DEAR DR. FOX: I have an 18-month-old mini-labradoodle. He was bred for good temperament, and in fact, many dogs from his breeder work as therapy dogs.

When he was a wee pup, the vet treated him with NexGard. Quickly the dog became aggressive and a biter. I discontinued the NexGard after reading about side effects online, and my dog became less aggressive.

Then this summer, the vet recommended Frontline Gold. I had used the original version of Frontline on a previous (large) dog with no side effects, so I tried it on my mini-doodle. Instantly, the mini became aggressive again, and bit me! Since discontinuing the Frontline Gold, he has begun to return to his gentle self.

I would like to see more publicity about this dreadful side effect, and I applaud your efforts to spread the word. -- K.J., Tampa, Florida

DEAR K.J.: I regret what you and your dog have gone through. These insecticidal products’ labels say we should avoid contact with the substance if applied topically (although family members often make contact when petting their animals), which is a sign that all is not necessarily well. Pets treated with these products seem OK for a while. But what of the long-term consequences, including possible carcinogenicity, immunosuppression, epilepsy, and behavioral changes like aggression and depression? I wonder about the dogs who are not so reactive to these insecticides, who may suffer chronic, unnoticed side-effects.

This insanity should stop. The veterinary profession should adopt an integrated approach to dealing with fleas, ticks and internal parasites -- even more so in the livestock sector, where insecticides and parasiticides often end up in the soil and water, damaging the essential micro-organisms found there, and potentially contaminating what we eat and drink.

Please ignore those veterinarians who offer these quick-fix (for a big profit) products, except in dire emergency situations. These products are not needed as a routine preventive for dogs and cats, most of whom are at very low, if not zero, risk of exposure for infestation. The exception is heartworm, for which oral preventive medication is advisable during the mosquito season (which means year-round in only a few states).

For an integrative approach to preventing fleas and ticks, which can transmit diseases to humans, see my article “Preventing Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes” on my website (drfoxonehealth.com).

I would like to hear from readers whose animals have had adverse reactions to these insecticides. While walking my dog this morning, I talked to a woman whose sister had one of her dogs euthanized because of seizures. When her other dog started to have seizures, too, she did some research about a product the vet had given both dogs -- Bravecto -- and found that seizures can occur.

Veterinarian Rosemary Perkins, in her article “Are pet parasite products harming the environment more than we think?” (Veterinary Record, September 2020), notes that few studies have been done on this issue. She presents some references that indicate that the neonicotinoid insecticides applied externally to cats and dogs, or in impregnated neck collars -- notably neurotoxic fipronil and imidacloprid -- are highly toxic to a wide range of invertebrate species and have high environmental persistence.

The European Commission has banned fipronil and imidacloprid for agricultural use to kill insects because of the impact on honeybees and other beneficial insects, yet their widespread use as a pet flea treatment has been ignored. Perkins references studies showing the dust in homes with pets receiving these topical insecticides contains sufficient amounts of these chemicals to kill bees; also, these chemicals are found in urban rivers at levels exceeding published environmental toxicity limits. This likely comes from dogs and their beds being washed in homes, and from treated dogs being allowed to play in outdoor waterways.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 6-year-old spayed shepherd. She has had pannus and hip problems from birth. I have her on good supplements, but am concerned about her food.

At the moment, she eats Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Recipe, Fromm-brand salmon kibble and canned pumpkin. Lately she has not been interested in her food, so I added fresh chicken. I feed her enough to keep her weight at 70 pounds.

She has frequent ear infections, her skin is flaky and she is developing hot spots. I need a better diet for her. Please help. -- S.C., North Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR S.C.: Where you live is not one of the best places for non-native dogs, allergies being common, so I would suggest a holistic approach. Various supplements can help boost her immune system and improve the condition of her skin.

First, if you bathe your dog often and allow her in water, stop. Use Selsun Blue medicated shampoo (for humans), and only bathe her when she does not smell like a sweet-hay-healthy dog. Stop giving any anti-flea medications, and instead follow preventive steps posted on my website.

