The Animal Doctor

DEAR READERS: Republicans funded by Big Agribusiness are trying to pass a farm bill that includes the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act. This act was introduced by a number of legislators, including Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa.

The EATS Act is a response to a significant decision earlier this year, in which the U.S. Supreme Court sided with animals, and California voters, by upholding Proposition 12 with a 5-4 majority. Prop 12 sets minimum protection requirements for mother pigs, calves raised for veal, and hens used in the egg industry, ensuring they are housed with enough room to stand up and turn around.

However, the meat industry is fighting back with the EATS Act. If approved, it could pose a threat to Prop 12 and numerous other laws regulating animal protection policies, food safety and public health.

Representatives, delegates and 30 senators have now signed an open letter opposing the EATS Act, arguing that it is “particularly draconian” and would override countless laws, harm states’ rights and threaten American family farms. For details, go to sentientmedia.org or animalwellnessaction.org.

Please contact your congressional representatives and urge them to oppose the EATS Act if they have not already.

COLOMBIA CONSIDERS ANIMAL-RESEARCH BAN

Lawmakers in Colombia are considering whether to ban almost all science and education using live animals. One piece of legislation was rescinded after backlash from scientists, but two others remain active: a draft constitutional amendment that would recognize animals as people, with commensurate legal protections, and a pending bill that would curtail animal research and overhaul the country’s ethical-approval process.

The bill’s wording is vague, but it states that “the use of live animals in academic and scientific research, toxicity-testing studies, biological or related studies” is prohibited when the results can be obtained “by other means” or when using "live animals of a higher grade on the zoological scale." (Full story: Nature.com, Sept. 7)

The U.S.-based Nonhuman Rights Project (nonhumanrights.org) raises the ethical issue of how animals who evidence self-awareness are treated, especially when confined in impoverished zoo and laboratory environments. In my opinion, all sentient beings deserve respect and protection under the law, which is currently upheld only in part, and only for some species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

TRAVEL SAFELY WITH YOUR ANIMALS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collect data on people who are injured or die in motor vehicle accidents each year. But similar data on pets is not collected, nor are there rules and regulations for keeping pets safe in cars and trucks.

Veterinarian Elisa Mazzaferro, immediate past president of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, says leaving animals unrestrained in motor vehicles threatens both driver and animal safety. She recommends securing pets in a crate or with a crash-tested harness in the back seat while traveling.

The AVMA offers tips for safely transporting pets in motor vehicles. Go to: avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/safe-transport-pets-motor-vehicles.

DOG BREED PREJUDICE IN THE U.K.

U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman is taking steps to ban ownership of American XL Bully dogs, one of four pedigreed pit bull breeds. The AVMA says an individual dog’s history, behavior and size, as well as the presence of other dogs, determine the likelihood of a bite, and that breed-specific bans neither prevent dog bites nor address the problem of irresponsible pet ownership. (Full story: Forbes, Sept. 12)

In my opinion, dogs make us better humans, but with the wrong people, any dog -- regardless of breed -- can become dangerous. Individuals who choose to own a powerful breed of dog may have anger issues, or simply lack any understanding of how to properly socialize, educate and love a canine companion.

(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: According to a scientific study by Scott J. McGrane and associates, cats have receptors in their taste buds that detect umami, the savory flavor found in meat -- and tuna in particular. In cats, as in humans, the umami receptors are triggered by a combination of amino acids and nucleotides. Cats’ taste buds seem to be particularly attuned to histidine and inosine monophosphate: compounds that tuna contains in high amounts.

In tests, 25 cats were given their choice of plain water or water flavored with various umami compounds. The histidine/inosine monophosphate flavor “was one of the most preferred combinations,” said McGrane. “It really seems to hit that umami sweet spot.” (Full study: "Umami taste perception and preferences of the domestic cat [Felis catus], an obligate carnivore," published in Chemical Senses, summarized on Science.org, Aug. 25)

"Why cats have a hankering for tuna in the first place remains a mystery," says the Science.org writeup. After all, cats "evolved in the deserts of the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, where fish of any kind was unlikely to be on the menu."

Indeed, there are few, if any, fish in deserts! But I checked other research reports and solved this “mystery.” The domestic cat is a descendant of Felis lybica, the African wildcat. Wildcats hunt primarily mice, rats, birds, reptiles and insects. It is likely that the insects in wildcats' diet contain the same amino acids and nucleotides that cats like to eat, as would the insectivorous reptiles and birds that consume these insects before being consumed by the cats.

So tuna likely contains similar nutrients to the ones cats have enjoyed since their early days in the desert. However, because of mercury and other contaminants, and the fact that many cats are allergic to fish, I do not advise feeding tuna to cats. We should be helping the oceans restore their natural biodiversity, currently under threat from climate change and the overharvesting of marine life for human consumption and livestock feed.

