DEAR READERS: I received this release about a new frontier in veterinary treatment, and share it with you out of great interest:

“A human placenta-derived compound developed by a University of Florida faculty member in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering is being used with promising results by veterinarians at UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine to treat animals with severe bone loss.

“Without the compound, the animals, which included a giraffe at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and two pet dogs, would have almost certainly faced amputation of the affected areas, the veterinarians said.

“The product’s developer, Peter McFetridge, Ph.D., the Integra LifeSciences Term Professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, studies the engineering of viable ‘living’ tissues and organs for the repair and regeneration of diseased tissues. Stan Kim, BVSc., an associate professor of small-animal surgery at UF, learned of McFetridge’s work and was intrigued about the placental compound he had been testing in rodent models with some success.

“McFetridge and Kim began discussing possibilities for the product’s additional use in small animals. Kim treated the dogs with the new compound at UF’s Small Animal Hospital earlier this year.

“’Both dogs had very bad fractures that did not heal and had lost a lot of bone,’ Kim said. ‘Typical treatments usually fail in these types of cases.’

“The dogs were completely healed after the placental treatment, he said, and are doing very well.

“’The most exciting thing about the placental compound is that it seems to regenerate bone in a remarkable manner,’ Kim said. ‘Although our main excitement is with regenerating bone, we have also had very positive results with wounds.’”

DEAR DR. FOX: Please keep up the good work re: your advocacy on the subject of animal and human health. It has changed how I hope to source my food supplies.

Incidentally, my 10-year-old Shih Tzu has nearly perfect teeth, and I attribute that to a daily dental chew from Ark Naturals. It is the only oral care I provide. -- B.H., Naples, Florida

DEAR B.H.: Thanks for confirming one of many good dental products now on the market for dogs. Not all dogs enjoy chewing, so it may be necessary to try different kinds of safe, chewy products to find which the dog likes best. Avoid pig and other animal parts -- dehydrated and/or smoked -- that may be contaminated by bacteria, chemicals and radiation sterilization.

Some dogs prefer to chew on one side only, so dental cleaning from chews in these cases is far from complete. This is why I advise from puppyhood on to get our canine companions used to having their teeth brushed, or rubbed with a gauze wrap around one finger soaked in a paste of equal parts sea salt, baking soda, aloe vera gel and green tea.

STUDY CONFIRMS DOGS TRY TO RESCUE PEOPLE IN DISTRESS

Dogs are likely to try to rescue their owners if they perceive distress and can figure out how, researchers reported in PLOS ONE. Dogs were more likely to try to open a box if their owner was inside signaling distress than if the owner was calmly reading aloud or if food was dropped into an empty box.

(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: For decades now, local animal shelters/humane societies have been releasing cats considered unadoptable to fend for themselves in communities across America. This so-called TNR -- trap, neuter and release, often including a short-lasting rabies vaccination -- has been documented as not significantly reducing the numbers of local free-roaming cats that prey on songbirds and decimate wildlife. It is a cruel alternative to euthanasia because many of these cats get injured or diseased and receive no veterinary care.

Animal shelters and rescue agencies in every state fill up after every breeding season with cats and kittens needing homes. This includes those whose owners let them roam free, and then they get lost and have to fend for themselves before being rescued. Two of our rescued cats had been released, in winter, by the Animal Humane Society because they were deemed unadoptable. The AHS calls this its “Return to Field (where found) Community Cat Program,” and its annual reports document 4,374 cats being “returned to field” from October 2014 to June 2019.

I am no stranger to the emotional burden of having to euthanize healthy animals that are unadoptable, which I consider a humane alternative to TNR. But there is an alternative for animal shelters: They can build cat sanctuaries -- group-living indoor habitats with access to enclosed outdoor “catios.” The German animal protection organization ProAnimale, with whom I have consulted for decades, has pioneered such enclosures, much to the benefit of cat welfare, wildlife protection and public health. Cat feces can contain parasites and other pathogens that put people at risk when deposited in their gardens, yards, parks and playgrounds.

I am appealing to all readers with cats to keep them safe indoors, to encourage cat sanctuaries in their communities and to send donations to sanctuaries like the one where Marmalade, the last cat my wife and I rescued, is now in recovery (Furball Farm Pet Sanctuary in Faribault, Minnesota, furballfarmpetsanctuary.com).

At this facility, the recovery rate of would-have-been TNR cats -- deemed unadoptable by animal shelters but instead provided sanctuary at Furball Farm -- is a resounding 85% who were eventually adopted out. The 15% who do not become socialized and adoptable are given permanent sanctuary.

