DEAR READERS: Humans and other animals would very quickly die if all the viruses, bacteria and other microbial organisms were removed from our bodies’ surfaces, mouths and digestive systems. These communities of microbial life are called microbiomes, and they are integral to environmental and public health.

For humans, healthy microbiomes mean healthy functioning of the brain, and of the endocrine, immune and digestive systems. Healthy microbiomes in the soil, as maintained by organic farmers, mean healthier and more nutritious crops and livestock. A properly balanced soil microbiome supports growth and disease-resistance in plants, and healthful gut microbiomes in free-ranging animals. Children have fewer allergies and infections when they live on farms or get outdoors regularly and “play in the dirt” -- ditto where there are dogs in the home, which bring in all kinds of microbial life on their paws.

The impact of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers on agricultural soils is a major One Health issue. These chemicals are not just in crop land, but also in the air and rain. They make their way into our food, our drinking water and even into breast milk and amniotic fluid. There is now clear scientific evidence that these agrichemicals, along with antibiotics and other drugs given to farmed animals, contaminate our food and water and harm the microbiomes of millions of consumers.

Restoring and protecting biodiversity at all levels is a task we must pursue for the greater good. A diverse diet of biologically appropriate foods, ideally organic -- including fermented foods rich in probiotics (bacteria) -- helps build and sustain a robust gut microbiome for all of us and our animal companions.

DEAR DR. FOX: Just saw you on an episode of Johnny Carson from back in 1976, when Richard Pryor was on the show. Your observations and advice were very interesting. I then found out you were a frequent guest. I was wondering: What was it like to be on Johnny Carson? -- M.G., Corpus Christi, Texas

DEAR M.G.: Johnny Carson was the best of the talk-show hosts, along with Dick Cavett and Larry King, because they gave me time to talk! Today, they all seem to be in a rush before the next volley of commercials, and often want to deflect with a joke or put in their own opinions.

I had prior education in elocution, stage acting and public speaking in England, which helped in these appearances. I saw such occasions as an opportunity -- and professional responsibility -- to promote respect, care and understanding of animals, and expose such cruelties as fur-trapping, factory farms, puppy mills, wildlife trafficking and the exotic pet trade.

Johnny Carson opened our interviews more than once with the question, “Are pigs smarter than dogs?” My response: There’s nothing more intelligent at being a pig than a pig; to make such comparisons is specious and can lead to speciesism. Some people think pigs are filthy creatures, but they take mud baths to keep cool and repel biting flies. We may think ourselves superior and the most intelligent animal on the planet, but we are the only species that fouls its nest to the degree that we have done to planet Earth.

On occasion, I got into some crossfire with other guests. Once, I appeared with actress Shelley Winters, who was wearing a full-length lynx fur coat. During a commercial break, I asked if she knew how many lynx had been trapped, suffered and died to make that coat. Her response: She’d thought they came from a fur farm, and anyway, Marlon Brando had given it to her!

During that time of considerable public exposure, a monthly veterinary column in McCall’s magazine and a nationally syndicated newspaper column, I was offered a very lucrative deal from an international pet food manufacturer to be their spokesperson. I declined for ethical reasons: Most readers know of my continued challenging of this industry to produce biologically appropriate, healthful foods for our animal companions.

I have also done countless radio interviews, including a memorable one with neurosurgeon (and medical adviser to the Vatican) Robert J. White, who made me wonder what kind of world I was living in. White had gained publicity after grafting the head of one monkey onto another. I realized then that some people take certifiably insane actions in the pursuit of what they consider the good. No good ends can come from evil means!

BRACHYCEPHALIC DOGS PRONE TO ‘SHOCKING HEALTH ISSUES’

Flat-faced, or brachycephalic, dogs are prone to respiratory, eye and spinal diseases and disorders, and live an average of four fewer years than dogs with longer snouts. But they remain among the most popular dogs, researchers reported in PLOS ONE. “Owners are becoming hooked on the loving personalities of these sweet dogs, but also accepting and normalizing their shocking health issues,” the researchers said. (Full story: HealthDay News, 8/28)

(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 would like to thank you for your reply to my questions about our cat, Dusty, crying to go outside all the time. I followed your advice to get another cat. I tried to adopt a young adult, but I found that the shelters in my area don’t seem to share your opinion about cats living together. I was told repeatedly that every cat I inquired about would not be comfortable sharing a home with another cat.

Long story short, I applied for any kitten from the local shelter, and was matched with a 3-month-old female tabby whom we have named Abigail Road. Dusty was so mad! She howled at the scent on the carrier, at the door to the room where Abby was being sequestered, at us, and at the swapped bedding we brought to her. Upon introduction, she howled at Abby herself. I was worried. But what Dusty immediately stopped doing was begging to go outside all the time. She was alert and focused on the invader.

After a few days of supervised interactions, she stopped crying and hissing, started stalking Abby instead, and then they quickly transitioned to play. Soon I hope to find them curled up together, but in the meantime, they gallop around the house, wrestle, eat side by side and have even both been in my lap at the same time (briefly).

Abby is a wonderful fit for our household, and the humans are again able to relax in the living room. Dusty still gets outside time, and Abby will start being trained with a harness soon, but it is so nice for us not to have the constant harassment. Not to mention, to see that Dusty is happier now and that Abby is out of the shelter -- truly a win-win-win.

