DEAR DR. FOX: I am a new owner of a rescued cat, as well as a dog I inherited from my aunt. Both get on so well, and give me all the love and attention I could have ever hoped for in this time of shutdowns and isolation.

Now for my question: My cat’s poop is so hard when I clean out her litter box (twice daily, as you recommend), while my dog’s poop in my yard is firm but still somewhat soft. So is my cat constipated? Should I worry? Both get mainly canned, moist food, along with some soaked, freeze-dried food and only a little dry, organic kibble (one for cats, one for dogs).

Also, I sneeze more lately, and wonder if I am allergic to the cat. What do you think about giving her Purina’s new LiveClear kibble? -- K.L.C., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR K.L.C.: What you are seeing is the biological, metabolic difference between cats and dogs. Domesticated cats, originally a desert species, conserve water and absorb moisture from their stools before evacuation. So their feces are very firm. The feral cats my wife and I rescued always had very dry stools, which they buried with great diligence in their litter boxes.

Firm stools should be no cause for concern, except when cats are just fed dry kibble and do not drink sufficient water to properly hydrate. Such cats can have very concentrated urine, which can cause inflammation of the urinary bladder (cystitis) and pain when they urinate. They can also become severely constipated, leading to pain when they try to poop. Fecal retention can even become toxic and require veterinary treatment. Cats suffering from any of these ailments often learn to associate pain with the litter box, so they urinate and poop elsewhere in the home -- in turn leading to them being unfairly punished, abandoned outdoors, given up for adoption or even euthanized, which is absurd.

On the other hand, cats with diarrhea could be in crisis if it is not resolved. The cat should fast for 24 hours, and then be offered salt-free homemade chicken or turkey bouillon, meaty baby food or a sardine canned in water.

Clinically serious diarrhea is more likely in cats allowed outdoors, who are exposed to infectious, free-roaming cats carrying various viruses -- including, potentially, the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic. All cats should be kept within their owners’ property so that if the cat becomes sick with diarrhea, there are fewer possibilities as to the cause.

Loose stools, and even blood in diarrhea, are often quickly resolved by the fasting and bouillon routine described above. Then put the cat on a biologically appropriate, moist or freeze-dried diet. Many pet foods cause these problems in the first place, containing high levels of corn and soy and grains from genetically modified crops contaminated with herbicide and insecticide residues. Singly and collectively, these ingredients cause dysbiosis and inflammatory bowel disorders, as well as weaken immune systems. On occasion, such foods are contaminated with salmonella, which can give the entire family diarrhea.

No cat should be fed a dry-kibble-only diet. I worry about Purina’s widely advertised LiveClear kibble, which has an additive they claim makes cats “47% less allergenic to people who are allergic to cat dander.” This kibble contains rice, corn gluten meal, poultry byproduct meal, wheat flour, dried egg product, beef fat preserved with mixed tocopherols, soy protein concentrate, liver flavor and caramel color, some of which we know could make some cats sick. Glutens and gliadins are associated with inflammatory bowel disease in dogs, also.

My solution for cat allergies is to wipe the cat down morning and evening with a moist sponge to remove the dander (essentially dried cat saliva from self-grooming). Get a room humidifier in cold, dry weather, and vacuum well once a week. Keep cotton towels where your cat likes to lie, and launder them regularly. Many people, including children, eventually become desensitized to cat dander and their allergy goes away.

DOG’S DEVOTION DURING PANDEMIC

A dog in Turkey followed an ambulance carrying her owner to a hospital. She was taken home, but she returned to the hospital each day and waited outside while her owner was treated for COVID-19. Hospital staff fed the dog and allowed the owner to see her through a window until he was discharged. (Full story: CNN, Jan. 23)

(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: Dr. Margo Roman of Massachusetts -- a fellow advocate of the One Health initiative, a friend and a holistic, integrative veterinary practitioner -- has had an attack on her state license for advocating medical ozone therapy as a protocol for disinfection of PPE and as a possible coronavirus treatment.

Using medical ozone therapy 16 years ago, Dr. Roman successfully treated a cat with an earlier form of coronavirus. All the other infected cats in the same cattery either died or were euthanized because they were not given access to her care. (See her article “Ozone therapy: An efficient and cost-effective treatment for infections in animal patients,” Innovative Veterinary Care, volume 11, issue 1.)

As a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in ethology and medical science from the University of London, and with over 45 years consulting with owners about companion animal health and disease prevention, I can attest that Dr. Roman has been reading the emerging science and is utilizing the One Health approach that the American Veterinary Medical Association has advocated. The unjust attack on her license to practice has kept valuable educational information from the public.

Some background: In a recent scientific article, doctors Peter Libby and Thomas Luscher explored the hypothesis that COVID-19, particularly in its complicated later stages, is an endothelial disease. The reticuloendothelial system is a network of cells and tissues found throughout the body, especially in the blood, general connective tissue, spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow and lymph nodes. Proteins called cytokines play a role in this system: They serve as key “danger signals” that shift endothelial functions from the homeostatic to the defensive. The endgame of COVID-19 usually involves an extreme autoimmune reaction called a cytokine storm.

Ozone therapy effectively has been shown to reduce inflammation, at least in part, through the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activation of an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Ozone is a complementary therapy applied successfully for many years in the treatment of circulatory disorders, cancer, inflammatory diseases and various metabolic diseases.

