The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: Our cat Willie is about 3 years of age. My husband and I adopted him from a local rescue group when he was about 8 months old, along with another cat about the same age.

Willie has vision issues. Our vet said he could see somewhat, but did not believe anything could be done to improve his vision. We finally took him to an ophthalmology specialist, who confirmed that no treatment was available for Willie. She diagnosed him with feline herpes virus (currently inactive), persistent pupillary membranes, anterior segment dysgenesis in both eyes and symblepharon of the right eye.

Willie is sometimes social and affectionate with us, but it varies. Although he does periodically let his guard down, he is usually on the defensive, which we believe is due to his vision limitations.

Our main concern is his pica. He will eat blankets, sweaters, towels, etc. He has chewed on cables and cords, but does not seem to be obsessed with them. We are covering the cables to make them inaccessible and doing our best to put up clothing and articles we think he might chew, but he still manages to get ahold of something. To date, he has not had any blockages; he usually vomits up the material along with his food.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Otherwise, he is a healthy, handsome cat. -- P.G., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR P.G.: Pica in cats can have many triggers, such as a self-comforting behavior, relieving gum/dental inflammation and lack of dietary fiber. Lanolin in woolen materials may trigger quasi-nursing behaviors like front-paw kneading, sucking and eventually chewing and swallowing, especially in siamese cats.

Try your cat on sprouted wheatgrass or alfalfa, which many relish. Chop some up in his food. A pinch of catnip may be calming in the evening. When he is about to begin eating fabric or other items, try to redirect his behavior with a squeaky toy, interactive game or grooming session. You could also try a full-body relaxing massage, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Cats." Many cats love a regular massage and will become quite demanding.

I gently pull our cat's tail during play and massage, and the report below highlights the potential benefits of the same for horses!

PULLING HORSES' TAILS OF THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT

According to a study in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, professionally administered caudal traction -- pulling a horse's tail gently downward at a 30-degree angle -- appears to relieve spinal pain. "We do know that the deep core back muscles extend all the way into the tail head, so this may be a way of allowing these muscles to stretch," said Heli Hyytiainen, study leader, who added that only a trained equine professional should perform the maneuver. (Full story: TheHorse.com, 5/12)

DEAR DR. FOX: You and I are both in our 80s, I gather from your earlier columns. I grew up on a farm in Iowa and am now retired in Florida. I see so much loss of wildlife everywhere, and I feel despair. What can I do? I am in mourning rather than enjoying a peaceful retirement with my two rescued cats and devoted dog. -- L.K., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR L.K.: I join you in mourning this tragic and avoidable loss. Regrettably, too many people do not feel as we do. Many get in their own little bubbles of denial, whether they be gated communities or escapist luxury vacations. Some billionaires are now even launching costly pleasure-trips into space! What, indeed, have we become?

But it is payback time for Mother Nature and all creatures great and small. Anyone with disposable income (however gained) must use some of it to support nonprofit organizations dedicated to planetary CPR -- conservation, protection and restoration -- as well as animal rescue and protection. There are many, from local animal rescues and wildlife rehabilitation centers to national and international organizations. To name a few: Greenpeace, Nature Conservancy, Earth Island Institute, the Xerxes Society, Union of Concerned Scientists and Natural Resources Defense Council. People with land can donate it to various land trust organizations. I trust the Biden administration will overturn the Trump regime's tax code changes reducing deductibility for all charitable contributions.

(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: Chronic wasting disease threatens the health of wildlife, livestock and humans in Western Canada, according to the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. The group suggests establishing a deer-depopulated buffer zone around caribou habitats as a first step.

Monkeys fed CWD-infected meat in 2006 showed signs of low-level infection when they were retested two years ago, suggesting that the prions that cause CWD could pose a risk to people who eat meat from sick animals, says Hermann Schaetzl, a veterinary scientist at the University of Calgary. (Full story: CBC News, 7/15)

This disease is widespread in the U.S., as well. Consumers of venison should be wary -- as should all pet owners and animal lovers, due to venison's inclusion in many pet foods.

In laboratory tests, researchers at the University of Alberta successfully blocked propagation of the prion that causes CWD. The findings suggest that selective breeding of captive deer could reduce CWD prevalence. (Full story: ualberta.ca, 6/29) (I do not advocate deer farming -- for humane and environmental reasons, and because deer farms in Minnesota are a significant source of CWD.) According to earlier studies, an enzyme called keratinase can deactivate prions, which may offer some hope to prevent this scourge -- as well as the related disease in cattle, which devastated the U.K. cattle industry with "mad cow" disease and put consumers at risk from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your concerns about Minnesota's wolves, but these problems occur in all states where they still exist. What can be done to stop their slaughter? -- B.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.K.: As I detail in my essay "A Nation Divided: Lupophobia -- Wolf Protection or Managed Slaughter?" on my website (drfoxonehealth.com), there is a fundamental, ideological split in the American citizenry. In my opinion, this is an "ethical civil war" between those who have reverential respect for all beings and those who tend toward speciesism -- the belief that humans are superior to all others. Civil society is endangered by such divisive inhumanity and lack of social and eco-justice.

