The Animal Doctor

DEAR READERS: This is a sensitive topic that all animal lovers must consider, since our animal companions do not live forever.

In the old days, we would bury our pets on our properties and let them return to the earth, fertilizing our trees and other plants. Such disposals are now prohibited in most communities for sanitary and public health reasons. More pet owners are now choosing to have their animals cremated (paying less for group cremation with other peoples' animals), with fewer opting for burial at pet cemeteries. Several years ago, I recall being shocked to see nondegradable pet coffins for sale at a pet-product expo!

Now, another option is becoming available: It has a lower carbon footprint than cremation, and is environmentally enriching, rather than polluting and contributing to climate change. It's called NOR: natural organic reduction.

According to agreenerfuneral.org, NOR is "the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil. This process uses large tanks, containers or similar vessels to hold human remains together with straw, wood chips, and/or other natural materials for a period of time of about four to six weeks." NOR is now legal in six states: Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California and New York.

So far, neither the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories nor the American Veterinary Medical Association is advocating NOR for companion animals, although it is accepted for the mass disposal of farmed animals. But an increase has been reported in pet owners' demand for aquamation, a process also known as alkaline hydrolysis. (See "A veterinarian's role in pet after-death care" by Coco Lederhouse, JAVMA, April 23.)

Educational materials related to end-of-life decision-making, pet loss, grief, euthanasia, companion animal aftercare and disposition of remains are available on the AVMA's website: avma.org/HumaneEndings.

In my experience, in-home euthanasia after palliative care (as needed) is the least traumatic option for all involved. Providing family members, including other animal companions, the opportunity to view the body of the deceased may help facilitate the acceptance of death and alleviate the grieving process.

GOOD NEWS FOR FACTORY-FARMED ANIMALS

Animal welfare law provisions that dictate minimum enclosure standards went into effect in Massachusetts in late August, following multiple legal actions delaying its start. Other provisions of the law that are already in place include constraints on the sale of veal and requirements related to egg-laying hens. (Full story: The Sun Chronicle; Attleboro, Massachusetts; Aug. 24)

(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: On occasion, I am struck by what is happening to some animal species we take for granted -- or even view with revulsion. One such animal is the crow.

Crows are members of the Corvidae family, which includes rooks, ravens, jackdaws, jays, magpies and choughs. They are omnivores and scavengers, and often consume carrion, the dead remains of animals (as do vultures, of which there are many species worldwide). As consumers of carrion, crows are winged, flagship icons of recycling, doing more good for this planet than we humans.

Crows are highly intelligent and empathic, with complex social lives. They can use tools, solve puzzles and learn by observing each other. Like their raven cousins, they have been seen playing with wolves.

In some cultures, such as the Anishinaabe, crows and their relatives are revered. But in others, they are feared and reviled. Some regard crows as harbingers of ill fortune or death, or simply as pests to shoot and poison. Beyond the time-honored use of scarecrows, there are many other devices that are now available for humanely deterring crows from raiding crops (see birdsnews.com/how-to-protect-crops-from-crows).

A group of crows is called a murder. There are several explanations for the origin of this term, most based on old folk tales and superstitions. This arguably derogatory term probably refers to the racket they make when collectively mobbing an owl, hawk or other predator: a unified response to danger.

Crows and other carrion-consuming birds provide a public health service by quickly consuming carcasses that could soon rot with proliferating putrefying bacteria -- some of which, like the microbe that causes anthrax, are harmful to humans and other animals. They also help control parasitic diseases that are transmissible to humans and other animals, as well as flies that could also spread disease.

These birds have probably evolved resistance to certain harmful bacteria and their toxins. But crows are not immune to West Nile virus, which decimated the crow population some years ago in Washington, D.C.

In the 1980s, the population of California condors -- a group of vultures whose wingspans can measure nearly 10 feet -- was reduced to only 22 individuals because of poisoning. The condors had fed on remnants of animals that had been field-dressed by hunters (i.e., their internal organs were removed), and the remaining carrion contained bullet fragments made from toxic lead. Thousands of tons of lead shot are left by hunters around the world, poisoning raptors, corvids and other scavengers. The use of lead shot should be prohibited.

Vultures were poisoned in the millions in India after eating the carcasses of cows that had been treated with an anti-inflammatory called diclofenac. The drug may have caused the decline of 95% of vultures of the Gyps genus in Southern Asia before it was banned. In 2013, two veterinary drugs containing diclofenac were approved for use in Spain, alarming the scientific and conservationist communities. Few people know how veterinary drugs used on farmed animals can harm wildlife and the ecosystem at large.

