Question:

I would like to know your thoughts on feeding dogs human food and what kind of supplements need to be added to the dog''s diet.

We have a 10-year-old Pomeranian named Muffin who eats fresh-cooked food. I mix pork or chicken with green beans and green vegetables; then I add a small portion of rice or bread -- she loves it! I limit the quantity so she is not too overweight (12 pounds right now). I use little, if any, salt and cook with olive oil.

Is this type of diet sufficient? Do you have any advice for us? Is there a book you might recommend that shows how to prepare healthy dog food with fresh meat and vegetables?

C.C., Rockville, Md Mar 14, 2010

Answer:

Food is food. Food intended for humans is good for animals, too. But food condemned unfit for human consumption goes into many brands of pet foods and, after processing, can hardly be called food.

Don''t overcook the meats for your dog, with the exception of pork because of the risk of trichinosis. Avoid fatty poultry parts -- dark meat is best -- and remove the skin before lightly cooking. Also try lean beef and turkey thighs.

Always add a multivitamin/multimineral supplement after cooking. Many home-prepared pet foods are notoriously low in calcium, so your dog should have at least 500 mg daily of a human calcium supplement. Crush up a tablet, and mix it in the dog''s food; add a few drops of wild salmon or flaxseed oil. My co-authored book "Not Fit for a Dog" has basic recipes and useful resources.

Question:

I have a 5-year-old neutered miniature poodle. He is an aggressive dog and will, at times, attempt to attack and bite without any provocation. I enjoy having him around, but how can I get him to stop biting? Is there any medication for this?

L.W., Finley, ND Mar 14, 2010

Answer:

You have a canine delinquent on your hands. Dogs who bite the hands that feed them are socially maladjusted, and most often have a history of being overindulged as puppies, always having their own way and never learning any boundaries. In many respects, dogs like yours are like teenage delinquents, and the aggression displayed is a form of dominance behavior that can be rectified.

The old-school method of "a good whipping" will only make things worse. You need to consult with an animal-behavior therapist who will help show you how your reactions and treatment of your dog have contributed to the problem and will recommend appropriate behavior modification, reward training and possibly the "cradling" therapy detailed in my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind." An experienced professional can make your dog into the good companion he ought to be.

Question:

I own a male black pug, rescued from a puppy mill. The first 13 months of his life were spent in misery with demodectic mange. He would be off ivermectin for about a week and then back on for three weeks. I'm sure you can imagine how much he hated receiving the medicine orally.
About 14 months ago, my vet read an article about ProMeris (amitraz and metaflumizone). I know you do not believe in putting flea/tick medication on dogs, but here in the Midwest, they cannot enjoy a life outdoors without it. ProMeris saved my dog's life. Each episode of mange was getting worse and worse. The vet told me that some dogs with this condition become hairless and have to be euthanized. After using ProMeris, he is now healthy and has a beautiful coat.

D.W., St. Louis, Mo Mar 14, 2010

Answer:

Demodectic mange, as you know firsthand, is a distressing and disfiguring canine skin parasite that can be difficult to eradicate.
I am opposed to the "preventive" application of spot-on formulations to kill fleas and ticks out-of-season in states that have cold winters and flea-and-tick die-off, because of the harmful side effects of these drugs. More than 40,000 adverse reactions in pets were reported to the FDA in 2008 (visit www.biospotvictims.org for details). But when it comes to mange, especially demodectic and where the infestation is extensive and oral drops of ivermectin are ineffectual, a product like Fort Dodge's ProMeris seems to offer hope. I would like to hear of other readers' experiences with this product, a spot-on combination of insecticide and acaricide. The best preventions, of course, are good nutrition and hygiene.

Question:

Our 9-year-old male dachshund named Willie barks at almost any action on television. We cannot watch any program featuring animals. He erupts when sudden movements if people or vehicles appear -- action scenes cause him to bark. We''ve tried using a "shaker," spraying him with water and yelling. Our most successful action has been to put him in the bedroom and close the door when we''re watching TV in the living room. Do you have any suggestions?

C.B., Fergus Falls, MN Mar 07, 2010

Answer:

Most dogs ignore television. Some bark only when they see animals or at particular newscasters. A few may have seizures or develop phobias from old, flickering TV sets. When one of my dogs saw a close-up of a roaring lion, she yelped and ran off, never looking toward the TV again!

Aversive training, as you have tried, will only make matters worse. A plasma TV with no visual flicker may be less disturbing for your dog (and shown to be effective for environmental enrichment for captive parrots!).

Try desensitizing your dog to the TV trying the picture without sound. Keep switching the TV on and off at two- to three-minute intervals, rewarding your dog with a treat when the set comes on. At other times, have a talk-radio going and only the picture on the TV to help break his conditioned responses. If this fails, then it is a timeout room for the poor dog, unless he really enjoys barking and you can join in and watch TV with the mind of a dog.

Question:

My best friend had a Shih Tzu, 10 years old, who weighed 23 pounds. Last week, Ginger was washed and groomed, and the medication Advantage Multi was administered. About 10 hours later, she vomited, but settled down. About four hours after that, she cried a few times, tried to stretch and, in a flash, she was dead. She was a healthy, happy dog, and we are heartbroken. What do you think? Can something be done?

