DEAR READERS: I know that many of my Animal Doctor columns can be upsetting and alarming, but I hope they are also informative -- and sometimes inspiring. Now for something amusing, if not bemusing: namely, the research study entitled “Not the Cat’s Meow? The Impact of Posing With Cats on Female Perceptions of Male Dateability.”

The study was written by Lori Kogan (of Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) and Shelly Volsche (of Boise State University’s Department of Anthropology), and was published last year in the journal Animals -- though it really gained media traction around Valentine’s Day this year.

The authors summarize the study as follows:

“People use dating sites to look for both long-term and short-term potential partners. Previous research suggests that the presence of a pet may add to women’s perceptions of male attractiveness and dateability. This study sought to understand to what degree, if any, the presence of a cat has on women’s perceptions of men.

“Women responded to an online survey and rated photos of men alone and men holding cats on measures of masculinity and personality. Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more neurotic, agreeable, and open; and less dateable. These results varied slightly depending whether the women self-identified as a ‘dog person’ or a ‘cat person.’ This study suggests that a closer look at the effects of different companion species on perceived masculinity and dateability is warranted.”

As a lover of cats and dogs, I would suggest a “closer look” is indeed called for. In my opinion, many dog owners are not so much “masculine” as controlling and domineering, which one cannot do with cats. So I would advise people scrolling through dating apps to beware of making assumptions, good or bad, based on pictures of pets. And remember that anyone pictured embracing a feline companion is doing so on the cat’s terms -- not the human’s!

DEAR DR. FOX: I’ve heard that when dogs eat dirt, it often reflects some kind of mineral deficiency. But then, I’ve also heard and read a variety of different reasons for this behavior. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. -- C.F., Larkspur, California

DEAR C.F.: Geophagia, or the eating of soil, is a self-medicating behavior seen in many species, including humans. I regard the word “dirt” as a derogatory term indicative of our “civilized” ignorance of soil’s life-giving and sustaining nature. Various soils can be a rich source of trace minerals, and also of bacteria that may help keep the gut microbiome healthy.

Often termed “pica” when evidently compulsive, geophagia could be indicative of a dietary deficiency in essential nutrients -- notably iron in cases of anemia. It could also mean intestinal irritation/inflammation or indicate some parasitic infestation or bacterial imbalance, which geophagia may actually rectify. Many species share such nutritional wisdom: For example, elephants visit particular riverbanks to consume soils containing the minerals they need.

Now, our agricultural soils and the foods grown from them are increasingly deficient in various minerals. Contaminants like synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides kill the life in the soil that nurtures the crops that we hope will nurture us. For one, the herbicide glyphosate actually inhibits crops’ uptake of manganese and other essential nutrients. For this reason, part of achieving “Certified Organic” status is regenerating the quality of the soil on land previously used to produce conventional crops.

Until all farming methods are organically certified and our soil quality, health and productivity are restored, I believe in consuming fresh, whole, minimally processed foods, and in taking some synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements. I apply this same principle to feeding my dog. Some minerals are better absorbed than others -- calcium and magnesium citrate are superior to calcium carbonate and magnesium oxide, for example. The same is true for vitamins: Those in fresh fruits and vegetables are more digestible than synthetic vitamins, the overconsumption of which could cause health problems.

Some soils also contain considerable soluble fiber from decayed vegetation, which serves as a prebiotic. This is essential for the growth and sustenance of bacteria in the gut microbiome of animals, including us. This is why a high-fiber diet -- sourced from the soluble fiber in cereals, which the gut bacteria convert into beneficial short-chain fatty acids -- is good for us and our dogs.

(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’m working with a former USDA veterinarian, who oversaw USDA inspection operations at one of the biggest hog slaughterhouses in the country, to document the fact that hogs are arriving at the slaughterhouse frozen solid. These animals are being transported in trucks moving at 70 mph at minus 40-degree temperatures.

I obtained a lot of documents from the USDA on numbers of antemortem-condemned hogs at numerous Midwestern plants -- but, not surprisingly, the agency doesn’t keep a record of those that were condemned because they froze to death. If you have any ideas, please let me know. We have to stop this. -- Gail Eisnitz, Humane Farming Association, San Rafael, California

DEAR G.E.: How terrible for the poor pigs. This is a chronic issue, as is the heat-stress/hyperthermia issue of our ever-hotter summers.

Decentralization of pig processing facilities was urged decades ago when there was vertical, corporate integration in the industry, so that the animals would be subjected to less travel (and associated stress) to the slaughterhouses. But that initiative went nowhere. Pigs dying en route are now written off -- recycled into pet foods and farm animal feed, as the industry’s economy of scale allows for such abuse and loss of life. Beef cattle, spent dairy cows and poultry fare little better in how they are handled and the distances and weather conditions they are often transported in.

It is surely up to the government to initiate retrofitting of livestock and poultry trucks to provide supplemental heat or cooling, as needed seasonally, and to ensure the animals -- already stressed by being packed tight and sometimes crushed and suffocated -- do not have the added stressors of cold exposure or high heat and humidity.

I applaud all the work you have done in this area, and urge all to read your well-documented book, “Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry.”

DEAR DR. FOX: My 11-month-old female Rottweiler puppy was diagnosed as being incontinent. She has no infection, and has been peeing in her sleep on and off. She was put on Proin, but it is upsetting her stomach, so I don’t want to continue.

