The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: Here is a clip of an article that mentions your research -- I am trying to locate the full article. Could you please help?

The clip says: "The so-called '49-day method' is based upon research by Dr. Michael Fox. His conclusion was that a puppy's brain is fully developed at that date. The puppy is therefore ready to either bond with its new pack or fall into the pack hierarchy that it was born into. This was the most pioneering science for canine development in its time (late 1980s)." -- S.S. Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR S.S.: I do not know the source of the statement you have sent about the "49-day method," but my guess is that it is derived from data showing there is a critical period for optimal puppy socialization and bonding with humans. Their brains are far from being "fully developed" at this age.

My research on brain and behavior development, published by the University of Chicago Press as "Integrative Development of Brain and Behavior in the Dog," was an extension of the work by John P. Scott and John L. Fuller on dog socialization (see their book "Genetics and Social Behavior of the Dog").

What I can say is that our combined research showed, breed differences and handling methods notwithstanding, the best time for puppies to bond with people is between 6-7 weeks of age. I identified fearfulness (learned avoidance) emerging during a sensitive period around 8 weeks of age. So I advise against shipping puppies, especially at this age, since the trauma could have long-lasting consequences.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a beautiful Airedale terrier who is 8 years old. I have been treating her for recurrent ear infections in her right ear since February. We have tried every course of treatment: antibiotics, drops, steroids, etc. Every time I take her to the vet, I have to give her anti-anxiety medication, including trazodone, gabapentin, clonidine and melatonin.

I am currently using another antibiotic drop, and brought her in for a recheck this past Saturday. Her ear is now worse. I don't know if it's from the cleaning that they did in the office, but she will now not even let me touch her ear. The office suggested that I reach out to a veterinary dermatologist. There are only a few in my area, and I have called them all, but won't be able to be seen until the end of December or early January.

I believe all these medications and the additional stress is compromising her overall well-being. I also feel that I'm running out of options. Could you please give me some advice or guidance? -- J.S., LaBelle, Florida

DEAR J.S.: Chronic external ear infections in dogs can mean misery for all involved. If neglected or not rectified, they can lead to various complications, from inner-ear infection to a blood-blister/hematoma on the ear, which may simply crumple up if not surgically corrected.

Your dog's ear problem could well have started with a moisture-loving fungus infection, which antibiotic drops will not eliminate and steroid drops may help proliferate. Waste no time in seeing a veterinary specialist, and advise them about your dog's anxiety/terror.

In my opinion, your dog should be deeply sedated, allowing the ear to be properly examined, thoroughly flushed and culture samples taken. The vet should prescribe a long-acting analgesic and also discuss your dog's diet: Supplements, especially omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils, may help reduce inflammation.

DOGS HELPING WILDLIFE MONITORING AND RESCUE

Trained detection dogs and their handlers are finding endangered animals such as Sierra Nevada red foxes and black-footed ferrets, along with invasive species such as zebra mussels. They are also detecting trafficked wildlife and helping conservationists understand the extent of avian mortality at wind farms. Dogs are well-suited to this detective work because of their keen sense of smell and broad capacity to learn new smells, and also because they work well with humans and other dogs, according to Dr. Lucia Lazarowski, who studies canine performance sciences at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. (Full story: Slate, Oct. 26)

(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: Our collective sequestering during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought most of us closer to our animal companions, and has us preparing our own meals rather than eating out. Such self-sufficiency can lead us to consider just what we are eating and feeding to our families, including our pets. Questions we should all ask about our food include: What is its quality and nutritional value? What is its environmental impact/carbon footprint? What is its impact on biodiversity, or loss of wildlife and habitat? How much suffering was inflicted on sentient creatures being raised for consumption or caught in nets, in traps and on hooks?

It is ironic that while we are destroying the insect kingdom with our insecticides and herbicides, we are also beginning to utilize bugs to feed us and our pets. Most notable are the nutritious fats and proteins from the grubs of the black soldier fly, now allowed in Europe as a food-enhancing nutritional supplement. These grubs recycle food waste into a nutritious byproduct: a classic illustration of nature's waste-free "circular economy." And the process results in virtually zero net emissions, compared to farmed animals raised to produce similar fats and proteins.

As for emissions of carbon dioxide -- the main climate-changing greenhouse gas -- there is yet another irony. Food-grade CO2 is now in short supply in Europe because rising electricity and fossil fuel costs have crippled the ammonia fertilizer industry. That industry was able to market CO2, a byproduct of ammonia manufacturing, to the food industry to increase the shelf life of meats and other products.

The good news for companion animals is that several pet food companies are now looking at this bigger picture and are seeking and including eco-friendly and humanely produced ingredients. Of note is the Wisdom line of dog foods from Dr. Bob Goldstein's Earth Animal brand. This is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, meat-based diet using sustainably sourced raw ingredients and humanely-raised proteins. The company is also developing a plant-based pet food, which is currently being evaluated and tested at Oklahoma State University and is scheduled to be available for purchase in 2022.

Biotechnology applied to cell culture, like that which led to the world's first large-scale facility for producing cultivated meat in Emeryville, California, is the wave of the future -- one where the human diet, and what we feed our animal companions, will be more humane and sustainable. Raising ever-fewer animals for human consumption, with their byproducts going into pet foods, would be good for the planet.

