The Animal Doctor

DEAR READERS: I have often raised the issue of how a One Health approach could have prevented the COVID-19 pandemic, and of how, if such an approach is not adopted internationally, future pandemics and declining quality of life will be inevitable.

I want to make readers aware of a newly published article in the medical journal Neuroepidemiology, written by three international leaders in neurology and epidemiology, entitled "Brain Health, One Health, and COVID-19." For the first time in medical literature, this article has linked human brain health to the interconnectedness of all life (humans, nonhumans and the Earth) and to animal-derived food sources. As I have documented in my article "A Reflection on Animals, Nature and the Human Condition: A One Health for One Earth Manifesto," pesticides and other agrichemicals contribute to brain and other diseases. These harmful chemicals must be prohibited in food production.

Authors David Wiebers, M.D. (Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation); Valery Feigin, M.D. (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand); and Andrea Winkler, M.D. (Technical University of Munich, Germany) state in the article: "For the sake of humans, nonhumans and the Earth, there is a fundamental and urgent need for us to rapidly evolve toward eating forms of protein that are safer for humans, including a wide range of time-honored fundamental plant-derived food sources as well as the more recently developed plant-based meat, dairy and egg alternatives and cultured meat (produced by culturing animal cells)."

The authors further call for an end to factory farming and live-wildlife markets worldwide, calling them "two activities which are among the most threatening to human health and among the most debasing to our species." They also point out that "the emergence of novel and concerning COVID-19 variants on mink farms that can easily be transmitted to humans or other wild or domesticated animals raises the prospect that a global pandemic put in motion by exploiting animals in live-animal markets may be extended and reinvigorated by our exploitation of animals on mink farms."

The authors offer this concluding statement: "We call on decision-makers to seriously think about making One Health the new norm across the various sectors while inventing and implementing equitable economic systems that have human, animal and environmental health at their cores. Our failure to heed the wake-up call of COVID-19 and rethink our relationship with all life on this planet will not only impact negatively on brain health but may ultimately result in the unwitting extermination of all or a good part of our species."

DEAR DR. FOX: Of course there's climate change, as a previous reader wrote, and the cause of it is probably not known. What gets to me, though, is your infatuation with Trump, which I find distasteful. I don't believe Trump bungled the COVID response. Try saying Andrew Cuomo bungled it. I can tell you personally, being a New Yorker, we watched him and saw ineptitude in action. He let my friend's father die as well as possibly thousands of others.

I will ask you this, did you know Biden's quick escape from Afghanistan left many Contractor Working Dogs behind?

Do what you do best -- stick to being a vet, not a pundit. -- T.D., Poughkeepsie, New York

DEAR T.D.: I think you are using the wrong word regarding an "infatuation" with Trump, which means a feeling of foolish or very strong love or admiration for someone or something. See my documented review of his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, "Pandemics: Past, Present and Future Prevention," on my website (drfoxonehealth.com).

All my published conclusions and opinions are supported by facts -- which I can document, since I am fully aware of the current epidemic of disinformation. I am a veterinarian who, now with many more health care professionals, is an advocate of the One Health and One Earth/One Economy perspective. Hopefully this will help make political decisions more fact-based and science-supported in the future. I consider it my duty as a veterinarian to speak truth to power when that power is being abused by politicians and corporations at the expense of environmental health, public health and human and nonhuman animal rights.

As for the Contractor Working Dogs left behind in Afghanistan: The U.S. seems to make a habit of this, as with most of the military service dogs in Vietnam that were abandoned when the U.S. withdrew. American soldiers often have great difficulties bringing back local "camp mascot" and working dogs from various foreign postings. At least the Brits have more evident compassion-in-action, as per the ex-British Marine whose saga I detailed in an earlier column. He was able to airlift some 200 cats and dogs from the rescue shelter he had established in Kabul.

