Dear Dr. Fox • I used flea-medicine drops on our little dog, Minnie Pearl, in December. I applied them at 5 p.m., and by 11 p.m., she had a severe seizure — I thought I had lost her. I had to work with her and the veterinarian for three months to get her back to normal.

To see her go through all of this was horrible, and I have no doubt that the drops (manufactured by Hartz) caused the problem. I stopped applying the drops, and she hasn't had a seizure since. I hope no one else has to go through this. — L.H., Springfield, Mo.

Dear L.H. • You are one of many whose dog or cat has had a severe and sometimes fatal reaction to anti-flea drops/spot-on chemicals. If you have a computer, report your experiences to www.biospotvictims.org.

The foot-dragging of federal and state regulators to do anything substantive to address the entire matter of over-the-counter anti-flea and anti-parasite drugs that harm thousands of animals annually is deplorable.

My advice is to only get such products as a last resort when safe methods of integrated flea control break down, and then only from a veterinarian who is more likely than not selling safer products and will provide strict instructions to follow. Never buy over-the-counter medications, pesticides or worming medicines — you may save some money but lose your pet.

Dear Dr. Fox • I have a 6-year-old Portuguese water dog, Gingee. She loves the beach: In winters, we are in Florida, where the only beach available is a dog beach crowded with other dogs and not very clean.

This year, after a trip to the dog beach, she developed a cough that the vet diagnosed as kennel cough and gave her a prescription for antibiotics. When the cough did not lessen, the vet took an X-ray of her chest that indicated bronchitis and pneumonia. Thereafter, she was on ciprofloxacin twice a day and amoxicillin once a day for almost two months. The cough slowly disappeared, but now she has an extraordinary amount of mucus. We took her to the vet again, and the X-ray indicated the bronchitis was still in her lungs, but the pneumonia was gone. He said to stop the medication and see what happens.

Since then, the phlegm or mucus seems to get caught in her throat, and she has a hard time coughing it up. Sneezing seems to be the only way she can get rid of it. She does not act sick insofar as her appetite is good, and she does not seem overly lethargic. What should we do? — J.P.G., Bonita Springs, Fla.

Dear J.P.G. • Your dog could be suffering from a combination of allergies and bacterial infection.

See www.aromadog.com for some beneficial products. Supplements and herbs to try orally include local honey (an excellent expectorant), n-acetylcysteine, ginger, licorice, marshmallow, mullein, thyme, oregano, and vitamin C with bioflavonoids.

www.twobitdog.com/DrFox Dr. Fox, c/o "Animal Doctor," United Features Syndicate, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016