DEAR READERS: The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the world -- already facing climate, population, refugee and political crises -- into turmoil. I have a detailed review of the pandemic and its effects posted on my website: Visit drfoxonehealth.com and search for "Pandemics: Past, Present and Future Prevention."

Here are some of the references from that article, and additional reports we must all consider as we move toward a better understanding of disease prevention.

-- Wildlife species sold in "wet markets" in China carry an array of potentially zoonotic viruses, at least 18 of which pose a serious threat to humans and domesticated animals, according to a manuscript released on bioRxiv, an "open-access preprint repository," prior to peer review. Researchers identified 71 mammalian viruses across 16 species of game animals commonly consumed as food in China, and found hepatitis E virus and the H9N2 strain of influenza in badgers and civets; noro- and influenza B viruses in pangolins, civets and bamboo rats; a bat-associated coronavirus in a civet; a swine pneumovirus in pangolins and a bird-associated coronavirus in porcupines. (Full story: BNN Bloomberg, Nov. 12)

-- Scientists suspect SARS-CoV-2 originated in an animal, but humans are now the primary reservoir and have probably transmitted the virus to pets, zoo animals, farmed mink and farmed and wild deer. Mice, raccoons, skunks and other animals near a mink farm were found to carry various other coronaviruses, raising concerns that deer will transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other wild species and give rise to recombinant coronaviruses. (Full story: CNN, Nov. 17)

-- Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases late last year, veterinarians in the U.K. saw a higher-than-usual number of dogs and cats with depression, lethargy, poor appetite, abnormal heart rhythm and fluid in the lungs, all of which are signs of myocarditis. The owners of many pets with confirmed myocarditis seen at The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre had confirmed or suspected COVID-19, and six of 11 animals tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant or antibodies to the virus, researchers reported in Veterinary Record. (Full story: NBC News, Nov. 5)

-- Veterinary vaccine maker Zoetis is donating hundreds of doses of an experimental SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, made specifically for animals, to zoos across the country, enabling the facilities to vaccinate big cats, bears, ferrets, mink, primates and other vulnerable animals. Zoo staff and visitors can transmit the virus to animals. Scientists will be gauging the efficacy of the vaccine, which is based on synthetic spike proteins, against emerging variants at more than 80 institutions in 27 states. (Full story: National Geographic, Aug. 20)

-- I do not see the need to vaccinate cats and dogs against COVID-19, since the documented incidence of them dying from it is extremely low. Most have a mild infection or no symptoms at all. Those with comorbidity factors similar to those seen in humans may have more severe infections, but eventually recover. (See relevant study summary at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34647475.) Since it is humans who are now infecting animals, getting vaccinated and wearing masks in public places to avoid bringing the virus home are the best ways to protect our animal companions.

-- What people eat, and what they feed their animals, can certainly affect their immune systems. Obesity, in particular, can reduce the protective effectiveness of vaccinations. According to Dr. L. Bailey, "among 134,209 inpatients with COVID-19, mortality was more frequent among patients with obesity and diabetes." (See study summary at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34537362.) And health care workers surveyed by Dr. H. Kim in several countries had a lower incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection if they were vegetarians. (See study summary at nutrition.bmj.com/content/4/1/257.)

Changing our diets to mainly plant-based, organically certified whole foods is the obvious way to go -- for health's sake and for the sake of animals wild and domesticated.

I will end on these sage words: "Each of us can have a positive impact upon these fundamentals by demonstrating and inspiring an enhanced mindfulness, beginning most basically with what we eat and how all of our daily choices and actions may be affecting animals and natural habitats. Ultimately, the survival, not only of other life forms on this planet, but also of our own, will depend upon humanity's ability to recognize the oneness of all that exists and the importance and deeper significance of compassion for all life." -- excerpted from "What the COVID-19 Crisis Is Telling Humanity" by David O. Wiebers and Valery L. Feigin, appearing in the July 2020 volume of Neuroepidemiology

'ONE HEALTH CENTER OF EXCELLENCE' PROPOSED

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has submitted an amendment, listed as SA 4087, to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022. The amendment would help strengthen the security of our nation's public health by:

-- Establishing a One Health Center of Excellence at the FDA to develop programs and enhance strategies to research, monitor, prevent and respond to emerging public health threats, such as zoonotic disease outbreaks;

-- Encouraging the new office to conduct and support research to better understand emerging public health threats, such as zoonotic disease outbreaks, as well as other biological, chemical and radiological threats to public health;

-- Supporting recruitment and training for personnel engaged in such research, monitoring, prevention and response efforts; and

-- Facilitating collaborative relationships with relevant federal and state agencies.

The One Health Commission and the One Health Initiative Autonomous Pro Bono Team support adequate funding for and enactment of legislation aimed at protecting the nation's public health.

(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 adopted a 9-year-old female poodle a year ago. Aside from me, she won't have anything to do with anyone -- especially men. When my husband passed away two months ago, several of my female friends came to visit me. As they started petting my dog, she would put her front legs around their arm and start humping it. I was so embarrassed.

What is going on? Could she be gay? Do I just need to keep her away from my lady friends?

DEAR C.M.: Your dog is just excited by your visitors, and is engaging in contact-play. This behavior could be triggered by the natural pheromones women emit or from various body lotions and perfumes that contain dubious animal-derived ingredients. Grasping and clinging behaviors have elements of affection, domination and sexuality. We see this behavior when dogs play with each other -- regardless of their sex, neutered or not.

