The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently lost my dog. She was 16 years old. I really miss her. I have another dog who is 7, and he misses her, too. Both Chihuahua mixes. I've been looking around for a similar dog to adopt -- nothing fancy, just a small mixed-breed adult.

I've been looking on Petfinder, and all the dogs are in "rescue organizations" that seem to keep the dogs in foster homes and charge anywhere from $450 to $600 to adopt one. A "choice" dog like a purebred or puppy is sometimes more.

What is going on? All my dogs have been rescued from Humane Society shelters. The fee was usually $50 to $150, depending on the dog's age.

I have no problem paying an adoption fee: It is actually a bargain, since the dog is neutered, vet-checked and has his shots. But $450 to $600 seems a bit exorbitant. Am I right in thinking that these organizations are "adopting" highly desirable dogs from shelters and then readopting them for a profit?

In one way, these high fees could protect the dogs from being adopted by just anyone. But in another way, they are discouraging legitimate adopters who can't afford the fee.

I've also noticed that if I do see a dog I am interested in at a shelter, it is gone immediately. I think they may be getting snapped up by these rescue organizations. Small dogs, especially, since they are highly adoptable.

I'm just curious if you have noticed this trend. -- L.D.R., Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

DEAR L.D.R.: Many people are surprised at the fees involved in adopting a dog or cat from legitimate, nonprofit shelters and rescue organizations today. But their costs are significant, including operational overhead, heating/air-conditioning, staff salaries, animal food, medications, vaccinations, spaying/neutering, etc.

In many communities, as you have noticed, there are animal rescue networks whose volunteers foster animals in their homes (after the animals' veterinary needs have been provided). Again, there are obvious costs involved, but fostering is certainly a humane alternative to keeping stressed animals in cages or kennels at shelters until they are either adopted or euthanized. Additional costs can be incurred when animals must be transported from overcrowded shelters in some states to others.

That said, I do consider it unethical for organizations to visit animal shelters, take the most adoptable animals and then charge outrageous fees for the "cream of the crop," as you describe. Such unscrupulous groups often give little or no money to help the shelter operations from where these selected animals originated.

DOG BITE PREVENTION

Dogs bite about 4.5 million people in the U.S. every year, with about 800,000 bites serious enough to require medical attention, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Even the friendliest dog can bite if startled or in pain. The best way to avoid being bitten is to learn dog body language, says veterinarian Cristal Carey. Avoid startling dogs or approaching them when they are eating or playing with a favorite toy. (Full story: KOIN-TV, Portland, Oregon)

HELP PROTECT THE WOLVES

A statement from Howlingforwolves.org:

"Wolves in Wisconsin have been slaughtered, and are scheduled for another horrific trapping and hounding season this fall. And (in September), the killing began in Montana. Idaho allows year-round wolf hunting of adults and pups, and permits the use of snares. Wyoming continues its brutality with year-round wolf killing in 85% of the state's land, and scheduled wolf-hunting "seasons" in the other 15%.

"We are asking everyone to contact their members of Congress and federal officials through ReListWolves.org to tell them to relist wolves on the federal Endangered Species List. The wolf has no time and must have an emergency relisting. We need to restore protections for our nation's gray wolves."

(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 studied Earth processes for over 40 years as a geologist, both in R&D and commercial capacities. Most of my career, ironically, was spent as an explorationist in the fossil fuel industry.

What we know is that the Earth has undergone five major extinctions in the last 500 million years. With the possible exception of the Cretaceous extinction event, these were primarily caused by dramatic changes in the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, in the case of past extinctions). Too little, and the Earth freezes; too much, and it overheats, acidifying the oceans in the process. A dramatic reduction in species accompanied all five extinctions, with the Permian event being the worst: The planet lost 90% of all its life and came perilously close to sterilization.

We are currently experiencing a sixth major extinction. Like the others, the cause is an imbalance of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Unlike the others, the trigger is a single species: humans. It is why many scientists have unofficially dubbed the current epoch the Anthropocene.

Past extinctions occurred over tens of thousands to millions of years -- an eternity, by human standards. But the current extinction is happening over decades to hundreds of years. Estimates suggest that humankind is injecting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at 10 times the rate it was being added naturally during the Permian extinction. In my opinion, any curtailing of it at this point, although admirable, is unlikely to be sufficient to prevent catastrophic and lasting climate events. The damage that is already done (e.g., to the coral reefs) will certainly not be repaired naturally for many human generations.

You might enjoy the following books if you haven't read them already: "What We Know About Climate Science" by Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at MIT; "The Ends of the World" by Peter Brannen, science journalist; and "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer at The New Yorker. -- D.H., Ph.D., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR D.H.: Many readers will appreciate your synopsis of our planet's geo-history and where we are now. Others may experience intensified environmental anxiety -- or absolute despair. But much can be saved, including our sanity!

The Anthropocene Epoch began with our ability to make fire, which led to pyro-technology and the wanton waste and pollution from burning fossil fuels. This was followed by other technologies, including chemical, atomic/thermonuclear and genetic engineering. Some of these technologies were weaponized to fight adversaries, human and non-human, with little regard for their adverse consequences to the biosphere.