As a final thought, we need more media coverage about the potential health benefits of nutraceutical supplements such as selenium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D3 and glutathione that may help reduce the severity of the coronavirus infection. And various essential oils with antiviral, expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties -- such as thyme, goldenrod, cedar, cypress, myrrh, frankincense, peppermint, lavender, hyssop and rosemary -- should also be considered in treating COVID-19 patients. These can also help alleviate influenza symptoms and shorten recovery time.

Clinical evaluation of all potential therapies for infected patients -- and good nutrition and nutraceuticals to help prevent reduce the severity of infection for others -- would be wise at this time. The vaccine approach to this pandemic may not prove sufficient because of the rate at which this virus can mutate, becoming more contagious and lethal.

It is on public record in the U.S. that the pharmaceutical industry periodically seeks to have nonprescription, over-the-counter medicines and supplements taken off the shelves and be available by prescription only. Is this to protect the public? More likely, it protects vested interests in marketing prescription drugs, which are generally more costly and have more potentially harmful side effects. For additional information, see the Public Health section at 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: Thanks so much for the wonderful piece about wolf conservation that you penned recently. My wife and I never miss your “Sunday school,” as we call your column! We learn so much.

Folks like you, your family, authors Barry Lopez and David Mech and a host more are heroes to people like us. You belong to a small group of warriors that think outside the box, trying to make certain that our animal friends, who have been here eons before us humans, have a future. -- B.S. and M.S., Jacksonville, Oregon

DEAR B.S AND M.S.: I much appreciate your words of support, and you gave me a smile alluding to my column being your “Sunday school.” That reminded me of an agribusiness reporter who asked me: From what higher authority did I get my moral position with regard to animals having rights? My response was simply “the authority of the heart” -- of compassion and empathy, which mean giving all sentient beings equal and fair consideration. Without an open heart, we cannot have an open mind.

Barry Lopez was indeed a kindred spirit, and I just learned he passed away in December at age 75. But I do not put myself in the same league as David Mech, who is of the old school of wildlife management, opposing the push to have wolves protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. (For details, see my article “Crying Wolf Too Much” on drfoxonehealth.com.) The gray wolf should stay protected under the Endangered Species Act and not be delisted, as is in process right now.

Our redemption, recovery of our humanity and ultimate well-being will hinge in large part on our renunciation of a culture and economy of harm. Such liberating redemption is at the core of all the world’s religions, and secular humanism, when shorn of politics and human-centeredness.

DEAR DR. FOX: I adopted a mixed breed from a shelter. She is 1 1/2 years old, and I have taken her for walks with me from Day 1, when she was 3 months old. She loves people, and used to run up to anyone who passed us.

A few months ago, I took her for a walk and noticed she seemed frightened. There were a few noises around us -- someone working on a roof, a car starting, etc. -- but nothing terribly unusual or loud. I live in a quiet suburb. Ever since that day, she is excited to get her leash on, but as soon as I get about 1/4 mile from home, she starts to panic, pulling me like her life depends on it until we get home.

I have tried going in different directions, going to a park, bringing treats with me, but nothing works. I took my walks without her for weeks, then tried again. She is so excited when we walk out, and then the tail goes down, she hears every unfamiliar noise, and panics.

Any suggestions you can give me would be appreciated. I miss my walking pal. Other than this problem, she loves to play -- she can’t get enough of chasing tennis balls in the yard, and she loves people when they come to our house.

She was at the vet in May. She got a rabies vaccine that day, and she’s also on Interceptor and Advantix. It’s hard to pinpoint when the “phobia” started, but it was definitely spring/summer because I was walking every day. -- E.B., via email

DEAR E.B.: I would suspect that the anti-flea treatment may be responsible for your dog’s change in behavior. Advantix contains imidacloprid, which is toxic to the nervous system. It can cause seizures in some dogs, and other psychological problems, such as anxiety, in others.

So I would stop using this product, then take your dog on very short walks in different locations several times a day. I recommend putting two or three drops of essential oil of lavender on a bandanna around your dog’s neck before setting out, as this natural product has a documented calming effect on dogs.

If the phobic behavior does not subside, discuss an anxiety-relieving medication with your veterinarian. Keep me posted.

ZOO GORILLAS GET COVID-19 INFECTION

Gorillas are the latest animals to contract SARS-CoV-2 outside of lab studies. A press release from the San Diego Zoo suggests that the virus likely passed to the gorillas from a staff member with an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. After two members of the gorilla troop at the zoo started coughing, testing of fecal samples confirmed the presence of the virus.

”Aside from some congestion and coughing, the gorillas are doing well,” Lisa Peterson, the executive director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, said. “The troop remains quarantined together, and are eating and drinking. We are hopeful for a full recovery.” This cross-species infection puts wildlife safari operators on notice, as well as zoos and laboratories around the world where asymptomatic people could pass on the disease to primates and other susceptible species.

FERRETS GIVEN EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE

About 120 black-footed ferrets at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado were inoculated last spring and summer with an experimental SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Black-footed ferrets are among North America’s most endangered mammals, and are in the same family as mink, which have proven to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. An effective vaccine for ferrets would indirectly protect people, too, scientists say. (Full story: Kaiser Health News, khn.org, Dec. 23)

(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.)