Dog sleeping under blanket isn't wise

DEAR DR. FOX: I have been wondering if it's bad for dogs to sleep under a blanket and comforter at night? It seems to me that the oxygen supply would get pretty low after a couple of hours.

What is your outlook on this? Q.C.C., Central Point, Ore.

DEAR Q.C.C.: Many dogs, and cats too, enjoy having their own blanket to snuggle under. While an animal who begins to experience oxygen deprivation will eventually get out from under the covers, I consider it unhealthy for an animal to keep breathing the same air in a limited space for any length of time. Dogs with pushed-in (or brachycephalic) muzzles, windpipe/tracheal weakness and those with incipient respiratory and heart conditions are particularly at risk.

Encourage your dog to sleep on the top cover of your bed under his own light cotton blanket or bath towel.

DEAR DR. FOX: I took my cat to an animal behaviorist because of inappropriate marking. We went through all the causes, and I have changed a few things.

The cat is neutered. The vet recommended Royal Canin Calm. I purchased the dry cat food, and noticed it has corn and wheat products. I also feed my cats canned food, which I believe is better for them. I have also been feeding them Merrick Before Grain dry food.

Do you have any suggestions for a dry cat food that would be similar to the Royal Canin, but with better ingredients? What about giving cats milk? Does milk have a calming effect?

I have five cats, all fixed, and I do animal rescue. I do not intend to foster any more cats. Right now my cats just tolerate each other. E.P.

DEAR E.P.: These specially formulated, prescription-only (i.e. available at a marked-up price from a veterinarian) diets are part of the new wave of adding various supplements to manufactured pet foods and deleting other ingredients. The formulations are marketed as holistic veterinary medicine and nutritional therapy.

While some of these special diets can provide some benefits, many are a moneymaking scam.

The special diet to which you refer, which is also formulated for dogs, has added tryptophan, vitamin B3 and hydrolyzed milk protein as claimed calming ingredients. I would opt for a healthy raw food diet for your cat, or use turkey as the single protein in my cat food recipe posted on my website,

There are many reasons why dogs and cats can become anxious/fearful, and these kinds of remedial diets do not address the root cause unless a nutritional deficiency in the regular food has been proven. Catnip can be a great feline calmer, and Feliway spray can work wonders for some cases.

For many dogs, a bandanna with a few drops of lavender oil on it tied around the neck can be calming, especially when riding in the car.

Flea and tick prevention

Television and other media outlets foment public fears of fleas and ticks to sell various products to keep these pests off dogs and cats. Not all are safe, and none prevent these insects from biting the animals and possibly causing hypersensitivity or infection. Manufacturers, along with many veterinarians, are marketing these products as a preventive measure.

This clever marketing ploy is adding to the numbers of animals having adverse reactions, including seizures and even death. Check for more adverse reactions to flea medications. Also check the website for effective and safe methods of flea and tick control, and consider products like PetzLife's herbal spray, diatomaceous earth and daily flea comb monitoring.

The Environmental Protection Agency had no less than 44,000 reports of adverse reactions to topical anti-flea and -tick drugs just in the year 2008. I advise against using all non-herbal products, such as Bayer's new long-acting Seresto flea collar. The collars contain a nicotine chemical (imidacloprid) that can cause seizures, thyroid gland damage, mutations, abortions and birth defects. The collars also have a pyrethrin chemical that can cause nausea, vomiting and seizures. I worry for the humans petting animals with these chemicals seeping over the animals' skin, and of the animals grooming themselves and each other. Sheer insanity.


DEAR P.H.: I share your incredulity that some members of the veterinary profession have evolved in parallel with some human doctors who put profits before ethics. Some even put their patients at risk.

A thousand dollars to remove a wart — that's a record breaker! Can any reader top that?


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