A reversal of the delisting decision and reinstatement of federal protections for wolves throughout their historic range is called for. The shift to state management of wolves has already proved the alarming need to protect gray wolves from the small faction of people who want to eradicate their populations across the United States. Go to projectcoyote.org to support a petition to get our wolves protected.

As I constantly emphasize, wolves help keep deer and forests healthy, preventing overgrazing/browsing and removing the sick and aged from the herds. They also likely play a significant role in reducing the spread of chronic wasting disease, Lyme disease and other illnesses.

WHERE EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS COME FROM

Three-quarters of novel or emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, and the international wildlife trade -- estimated to be a $10 billion market each year -- is a major source of risk. A series of public health crises have put the issue in the spotlight, shifting attention from diseases of economically important livestock species to those that are most likely to cause problems in humans. Experts say a One Health approach that accounts for the entire human-animal-ecosystem interface is the solution to mitigating risk. (Full story: JAVMA News, 6/23)

ECOCIDE DEFINED; ANIMAL SENTIENCE RECOGNIZED

An international panel of 12 legal experts has drafted an official definition of ecocide after months of deliberation. The definition was released with a proposed law that would be the fifth crime prosecuted by the International Criminal Court if enacted. The experts have defined ecocide as "unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts." If the law attached is enacted, those accused of ecocide would be tried alongside those who have been accused of crimes against humanity and genocide. (From EcoWatch.com)

Another positive initiative comes from the U.K., where animals are to be formally recognized as sentient beings by the law for the first time. A set of government measures on animal rights will include halting most live animal exports and a ban on the import of hunting trophies.

(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: Outdoors reporter Dennis Anderson of the Star Tribune recently wrote an article entitled "Wolves need managing. Period" with the subhead, "Science tells us that, even if the powers that be do not."

As a scientist and veterinarian, I wonder what kind of "science" he refers to, beyond the outdated pseudoscience of "wildlife management" based on predator control for the livestock industry. Such management also provides more deer and wolf trophies for hunters, and wolf pelts for trappers and snarers.

There are science-based methods of nonlethal predator control and deterrence to protect livestock. There is also scientific evidence that a robust, healthy wolf population can help prevent coyote incursion and possibly limit the spread of Lyme disease and chronic wasting disease. Science in the so-called "public interest" (which often means "the interests of hunters and ranchers") is quite different from science in the interest of ecosystems, wildlife and healthy biodiversity.

If Minnesota's wolf population is opened to hunters and trappers, what is there to prevent the rabid overkill documented after wolf protections were lifted in neighboring Wisconsin? There is no way of knowing which wolves were killed legally, by those with quota permits, versus illegally. As for the state's moose, their demise stems more from winter ticks, brain worms (spread from white-tailed deer, which are immune), habitat loss and the climate crisis than from predation by wolves.

We need to manage ourselves. Period. Wolves and other predators have coevolved with prey species for millions of years and are better wildlife managers than we humans -- an invasive species.

DEAR DR. FOX: I had hemorrhagic fever while stationed in Korea in 1951. It took researchers about 25 years to find out what caused the virus and how it was transmitted. I would think those scientists who are trying to determine if a virus can be transmitted from mouse to mouse, or mouse to humans, would want to look into the Korean experience.

When the droppings or saliva from particular mice dries up and is breathed in, it causes the virus to take hold in another mouse or human. Not all mice are carriers; it is obvious some are immune to certain viruses. -- B.E., Naples, Florida

DEAR B.E.: You are fortunate to have survived! Many diseases are airborne, like influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and anthrax bacillus, while others are transmitted by various insects. Our collective fear and adversarial attitude toward other species has led to overreliance on insecticides, rodenticides and other poisons -- along with various drugs to treat these infections and illnesses, which are profitable for manufacturers.

But there is no substitute for good personal hygiene -- a keystone of public health along with clean air, pure water, safe food and sanitary homes and public places. When we keep a polite distance from other species and respect, rather than encroach on and disrupt, their habitats, we take a step toward reducing the chances of zoonotic (animal-to-human) disease.

NATURAL PET CLEANERS AND DEODORIZERS

For readers looking for cleaning and odor-removal options: Fresh Wave's plant-based products use nontoxic plant oils to clean surfaces and neutralize odors. Products include sprays, gels, shampoos, litter box deodorizers and more.

If you want to make your own dog shampoo, try veterinarian Dr. Ihor Basko's recipe (recently published in Innovative Veterinary Care): Mix together 12 ounces of Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap (in lavender, hemp or baby variety); 2 ounces of aloe vera juice; 2 ounces of green tea; 2 ounces of Java plum tea; and 2 tsp of olive oil.

The pH of shampoos for dogs should be between 6.5 and 7.5, but I disagree with Dr. Basko that dogs should be bathed every three or four days. Bathe only as needed -- when the coat is greasy or smelly -- but groom well every day.

As for cats, a sprinkling of baking soda under the litter in the box helps reduce odors. Never use a covered litter box to contain odors, since this can create an unpleasant ammoniated environment for cats. Note: Male cats should be neutered before 6 months of age; otherwise, their urine will become very pungent and they may start to spray-mark in the home.

(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.)