What you are feeding her right now is excellent. These supplements should help. Give her, daily: a good-quality, over-the-counter human probiotic; a tablespoon each of kefir, sauerkraut, canned crushed pineapple (no added sugar) and blueberries; and a half-teaspoon each of powdered ginger, turmeric and local bee pollen. Every other day, give her one canned-in-water sardine.

Let me know how she does after three or four weeks with these additions to her diet. These are natural nutraceuticals with a variety of health benefits -- for us, too! (Many vegans take marine algae as a source of essential omega-3 and other fatty acids rather than fish oil or sardines.)

Sprinkling a little Parmesan cheese on your dog’s food may spark her appetite. I do this with our dog, and adhere to my rule of exercise or an off-leash walk before, and not after, meals (a light morning one and a larger one in early evening). Any time a dog or cat stops eating for more than 24 hours, a veterinary consultation is called for.

(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 to tell you about a strange thing that has been happening to me over the last four weeks.

We moved into a 55-and-older community about three years ago, and I often take an hour nap in the afternoon. But recently, when I went to lie down, I felt something touch my feet! This happened again in the evening, and has now happened every time I tried to sleep since then.

About a week ago, while I was asleep, I felt something touch my face, and I also felt something jump on my legs. Whatever jumped on me was small, and it felt like it had four paws. The next day while sleeping, I felt something on the bed, lying tight against my back (I was sleeping on my side). Whenever I moved, the object disappeared. This happened every time I tried to get some sleep!

I decided to set up a camera to record what was happening. The video showed an outline of a cat that was gray on the white bedcover. The cat shape turns around very slowly, and you can see an outline of a cat’s face. You had to look very closely. I set up my iPad a second time, and in that video, you can see the distinctive shape of a cat’s body, tail, head and paws.

I did not want to tell my wife in case she thought I was hallucinating. But my wife looked at the videos and is now a believer. I have never owned a cat and I am not a cat person. I don’t know why it would keep coming to me on the bed! -- T.G., San Diego

DEAR T.G.: So good to receive your email! I have been documenting this phenomenon for some years now, as per my article “Animal Spirits” (posted at drfoxonehealth.com).

Is there any way you can send me a clip of the videos you recorded? I think this is so important to help people realize that we are part of an incredible universe of mystery and consciousness in many forms and different realities -- a quantum field, indeed.

Michael A. Jawer, in his landmark book “Sensitive Soul,” explores these and other phenomena. Read on for more.

BOOK REVIEW: “Sensitive Soul: The Unseen Role of Emotion in Extraordinary States” by Michael A. Jawer, Park Street Press

These are existentially and emotionally challenging times, and this book will provide a big boost to all who have a grain of empathy, who have felt emotionally connected with animals and nature, or who have an ounce of curiosity, skepticism or spiritual self-doubt. It provides well-documented accounts and scientific references related to our increased understanding of the different states of consciousness, the realms of the emotions and thoughts of the lives around us and within us, and the empathosphere and various cognitive states such as PTSD and prescience.

Thanks, Michael Jawer, for a book that can inspire, help heal and increase our respect and awe for all creatures, great and small. Visit his website for more (michaeljawer.com). As he states, “At its root, spirituality is really a matter of ‘fellow feeing.’”

VETERINARY TEAMS WORK TO SAVE ANIMALS FROM FIRES

Veterinarians, vet technicians and vet students on the University of California at Davis’ Veterinary Emergency Response Team have rescued, examined or treated some 600 animals affected by the North Complex wildfires in Butte County, California. The students, in particular, “go way beyond what anyone can imagine,” says veterinarian Lais Costa, the team’s coordinator. (Full story: KXTV-TV, Sacramento, California, 9/17)

Visit worldvets.org to see how you can help support veterinary emergency services; so much is needed in so many places.

