DEAR READERS: As a longtime advocate of One Health, I am very encouraged by this Dec. 23 press release from the American Veterinary Medical Association:

"A provision directing the development of a One Health Framework across the federal government was included in the final spending bill of the year. The legislation passed derives from the AVMA-championed Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act that was introduced at the beginning of the 117th Congress. With passage, Congress will now direct federal agencies to develop and submit a national One Health Framework to collaboratively address zoonotic diseases and advance public health preparedness.

"One Health is the concept that human, animal and environmental health are all intertwined. This collaborative effort will result in government agencies working together to help better prevent, prepare for and respond to zoonotic diseases.

"'The One Health legislation passed today will help strengthen the nation's preparedness for diseases that can spread between animals and humans,' said Dr. Lori Teller, AVMA president. 'We have all witnessed the significant threat that zoonotic diseases pose to our society. With animals, humans and the environment being more interconnected than ever, the AVMA applauds Congress for taking this crucial step forward in fully implementing a One Health Framework so we can better protect public health.'

"By developing a comprehensive federal One Health Framework, there will be improved coordination between federal agencies that study human and animal health and the environment. This will provide a more integrated approach to One Health work across the federal government. Once enacted, the AVMA will work with Congress and federal agencies on the implementation of the legislation."

MORE VETERINARIANS NEEDED IN RURAL AREAS

The U.S. has too few large-animal veterinarians in rural areas, posing a threat to food safety, public health and economic growth. A study by the Farm Journal Foundation found only 3% to 4% of new veterinary school graduates focus on livestock, writes Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, formerly that state's agriculture commissioner. Congress should pass a bill eliminating taxes on veterinary student loan repayment program funds, adequately fund programs that support veterinary practices in rural areas and work with veterinary schools to boost enrollment of students from rural communities, Hyde-Smith writes. (Full story: The Washington Post, Dec. 21)

DOCUMENTED: FIREWORKS HARM BIRDS

Please think twice about buying fireworks and supporting community firework displays. Every year, there are distressing accounts of birds flying in panic from their roosts, colliding with trees and dropping to the ground in frigid weather.

We can now add data to these accounts: Scientists analyzed the GPS tracks of 347 wild migratory geese, of four species, during eight New Year's celebrations in Western Europe, quantifying the effects of fireworks on individuals. They found that when there were nearby fireworks displays, the geese flew an average of 5 km to 16 km further and 40 meters to 150 meters higher, and more often shifted to new roost sites than on previous nights.

Likely to compensate for the extra energy spent on additional flight, most geese moved less and ate more in the following days. The study's findings indicate negative effects of fireworks on wild birds beyond the previously demonstrated immediate response. (Study: "Wild goose chase: Geese flee high and far, and with aftereffects from New Year's fireworks," Conservation Letters, Nov. 24, 2022)

(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: This will always be my favorite quote because of the truth of it. It is from Albert A. Bartlett (1923-2013), professor of nuclear physics at the University of Colorado: "Can you think of any problem in any area of human endeavor on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way aided, assisted or advanced by further increases in population -- locally, nationally or globally?" -- V.L.C., Wellington, Florida

DEAR V.L.C.: Precisely said! Regrettably, we are in a situation now with millions of environmentally, economically and politically disenfranchised migrants and refugees.

The U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Montreal last month, also known as COP15, succeeded in securing nonbinding agreements from close to 200 countries to protect 30% of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by 2030. Signatories agreed to take steps to halt species extinctions, protect 30% of the planet for nature, restore 30% of degraded ecosystems and reform $500 billion in subsidies that encourage environmental damage. (Full story: CNN, Dec. 19; The Guardian, Dec. 19)

The main drivers of environmental destruction identified at the conference were agriculture, overfishing, logging, mining, climate change, invasive species and overall pollution. But missing from this list, at least to my knowledge, is the issue of population growth. The human population is now being estimated at 8 billion.

Perhaps this omission was a combination of amnesia, denial and politics, but the fact remains: Humans are the most invasive and destructive of all species. Many COP15 delegates and attendees were not even born when this issue was first raised by the Club of Rome's first report, "Limits to Growth," published in 1972. Widely publicized to world leaders and governments, the report showed that economic growth could not continue indefinitely because of resource depletion. It underscored that economic growth meant greater environmental impact, and that the main path to environmental restoration was the reduction of both population and consumption.

But now we face what scientists and conservationists call the sixth mass extinction: the Anthropocene apocalypse, the severity of which we may still be able to minimize, given the will and the means. Climate change and loss of biodiversity will lead to ever more famines, plagues and pestilences if we fail to act now. For some excellent information, go to sentientmedia.org.

The U.S. government and the Vatican declined to sign the COP15 agreement, and representatives from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda expressed disagreement. The non-signing by the Vatican reminds me of their centuries-long opposition to all forms of contraception other than abstinence -- which certainly helped increase family sizes in Catholic communities around the world.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 17-year-old cat who has developed diabetes. Kitty was very healthy and active when I moved to Maine two years ago, but her immune system seemed to collapse when the vets here insisted on giving her an annual rabies shot. I had asked that they be mercury- and aluminum-free.

