DEAR READERS: African swine fever is a contagious viral disease, usually fatal to pigs, for which there is no treatment or vaccine. It has been found in pigs in at least 36 countries since June 2018, including Vietnam, Laos, China and Hong Kong, and has now been reported in the Philippines.

The only way to control its spread is through depopulation. It does not infect people.

Since African swine fever was first reported in China in August of last year, that country has lost or culled millions of animals. China may lose up to 50 percent of its pigs (around 200 million animals) before the disease is contained. Already, 100 million pigs have died from this disease, and many more have been killed to prevent its further spread. Many pigs have been buried alive in deep pits in regions where humane means of killing infected and exposed animals were either not available, or too inconvenient.

The European and American pork industries are on alert, and import restrictions and quarantine measures are in place. Bacon and pork dog treats from China, as well as pet foods, could be from infected pigs, which could put the U.S. pork industry at risk.

This is a predictable tragedy for these poor creatures confined to factory-like buildings around the world, and in poor communities where free-ranging and wild pigs contract and spread this disease across borders. Animal husbandry practices with high concentrations of animals create ideal conditions for such plagues. I see this as nature’s own “bioweapon” against monocultures. It is a hard lesson for humanity to begin to farm more ecologically and humanely, and to find alternatives to pork and other animal products in their diets. Millions of acres of good, arable land at home and abroad are used -- and wildlife habitat, including the Amazon rainforest, destroyed -- to raise corn and soybeans for pig and other factory-farmed animal feed.

As for the U.S. pork industry, which uses thousands of tons of antibiotics: According to the Environmental Working Group, 71% of pork chops carried antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The same was true for 79% of ground turkey.

Public health, consumer risks, environmental impacts and animal suffering involved in satisfying the demand for meat must be addressed by civil society leaders and advocates. Rising consumption of meat is a major contributor to the climate crisis we now all face.

A BOOK THAT INSPIRES AND INFORMS

“It’s the Little Things: The Pocket Pigs’ Guide to Living Your Best Life.” Photographs by Richard Austin; published by Workman Publishing, 2019.

Winston Churchill once said, “Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you. Give me a pig! He looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal.”

This beautifully illustrated book with photos of happy pocket piglets from a farm in Devon, England, offers words of inspiration to help us through these challenging times, and also provides insights about pigs’ intelligence and social behavior.

Pigs who can play are healthier and grow faster than those raised in factory pens. I especially like this book’s statement -- under the heading, “It’s OK to Feel Things Deeply” -- that pigs “cry real tears when they are sad or grieving.” And when separated from their families, they become depressed and refuse to eat.

This book is a fine gift for people of all ages -- a superior alternative to buying a pork chop, or a pig as a pet! Many who are raised to be in-house companions become too big to manage; many suffer boredom, become destructive and are prone to obesity and related maladies.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3-year-old female cat named Bijoux. She weighs 16 pounds -- very overweight, yes, I know. She is constantly hungry. I have been feeding her Meow Mix Tender Centers.

My vet did a blood test on her, and her triglycerides came back with a number of 1,044. I was told that this was serious and could lead to many complications.

I am extremely worried about her. What can I do to help my cat? -- L.M., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR L.M.: This is a very common problem with cats on dry kibble -- they can become food addicts, refuse to eat other kinds of cat food and wind up with various health complications. These include metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and heart problems.

The kind of manufactured food you are giving her is in the “junk food” category. You should transition her to a canned cat food such as Halo, Wellness or Friskies, grain-free -- or, ideally, my home-prepared diet or the Honest Kitchen’s freeze-dried cat food.

Try different varieties of moist, grain- and soy-free cat foods. Feed her a heaped teaspoon only, on a regular schedule, six to eight times a day. Weigh her every three to four weeks, and if she is not losing weight, make it a level teaspoon.

Most cats do best having several small meals daily on a clean plate, well-washed to remove any odor of old food. Avoid all dry and semi-moist cat foods.

Let me know how you progress. For more information, visit feline-nutrition.org.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: In rainy seasons, my dog goes crazy. It seems nighttime is worse. She pants, jumps in bed and tries to lick my face, then runs to the door and starts scratching it, trying to get out, while howling. (The neighbors are unhappy!)

I got Acepromazine from our vet (10 mg. -- she’s 17 pounds) and only give her a quarter of a pill. Even a half-pill was too much. That works fine, but I hate to give it to her too many nights in a row.

What is your opinion of giving the pills too often? -- P.K., Naples, Florida

DEAR P.K.: It is never wise to keep a dog on such medication for a long period of time.

Not being able to predict when the rain will come next, and therefore when to medicate, is a dilemma. Does she seem to respond to the sound of the rain, or start reacting before the rain comes -- the prelude to storms being wind and changes in air ionization?

If you have any forewarning, turn on some loud but soothing music and wrap a small T-shirt around your dog. Secure with Velcro like a tight wrap. These are called “thunder shirts” and are available in some pet stores and online, but you can make your own. Many dogs find them comforting.

