DEAR READERS: The use of flea-control insecticides on pets needs closer examination, considering the recent discovery of some of insecticides in water sources. Widely used anti-flea topical insecticides, including fipronil and imidacloprid, have been found in wastewater (from bathing pets) and in rivers and streams (from allowing treated dogs into the water) in both the U.K. and the U.S. Both the British and American Veterinary Medical Associations (I am a member of both) have reported these concerns in their professional journals.

These insecticides are highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates and pollinators in parts-per-trillion concentrations, and the toxic degradates have half-lives of up to several hundred days. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to take action.

Dog owners and groomers bathing dogs, and hunters allowing dogs to enter freshwater ecosystems, should not do so if these animals have been given topical insecticides or are wearing repellant insecticide collars. In addition, the feces of dogs given oral insecticides and antiparasitic drugs should always be picked up and disposed of with other household waste.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a small 6-year-old dog who was vomiting a lot. Our veterinarian said he was allergic to either chicken or beef, so we changed his food to lamb and duck. It was mostly kibble and a bit of canned food. He still had allergies, but wasn’t vomiting anymore, so the vet put him on Apoquel.

As time went on, his allergies got worse and our vet had us switch to venison (still kibble and some wet food). He still has allergies; he licks his one paw continuously. He is still on the Apoquel.

We are using Hill’s Science Diet now. The fresh food you recommended is all chicken recipes. I would love to get him off the meds, but have no idea what to feed him. -- J.M., Naples, Florida

DEAR J.M.: I have expressed my concerns over many veterinarians prescribing the immune system-suppressing drug Apoquel on my website (drfoxonehealth.com).

In my opinion, it is no remedy for your dog’s apparent food allergy. There are so many additives and byproducts in many manufactured dog foods, including the costly (and generally unpalatable) prescription diets, that could cause digestive problems and the so-called “leaky gut” syndrome and irritable bowel disease. Apoquel could make things worse.

Try my home-prepared diet (posted on my website) and vary the main protein every three to five days. This “rotational” diet will enable you to identify which major protein/animal product is causing problems. It is quite likely that transitioning to a home-prepared diet with known ingredients could resolve his various health issues.

There may be other environmental allergens affecting your dog, so I would give him 1 teaspoon of local bee pollen daily with his food.

Do keep me posted as to your dog’s progress, and stop the Apoquel. If he is on any anti-flea insecticides, which could cause sickness, discontinue them. Visit ahvma.org to find a veterinarian in your area who can offer a more holistic approach to your dog’s health and well-being.

OLDER PEOPLE ADOPTING ANIMALS

About 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. between 50 and 80 years old adopted a pet between March 2020 and the end of the year, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. As of January 2021, pet ownership was 12 points higher than in 2019 among people in that age group who live alone, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging. (Full story: HealthDay News, March 24)

It is my hope that when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, and families spend less time at home, that the shelters will not fill up with dogs who suffer from separation anxiety. Such animals may house-soil, bark and howl, disturbing neighbors and destroying things in the home. There are ways to prevent these problems, and all dog owners should consult with their veterinarians and animal behaviorist referrals.

(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: Nicholas Black Elk, a holy man of the Oglala Sioux, wrote: “The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers; and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere -- it is within each of us.”

It is such spiritual vision that inspired Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s philosophy of “reverence for life” -- a universal concept of ethics that could reconcile altruism and egoism by advocating and upholding respect for the lives of all beings. Schweitzer wrote, ”Ethics is nothing other than Reverence for Life. Reverence for Life affords me my fundamental principle of morality: namely, that good consists in maintaining, assisting and enhancing life, and to destroy, to harm or to hinder life is evil.”

Reverence for life is the moral compass for those values that act like genes, influencing our perception, cognition and behavior. Humane education in grade school and bioethics in high school and college would be the best investment in securing a life of meaning and purpose for all, and a safer and more sane society better able to resist totalitarianism and constrain consumerism. To see the living world as a communion of subjects and not a collection of objects, as my friend the late Father Thomas Berry was fond of saying, is an important evolutionary step. Our mutual mentor, Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin -- a Jesuit theologian, philosopher and paleontologist -- saw this step as the point “when humanity will realize that biologically it is faced with a choice between suicide and adoration.”

