DEAR DR. FOX: My daughter adopted a 6-month-old cat from a local charity in Asbury Park, New Jersey. From day one, the cat had weepy eyes and was sneezing and wheezing.

My daughter brought him to the vet the day after adopting him. The cat had an eye infection and an upper respiratory infection. With testing, meds and multiple office visits, treating the cat cost her almost $1,000. She was fine with that; we know that you have to plan on spending money on your pets. One week later, my daughter noticed a spot on the cat’s ear and went back to the vet. It was ringworm: more meds, more money.

She contacted the charity, which basically told her, “We don’t care, don’t publish this info on social media” and “How dare you accuse us of giving you a sick cat.” Well, a week later, the charity posted that they were closed indefinitely due to an outbreak of ringworm.

The cat has had eye infections and sneezing requiring vet visits two more times in the past five months. We were told that this could be a lifelong eye condition. My question is, could the ringworm have anything to do with the eye infection and the sneezing/wheezing? Any input as to how to help this kitty avoid constant, lifelong meds would be appreciated. My daughter does make his cat food with chicken, veggies, eggs and olive oil, and supplements that with an organic dry food. -- C.W., Long Branch, New Jersey

DEAR C.W.: This is indeed a sad story for your daughter’s cat, and a costly experience for her. This should not deter people from adopting animals from animal shelters, but should put all shelters on notice to properly quarantine incoming cats before putting them into the adoption area with other cats. Each incoming cat’s health and needs must be evaluated by a veterinarian.

It is vital to minimize stress while the animals are awaiting adoption. Veterinary supervision and good nutrition are crucial to ensure that viral infections, in particular, do not flare up in cats with stress-compromised immune systems, and then spread to other cats in the facility. Good ventilation, sanitation and socialization --with hideaway boxes for shy and fearful cats -- are all good protocols to follow.

Cats are especially prone to upper respiratory, eye and sinus infections from herpes and various viruses, often followed by secondary bacterial infections and other complications. There are supplements that can help prevent and subdue the severity of some viral infections, notably L-Lysine for cats, which may also help humans.

For our own protection, my wife and I take several immune system-boosting supplements like vitamin D3, vitamin C, selenium, magnesium, zinc and CoQ10, along with probiotics and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, we take omega-3 fatty acids from marine algae (we are vegetarians). Cats, as obligate carnivores, have a deficiency in these essential fatty acids when fed dry kibble, so I always advise giving them a few drops of fish oil in their food daily. This may also help your daughter’s cat stay healthy and reduce future bills for veterinary care.

Ringworm is another challenge in animal shelters, and routine screening for this should be part of the screening protocol for incoming animals. There are oral medications for ringworm, as well as bathing treatments with hydrosols of some antifungal essential oils. But these call for expert veterinary handling. Ringworm can also be transmitted to humans, as happened to my wife when she was working with animals in India.

Have your daughter visit ahvma.org to find the nearest holistic veterinarian, who may be able to help her keep her cat healthy without resorting to costly and potentially harmful medications.

TESTING ANIMALS FOR COVID-19 INFECTION

American veterinary diagnostics firm IDEXX has a test that veterinarians can use on dogs, cats and horses for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, if an infection is suspected. (Note: This is not a kit that can be purchased for in-home pet testing.)

(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: The coronavirus is capable of mutation to increase infectivity and multiplication -- currently in the human species, but I fear that other species exposed to infected humans may be next.

Giving the public hope in the animal-tested vaccinations now being developed around the world may be to little avail, considering how this virus can mutate into a new strain or variant, causing a different set of health problems. I am not opposed to the judicious and appropriate use of vaccines in humans and other animals, but vaccination limitations are a documented problem with the influenza virus, and some vaccine formulations will not provide adequate protection. Also, some vaccinations can cause increased susceptibility to other viral infections. More effective testing, quarantining (where indicated), social distancing and personal hygiene vigilance are the best preventives.

While the jury is still out as to the origin of SARS-CoV-2, other coronavirus infections in humans have been traced back to some wild animal species, along with other contagious viruses also originating from farmed animals (pigs and poultry). The obvious preventive steps include addressing the human-animal zoonotic interface, and drastically reducing wild and domestic animal exploitation and consumption, both at home and abroad.