(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 thought I'd ask you what you think about the Bureau of Land Management's roundups of wild horses. While I've always adored all animals (even worms as a young child), I never had a "thing" for horses, but recently started following Skydog Sanctuary on Instagram. It's a rescue group that works tirelessly to reunite mustang families after their brutal captures, and they post amazing stories, pleas and videos. I would like to know your thoughts about these brutal and tragic roundups. -- G.C., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR G.C.: Roundups and horse auctions have resulted in thousands of these beautiful animals being transported to Mexico for slaughter, after slaughtering in the U.S. was prohibited following petitions by horse-protection associations. This is an instance of good intentions having worse consequences.

This entire issue is a mess and has been mishandled by state and federal agencies for decades. These groups put the interests of cattle ranchers before the humane treatment of equines and the sound management of ranges -- including the provision of feed and water, especially during periods of extended drought.

Horses, sheep and cattle all graze differently; with good rangeland management, overgrazing and habitat degradation can be prevented and all three species can sustainably coexist. But democracy is dead in these cattle baron-ravaged wildlands, as most cattle ranchers see sheep, and now mustangs, as competitors to be exterminated. Ranchers' war on wolves and other predators is another contributing factor to the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem health.

It is the cattle, and not the wild horses, that are a blight on rangelands. Humans have taken over the role of predator and, therefore, some reduction of horse numbers may be indicated. But many captured horses can be adopted out to responsible owners. Stallions can be vasectomized, and mares given long-acting hormone implants to inhibit ovulation, before being released back into the wild to help with population control.

There are a few nonprofit organizations doing good work to provide sanctuary for wild horses/mustangs. For example, my wife and I donate to Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary in Arizona.

DEAR DR. FOX: What is your opinion of dog parks: Do the benefits of leash-free exercise and social interaction outweigh the drawbacks? Also, we were always told to keep puppies away from other animals until they were fully vaccinated, but now we're hearing that it's more important to socialize them, even before that fully vaccinated date. The thinking is that there is less risk of illness than of problems from not being socialized, which could set them up for behavioral issues throughout their lives. What are your thoughts? -- G.F., San Diego

DEAR G.F.: I am all in favor of off-leash dog parks and large community enclosures for dogs to interact. But there must be rules for all entrants to follow. No "bully" dogs should be allowed, for instance, nor any unspayed females in heat.

All dogs must be under close monitoring by owners/handlers at all times. Only too often I have seen a circle of people gabbing together, with no one watching the dogs to intervene if a fight begins (or even if one or more dogs have pooped). Owners should always clean up after their dogs, who should have annual fecal tests to rule out internal parasites. Dog parks can easily become contaminated with such parasites and spread infections to other dogs.

All dogs should also be up-to-date on their core vaccinations, and should wear collars with ID and anti-rabies tags. Ideally, they would all be microchipped, just in case one or more get out of the enclosure (such as when someone leaves a gate open, or when a dog rushes past a person entering or leaving).

Regarding puppies: They can be allowed to mingle, ideally with small and/or gentle dogs, after 16 weeks of age if the basic vaccination protocol -- as practiced by most veterinarians -- has been followed.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 3-year-old rescue dog just had bladder stone surgery and had struvite stones removed. She had a UTI, also. She was placed on Hill's Prescription Diet c/d, but she hates this food.

The vet said she's to stay on a prescription diet for life. I would like your opinion on what else I can feed her. -- L.M., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR L.M.: Many of these costly (and profitable) "prescription" diets are very unpalatable for dogs and cats. A good source for more palatable, veterinary-formulated special diets is a company called Balance IT (balanceit.com).

Cats and dogs seem more prone to develop urinary crystals (also called calculi or stones) when fed only dry kibble. Moist canned, freeze-dried or frozen food formulations often produce less concentrated urine, less bladder inflammation and fewer bacterial infections. The likelihood of struvite or calcium oxalate crystals forming in the urine also declines.

