DEAR READERS: Authorities in the United Kingdom -- like those in the United States and most other countries -- have not managed this pandemic following the four pillars of disease control, say two U.K. veterinarians. Those pillars are biosecurity, biocontainment, surveillance and resilience, and they must be applied concurrently. (See D. Sibley and J. Brownlie’s “Vets would not manage COVID-19 this way,” Vet Record, April 2020.)

I would add a fifth pillar: bioremediation, meaning the restoration of natural, disease-limiting biodiversity in ecosystems, and also in our farming and food-production industries. Without massive applications of vaccinations, antibiotics and other drugs to animals in factory farms -- which epidemiologically mirror our crowded cities, slums and refugee camps -- these facilities would not be productive and would succumb to disease. The African swine fever virus (affecting only pigs up to now), for which there is no vaccine, has swept across Asia into some European countries, and the U.S. is on the alert. The only control measure authorities have taken is the mass slaughter of millions of infected pigs.

The Trump administration’s press conferences downplaying high human mortalities in susceptible communities, and promising accelerated development of vaccines and various drug trials, are seen by some critics as bordering on criminal negligence while pandering to the pharmaceutical and vaccine industries. This is the antithesis of preventive medicine and effective pandemic preparedness and control protocols -- essentially generating profits for a few at the expense of many.

It is up to us all to practice due diligence and follow the guidelines of the CDC and recognized health experts, especially with regard to the airborne spread of this virus in confined and crowded places. Facial masks are imperative. Since some people can pass this virus in their feces, extra precautions are called for in locations such as nursing homes, food preparation areas, swimming pools, public restrooms and laundry facilities.

It is also advisable not to pet other people’s dogs when walking outdoors, and to avoid allowing one’s own dogs to make contact with others, because they may carry the virus from infected owners. Such dog-to-human transmission has not yet been reported, but the precautionary principle should be applied.

DEAR DR. FOX: Animals were never exiled from Paradise, just humans. Ergo, all of them will return there when they die. (WE, on the other hand ...) And I remember that the Creator took delight in making animals, so I must help keep them safe. The Creator loves them! They’re never “ours” to do with as we please. -- S.M., Plymouth, Indiana

DEAR S.M.: I know many people will appreciate your words and share your sentiment, while others consider other animals inferior and made for human use. These two “cultures” have long been in conflict from age to age. When we see clearly what we have done to planet Earth and the plight of all of God’s earthly creation, it is surely time to make amends for such “original sin.” I like the words of philosopher Meister Eckhart: “Every creature is a word of God.”

For atheists and agnostics, there can be no denying that other animals possess intelligence -- in some cases, far more advanced than ours -- and that many species show evidence of empathy. So there is no reason other than brute ignorance and indifference for humans not to treat other life forms with respect and consideration.

INHUMANE FISHING PRACTICES REVISITED

Because walleye and other species of fish are dwindling in numbers in some of Minnesota’s lakes, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is stipulating that walleyes can only be caught and released (ditto certain other species). Some people who fish contend that the DNR “overestimates the mortality rates of walleyes caught and released” (Star Tribune, March 18). Regardless of mortality rates from the stress, injuries and secondary infections from being caught on a hook and struggling to escape while being reeled in -- a process that can last for several hours with large fish -- we should all consider the fact that scientists have documented that fish feel pain and have a range of emotions, from fear to caregiving.

Knowing these facts, even if the fish survive being caught and released, those who fish should consider if it is worth making fish suffer physically and emotionally simply for their own “sporting” enjoyment. We need more empathy in many segments of society. What better evidence of such deficiency than keeping live fish on a line strung through their mouths and gills, trailing behind a boat? This practice should be outlawed on humane grounds, and quick kill after catching mandated. For details about fish intelligence, sentience and efforts to improve their welfare and protection, visit fishfeel.org.

RESOURCES FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS WITH PETS

The American Veterinary Medical Association is offering help for people infected with the coronavirus who have companion animals in their homes, and also offering additional information to help us all with our animals during this crisis. Visit avma.org for more information.

PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR WASHINGTON STUDY

Researchers at the University of Washington and Washington State University are collaborating on a study measuring pets’ susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, and are seeking local participants. Pet owners in the area who have been diagnosed with a novel coronavirus infection within the last two weeks can sign up online, and researchers will go to their homes to test dogs, cats, ferrets and hamsters at no cost. (KIRO-TV, Seattle, May 11)

(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: Cats infected experimentally with SARS-CoV-2 transmitted the virus to other cats, researchers reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. But the cats did not develop clinical signs of illness.

In 2016, an H7N2 influenza outbreak in New York City cat shelters highlighted the public health implications of cat-to-human transmission to workers in animal shelters. Cats may be a silent intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2, because infected cats may not show any appreciable symptoms that might be recognized by their owners.

In early May, a cat in Spain that died from a common feline respiratory condition tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, according to the results of a necropsy, making the cat one of a handful worldwide to test positive for the coronavirus. The cat belonged to a family whose members had tested positive for the virus, but the viral level was low, and there is no evidence pets can transmit the virus to people, says professor Joaquim Segales of the Animal Health Research Center in Catalonia.

So vigilance and more monitoring are called for, where there are cats in homes where people are infected with the coronavirus. Such cats should be kept indoors and not allowed to roam outside. To date, there is no evidence that cats carrying this coronavirus can infect people, but if allowed outdoors, they could contact other cats who are infected -- whether with this coronavirus or other diseases -- that they might bring back to the families with whom they live.

DEAR DR. FOX: This is my second time writing to you, thanking you for your valuable work. The mistreatment of animals is a potent cause of disease. Included in this mistreatment is taking away their natural habitat.

