DEAR DR. FOX: You asked for input from your readers about pets having adverse reactions to insecticides. I used Bravecto on my Lab mix, Chance, several years ago. He began having seizures and would come out of them confused and aggressive.

Because of this, and the fact that my husband was in a wheelchair at the time with Parkinson’s disease, I had to have my beloved pet put down. I asked my vet if chemical exposure could have affected Chance. I got no clear answer, but after reading your column, I fear that was the case.

I now use an all-natural product for flea and tick control called Flea Away, which I purchase from Chewy.com. I hope you will continue to publish your readers’ responses to your inquiry, because I fear there will be many stories similar to mine. -- K.A., Bartlesville, Oklahoma

DEAR K.A.: You are the second person to inform me of a veterinarian euthanizing a dog who was on this drug. This is malpractice, indeed. Safer natural products are available, as detailed on my website under the heading “Preventing Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes.”

DEAR DR. FOX: This is a follow-up regarding our cat’s possible kidney issue. He eats only canned food and does not drink any water. Is this a problem, and if so, what can we do to encourage him to drink water?

When we rescued him four years ago, we fed him dry food, and he did drink water. About a year and a half later, we switched him to canned, and that is when he stopped drinking water. -- P.K., Danbury, Connecticut

DEAR P.K.: Some cats do not drink sufficient fluids, owing to a thirst mechanism that is essentially defective -- possibly related to the animal’s desert ancestry. This can mean that cats who are only fed dry kibble, and who drink very little water, can have highly concentrated urine that can damage the lining of the bladder and lead to cystitis.

Some veterinarians and pet food manufacturers advocate adding salt to cats’ food to trigger their thirst, but this is ill-advised, in my opinion. Instead, boil up some fatty chicken, then store the resulting juicy liquid in the fridge. Add a tablespoon of that to a bowl of 2 to 3 tablespoons of filtered water. If this does not get your cat drinking more water, simply add more water to the canned food.

Many cats hate tap water because of the chlorine. I use a Zero Water activated charcoal filter (see zerowater.com). I have no vested interest in this company, only serious concerns about water quality and safety. For more, see my article “Pure Water for Cats and Dogs” on my website (DrFoxOneHealth.com).

(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 saw an article about flea treatments causing drastic behavior changes in dogs, and wrote a detailed letter to my dog’s vet about my experience. I would like to hear what you think, as well. Here is what I sent my vet:

My name is Mike Collins, and I am a K-9 handler with the Perry Village Police Department in Lake County, Ohio. My partner is Zeke, a 3-year-old male Dutch shepherd.

On Aug. 10, I gave Zeke his monthly dose of Simparica (80 mg flea and tick treatment, chewable). On Aug. 14, while sitting in the backyard enjoying our day off, I stood up from my chair and had Zeke drop his toy from his mouth. It landed between his front paws. As I was bending down to grab the leash from the ground nearby, Zeke growled and bit my right arm, causing some significant injuries. That was the first time Zeke had ever bit me, or even growled at me.

After Zeke had bitten my arm, he was seen at another local veterinary hospital, at my department’s request. Zeke had a temperature of 102.4 degrees F, he was panting and his pulse was 192 beats per minute. He also had blood in his stool (diarrhea), and was treated for an infection in his gastrointestinal system.

I have read that Simparica may cause side effects including muscle tremors, diarrhea, lethargy, anorexia, otitis externa, hyperactivity, neurological side effects, seizures, convulsions, anxiety and skin irritation. Could Simparica have caused Zeke to have an aggressive reaction and bite my arm?

I have also read that problems with a dog’s gut microbiome can cause anxiety, which in some cases may lead to aggressive behaviors. Could Zeke’s gastrointestinal infection have had an effect on his emotional well-being?

I have not given Zeke his monthly dose of Simparica since August, nor has he had any aggressive behavior issues since the bite. How can I help get Zeke safely back to work? -- Lt. Michael J. Collins, Perry Village Police Department, Perry, Ohio

DEAR Lt. M.J.C.: Your account is very concerning, since it raises the issue of these anti-flea drugs affecting the performance and reliability of working dogs in the police, security, military and search-and-rescue fields.

From the details you provided, and the fact that Zeke ceased to have problems once you discontinued the Simparica, I think it is indubitably evident that this product caused Zeke to bite you and to have bloody diarrhea.

You ask a pertinent question about Zeke’s gut microbiome being affected; most certainly the neurological, peristaltic activity of his guts was hyper-stimulated. Certainly, as with humans, changes in the gut microbiome can affect mood, behavior and the immune and other systems. I am sure that some of these microorganisms could be harmed when their hosts are given insecticides.

The chemical in Simparica is an isoxazoline compound, which has similar effects as neonicotinoids. These are both widely used by the livestock and poultry industries, with neonicotinoids being a major factor in the demise of honeybees and other beneficial insects and insectivorous birds.