For details about your dog's problem, which is partly genetic and partly induced by diet (and possibly by bladder infections), see the article "Urinary Tract Stones and Cystitis in Cats and Dogs" on drfoxonehealth.com.

(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: The letter from "D.H., Ph.D., Tulsa," which you published and commented on approvingly, contains counterfactual statements that falsify its premise. The most egregious is the assertion that "We are currently experiencing a sixth major mass extinction." D.H. attributes this to the human injection of CO2 into the atmosphere. Can we agree that we are not in the midst of a "sixth major mass extinction"? To say otherwise is either a delusion or a deception.

My quarrel with the whole concept of CO2 causing climate change is that it has sucked all the air out of the room regarding environmental issues. Everything is being sacrificed on the altar of CO2 emissions reduction. Real problems, which could be addressed intelligently, scientifically and economically, are being brushed aside on the totally false assumption that everything will be just fine if CO2 emissions drop to "net zero."

Consider the wildfires in California. Some local politicians insist that they are due to climate change. However, blaming climate change for their wildfires only gives them an excuse to neglect effective short-term actions that could reduce the risk by around 80%. Forest management, and a rational program to cut branches away from power lines and generally maintain the 100-year-old grid, would effectively reduce wildfires to a fraction of their present danger.

Overfishing is another excellent example. Overfishing is quite serious, as anyone who has studied the question will admit. But the problem has nothing to do with CO2 emissions or climate change. The problem is very firmly rooted in the widespread government subsidies that keep otherwise uneconomical fishing fleets at sea chasing ever-dwindling stocks of fish with ever-finer mesh nets. Spain is one of the worst offenders. -- D.R.M., Ph.D., Bartlesville, Oklahoma

DEAR D.R.M.: I am getting rather overloaded regarding the climate crisis discussion in my column, and had to shorten your communication. I agree totally with your concerns that the focus on greenhouse gas emissions is distracting policymakers, and the public, from addressing other critical issues.

However, I disagree radically with you concerning the sixth mass extinction: This is happening now. Also, overfishing has been documented as a major contributing factor to climate change. For documentation, see the new article "A Reflection on Animals, Nature and the Human Condition" on my website (drfoxonehealth.com), also cited in my response to M.S. below.

DEAR DR. FOX: I'm a 67-year-old center-right lifelong outdoorsman who -- surprise! -- believes that the climate is changing pretty fast. But I think that too much emphasis is being placed on the global warming/fossil fuel connection, as though that's all there is to it. I believe that completely out-of-control overpopulation is the real problem.

Yes, I do know the numbers about fossil fuels, and they're staggering, but it seems that no one talks about population! Nigeria has 200 million people, with 20 million in Lagos alone! Can you imagine the quality of wastewater treatment there? Ditto for Indonesia (270 million), the Philippines (110 million) and Mexico (125 million). Places like Haiti are nearly completely out of control, rapidly approaching failed-state status.

I feel for these guys, but I didn't do it! When we talk about a cessation of fossil fuel utilization, we also need to address this issue. These places are making bad choices that affect us all, just as much as Big Oil does. -- M.S., Fairview, Pennsylvania

DEAR M.S.: Thanks for contributing to the ongoing discussion about the climate crisis. You raise an issue that is central to addressing the fate of the Earth and the future security and quality of life of humankind. I have addressed overpopulation, overconsumption and related concerns in my new article "A Reflection on Animals, Nature and the Human Condition," which can be read at drfoxonehealth.com.

We are indeed on the brink of a sixth major extinction, not so much of individual species but of their habitats, both aquatic and terrestrial. Ecosystem collapse is predictable where there is evidence of dysbiosis and when human "civilization" becomes dystopian. Focusing exclusively on reducing carbon emissions will not be enough.

Already, we have millions of economic, environmental and political refugees; millions of acres of misused, nonproductive agricultural lands; and devastating consequences from climate change-driven droughts, floods and fires -- all getting worse.

(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.)