The only real challenge is that now, I have two kitties that want to sleep on my desk as I work from home. I’m running out of space! -- M.M., Port Townsend, Washington

DEAR M.M.: Thanks for the update, and for sharing your experience with these totally ridiculous “one-cat-one-home” policies that some animal shelters practice. As I emphasize in my book “Cat Body, Cat Mind,” most cats do quickly learn to enjoy each other’s company, as you so clearly witnessed. Two cats living together are generally happier and healthier than those who never have any contact with their own kind. Your cats are stimulating each other and getting lots of exercise, which will help prevent obesity and other chronic health problems so common in live-alone, kibble-fed cats.

Having two or more cats in a home is the answer to help reduce the high number of cats waiting for adoption in shelters, many of which eventually “dump” the “unadoptable” ones outdoors, euthanize them or engage in the harmful practice of TNR -- trap, neuter and release.

All animal shelters should provide information on how to introduce a new cat into the home. I provide some helpful information on the topic on my website (drfoxonehealth.com).

DEAR DR. FOX: Regarding your proposal of an “Environmental U.N”: It is difficult for people to receive the good news of the accomplishments of the United Nations these days. I remember at the close of WWII, we rejoiced that a body of people from many countries would be created to talk and solve global problems, and that we would no longer have war! We need to maintain our global responsibilities and communications that benefit all people and create trust and cooperation. -- M.K., Trumbull, Connecticut

DEAR M.K.: Thanks for your words of support. I received several from readers, which is encouraging! Yes, I know what you are saying, having grown up in England during WWII. We urgently need a United Environmental Nations to, for example, stop Brazil from destroying the Amazon forest, and stop the United States from opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The U.S. must also cease rolling back environmental protections and anti-pollution regulations in service of an unsustainable economy that puts its citizens, wildlife and the rest of the world at risk.

TWO UTAH MINK FARMS QUARANTINED FOR CORONAVIRUS

Two of the largest mink farms in Utah are under quarantine after animals and employees at the farm tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. “There is no conclusive evidence that the animals played a role in spreading (the virus) to humans,” state veterinarian Dean Taylor said. (Full story: The Salt Lake Tribune, 8/17)

The era of trapping and raising animals for their fur should become a thing of the past. Progress has been made in the U.S. with awareness campaigns, but there is still a big demand for furs in markets around the world.

(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: Analysis of 410 species of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals found that about 40% of those that are thought to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 are considered threatened or endangered. These include the Western lowland gorilla, Sumatran orangutan and Northern white-cheeked gibbon, which are predicted to be at very high risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2. Gray whales, bottlenose dolphins, white-tailed deer and Chinese hamsters are at high risk; cats, cows and sheep are at medium risk; and dogs, pigs and horses are at low risk.

This valuable contribution to our understanding of the potential threat of this virus to other species calls for One Health (onehealthinitiative.com) precautionary measures to minimize -- and ideally prevent -- infected humans from infecting other animals. Those animals, if infected, could then serve as reservoirs to reinfect people -- or, if endangered, they could become extinct.

Immediate steps must be taken by zoos, circuses (those with performances by wild animals, outlawed in many places), wildlife parks, marine aquariums and conservation areas to limit human-animal proximity and routinely test all staff, wildlife officers and anti-poaching forces. In addition, all visitors should be screened.

Precautions are called for with workers around cattle and sheep, which are considered at medium risk of coronavirus infection. Even though pigs are at low risk, workers also need to be screened, especially considering that hog confinement units generally have poor air quality and can be sources of influenza and other zoonotic infections.

White-tailed deer, currently overpopulating and spreading chronic wasting disease across North America, may be at higher risk, especially on farms where employees infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus could spread it to the deer. Such human-to-animal infection has happened in Utah, as well as in Denmark and the Netherlands, where infected workers on fur ranches infected mink.

Hamsters are very popular cage pets, and special precautions are called for in households that include a hamster and one or more infected humans. During an infection, physical contact with the hamster should be avoided. The hamster(s) should be kept in a separate room with only one healthy adult tending them, being sure to wash hands before and after cleaning, feeding and watering. Ferrets are also susceptible, and similar precautions are called for.

High vigilance is called for with all highly and moderately susceptible species since, as the Dutch government has shown, mink infected with SARS-CoV-2 contracted from workers subsequently passed the infection on to other workers.

It would be highly advisable for all pet stores to stop selling these and other animals, limit public contact and, if they must, sell only aquarium fish.

Cats must be kept indoors. Otherwise, infective pools of cats carrying the coronavirus could become established, with infected humans acting as constant sources of infection and reinfection into the surrounding cat communities. Some cats could bring the coronavirus into their homes since cat-to-cat transfer has been documented, although as yet, no case of cat-to-human transfer has been reported. Infected cats could put other wildlife at risk, especially indigenous predators like the foxes, weasels and mink in Minnesota’s forests and elsewhere.

Especially in light of trans-species passage, the development of a safe, effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine will be a challenge. Similar difficulties with constantly evolving strains of the influenza virus -- with its avian, porcine and human variant recombinants -- mean some vaccines, developed in anticipation of the next pandemic, do not give effective protection from an unexpected new variant strain.

Surely the thing for any sane and civil society to do is to practice effective preventive medicine from a One Health perspective, which first calls for a total revision of our relationships with animals.

TURMERIC COMPOUND MIGHT HELP DOGS WITH EYE PAIN

Turmeric may be useful in treating canine uveitis, a painful inflammatory condition of the eye that can occur after cataract surgery or secondary to some cancers and infectious or autoimmune diseases, says veterinary ophthalmologist Erin Scott. She and her colleagues have discovered that a nanoparticle formulation of curcumin, found in turmeric, is easily absorbed and effective for managing uveitis with no apparent side effects. Scott hopes to begin clinical trials of the compound soon. (Full story: release from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 8/27)

(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.)