Could our dog be part fox?

Dear Dr. Forsythe: Is it possible that our dog Gracie could be part fox? She has beautiful red hair, is all poofy and lots of people think she looks like a fox. We’ve been asked several times. But can wild foxes mate with domestic dogs?
Judith, Sonoma

Dear Judith: Sorry, but your beautiful red fluffy pup is all canine. Foxes, vulpes, are not able to breed successfully with domestic species due to the distance in their genetics.  British folklore tells of stories of terrier females and hounds being able to mate with male foxes to create the “Dox”, however this has never been substantiated. There is a genetic test called the Mars test you can run to identify the breed makeup of Gracie. You may be surprised to learn that she is made up of several breeds which give her a red fluffy “foxy” look without being part wild fox. Thanks for the question.
Dr. Forsythe

Dear Dr. Forsythe: My 16-year-old cat was diagnosed with kidney disease two weeks ago but before that he was fine. After the diagnosis I started him on special low-protein food and even began giving him fluids under his skin a few times a week. A week later he got really sick and had to be put to sleep. I’m still puzzled about chronic renal failure. It all happened so fast, I’m still in shock. Can you tell me if I could have done more?
Lost my Love in Sonoma

Dear Lost your Love: I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds very much like your pussy cat was diagnosed with chronic renal disease, and this is a very common and serious problem in older cats. The kidneys lose their ability to filter toxins and retain water in the body. They act like old buckets with holes in the bottom of them; the water runs out of the body and the cats are thirsty all the time and urinate like a racehorse on steroids. However, while this is happening, poisons are building up in the body from dietary protein. This disease is progressive and fatal – if managed aggressively and caught early some cats can live nicely for several years. Eventually, when cats get to “end stage” kidney disease they develop “acute on chronic” renal failure and they become so sick the disease is no longer manageable and it is so severe the cat needs to be put to sleep for humane reasons. No two cats are alike and it is very hard to know which cats will live for years with the disease and which ones will get worse quickly. It sounds like your dear kitty got worse quickly and became “acute” soon after diagnosis. You probably did the most merciful and kind thing by letting him go as you did, and my heartfelt prayers are with you.
Dr. Forsythe