If these steps fail, make a tape recording of heavy rain and play it at random intervals to desensitize your dog. Such immersion therapy does work when other means of eliminating a phobia or conditioned emotional reaction have failed.

Try a few drops of essential oil of lavender on a bandanna around her neck. This oil can be very calming for dogs, including those who get overexcited when in the car.

Let me know what helps your dog! Our recued dog Kota refuses to go out when it is raining, sharing many dogs’ aversion to getting wet! Good luck.

DEAR DR. FOX: Fall is coming and mice are getting in. Please advise. Exterminators want to use poison baits. Are there alternatives? -- G.V., Houston

DEAR G.V.: I would adopt two kittens from your local shelter (if you have no cats currently) and keep them indoors, of course. Their scent will deter mice, and they may be good chasers and catchers.

Essential oil of peppermint in handfuls of absorbent kitty litter can be a deterrent, distributed where mice may travel in your home. Or try putting the same in old socks, if the mice are in the attic or ceiling.

Avoid using poisons like Decon, especially outdoors. They get into the larger ecosystem and poison raptors, foxes, stray cats and other wild carnivores who may eat the bait or poisoned mice who may not die inside your home. One’s own cat or dog could be poisoned inside in the same way.

There are humane traps for use in-home, and the mice can be trapped and released to fend for themselves in a local parkland or field. Glue traps are wholly inhumane, and wire-snap traps do not always quickly kill.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column recently and you recommended your home-prepared diet. It would be helpful to readers if you would list the recipe for dogs and cats in the column. -- P.H., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR P.H.: Many readers have requested this, but each recipe includes feeding instructions and important steps when transitioning dogs and cats onto a new diet, or even making these home-prepared meals a portion of the regular diet. This would fill more than one column, and simply giving out the basic recipe is not adequate when addressing this basic animal care need and responsibility.

Anyway, I am sending you both recipes for you to pass on to whomever you may wish.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: “Not One More Vet is an online veterinary support group. The group was founded in 2014 by Dr. Nicole McArthur. It has grown into an international group of veterinarians who come together on Facebook to laugh, cry and lend a supportive ear with their colleagues.” -- from the group’s website, nomv.org

This is so very important, because the incidence of suicide in this profession is about twice that of the general population. Non-veterinarians working in animal protection, cruelty investigations and rescue work also need support; they, too, experience the burdens of empathy, frustration and despair that can come from dealing with a culture that has so little regard for nonhuman life. Compassion stress and compassion fatigue are among the personal indices of well-being.

As the late Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin famously wrote, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” By extension, dogs, cats and other sentient life forms are spiritual beings having a dog, cat or other experience, respectively. Accepting this view inspires a sense of reverential respect for all life, and a responsibility to care for all creatures great and small. This means we suffer with, and for, them when they are in need of care. Veterinarians and others in caring professions can indeed experience burnout and depression. Many even consider ending, and actually do end, their own lives -- an incalculable loss that support groups such as Not One More Vet can help prevent.

FEWER ANIMALS BEING TAKEN INTO SHELTERS, EUTHANIZED

Good news! Factors such as cultural change, an increase in spaying and neutering, pets being returned to owners and a trend toward rescue adoption have reduced the number of animals in big-city shelters that are euthanized by more than 75% since 2009. Though some no-kill shelters report being pushed beyond their capacity, shelters have become more sophisticated and collaborative. (The New York Times, 9/3)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a small white Maltese. He is 8 years old, and in the past year, has started getting brownish red fur wherever he licks -- face, feet etc. I feel it is allergies, but don’t know to what. Otherwise he is healthy. I do give him filtered water.

Have you any suggestions for what I can try? -- B.M., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR B.M.: This is a very prevalent problem in dogs, and is especially evident in those with white coats. Red fur staining is caused by a compound called porphyrin. Porphyrins are iron-containing molecules produced when the body breaks down red blood cells. They are removed from the body primarily through feces, but are also in urine, tears and saliva.

Brown fur staining is primarily caused by an infection with the yeast Malassezia. This is the yeast that is responsible for skin and ear infections in dogs.

It is possible that your dog has both conditions. Excessive eye discharge can mean chronic eye infection or blocked tear ducts, while dental problems -- common in small breeds -- can lead to excessive salivation. Both secretions carry porphyrins that stain the fur.

Dogs with seasonal allergies may lick their paws and legs, the saliva staining the fur red. Then when brownish discoloration develops in the moist fur, the yeast infection sets in. The yeast thrives where the fur is moist, especially in the external ear canals, under the eyes and around the lower jaws, where the fur is moist from saliva and drinking.

I would advise a good grooming/clipping, and cleaning the affected areas with one part hydrogen peroxide in two parts water. Dry him well, then apply apple cider vinegar, rub it well into his fur, then wipe him semi-dry after 10 to 15 minutes. You may need someone to hold your dog and avoid getting any of these applications near the eyes.

If your dog has not had a recent wellness examination, you should take him in -- my fear is that he dog has chronic dental issues, and the remedy I offer will not fix the problem.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)