Question:

I am hoping that you could help us with our dog Lola. She is a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever (English). She came from a breeder and joined our family when she was 8 weeks old. Lola has always had a problem keeping her food down. She also had ear infections often and seemed to be very itchy. I tried experimenting with different foods before our vet suggested Hill's Prescription ZD Ultra Allergen Free food and Hill's Prescription Hypoallergenic Treats. Is this the best food for her? Lola has also been tested for allergies. She still has trouble keeping her food down and has had an ear infection for almost two months. She is currently taking 200 mg. of Ketoconazole a day and Mometamax ointment once a day. I also use Epi-Otic Cleanser every couple of days to clean her ear. She also takes 50 mg. of Benadryl twice a day -- she has been on this for the past year or so. Is there anything you could recommend for us to do differently? I would prefer to not give her so much medicine.

A.B., Boston, MA Mar 29, 2009

Answer:

Dogs are especially prone to develop allergies these days, which are often associated with certain food ingredients. But that is not the end of the story. Poor Lola. Her allergy tests you sent to me indicate that she's affected by various airborne materials, dust mites, cockroaches, grass, tree and other plant pollens, molds or fungi and various food ingredients, notably chicken, dairy, oats and barley. Her immune system is seriously compromised. The big question is why.

The costly special diet that she is on will do nothing to help boost her immune system -- starch and hydrolyzed chicken and chicken liver being the main ingredients, along with powdered cellulose and what many regard as a toxic chemical, ethoxyquin (still used in some pet foods as a preservative). She needs good nutrition to get better.

I would transition her off this prescribed diet that contains chicken and try her on a single protein lamb, venison or buffalo-and-rice diet. Check my web site (DrFoxVet.com/info) for my review of good cat and dog foods on the market and beneficial supplements. Your dog may benefit significantly from dietary supplements like probiotics, prebiotics and glutamine that your vet should provide. She should be weaned off the various drugs to give her body a chance to heal. Give her additional supplements like anti-inflammatory flaxseed or fish oil and antioxidants like selenium, zinc and bioflavinoids that your veterinarian should counsel you about.

Question:

I must share my recent accident and subsequent healing from my 23-year-old calico cat''s purring. My accident was sitting on a motorcycle to take a photo. The kickstand gave way, and the first thing that hit the street full force was my right elbow, which fractured in eight places. The cycle then pinned my foot resulting in two fractures. I now have an 8-inch plate with five screws permanently inside. My Katie cat sleeps in the crook of my right arm every night, even with the cast on. I have been back to the doctor, and he was amazed about how quickly I was healing. Then I read an article titled, "The Amazing Healing Power of Sound." I brought the article to my doctor and asked if he believed in this, and he said, "Absolutely." I also have osteoporosis, so this swift healing was a blessing. It has been 15 weeks since my surgery, and I am at 99 percent. The biggest thrill was not experiencing any pain throughout this ordeal (believe it or not). After with icing for 24 hours a day for two weeks, I had absolutely no pain. I attribute this to Katie: Cats can heal broken bones.Scientists think they now know the secret behind a cat''s nine lives: "Their purrs are the same frequency already being used by orthopedists to strengthen bones and the sound can even help speed healing of fractures," says Elizabeth von Muggenthaler, a bioacoustician at the Fauna Communication Research Institute. Experiments are already under way to see how this sound can benefit humans, preventing osteoporosis and fractures.

P.C., West Long Beach, NJ Mar 29, 2009

Answer:

Thanks for sharing your healing experience. One of the reasons why there is so little medical research conducted in the field of healing energies (light, sound or electromagnetism) is due to government interference at the behest of the big drug companies, coupled with a lack of funding. Fortunately, this is beginning to change as healers and patients alike are finding safer alternatives to various pharmaceutical products. Some of those used to halt osteoporosis, however, have had horrendous side effects, so you can be doubly grateful to Katie.

Question:

We are a senior couple and have a 2-year-old spayed 15-pound female Maltese that we purchased as a 9-week-old puppy. She always seems to have a right-ear infection, and I have to flush it and then put in Mometamax drops. I have also used Conofite lotion 1 percent, but this did not work as well as the Mometamax. She is also on Interceptor and Frontline Plus once a month. We have tried half an adult portion of Benadryl and then Hydroxyzine (25 mg., twice a day) for itching, as she bites her back feet. They really did not help much. Lately, I have found mucus in her stool. The vet gave me Biotic (one 1.25 ounce scoop in her food daily), and that has helped with this problem.

C.N., Neptune, NJ Mar 29, 2009

Answer:

Chronic ear problems in dogs are all too common. Your veterinarian is correct in suspecting that diet could play a role in this condition. But since your dog is allergic to chicken, why is she still being fed a manufactured food containing chicken? I would get back to home cooking that uses known ingredients, ideally organically certified.

Conventionally fed and raised farm animals produce meat/fat too high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which are pro-inflammatory and deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory. (This is also a serious human-nutrition problem.)

A healthier ratio of fatty acids can be found in free-range, grass-fed beef, like Coleman''s. Check your stores, and try your dog on such beef instead of chicken. Also give up to 1 teaspoon daily of good-quality fish oil like Nordic Naturals, which provide the much-needed Omega-3 fatty acids.

Check the AromaDog Web site (www.aromadog.com) for some essential-oil mixtures that may prove beneficial when put into your dog''s ear. Flushing the ear with a mixture of equal parts warm water and organic cider vinegar daily for three to five days may help the healing process considerably.

Question:

I have a 3-year-old female beagle that I bought to mate with my pug and raise puggles for sale. My beagle is in perfect health, and I would like to know how you feel about mating her every time she comes into heat. She is a very good dog, and I don''t want to do anything to hurt her. I bred her with my pug two times in 2008. She had pups in January and August. Would it hurt her if I bred her again when she comes in heat again? My only reason for doing this is my son getting married and a litter of pups would help with the cost of the wedding.

D.C., Swartz Creek, MI Mar 29, 2009

Answer:

I appreciate your concern for your "brood bitch." Dogs should not be bred more often than every other heat, according to many experts -- they benefit from having time to recover physical condition. This is widely accepted, but not by money-driven breeders. Only too often, dogs are bred even before they are fully mature, especially by commercial puppy-mill operators, who breed them every heat cycle until they are spent. I would never justify breeding more pups, whatever the breed or mix, to get more money to buy my children a nice wedding. Go to any animal shelter, and see how many pups there are already in the world. Why bring more life into this overcrowded world?