She is an indoor cat: There are too many ticks here that spread illnesses from Lyme to anaplasmosis. She received some tick bites during the few times we let her outside two years ago. She had no visible reaction to the bites, but I stopped letting her out, even briefly.

She nearly died last year when she first developed diabetes, but she came back strong with a new diet of Wellness brand canned cat food and some frozen raw food containing turkey, salmon, lamb and other ingredients. I give her potassium and minerals as supplements.

Lately she is getting very fussy; she has greatly slowed her eating and is losing weight. She is drinking a lot of water. Do you have any food recommendations to heal her and strengthen her? The vets stopped giving her vaccines because she is now too frail. -- G.C., Harpswell, Maine

DEAR G.C.: Your old cat's declining condition was most likely exacerbated by the rabies vaccinations, which the vet did not have to insist upon since your cat is (now) always indoors. Please note that I am not some antivaxxer, but a veterinarian with 60 years of experience dealing with a variety of animal health and welfare issues.

Diagnosed early, diabetes can be resolved by a change in diet -- essentially, no more high-carbohydrate dry kibble, which many veterinarians are still selling in their clinics.

Lack of appetite is serious for cats, since it can lead to fatty liver disease. Try to coax her to eat several times a day with high-protein foods such as canned sardines in water (watch her closely, as some cats are allergic to fish); shredded, boiled chicken or turkey; or any organically certified meaty baby food you can find. (Another word of caution: Many common baby food brands contain heavy metals and other contaminants not fit for babies or cats!) Or make something in a food processor, perhaps based on my home-prepared cat food recipe, which is posted on drfoxonehealth.com. Adding a pinch of Bragg's nutritional yeast or a small piece of a crushed B-complex vitamin to the food may help stimulate appetite.

My book "The Healing Touch for Cats" may help stimulate your cat's circulation and with gentle, deep abdominal massage, help with digestion and evacuation. Most cats respond very positively to such treatment. Above all, make your cat feel as secure and comfortable as possible.

(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: If you have a cat and want to follow my advice to keep him/her indoors for health and safety reasons and to protect wildlife, you will also want to provide an enriching, physically and mentally stimulating environment. Consider the following elements: A tall and sturdy scratch post is a must, along with a cat tower or elevated platform in the home and a bird feeder by the window.

Adopt an easygoing second cat (see how to introduce them on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/introducing-a-new-cat). If you do not yet have a cat and are wanting to get one, consider adopting two, such as littermates or a mother and kitten. Do some research and get creative setting up an outdoor enclosure or "catio." For ideas, visit these websites: catiospaces.com, catioworld.com and adventurecats.org.

DEAR DR. FOX: I enjoyed your article about our fate and the fate of the insects. Check out the website geoengineeringwatch.org, because I think that is also one of the big harms to insects and other creatures.

I have a garden and pond, and I see very few bees. I have almost no frogs, dragonflies or other insects, and there used to be plenty. -- M.G., Anderson, California

DEAR M.G.: Thanks for sending me the information about atmospheric geoengineering in response to my column about the plight of insects.

Humans have been "geoengineering" since the beginning of agriculture with irrigation, plowing the grasslands and felling forests with ever increasing expansion and harm.

I have mentioned this issue of atmospheric geoengineering in earlier columns. I share the concerns of many over the lack of transparency by the agencies spreading various particulate materials, including aluminum, in the upper atmosphere to "shade" the Earth and slow global warming. This could reduce our exposure to beneficial sun rays that boost our immune systems with vitamin D and also kill viruses and other potentially harmful microorganisms on exposed surfaces. Ultraviolet light is recognized as an excellent sterilant. This practice may also reduce crop yields.

Some aerial spraying at much lower altitudes is used to spread pesticides over various crops, and the documented "drift" onto private property and organic farms is a continuing concern.

I am also concerned that this atmospheric geoengineering, which some technophiles like Bill Gates are advocating and funding, could harm the atmospheric microbiome of bacteria and viruses that encircles the Earth, about which we know little. This microbiome could have ecological and potentially life-sustaining and renewing properties.

ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY HAS DEEP ROOTS

Both Sigmund Freud and child psychologist Boris Levinson saw the benefits of bringing their dogs to psychotherapy sessions to calm and build rapport with patients. Samuel and Elizabeth Corson published research on how dogs can enhance psychiatric care. Even Hippocrates promoted horseback riding for mental health. The benefits of therapy assisted by dogs, horses and other animals are now widely accepted. "It is interesting to note that (animal-assisted therapy) can be used multiculturally without the need to adjust how it is applied to different ethnic groups," writes counselor Cody Zaiontz. (Full story: Psychiatric Times, Oct. 12)

I knew the Corsons and consulted with them many years ago, publishing Levinson's review "Interpersonal Relationships Between Pets and Human Beings" in my 1968 book "Abnormal Behavior in Animals." This collection of articles by several experts helped establish recognition and treatment of emotional/behavioral problems in animals and documented their benefits to us along with the ethical obligation of humane treatment and duty to care.

(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.)