All of these technologies have had their own consequences, interacting in ways we still may not understand. And we certainly do not know the long-term consequences of all this unbridled, unexamined "progress." Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution, we have increased the metabolism of the planet to unsustainable levels of extraction and consumption, which now calls for sound, science-based, public policy corrective action and international cooperation.

The expanding human population, along with our food crops and livestock, have decimated natural ecosystems and healthy plant and wildlife biodiversity -- contributing, in large measure, to epizootic and pandemic diseases: the blights, plagues and pestilences of biblical record. The increasing burden of these adverse consequences may prevent future generations from ever evolving into the ecocentrism needed for effective planetary CPR: conservation, protection and restoration. My friend the late Father Thomas Berry called this the "ecozoic" era of human evolution. I hope and pray for this empathic and informed transformation in human consciousness and action to come without delay!

When we forget our history, we relive it. According to the United Nations report Groundswell, by 2050, 200 million people may be climate-change migrants seeking refuge from uninhabitable homelands. Even if we did not have this existential crisis of climate change, we would still face the issues of overpopulation, overconsumption, economic and political refugees and the violence and inhumanity toward each other and other species. And none of these issues are helped by political and public paralysis of will and action -- nor by denial.

Denial was especially evident in the U.S. at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in the face of this crisis, which some see as the latest of nature's "bioweapons" to control the human population, many people saw mask mandates as a violation of their personal freedoms. Clearly, the educational system has been deficient in teaching civics, ethics and critical thinking. An even worse revelation is that even while facing the common enemy of this virus, we seem incapable of effective international cooperation.

Political scientist William Ophuls writes, in his essay "What Can Give Us Hope?": "But the prophetic madness attending the death throes of industrial civilization will also contain a small but significant ray of hope: Out of the welter of false prophets there may arise one whose message will effect the metanoia that is the only real way out of the impasse. For only by transcending our obsession with material power and progress, and recovering a deep empathic connection to the planet and the life it bears, can we hope to reconstruct civilization to be sane, humane and ecological."

(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: Your article on fish cruelty really hit home. I have always been an animal lover and advocate, but I was also a fisherman. Spring through summer I fished every chance I got. I always put them back unless the fish was hurt in some way that I knew it would not survive. About 10 years ago, I suddenly realized what I was doing -- the terror I was putting these poor animals through. I haven't fished since.

I believe that all living creatures have a soul, feel pain, and have a purpose. This includes fish, bugs, snakes, other animals that people just kill without a thought. When I try to explain this to people, I use the example of a chain necklace. If you are wearing a necklace and a link breaks, you lose the whole necklace. Nature is like this. Every living thing, whether plant or animal, has its place; it is a link in the chain of life. -- L.D.R., Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

DEAR L.D.R.: I am sure many readers will appreciate your communication and empathetic transformation upon realizing how fish suffer in this traditional and cruel "sport." Fish indeed have feelings; for details, visit fishfeel.org.

It is worth noting that in some cultures, the catching of fish is done as gently as possible because those consuming them can taste the difference between those scooped up in a net and killed swiftly and those that struggled to escape -- or worse, those that were strung alive through the gills and tied to the boat.

This reminds me of the advice given to a young hunter to kill the deer swiftly with one arrow; otherwise you will feed its fear to your family. I wonder, in this regard, how the meat from the millions of pigs, poultry and cattle being transported to slaughter here in the U.S. and around the world may affect consumers. Meat processors can indeed recognize how stress affects meat quality.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just read your column advising a person about their dog's anal gland problems. Besides adding shredded coconut to the dog's food, as well as getting more exercise, why did you not mention adding more fiber, like vegetables, to their diet?

My vizsla had leaking anal glands, so, after a doc visit to make sure there was not an underlying problem, I added chopped cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and other dog-friendly vegetables to his diet. Since then, he has had absolutely no problems at all. -- T.S.G., Owasso, Oklahoma

DEAR T.S.G.: I appreciate your sharing the benefits of fiber in the diet of dogs with anal gland issues. Shredded, unsweetened coconut (or flakes or powder) is the best and most convenient source. I also often give my dog shredded raw organic carrots.

Go easy on the broccoli, cabbage and related vegetables -- they can depress thyroid function. I would steam them lightly. Even if you feed only a small amount of these vegetables, I call for caution, since there are many other environmental contaminants that act as endocrine disruptors and can affect thyroid function in dogs, cats and humans.

From a Mayo Clinic column on this topic: "Concern surrounding the impact of spinach, kale and other similar vegetables -- including broccoli, broccoli rabe, turnips, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage and cauliflower -- on thyroid health is due to the effect they can have on the thyroid's ability to absorb iodine. Having enough iodine in your diet is crucial for thyroid health." (Source: newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org)

PROGRESS IN ADOPTING THE ONE HEALTH PRINCIPLE

For readers interested in learning more about the One Health movement, the article "One Health approach: a symphony of effort, a health exigency worldwide" is a great introduction. To read it, visit innovationnewsnetwork.com/one-health-approach-health-exigency-worldwide/13217.

I emphasized this principle -- which is becoming a global movement, especially in steps toward disease prevention and climate change -- in my book "Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health." Human health, as we are learning (too late, some fear), is dependent upon a healthy environment filled with healthy animals and plants. In a practical sense, this is a call to science- and ethics-based planetary healing and stewardship.

(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.)