COMMUNITY’S ANALYSIS CONFIRMS: TNR NOT EFFECTIVE

The City of Saratoga Springs, Utah, conducted an analysis on “The Science of Feral Cats“ to help it understand and effectively address feral cat issues in the community. The report was initiated after Best Friends Animal Society called on the city to implement a TNR program. The 100-page report found that “overwhelmingly, science does not support TNR programs as an effective method to reduce feral cat populations,” and that such programs “fail to adequately mitigate the significant threat to public health or alleviate the negative impacts on wildlife that feral and free-roaming cats pose.” (Full story can be found via abcbirds.org.)

DEAR DR. FOX: This is a question for you about a strange thing our dog does. We have a 22-month-old female golden retriever. She has a disturbing habit of wrapping her forelegs around blankets and large pillows, and humping them like a male dog.

We tell her to stop and put the item away, but we just don’t understand these strange actions for a female. Just curious if you’ve seen this before or have any idea what is up with this dog. -- M.M., Medford, Oregon

DEAR M.M.: This is part and parcel of the play repertoire of our canine companions -- also seen in our feline ones, though less often. Certain materials and objects can trigger sex-play in neutered animals regardless of whether they are male or female, indicating a non-hormonal aspect to this behavior.

It is often seen in puppies way before sexual maturity when they are playing with each other and one mounts the other. This indicates a reflex-like element to this behavior of clasping with the forelimbs and executing pelvic thrusts. In adult dogs we see this behavior with un-neutered male dogs mounting neutered male dogs -- which can lead to a fight -- and in neutered dogs of either sex.

There is nothing inherently concerning or “perverted” about this behavior, contrary to comments I often hear; applying our own moral standards on other species is the height of arrogance and ignorance. For more, I suggest reading my book “Dog Body, Dog Mind.”

As for your dog, boredom and a lack of physical activity and opportunity to play with other dogs may be why she is seeking these ways of self-gratifying and relaxing. A more active life outdoors -- especially during this time of the coronavirus pandemic -- is good for all of us, including our animal companions.

(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 following is an excerpt from a blog post by Susan Thixton (truthaboutpetfood.com/prescription-pet-food-lawsuit-will-continue/).

“An appeals court in California has ruled that a lawsuit against prescription pet foods’ ‘deceptive practice’ will continue. This is a big win for pet owners.

“The California District Court dismissed the lawsuit in 2017, but in July 2020, the California Appeals Court ruled ‘the district court erred in dismissing’ this important lawsuit. An excerpt from the ruling: ‘The panel concluded that under the reasonable consumer test, plaintiffs sufficiently alleged that the sale of the prescription pet food exclusively through vets or with veterinarian approval was a deceptive practice. In addition, plaintiffs satisfied the heightened pleading standard for fraud because they alleged sufficient facts to show that prescription pet food and other pet food were not materially different.’”

Dr. Fox here. For more details about the limitations of many of these costly special prescription diets for dogs and cats, and the irony that most would not be warranted if animals were fed biologically appropriate diets to begin with, see “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods.” This book was written by myself and two other veterinarians: former Hill’s pet food company vet Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins and veterinary professor Dr. Marion E. Smart.

DEAR DR. FOX: In regard to the recent column headlined “Agnostic angry, feels called out”: I read your column in the Palm Beach Post, and I find it to be helpful, informative and enjoyable. Please keep up the good work. I would not have written to you except for the column referenced above: It was excellent. It is disheartening to see that K.P. of Naples decided to politicize the Golden Rule. -- P.D., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR P.D.: Thank you for your words of support for some of my opinions, which I feel professionally and ethically impelled to express in these times of socioeconomic, public and environmental health crises.

Some other readers disagree, writing to me that I have been “brainwashed”, and that my “left-wing,” “communist” political agenda is evident in my columns.

It saddens me that people are so set in their points of view that they are cognitively impaired, feeling threatened when their values, actions and harmful consequences of the same are questioned. A life unexamined is a life unlived, and leads to the rationalization and denial of the harmful consequences of one’s beliefs, values and actions as they affect others -- human or not.

I offer a note of optimism in my essay “The Second Coming? Existential Reality of Global Environmental Crisis,” posted on my website (drfoxonehealth.com).

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DRECTION FOR PET SUPPLY STORES

The Reno (Nevada) City Council approved an ordinance banning the sale of dogs and cats at retail stores, though the stores may still provide space for organizations that offer dogs and cats for adoption. Home breeders may also continue selling dogs and cats. (Full story: ThisIsReno.com, 7/29)

DOG IN LOUISIANA TESTS POSITIVE FOR SARS-COV-2

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has reported that a pet dog tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Evidence is emerging that people can, in rare cases, transmit the novel coronavirus to animals during close contact, and anyone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should avoid close contact with pets. (Full story: TheAdvocate.com, 8/4)

The first animal to test positive for the virus in the U.K. was a cat whose owners had COVID-19, had mild symptoms and quickly recovered. Cats are prone to various coronaviruses and may have some cross-immunity to other strains, as do people.

(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.)