Help! Help! Cried the Dog. Fred and Me, #2

When they come across a mummified body in a forgotten Kansas ghost town, the discovery transforms Carter into something his talking dog, Fred, can no longer trust: a younger, healthier, physically fit specimen of humanity that to Fred just doesn't smell right anymore. As Carter spends his days in a secret government installation being poked and prodded by scientists, Fred enlists the aid of their cat-loving friend, Julie, to figure out what happened.
In the process, they uncover the secret to eternal youth and vitality that Spanish explorer Coronado had seen but completely overlooked centuries earlier in his futile quest for mythical cities of gold. The transformative journey ultimately brings the heroes of "Bad! Bad! Said the Dog" face to face with a swarm of genetically modified creatures, offspring of the blood-sucking monster they defeated a year earlier, now escaped and threatening to destroy all warm-blooded life on Earth.