The New York Times had two interesting articles a few weeks ago on this same topic: “Our Cruel Treatment of Animals Led to the Coronavirus” and “Animal Viruses Are Jumping to Humans. Forest Loss Makes It Easier.”

I am older now, and retired. A few years ago, I adopted a dog because his owner could not look after him. The dog showed me that all animals have human qualities in some measure, and all deserve to be treated humanely. I wish more people would adopt animals so they could see this for themselves. Then maybe we would transition away from eating our friends to a diet consisting of Earth’s bounty.

Keep up the good work. -- B.C.S., Nassau, Bahamas

DEAR B.C.S.: I very much appreciate your comments and references to articles that connect public health with our continued exploitation and consumption of other animals, wild and domesticated. Many consumers are now waking up to this tragic reality and are changing over to eating less, or no, animal produce, and see that a plant-based diet is the wave of the future.

Several people sent me this relevant article from Time magazine, which I encourage readers to find online: “We Need to Rethink Our Food System to Prevent the Next Pandemic.”

I also appreciate what you say about the dog you adopted and what the dog taught you. It is an obfuscation and denial that other animals do not have emotions, and cannot suffer as we do. That animals do “have feelings” has been proven by ethologists and other scientists. So it is no lie to contend that they have the capacity to experience fear and anxiety, as well as affection and security. By extension, therefore, they have interests and rights to humane treatment, which is our collective and singular responsibility.

Lying, denial, obfuscating -- concealing the truth -- have become commonplace in these times, from the highest levels of public office to our own personal lives. A life unexamined is a life unlived. We must all examine the truths we live by, especially in relation to the rest of the animal kingdom, and begin to make amends.

One truth is that there are too many of us on Earth to live on the meat-based diets that are now documented to be a major contributing factor to climate change, habitat loss and species extinction -- plus a host of food-borne illnesses, which the current COVID-19 pandemic affirms. This truth is inescapable, but is denied by vested interests, including those who believe that animals were created for man’s use.

(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: As we are learning with the COVID-19 pandemic, such pandemics and epidemics from wild and farmed animals can cause millions of human deaths and much suffering, emotionally and socioeconomically. They are a consequence of our mistreatment and exploitation of animals and nature.

Aside from America’s documented lack of preparedness for this pandemic, no less urgent is the need for national and international prevention of future pandemics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that three-quarters of new human diseases originate in animals. Factory-farmed animals are not only the main source of influenza epidemics but also, since they are fed antibiotics, they contribute to the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some 2.8 million Americans are sickened by such bacteria annually, of whom 35,000 die, according to the CDC.

We cannot continue to rely on ever more vaccinations and pharmaceuticals, both of which take a very long time to develop -- and to prove effective, with no harmful consequences and side-effects. Rather, we must focus on prevention. This path involves phasing out factory farms and feedlots, and prohibiting the farming and harvesting of wildlife species for human consumption and international trade.

For another voice supporting this view, see Fareed Zakaria’s recent column in The Washington Post entitled, “The real scandal isn’t what China did to us. It’s what we did to ourselves.” This is the big story of our time; we have disrupted nature, and it needs to stop.

Already, we are witnessing a positive consequence of this pandemic: improved global air quality due to less travel by road, rail, air and sea. This means less pollution from fossil fuels and their associated emissions. Improved air quality, in turn, means lower susceptibility to lung and other infections. It also means slowing down climate change.

Changing our travel and dietary habits (switching to more plant-based, home-prepared, unprocessed whole foods) are positive consequences of this pandemic. If these trends continue, rather than returning to the status quo, much agricultural land currently used to produce GMO commodity crops like corn and soybeans to feed factory farmed animals could be recommissioned to produce organically certified foods for human consumption. And millions of acres of “carbon sink” wetlands, forests and grasslands could be restored. This will improve water quality and help temper droughts and floods.

A final thought on the topic: “There is always a silver lining in every cloud, and for COVID-19, I think it just might be a quantum leap for the One Health philosophy.” -- Craig N. Carter, DVM, MS, Ph.D.; professor of epidemiology in the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a neighbor who has a dog with a serious skin condition, which seems to be worse every time I see them walking the dog. I am sending photos that I took one day when their daughter was out with the dog. She said her parents never take care of his skin, and she wishes they would take him to the vet. What should I do? This dog is very sweet and is only 6 years old. -- L.K., via email

DEAR L.K.: I applaud your vigilance and concern about this dog. I wish all people were like you and would intervene when there is an animal health and welfare issue, and possible neglect or abuse.

From my impression of the photo you sent, the issue looks like demodectic mange. It could be sarcoptic mange, transmissible to humans, but I do not see signs of scratching, which that skin parasite causes.

Either way, the dog should be taken to a veterinarian because this is an animal health and welfare issue: an evident health problem that the owner has a responsibility to address, and to possibly prevent the skin disease from spreading to others in the home.

ADOLESCENT DOGS ACT A LOT LIKE TEENAGE HUMANS

A study published in Biology Letters supports anecdotes that adolescent dogs behave differently than puppies or adult dogs -- becoming recalcitrant, much like human teenagers do. Adolescent dogs that displayed stress when separated from caregivers were especially likely to disobey their caregiver but obey a stranger, and findings might mean that dogs are good models for studying human adolescence.

As a parent and animal caregiver, I have always respected the adolescent impulse for independence, encouraging freedom of spirit with boundaries that respect the rights of others. Such respect comes not from sheer discipline or moralistic indoctrination, but from awakening the empathy for others we -- and our dogs and other social animals -- possess. This is done through various games involving social play and learning to be gentle. Over-indulgence can lead to delinquent and irresponsible adolescents, be they dogs or humans who have not learned the nature of love.

(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.)