R.J., High Point, NC Mar 07, 2010

Answer:

Your information will help other dog and cat owners who need to be advised about the risks of topical (spot-on) anti-flea drugs that are widely advertised on TV and sold by mail order and over the counter at animal clinics. Adverse reactions should be reported to the manufacturers and the FDA.

It continues to amaze me that presumably intelligent people fail to make any connection with using these drugs when their animals develop neurological and other health problems. I am opposed to the use of these products, except as a last resort when all other measures to control fleas prove ineffectual during peak flea season. Or in year-round warm climates. But routine use as a preventive measure is deplored. Safe alternatives include using a flea comb, regular vacuuming, spreading Fleabusters powdered borate on floors, dusting with diatomaceous earth and giving a brewer''s yeast tablet daily. Check my Web site for an integrated, low-risk approach to effective flea control at www.DrFoxVet.com/info/. People who have experienced problems with these kinds of products should report to www.Biospotvictims.org.

Question:

I am writing in response to your request for information about dogs and cats who have had problems with topical anti-flea medications.

My dog is now 14 years old and didn't have seizures until he was almost 9 years old. His first seizure came the month after he finished four months of topical anti-flea treatment. That was the first time we had used the anti-flea product. Medication controlled his seizures until the following fall when we administered the anti-flea drug again. I had not made the connection at that time and was using the medication only during the peak flea season. After that, I stopped the anti-flea medication permanently, but we could not control the seizures until early last year when we started on levetiracetam (Keppra). He has been very well controlled on that medication, having had only one seizure in the past year.

The other changes we have made in the past year or two have been dietary. We have taken him off wheat completely. I also stopped giving him yellow/orange-colored cheese after reading in your column that the natural coloring agent, annatto, has been linked to seizures. He has always loved cheese, but now he only gets a bit of white cheese on occasion.

J.R., Rockville, Md Mar 07, 2010

Answer:

Your information will help other dog and cat owners who need to be advised about the risks of topical (spot-on) anti-flea drugs that are widely advertised on TV and sold by mail order and over the counter at animal clinics. Adverse reactions should be reported to the manufacturers and the FDA.

It continues to amaze me that presumably intelligent people fail to make any connection with using these drugs when their animals develop neurological and other health problems. I am opposed to the use of these products, except as a last resort when all other measures to control fleas prove ineffectual during peak flea season. Or in year-round warm climates. But routine use as a preventive measure is deplored. Safe alternatives include using a flea comb, regular vacuuming, spreading Fleabusters powdered borate on floors, dusting with diatomaceous earth and giving a brewer's yeast tablet daily. Check my Web site for an integrated, low-risk approach to effective flea control. People who have experienced problems with these kinds of products should report to www.Biospotvictims.org.

Question:

I am a new foster mom to a 3-year-old female cat through our local Animal Humane Society. She is sweet and friendly, and I''m thinking of adopting her myself. But since I''ve had her, I''m finding her to be shedding hair excessively. I brush her almost every day, and I just vacuumed yesterday, yet my floor is full of black cat hair. She is a domestic, medium-haired cat, all black and slightly overweight. She eats dry Purina One cat food that the Humane Society provided, and I''m trying to control how much she eats. Do you have any ideas why she is shedding so much? Is it dietary or maybe stress? Is there anything I can do to reduce it?

P.L., Maple Grove, MN Mar 07, 2010

Answer:

The two most common causes of excessive coat/fur shedding in cats are stress and poor nutrition. I recall one of my early TV appearances talking about cats and handling a spooky one on-set who had just been groomed. I stroked her reassuringly and clouds of fur surrounded us, which I inhaled and could barely talk!

The humane society from where you got this cat, like many animal shelters around the world, has been co-opted into being a marketing arm of the manufactured pet-food industry. Giving out free samples of dog, cat, puppy and kitten food with every animal adopted is a sure way to get owners hooked and believing that it must be OK because it comes from a "humane society." But they are doing a gross disservice to the pet-owning public because one kind of food does not suit all animals, and many of the kinds of food humane societies and animal shelters are giving away are, as per the title of my book co-authored by two other veterinarians, "Not Fit for a Dog." Dry cat foods high in carbohydrates and vegetable protein cause many health problems. Give your cat canned cat food such as Wellness, PetGuard, Evanger''s or Evo. Give your cat up to a teaspoon of good-quality fish oil in the food every day, beginning with one drop and slowly increasing the amount if she is finicky. While some cats seem to do fine for most of their lives on dry cat foods, a time comes in their lives when prematurely, their kidneys or immune systems give out, or they develop various gastrointestinal diseases, such as megacolon and inflammatory bowel disease. These and other diet-related health problems are treated in part with prescription/therapeutic dog and cat foods that are expensive, generally unpalatable, very profitable and ethically questionable when there is no concerted effort to eliminate their justification by insuring that dogs and cats are given a wholesome diet from the start. I see this as a major responsibility of the veterinary profession. My ethology cohort Professor Sir Patrick Bateson (in his U.K. report www.dogbreedinginquiry.com) is calling out vets to become more proactive in addressing the health and welfare problems of pedigree/purebred dogs.