SOME BETTER NEWS: UP TO 48 SPECIES SAVED SINCE 1993

Conservation efforts have saved up to 48 bird and mammal species from extinction since 1993, when the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity came into being. The Iberian lynx, California condor and pygmy hog are among those that have been saved. Researchers estimate that extinction rates would have been three to four times greater without conservation action.

Many species, however, are still endangered. “This is a call to action,” says study co-leader Phil McGowan. “The loss of entire species can be stopped if there is sufficient will to do so.”

(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: Climate fires are ravaging the drought-afflicted states of Oregon, Washington and California -- like the recent devastating conflagrations in Australia, Siberia, the Amazon and Brazil’s Pantanal region (extending into Bolivia and Paraguay). All this, as other regions suffer through unprecedented floods, hurricanes or droughts as desertification spreads from continent to continent. Experts in planetary ecology have been warning about, and striving to prevent, this planetary crisis for decades.

The state of the environment is a mirror on the human condition. The ethical nature of this crisis -- where human cupidity and stupidity take precedence over the rights and interests of other species, and where “the economy” is given precedence over environmental and public health -- needs to be confronted. Make America Green Again!

I grieve for all the lives, beauty and species lost, and for the families, communities and ecosystems torn apart. I weep for the plight and suffering of the drought-stricken elephant herds in Zimbabwe and the COVID-infected families crowded into refugee camps.

Massive deforestation will accelerate the climate crisis, which has been wrought since the beginning of the industrial age with the burning of coal and other fossil fuels. The petrochemical fossil fuel industry has poisoned the planet and contributed royally to the climate and extinction crises. This is a crime against humanity and all that nature holds.

The COVID-19 pandemic could have been prevented, but as long as we treat other species as “resources” devoid of rights and intrinsic value, then future pandemics will be inevitable (as predicted by proponents of the One Health perspective, onehealthinitiative.com), along with other plagues and pestilence. For supportive documentation, see the Sept. 10 Washington Post article “Humans are decimating wildlife, and the pandemic is a sign.”

Fatalistic pessimists may say it is too late, while optimists might hope that stock markets and GDPs (Gross Domestic Products) will somehow recover and act as a panacea. The unified sensibility of realists, however, can empower a different path toward GQL: Global Quality of Life. All who care must support this path if there is to be any future for us and other species on this planet, which we have collectively abused and now imperil, along with our own kind.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing concerning our 6-year-old male cat. He was recently at our vet’s for oral prophylaxis. During his treatment, he was catheterized and a urine sample was taken. The results showed elevated values for urea and creatinine. In addition, he had a positive “RenalTech” index, which our vet said means he has a 95% probability of developing kidney disease sometime in the next two years.

She has suggested we try a prescription renal diet, and provided us with cans of Hills, Purina NF Early Care and Royal Canin Renal to try. Our cat is currently on Blue Healthy Gourmet and has done well with it. My concern is with the effectiveness of special, commercial dietetic foods. I am skeptical, and look at these products as marketing ploys. Will this prevent his having kidney disease? Is there an alternative?

I know you recommend your homemade food, and will check your website for recipes. Can kidney disease be prevented early in a cat’s life, or is it inevitable? -- P.K., Danbury, Connecticut

DEAR P.K.: So many cats have kidney problems, in part due to poor oral health care and related poor diet (dry kibble). It is essential for cats (and dogs) to have their teeth cleaned properly, or at least annually evaluated by a veterinarian. For details, see my reviews of dental problems and feline stomatitis on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). There, you will also find my article on helping cats and dogs with kidney problems, which offers alternatives to these costly, and generally unpalatable, prescribed diets.

I am surprised -- or should I say not surprised, but disappointed -- that many veterinarians are selling these manufactured prescription diets, which offer a significant profit margin, while failing to educate their clients on the best nutrition for their animal companions. A large number of pets are fed mainly kibble (widely sold in veterinary clinics), which lies at the root of many subsequent health problems. For documentation, see the book that I co-authored with two other informed, concerned veterinarians: “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Food.”

(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.)