors and make wonderful companions -- some more energetic than others -- and the more, the merrier!

(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.)