DEAR READERS: The COVID-19 pandemic, while bringing out some of the best and worst aspects of human nature, has exposed the vulnerable underbelly of modern civilization. This underbelly -- beneath the superficial carapace of scientific, medical and technological progress and prowess -- is especially vulnerable because of a global economy dependent upon the wholesale trade of domestic and wild animals for human consumption. These animals are a significant source of a variety of diseases, viral and bacterial, which are zoonotic (transmissible to humans), causing epidemics and pandemics past, present and future.

It is time to reassess such wholesale exploitation, which entails much animal suffering and is endangering the survival of some wild species. For example, between 2014 and 2016, more than 50 million birds (egg-laying hens, chickens raised for meat, turkeys and others) were killed across more than a dozen states in an effort to contain a bird flu outbreak transmissible to humans. This did as much as $3 billion worth of damage to the U.S. economy, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service spent over $900 million cleaning up the mess it describes as ”the most serious animal health disease incident in history.”

NO VETERINARIAN ON TRUMP’S ADVISORY, RESPONSE TEAMS

Journalist Phyllis M. Daugherty, in her Los Angeles CityWatch article “Animal ‘Wet’ Markets Reopen in China -- Veterinarian Missing From Trump’s COVID-19 Task Force,” raises an important point about the Trump administration’s limited approach to addressing pandemic diseases of animal origin. This should be rectified by the inclusion of a veterinary adviser, since future pandemics and epidemics of zoonotic diseases will be inevitable so long as billions of animals, wild and domesticated, continue to be slaughtered around the world for human consumption.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your recent column regarding riding a bike with a dog on a leash. A number of years ago, a young neighbor of ours was riding his bike with the dog running beside him. When the dog yanked on the leash, the boy fell off his bike and as he fell, his arm yanked up and broke the dog’s neck. Ever since then, I have worried when I see people ride with their dogs. I did speak to one man I saw frequently, and suggested a harness rather than a collar for his dog, but I could tell he didn’t find my suggestion worthwhile.

Have you heard of this type of accident happening, or was this a strange fluke? -- S.L., Central Point, Oregon

DEAR S.L.: During the lockdown, I hope that people of all ages who are getting exercise on their bicycles with their dogs will take your advice and put their dogs in a harness. I also advise harnesses for small dogs, and for those who like to pull when being walked, to prevent injury to their necks and possible windpipe collapse.

DOGS BEING TRAINED TO DETECT CORONAVIRUS CARRIERS

Dogs trained to detect people infected with malaria have a high success rate. Now, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are crowdfunding a project to train dogs to detect COVID-19. The researchers think a COVID-19 infection changes human body odor in a way that can be detected by trained dogs. If successful, the canines could be deployed to transit stations, hospitals and long-term care facilities. (Bloomberg, April 16)

(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: I applaud your recent article on COVID-19. You have rightly identified one of the root causes of this disease, as well as many other zoonotic diseases: our invasion of the natural world, leading to intermingling of species that were never naturally meant to mix. This is also intertwined with our climate crisis. One thing not noted is our increasing population, and its impact on the Earth by continually degrading the natural world. We must both curb our species growth and our demand for so many disposable material items.

I frankly fear that we are too late to stop it, and may only be able to slow the final degradation some. We, as a species, tend to go along with the status quo until the metaphorical gun is pointed to our head, and then we’ll act. But unlike movies that show an immediate return to normalcy, Nature doesn’t move that quickly.

After this pandemic’s crisis stage is over, and everyone starts to evaluate what went wrong and what to do in the future, I fear that the focus will only be upon disease testing and treatment. There will not be an examination of the true root causes. Thus, we will repeat this again, and likely with greater frequency.

Thank you for identifying this. Maybe it will spark someone to rethink their actions. -- R.M., Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

DEAR R.M.: I have received several letters from readers expressing appreciation for my short postings on the coronavirus pandemic in my column. For more in-depth discussion, I refer readers to two related articles on my website (drfoxonehealth.com): “What SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Are Telling Us: A Holistic Veterinary and One Health View,” and also “From Conventional Medicine to One Health: An Essential Transformation.”

Your letter provides an excellent synopsis of this human-caused, anthropogenic health crisis. Indeed, there will be more pandemics, plagues and pestilence in the future, along with famine and war, if COVID-19 does not make us change our behavior on planet Earth!

Dr. Albert Schweitzer summed it up with prescience decades ago when he opined: ”We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 19-year-old female inside cat who is in good health for her age. However, within the last year, she seems to have lost her hearing, which was confirmed by our veterinarian.

She used to sleep in our bed during the night, but gave up doing so approximately two years ago. For about the last six months, she has been crying out in the middle of the night (and of course, her cries wake us up). Now, for the past couple of weeks, she not only cries out, but gets up and down out of our bed several times a night. She will not lie down in our bed.