Your dog is simply beside herself with joy, and should not be punished or isolated for this. Just laugh it off and redirect your dog's behavior with a squeaky toy or a knotted rope with which to play tug-of-war.

DEAR DR. FOX: Were the very first living things on Earth plants or animals? Or would they perhaps not be classified as either flora or fauna, as we currently define them? -- M.D.R., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR M.D.R.: In my rambling article entitled "A Reflection on Animals, Nature and the Human Condition" (posted on my website, drfoxonehealth.com), I refer to the assertion of some evolutionary biologists that relatives of today's Cyanobacteria were probably the first living organisms on Earth that began to produce oxygen, which enabled other life forms to evolve. I reference this theory in order to encourage greater respect for all life: plant, animal and microscopic!

Without various bacteria, fungi and viruses, we would not exist. Our ignorance, indifference and adversarial attitudes toward other species ultimately lead us to harm ourselves. All life is connected and interdependent.

SMALL DOG BREEDS NEED EXTRA DENTAL CARE

Extra-small dog breeds -- those less than 14 pounds -- are up to five times more likely to develop periodontal disease than giant breeds weighing more than 55 pounds, according to a study recently published in the Veterinary Journal. Age, weight and history of preventive care are also risk factors. The researchers say smaller dogs' proportionally larger teeth cause overcrowding, which allows more plaque and tarter to accumulate, and that small dogs' alveolar bones are small in proportion to their teeth. (Full story: VetSurgeon.org, 10/6)

NEW BOOK: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON NATURE, CONSERVATION

I encourage readers to seek out "Ecolibrium: The Sacred Balance in Islam" by Nadeem Haque, Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri and Mehran Banaei. This scholarly and inspiring book, for which I was given the honor to write the foreword, has been many years in the making.

This book will be of interest and inspiration for all who share concern about the fate of the Earth, and what can be done from the spiritual and ethical perspective offered by Islam. I knew, loved and worked with Haque's grandfather on animal welfare issues, in particular the inhumane aspects of ritual halal and kosher slaughter.

Readers may be interested in my writings on Islam, which will be published in a future book by Haque. If so, find the post "Islam and Animals: A Veterinary Bioethical Perspective" at 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 READERS: The agreement that was reached Nov. 13 at the COP26 Climate Change Summit in Glasgow is woefully inadequate. This is because of the last-minute inclusion of this troubling phrase: "... accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies." The term "phase-down" replaced the original "phase-out" at the request of India and China. India is also one of the world's biggest producers of buffalo meat that is exported for sale as beef.

There will only be a very slow end to the burning of fossil fuels and raising billions of animals for their meat if their adverse public health, wildlife, and biodiversity and environmental consequences are not recognized, publicized and rectified. These connections were evidently not considered at this summit, even though there were many voices and public demonstrations advocating conservation, environmental and social justice: the political ethos of the One Health movement embraced by various "green" parties and Indigenous peoples (onehealthinitiative.com).

We must all focus on how we can live gentler, healthier lives and refrain from harming other species -- domesticated, farmed or wild -- or their habitats. One consequence of our ignoring and disrespecting ethical, humane and ecological boundaries has been the increase in viral diseases spread from animals to humans. The global COVID-19 pandemic is the latest consequence.

China, highly advanced in gene engineering animals, denies the possibility of a lapse in biosecurity at one of its virology laboratories. But such lapses have happened -- in the U.S. and several other countries. Regardless of its origins, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is related to other infectious organisms that are on the horizon of "emerging diseases" forecast by epidemiologists.

A major failure of the recent global summit was to make any concrete, coordinated commitment to address the looming crises of extreme weather events, including droughts and floods, and the consequential urgent need for humanitarian aid, food security and support of medical and veterinary services -- without borders. Failure to agree to "loss and damage" finances for countries that are especially vulnerable to climate change was most regrettable indeed.

The increasingly fiery, violent waves of desperate and disenfranchised environmental, economic and political refugees, like the burning of coal, should not smolder on for another generation. Social and environmental justice go hand in hand, along with human and non-human rights. As Mike Davis of advocacy group Global Witness reported, "Global leaders ... have failed to put people and the planet ahead of profits and vested corporate interests."

The ethics of the Golden Rule and nonmaleficence -- the "do no harm" principle espoused by physicians -- should be applied to all our activities, relationships and industries.

DEAR DR. FOX: The life expectancy in the Central African Republic is 53. Instead of breeding and supporting so many pets, let's first find meaning and joy in raising the standard of living for humans. Insulin shots for 14-year-old dogs, for instance, are truly unnecessary. -- T.V.H., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR T.V.H.: Your letter raises an important moral issue, and it does seem hypocritical, if not unjust, to give better nutrition, medical care and surgical treatments to companion animals ("pets" in the vernacular) than to the poor at home and abroad.

I regard compassion as a boundless ethic, as per the titles of my books "The Boundless Circle" and "Bringing Life to Ethics." We have a duty to care for all our relations, human and non-human. The social, educational, medical and emotional benefits of animal companionship far outweigh the costs of care and annual wellness veterinary checkups.

Raising the standard of living for humans is inseparable from raising the standards of care for domestic animals, wildlife and the natural environment. Just giving people medicine and food aid, and pouring more money into corrupt regimes, will only extend human suffering without the involvement of nonprofit doctors and veterinarians, government aid agencies and conservation organizations.

(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.)