To find more companies that are pledging to use human-grade, quality ingredients in their cat and dog foods, I urge readers to visit TruthAboutPetFood.com. Along with this helpful information, pet food safety advocate Susan Thixton has also posted an analysis of the past 10 years' worth of pet food recalls. Some key findings: Kibble was the No. 1 type of pet food recalled. Pathogenic bacteria was the top cause of recalls, followed by pentobarbital, aflatoxin and excess or deficient vitamins/minerals. All should read this report (truthaboutpetfood.com/what-do-10-years-of-recalls-tell-us).

DEAR DR. FOX: After not having a dog for 20 years, I have recently become open to having one again. In doing some research, I came upon what I initially thought was an aberration that some quack was trying to sell, but it seems to have taken hold among some breeders. It's called "biosensor" or "early neurological stimulation," and promises a "super dog" resistant to disease and stress, and with a stronger heart and immune system. Good grief, it appears you could end up with dogs that can tap dance and play the piano at the same time!

So I'm wondering what your opinion of this is. The expert in question is Dr. Carmen Battaglia, and he calls it "early neurological stimulation." He appears to sell this information through paid seminars to breeders, who are perhaps hoping for a quick fix. He's evidently a judge for the AKC. By the way, his doctorate is in prison science and sociology of some kind -- not veterinary medicine. -- N.S., Houston

DEAR N.H.: There are many charlatans, plagiarists and pretenders proclaiming the ownership of whatever they may be promoting, often purely for profit and personal aggrandizement. The term "biosensor," in this case, is similar to a term from an earlier chapter in my career.

My book "Understanding Your Dog," first published in 1972 when I was a professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis (and also a veterinarian), provides the steps I developed to produce more resilient puppies through various early-in-life handling procedures. This original research, done by me, was part of my Ph.D. dissertation, which was eventually published by the University of Chicago Press as "Integrative Development of Brain and Behavior in the Dog."

The U.S. Army, under my consultancy, adopted these so-called "super dog" procedures in their "Biosensor" Vietnam war dog program. For more details, check the synopsis on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/dr-fox-the-superdog-bio-sensor-project.

(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: The deaths of four reindeer from hemorrhagic fever at the Minnesota Zoo last year prompted the zoo to begin running vaccination test trials on susceptible captive species -- some 30 bison, moose and pronghorn antelope -- to protect them against this disease.

As a veterinarian, I applaud this initiative and vigilance. The topic also gave me pause, and prompted the thoughts below.

Hemorrhagic fever is spread by midge flies. The larvae of non-biting midges feed on algae and bacteria, filtering microorganisms out of the water. However, some midges are predators. The larvae of phantom midges live in the open water and prey on water fleas and small larvae. Midge larvae are eaten by fish, dragonfly larvae, water beetles and other predators. Adult midges are eaten by all kinds of things, from spiders to swallows.

Only female midges bite, as they need nutrients from blood in order to produce eggs; those carrying the hemorrhagic fever virus transmit it to livestock and wild animals when they bite and take this blood-meal. In hot climates, midges are known to spread both African horse sickness and bluetongue disease.

Hemorrhagic fever was once prevalent only in the southern states; it was not identified in Minnesota until 2018, on a deer farm. Its northern spread has been attributed to climate change: Wetter and warmer summers provide longer breeding periods for the carrier flies. But I do not believe that climate change alone is responsible. A significant factor is the loss of biodiversity in our urban, suburban and rural environments.

Natural biodiversity helps control pests and pestilence. Specifically, the major predators of midges, such as bats and swallows, have been poisoned in the millions with our insecticides, some of which are now implicated in cancer, Parkinson's and other diseases. Many have also been starved to death by regional insect depopulation efforts, including the use of community sprays and aquatic insecticide pellets to kill mosquito larvae. Orchard and field crop producers of fruits and vegetables, along with state and federal forest departments, often use liberal applications of insecticides to "protect" crops and the timber industry.

We should also add to this list the insecticides that the rains wash off of medicated cattle and other outdoor livestock. These chemicals contaminate the fecal and slaughterhouse waste of pesticide-treated poultry and pigs. The long and short of it is that insecticide chemicals eventually turn up in our drinking water -- and even in the snows on Mount Everest.

Nitrates and phosphates in agrichemical fertilizer, animal manure runoff, and garden and golf course fertilizers, as well as our laundry detergents, all feed toxic algal blooms. These blooms reduce aquatic biodiversity -- plant and animal, vertebrate and invertebrate -- as well as microscopic interdependent life forms.

Our toxic chemicals enter rivers, lakes and oceans, and in freshwater ecosystems, they annihilate virtually all life as they pass up the food chain in increasing accumulation and concentration. Species at the low end of the food chain -- like midge larvae, with few if any aquatic predators that can survive pesticide contamination -- can quickly flourish and develop resistance, as has happened with mosquito larvae. Restoring the health of these natural aquatic ecosystems by phasing out the use of pesticides will go a long way to restoring biodiversity.

Relying only on vaccinations to prevent hemorrhagic fever may protect the livestock industry, as well as the questionable deer farming and hunting industries. But from a One Health perspective, municipal authorities and agricultural and other land-use agencies and regulators need to pay closer attention to disease prevention.

Ecosystems are resilient, and restoration of natural biodiversity mandates reevaluating all pesticide use. This will help control and prevent many diseases and buffer the long-term damage of climate change.

(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.)