I recently saw your reply concerning a cat with other issues, in which you suggested using melatonin at bedtime. Is this something we could try on our cat to help her rest in the evening, and help increase our sleep, too? -- B.T., New Carlisle, Indiana

DEAR B.T.: Old cats like yours, who become restless at night, are often afflicted with the feline equivalent of senile dementia. In some instances, combined with this brain degeneration, there is painful arthritis. Give your cat 1 to 3 mg melatonin close to bedtime, mashed up in a canned sardine, which has anti-inflammatory benefits for possible arthritis, and may also help neurologic function.

Get some catnip from the pet store; if your cat enjoys it, nibbles some and rolls in it, some sedation may result. Alternatively, put a pinch of valerian herb, available in drug stores, in the sardine along with the melatonin. You should occasionally take one-week breaks from these medications to avoid over-challenging your cat’s liver.

In addition, my book “The Healing Touch for Cats” can teach you how to give your cat regular massage-therapy sessions, the therapeutic value of which is well documented.

(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: Chinese scientists investigated the susceptibility of ferrets and other species that have close contact with humans to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. They found in laboratory exposure tests that SARS-CoV-2 replicates poorly in dogs, pigs, chickens and ducks, but ferrets and cats are susceptible to infection. Cats are susceptible to airborne infection and can infect each other, with extensive lung damage evident in young cats. Ferrets develop milder upper respiratory infections, from which they are likely to recover. (Jianzhong Shi et al, “Susceptibility of ferrets, cats, dogs and other domesticated animals to SARS-coronavirus-2,” Science, April 8, 2020)

These disturbing findings mean that domestic cats should be quarantined and tested if exposed to infected people. Precautions should be taken at this time, especially in animal shelters, when cats develop early signs of any sickness involving the upper respiratory system.

Such legitimate concerns about COVID-19 in domestic cats are yet another reason to keep cats indoors, and to prohibit them from going outdoors except into an enclosed, safe area such as a “catio.” This will help reduce the chances of this highly infectious virus from spreading in local, free-roaming domestic cat populations. Such populations could become a reservoir of infection, and cats could then bring the infection back into people’s homes. Wild felines (bobcat, lynx and panther/cougar), and possibly foxes, may also be at risk.

It has not yet been determined if cats can transmit COVID-19 to humans, but fearing that possibility, some people may start killing free-roaming cats -- like some people in Peru, who have been reported to be slaughtering bats.

The American Veterinary Medical Association’s standing policy is that pet cats be kept indoors. Their policy states that “keeping owned cats confined, such as housing them in an enriched indoor environment or in an outdoor enclosure, or exercising leash-acclimated cats, can minimize the risks to the cats, wildlife, humans and the environment.” On April 8, the British Veterinary Association urged people who are self-isolating or have COVID-19 symptoms to keep their cats indoors. According to the BVA, it is possible that outdoor cats may carry the virus on their fur, just as the virus can live on other surfaces. But in my opinion, people who are asymptomatic could infect their cats, so I urge all cat owners to keep their cats indoors during this global pandemic.

For people who want to transition their outdoor cats to indoors, the American Bird Conservancy offers a range of helpful solutions on its website (abcbirds.org) that were developed over years of work with veterinarians and pet owners.

Cats are sold and killed for food in Chinese markets, a practice that should be prohibited in view of these findings. The Chinese government’s statement in early April prohibiting the same fate for dogs, because they are “companion animals,” is a face-saving public relations action. A similar prohibition should be applied to cats, and to all live animals, wild and domesticated, in these widespread markets. Some cultural norms must change for the common good.

DEAR DR. FOX: I looked at your “Homemade Natural Food for Dogs” recipe, but was confused to find the ingredients of “whole-grain brown rice, barley, quinoa, rolled oats and rice pasta” included. I keep reading about how grains are bad for dogs.

I have been feeding our dogs -- a greyhound and a German shepherd -- non-grain foods from Open Farm (on Susan Thixton’s list of good dog food companies), along with some of their supplements such as bone broth and stews, but now the company has come out with a dry food containing “ancient grains.” They also came out with a “gently cooked” food that looks similar to your recipe that does not contain any grains. Please help explain this to me. -- J.M., Hobe Sound, Florida

DEAR J.M.: I am glad that you asked this question, which has come up in earlier columns but is worth repeating. Some grains in the canine diet are good for dogs, and their absence is linked with heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy). For details, see the article on my website (drfoxonehealth.com) entitled “Pet Food and Feeding Issues: Soy Dogs and Corn Cats -- Myth and Reality.” A lot of poor-quality grains in dogs’ diets, typically in cheap kibble, can contribute to obesity, inflammatory diseases and pancreatic enzyme insufficiency.

Notice you will not find corn in my recipe. Corn in cat and dog food and can cause various health problems, from seizures to inflammatory bowel disease. Corn categorically has no place in a cat’s diet; its inclusion is unethical and grossly irresponsible. According to Susan Thixton, (TruthaboutPetFood.com), citing a recently released agricultural study: “Corn is the most commonly used pet food ingredient -- almost 1 million more tons of corn is included in cat and dog foods than ANY other ingredient. In July 2019, 98% of corn samples tested in the U.S. were ‘positive for at least one mycotoxin,’ and ‘74% of samples have more than one mycotoxin.’ Even low levels of mycotoxins in pet food can result in serious illness.“

(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.)