Zeke is a breed of dog highly susceptible to adverse reactions to Simparica and similar anti-parasite drugs. According to veterinarian Dr. W. Jean Dodds: “Some breeds of dogs have the MDR1 gene mutation. This gene undergoes one or more mutations that allow a higher absorption of drugs and toxic substances to enter the central nervous system, which then can breach the blood-brain barrier and create adverse reactions. Plus, we know that this gene mutation is most commonly found in dogs of herding breed ancestry.” (For more, see drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com.)

UPDATE FROM THE LOCAL VETERINARIAN

Lt. Collins sent me his local vet’s response, to which I replied:

DEAR Lt. M.J.C.: Thanks for sharing the communication from your dog’s attending veterinarian. It is good that he will “escalate your questions to Zoetis, the manufacturer of Simparica. Perhaps they can shed more light on this.” His statement that, ”In short, I see no connections between Simparica nor GI diseases and unexplainable aggression,” seems to echo the consensus of veterinary practitioners who do not have the scope of information that I have from readers of my column. Readers like you give me a wide-angle view of the many problems these insecticides can cause in companion animals.

I encountered this kind of blind spot several years ago when I raised concerns about adverse reactions to vaccinations and the evident problem of over-vaccinating dogs, in particular. My concerns were initially ridiculed but later confirmed, leading to changes in vaccination protocols -- though these are not yet accepted by all veterinarians.

(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: After evaluating veterinary practices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the nonprofit Twin Cities Consumers’ Checkbook published some of its findings in the Star Tribune (“Finding the best care for your pet,” Oct. 4). The results include patterns and discrepancies that should interest pet owners across the country.

For instance, Checkbook’s Kevin Brasler says that accreditation by the American Animal Hospital Association seems to have little relationship to reported quality of veterinary care: On average, accredited practices scored about the same as nonaccredited ones. Brasler also reports that Checkbook found “astoundingly big price differences” among practices for the same services. To spay a 7-month-old, 25-pound dog, mystery shoppers were quoted prices from $243 to $825. And to clean the teeth of a 6-year-old, 65-pound dog, quotes ranged from $218 to $790.

Many readers of my column have had similar experiences. Aside from these evident discrepancies in veterinary services, my big concern is for the people who cannot afford to take their animals in for regular veterinary health checkups. These visits include mandatory rabies vaccinations, and at least blood and fecal tests to check for parasites, some of which can infest people. Skipping these checkups therefore raises significant public health concerns, as well as animal health and welfare issues, which need to be addressed by the richer animal charity organizations and state veterinary associations.

Thousands of cats and dogs have been adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are questions about the unanticipated costs of providing good nutrition and veterinary care -- especially when incomes are uncertain for many families.

Brasler also pinpoints some of the pitfalls in pet health insurance schemes, noting that some policies do not cover preexisting conditions, and that premiums increase as the animal ages. My advice is to consider an accident-only policy if you have an animal who often gets out, risking being hit by a car or injured in a fight with another animal.

I was heartened to learn about veterinarian Dr. Marie Louderback’s discounted veterinary visits to assisted living facilities and low-income homes. Her organization, Minnesota Supporting Companion Animals for Seniors and the Disabled (MnSCASD.org), accepts donations to support and expand her practice. We need more charity organizations like this across the country in these challenging times. Read on for another great example.

NONPROFIT OFFERS MORE HELP FOR SENIORS WITH PETS

The nonprofit Pets for the Elderly helps older people around the country get pets by subsidizing adoption fees, and the group recently began helping with food, grooming and routine veterinary care costs. Pets have been shown to motivate seniors to exercise and take medications as prescribed, says Executive Director Susan Kurowski.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 18-year-old female cat recently had a stroke. After a month of nurturing, she has made a nice recovery. But now, she uses her litter box to urinate, but defecates on the rug in my sunroom. I change the litter regularly, and when she went in front of me in the sunroom once, I showed her that it upsets me. After that episode, she used the litter box for two days, but is now back to urinating in the litter box and pooping on the sunroom rug. Help! -- D.M., Tom’s River, New Jersey

DEAR D.M.: Your cat is old, and I would let her defecate on the rug in the sunroom -- at least it is confined to one spot in your home! Place a large pee-pad on the area and smear some feces on the surface to encourage her to use that spot.

She may be constipated and experiencing pain when in the litter box. Add a few drops of olive oil to her food. An abdominal massage, as per my book “The Healing Touch for Cats,” may also help.

HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS ALL AWRY

The pandemic certainly affected Halloween this year: With trick-or-treating and gatherings curtailed, many pet parents chose to show off their dogs’ costumes via video calls or social media. However, I am very concerned about the exploding use of energy and radiation from all this telecommunications technology. If it were up to me, I would switch it all off for Halloween so the dead spirits of the forests and grasslands, or any other natural ecosystems we now occupy, could be felt, along with all our ancestors and relations as we listened to the night.

Our electric lights have killed the dark and made the stars invisible to our children. Halloween should be a night of darkness, when we come to our senses and revere all life, remember the dead and find gratitude, joy and wonder.

(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.)