I feed her your dog food recipe, and was wondering if there was anything I could add to her food to help control the incontinence. I really do not want her to be on meds her entire life. Looking for a holistic approach if possible! -- L.B., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR L.B.: The problem of incontinence in young dogs like yours is all too common, and is most likely due to the hormonal deficiency caused by having her ovaries removed, which weakens the urinary bladder sphincter control.

Many dogs do not do well on the usual prescription of Proin offered by most veterinarians. All too often, it is of no benefit. There is no food additive that may help, to my knowledge.

One of our dogs, Tanza, developed this post-spay incontinence. The obvious solution was hormone-replacement medication, and a local compounding pharmacist provided what we needed (DES, short for diethylstilbestrol). Some veterinarians may throw up their hands and say this will cause cancer, but the dose is very low. We dosed her once weekly for four weeks, then once monthly for four months before tapering off to zero. Her incontinence never returned.

Check ahvma.org, the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, for a list of practitioners in your area who may be able to help you and your dog.

LOOK OUT FOR PET-SALE SCAMMERS

Scammers are using photos and testimonials from legitimate websites to create phony sites “selling” fictitious pets. The number of pet scams reported to the Better Business Bureau has risen from 884 in 2017 to an estimated 4,300 last year. Many of the scam sites collect payments using Western Union or money transfer apps. Unfortunately, says Jack Whittaker, co-administrator of Petscams.com, authorities don’t have much motivation to track down the scammers. (Full story: WCBD-TV, Charleston, South Carolina, Feb. 5)

(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 coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic is notable in that infected people can infect other animals -- mink, in particular. And infected mink can infect people with new strains, which can evolve and become more contagious and lethal.

Pet ferrets are mustelids, related to mink, and there is concern about cross-species infection after a family infected their pet ferret with COVID-19. This concern led British health authorities to advise any ferret owners isolating for COVID-19 to keep their ferrets away from direct human contact for 21 days.

Those who care for ferrets, whether in their homes or in breeding facilities or pet stores, need to take every precaution: wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining good ventilation and air exchange. They must also monitor the animals closely for signs of breathing difficulties or diarrhea.

SUPPLEMENTS CAN SUPPORT IMMUNE SYSTEM

For my own additional protection from contagions, and to boost my immune system, I take the following nutraceuticals daily (in addition to a high-fiber, organic vegetarian diet): vitamins D3, C, A, E and B complex; magnesium; selenium; zinc; coconut oil, meal and/or shreds; and algae omega-3 supplements (non-vegans can take fish oil).

Another reason to consider taking such supplements is the fact that agricultural soils around the world are seriously depleted of minerals and other nutrients essential for our health and for the nutritional value of the crops we eat and feed to our companion and farmed animals. Without healthy soils, we will never have healthy gut microbiomes, which contribute to our immune systems and our serotonin-linked emotional and cognitive brain functions. Nutritional supplements help make up the difference until agricultural practices earn the distinction “Certified Organic” at all levels of food production, and we eat more selectively and responsibly. We cannot afford not to, and giving junk food to people and animals alike is no solution.

DEAR DR. FOX: My dog is 5 years old. He’s a mini Australian Labradoodle (a mix of Labrador retriever, poodle, Australian water spaniel and cocker spaniel) and weighs about 21 pounds. He’s at about the expected size for his breed, and he has a visible waist, so he isn’t overweight.

If I don’t watch him, my mostly sensible dog will occasionally eat grass and then throw it up later (in the house, of course). Could he be purging fur balls like cats do? My dog’s hair is fluffy and needs cutting when it grows too long. We get him groomed about every four weeks.

I feed him raw, frozen-until-thawed sliders from Smallbatch, a couple of small cubes of Northwest Naturals Fruit and Veggie Nuggets, and some mashed pumpkin. I sprinkle a bit of ground supplements on most of his meals -- parsley, turmeric and some folic acid stuff. I often put a small dollop of coconut oil in his food.

He scratches a lot, wheezes occasionally in his sleep, and licks one paw a lot. That paw is discolored, but no broken skin. He sneezes, too, mostly in the early morning. So he has allergies, probably, or dry skin. Any advice? -- M.W., Ashland, Oregon

DEAR M.W.: It is normal for healthy dogs to eat some grass, and often throw it up soon after. As I have detailed in earlier columns, grass eating is one example of animals’ instinctual self-medicating. Couch grass (Elymus repens) is most dogs’ preference. For an interesting overview on its use in humans (mainly in extracts from the roots, which dogs do not normally consume), visit indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/couch-grass.

That said, compulsive eating of grass and other materials could indicate an underlying health issue such as inflammatory bowel disease, transient indigestion/food intolerance -- especially to soy and gluten -- or internal parasites. Worms in puppies can even trigger gastro-encephalitic seizures.

My dog often eats a few blades of couch grass and Goldenrod leaves. I like giving her 1 teaspoon (per 40 pounds body weight) of shredded, unsweetened, organic coconut in her food daily. This contains inulin, as does couch grass, which is soothing to the gut and may help promote healthy gut flora. I also give her 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt or kefir as a source of probiotics. I would advise the same for your dog.

Self-grooming cats do indeed accumulate trichobezoars (hairballs) in their digestive tracts, and must regurgitate them if not passed in their stools, but this is not the issue with your dog. A half-teaspoon of local bee pollen might reduce the paw-licking if it is allergy-related. Such bee pollen (or raw honey, for non-diabetic dogs) helps many canines with seasonal, non-food-related allergies.

(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.)