DEAR DR. FOX: The One Health Initiative team has posted your commentary about the COVID-19 nightmare, and the urgent need to institute a One Health approach and principles -- to this current crisis, and to many other global public health, comparative medicine and environmental issues, now and in the future. We greatly appreciate your visionary support and advocacy for One Health!

The One Health Initiative autonomous pro bono team was originally established in 2006, and the group’s website (onehealthinitiative.com) has been called “the international clearinghouse for significant One Health information.” It is currently estimated to be accessed each month by thousands of individual visitors from about 150 countries.

Please keep up your longstanding, excellent humanitarian animal welfare efforts. -- Bruce Kaplan, DVM, Dipl. AVES (Hon.); Contents Manager/Editor, One Health Initiative Website; Co-Founder, One Health Initiative; Sarasota, Florida

DEAR DR. KAPLAN: Your words of support for my efforts to inform the public about the importance of a One Health approach are appreciated. The evident lack of any veterinary representation in an advisory capacity in the White House task force is regrettable. This pandemic is certainly a major global crisis, medically and economically, and as Winston Churchill is said to have quipped during the Second World War, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” An interdisciplinary, One Health approach is indeed called for to facilitate preventive measures for this and future epidemics and pandemics of animal origin, rather than relying on ever-more vaccinations and drugs to treat people, which are costly and not without risk.

I applaud the good work that you and your associates have been doing to expand the concept of health and preventive medicine, which has been too long limited by the anthropocentrism of conventional medicine. I am sending you my latest review of the coronavirus pandemic and my article on the limitations of conventional medicine.

(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: On April 27, it was reported that a pug dog belonging to a pediatrician participating in a COVID-19 study at Duke University in North Carolina tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2, and displayed mild signs of illness for several days. The pediatrician, her husband and their son also tested positive for coronavirus infection, while the couple’s daughter, their other dog and a pet cat did not.

It was not until April 29 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for social distancing to be applied to pets: dogs being kept on the leash when outdoors and not petted by people outside the family, and cats being kept indoors. For details about how one can help cats who are used to going outdoors adapt quickly and enjoy life indoors, go to the American Bird Conservancy’s page on the topic: abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors.

I have always deplored the keeping of indoor-outdoor cats, knowing how many cats get killed and injured by traffic, fights and infections. In addition, cats are super-predators, decimating songbird and other wildlife populations. The notion of “working cats” around homes, barns and warehouses comes from previous eras that were more ignorant about zoonotic diseases and sanitation. Cats, especially indoor-outdoor cats with close contact with family members, can transmit more diseases to us than human-avoiding wild rodents.

In early April, both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the British Veterinary Association urged people who are self-isolating or have COVID-19 symptoms to keep their cats indoors because it is possible that outdoor cats may carry the virus on their fur, just as the virus can live on other surfaces.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your comment about finding a reticulated python while walking in D.C., and wanted to mention an unlikely find of my own from some years back.

Living in Maryland in a neighborhood of large, one- to two-acre lots, I was surprised to catch sight of a gerbil near our front porch. I managed to catch the poor little guy, probably because it was cold and he was moving more slowly, and then found him an aquarium and shavings as a temporary home. A few days later, I mentioned the gerbil to my neighbor. She smiled and said she had gotten tired of taking care of it, and had put it outside. She wondered how on earth it ever found its way to my home. Talk about cold-hearted! I could never look at her the same after that.

The gerbil moved on to a good home. We have no pets, but I religiously read and enjoy your column. -- L.R., Bethany Beach, Delaware

DEAR L.R.: Your good Samaritan act -- saving this little creature from certain death from a predator, starvation or cold exposure -- puts you on the side of those who care for all creatures, great and small. It has disturbed me since early childhood that there are people on the other side who have such little regard for fellow creatures that they will simply abandon them when they lose interest in them or find them “too much trouble” to care for. Some will even kill them.

Releasing any creature to fend for itself is an inhumane and irresponsible act. In some instances, it can lead to such animals spreading disease to indigenous species.

FUNGAL DISEASE COULD ARRIVE IN U.S.

A newly described fungal disease is killing salamanders and newts in Europe, and could soon land on U.S. shores from pet-trade-imported amphibians. The disease, chytridiomycosis, invades the skin of salamanders and newts, and is related to another fungus that has been wiping out frog and other amphibian populations around the world. In sum, all international trade in exotic species should be prohibited in order to prevent so-called panzootic diseases from harming wildlife and biodiversity.

(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.)