Livestock keepers in some countries will put poison on their animals that have been killed by predators, hoping to kill the predators when they return to feed on the carcass. These retaliations contribute to the demise of vultures and other carrion eaters.

Crows and magpies are now "outsmarting us," according to Netherlands biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra, by removing rows of sharp metal pins from rooftops and ledges -- installed to repel birds -- and incorporating them into their nests. "We're trying to get rid of birds, (but) the birds are collecting our metal spikes and actually making more birds in these nests," said Hiemstra. "I think it's just a brilliant comeback." (Full story: New York Times, July 13)

We humans have nothing to crow about, considering our responsibility for the climate and extinction crises. We need to learn something from the crows, as well as from ravens and vultures, about cooperative, communal living and recycling/sanitation. In this regard, we should all eat crow!

WEST NILE VIRUS ALERT

Spread by mosquitoes, the West Nile virus is the leading cause of arbovirus disease -- any viral disease spread by insects -- in the continental U.S., according to a recent CDC report. In 2021, 2,911 cases of West Nile virus were reported in the U.S., leading to 2,099 hospitalizations and 227 deaths. That was the most elevated rate of the disease since 2012. (Full story: CNN.com, Aug. 24)

My advice: Use safe insect repellants.

(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: With many communities now experiencing the brunt of extreme climatic events, from forest fires to floods and killer temperatures, we must all be prepared to care for our animal companions. The American Veterinary Medical Association has stepped into the breach with some excellent informative resources.

"We should always be prepared to take care of our animals, especially during disasters such as fire, flood or other emergencies," reads the AVMA website. One of the best ways pet owners can be prepared is by having a pet evacuation kit assembled and ready to go. Store it in an easy-to-carry waterproof container near an exit.

What should be included in your kit? Visit the AVMA website to learn more: avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/emergency-care/pets-and-disasters.

DEAR DR. FOX: In response to your column on wild horses, I just wanted to recommend that you look into Skydog Ranch and Sanctuary. I've been following them on Instagram, and they are truly amazing. Claire is a British woman who started the sanctuary and dedicated herself to reuniting wild mustang families. She has also rescued other animals from "canned hunt" organizations.

You know I respect and admire you for speaking out as you do, but I've been doing cat TNVRs (trap-neuter-vaccinate-release) weekly these last couple of months. I see the horror of life on the street -- believe me, I do. But I just can't trap cats and kittens only to deliver them to their executions. That's monstrous! I have no problem considering euthanasia for injured and sick feral cats, however. -- G.B., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR G.B.: Thanks for telling me about Skydog Ranch and Sanctuary. There are a few good people taking in mustangs and various abandoned equines, and without public support, few can continue.

Many people do care, sending donations to worthy causes rather than taking a luxurious (and polluting) cruise or far-flung vacation. It is high time for us all, collectively, to begin to give back to the animals and nature for all that we have taken and destroyed over the centuries. The climate crisis is one consequence, along with the next inevitable pandemic.

I appreciate your concerns about homeless cats, but in my professional opinion, feral cats should not be released once trapped. Rather, they should live in enclosed colonies, which will protect the cats as well as the wildlife they would otherwise kill. They must also be given veterinary care as needed, especially revaccination against the rabies virus.

Several scientific studies underscore these concerns. An excerpt from one such study states that TNVR programs' "ability to adequately address disease threats and population growth within managed cat colonies is dubious," and calls rabies transmission via feral cats "a particular concern."

The study continues, "TNVR has not been shown to reliably reduce feral cat colony populations because of low implementation rates, inconsistent maintenance, and immigration of unsterilized cats into colonies. For these reasons, TNVR (programs) are not effective methods for reducing public health concerns, or for controlling feral cat populations. Instead, responsible pet ownership, universal rabies vaccination of pets and removal of strays remain integral components to control rabies and other diseases." (Full story: "Zoonotic disease transmission associated with feral cats in a metropolitan area: A geospatial analysis," published in Zoonoses Public Health, 2018)

Do visit this website for full documentation supporting my advocacy to end TNVR and give proper care for all cats: humanecontrol.com.

STUDY REVEALS BLEAK PICTURE OF BIODIVERSITY

Populations of 48% of the world's nonhuman species are declining, and fewer than 3% are increasing, according to a study in Biological Reviews. Extinction is occurring 100 to 1,000 times faster than in the pre-industrial age, according to the U.K.'s Natural History Museum, and 33% of species considered stable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature are experiencing population declines. (Full story: "More losers than winners: Investigating Anthropocene defaunation through the diversity of population trends," Biological Reviews, May 15)

(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.)