Basic education in self-care and health care -- from good nutrition and Hatha yoga to baking your own bread and making your own dog food -- is seeing significant progress thanks to people who choose to embrace the basic principles of One Health in their personal and professional lives. (For more details, visit onehealthinitiative.com.) I see an emerging generation of informed consumers and kitchen anarchists demanding organic whole foods so the world will be made green again.

I hope that, from the COVID-19 pandemic, greater international collaboration will be established -- especially in prohibiting wildlife trafficking, live animal markets and animal factory farms, which are the main sources for such pandemics. The healthier our environment, the healthier our immune systems, cognitive functions and children.

(The full “Musings” series is posted, with supportive reference citations, at drfoxonehealth.com.)

PROTECTING NATURAL BIODIVERSITY PROTECTS PUBLIC HEALTH

The risk of infectious diseases jumping from animals to humans rises in areas where natural forests are wiped out. Researchers found that, from 1990 to 2016, increases in outbreaks of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases were linked to deforestation. The effect was present even where trees remained but biodiversity was lost, such as at palm-oil plantations. The loss of predators and habitats allows disease-carrying animals, such as mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies, to flourish, say the authors. (Full story: The Guardian, March 24)

DEAR DR. FOX: Your recent “Musings” piece referring to our present-day dilemma in this country was spot on! In all my 88 years on this planet, there has never been so much hate, greed and delusion. My hope is that the Biden crowd can rectify most of the obvious transgressions of the previous administration and proceed to important things like climate science and human well-being. -- C.H.S., naturalist, Bonita Springs, Florida

DEAR C.H.S.: Your words of support are much appreciated. It is challenging in these times, but an ethical imperative no less, to speak truth to power in order to avert corporate hegemony and authoritarianism. I like to think we can yet evolve and embrace trans-species democracy. Respect for all life is the hallmark of a truly civilized species.

(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 have a 13-week-old puppy, and I used Activyl on him for fleas. About seven days later, he starting having these aggressive outbursts, then acts overly sweet after. You can almost see the confusion in his eyes.

This is not like him in any way. I don’t know if it’s the medicine, but that’s the only thing we have changed. Have you gotten any more reports on this? -- A.T., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR A.T.: I am shocked you treated such a young dog with this kind of product. If a veterinarian prescribed this, he or she should go back to school. Most likely you made the purchase in a local store, which should be prohibited in every community and state.

Until your communication, I was not aware that indoxacarb -- the highly toxic, hazardous insecticide in Activyl -- was approved for companion animal use. It is strictly regulated in Europe: Greenpeace has put this chemical on its E.U. Pesticide Blacklist.

In addition to being toxic, this product does not kill the targeted insects before they have a chance to transmit any diseases they may be carrying. According to one report from the European Medicines Agency, “The most common side effects seen with Activyl Tick Plus (which may affect up to 1 in 10 animals) are transitory scratching, erythema (reddening of the skin) and hair loss at the application site. ... Activyl Tick Plus must not be used in cats as adverse reactions and even death can occur. ... Fleas, ticks and sand flies might still be able to transmit any diseases which they may be carrying.”

Various flea and tick insecticides have caused sudden, unprovoked aggression in dogs. There are safer alternatives to repelling fleas, ticks and other biting insects. All responsible, caring dog and cat owners should adopt these methods, rather than continuing to use insecticides that can cause seizures and death (as with Bravecto) year in and year out on their animals. Short- and long-term adverse health and environmental consequences can be avoided. For such preventive measures, see my website, drfoxonehealth.com.

SERESTO FLEA COLLAR LAWSUIT

From Johnathan Hettinger, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, March 26:

“Two pet owners who claim their dogs either died or developed problems after using Seresto flea and tick collars filed a class-action lawsuit this week against Elanco Animal Health, alleging it misrepresented the safety of its product.

“The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of California in Los Angeles, comes just days after a congressional subcommittee asked Elanco to voluntarily recall the flea and tick collars in the wake of reporting by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and USA TODAY on thousands of incident reports about pet and human harm linked to the collar. The lawsuit cites the news outlets’ reporting. Elanco declined to voluntarily recall the product.”

(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.)