Cat food manufacturers are certainly aware of cats' affinity for tuna, using it to make their products more appetizing. But also, we may soon see high-nutrient ingredients derived from farmed insects being added to cat and dog foods. They are approved in Europe for pet foods, and also as food additives in various products for human consumption.

DEAR DR. FOX: I was reading an article on PETA’s website regarding the drawbacks of cat trap-neuter-release (TNR). You were quoted as saying, “It is time to work for responsible solutions.” I was wondering if you had any thoughts on what those responsible solutions might be. The communities outside of Las Vegas are looking for answers to this issue. -- D.H., Las Vegas

DEAR D.H.: First, I wish all veterinarians and everyone involved in cat rescue and rehabilitation would read the excellent study by Bailey H. Eagan and associates that was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in September ("Daily gabapentin improved behavior modification progress and decreased stress in shelter cats ...").

It should be noted that all these caged cats had double-compartment portalized enclosures with separate litter box, bed and "hide box," which I consider most important in reducing fear.

An alternative is group housing (after vaccinating, neutering, and screening the cats for disease and parasites). Shy cats see other cats interacting with caregivers and soon come around and can be adopted out eventually. Those who do not can become permanent residents in these enclosed cat sanctuaries. No cats should be released outdoors to fend for themselves, which can put their health and lives at risk, as well as public health and wildlife. Cats are predators and will decimate local populations of songbirds and small mammals.

See these related posts on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/outdoor-cats-wildlife-and-human-health and drfoxonehealth.com/post/releasing-cats-to-live-outdoors-humane-environmental-and-one-health-concerns.

(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 new NexGard Combo topical treatment for cats appears to have caused horrific problems for my 15-year-old cat, Whitey.

In the worst spur-of-the-moment decision of my life, I let the vet apply this treatment to him. She had just run his blood work, and said that one marker from the kidneys was a little high (though she didn't seem too concerned about it). He was also anemic, and in case the anemia was caused by parasites, I made the poor decision to have Whitey dewormed.

This combo product was clearly not tested on elderly cats with health problems. On the fourth day after application, he was no longer his normal self. He slipped and fell off the table where he always jumped to lick my elderly mother's plate after she was finished eating. And at his food bowl, his feet started slipping and sliding underneath him. He stopped eating, completely lost the use of his legs and died within two weeks.

It's obvious to me that this product needs a warning label that includes elderly or diseased animals. Animals that lived a dignified life deserve a more dignified death. -- N.M., New Orleans

DEAR N.M.: I see from the photo you sent me that your cat was indeed a beauty. I'm noting that the photo was taken outdoors, which can always put cats at risk from fleas and various infectious diseases. But if the attending veterinarian did not find any evidence of fleas on your cat, or parasites in a stool sample, prescribing the NexGard Combo was an unwarranted shot in the dark.

Considering your cat's age, I would have done additional tests for kidney function. Cats with chronic kidney disease can develop nonregenerative anemia when their kidneys produce less of a hormone called erythropoietin, which helps the bone marrow produce red blood cells.

Tell me, did the veterinarian check for fleas and parasites in Whitey's feces?

I am so saddened by your loss, and am once more dismayed by the cavalier actions of the many veterinarians who prescribe these antiparasitic drugs. They can have harmful, even fatal, consequences.

N.M. REPLIES: Whitey had been born under a house near ours and sheltered under it until he was a young adult, so he never would have been happy being an indoor-only cat. I noticed behavior changes in him last spring, including increased drinking and urination and not wanting to go outside. However, the health problems of the elderly people in our home took precedence, and I was not able to take him to the vet until August.

I don't know if she checked Whitey for fleas, though I don't think he had any at the time. But I know she didn't take a stool sample.

I had hoped Whitey could recover at home, with me continuing to hand-feed him. I would have tried to hospitalize him if I had a greater amount of trust in veterinarians.

I know the vet didn't intend to harm my cat, but I wish she would have explained the product she was going to use. I didn't know she specifically used NexGard until I got home and looked at the bill. I had never heard of any of the neurological problems caused by similar products in dogs.

DRAMATIC RISE IN PET SURRENDERS, EUTHANASIA

According to the Shelter Animals Count database, 37% more dogs were euthanized from January to July this year than in the same period last year. Animal adoptions and reclamations have failed to keep pace with surrenders and abandonments. Housing instability and the suspension of spay/neuter programs during pandemic shutdowns have contributed to overcrowded shelters, some of which are now focusing on helping people keep their pets. (Full story: Axios, Aug. 30)

The shortage of affordable pet-friendly housing is contributing to a record number of pet surrenders, animal shelter administrators say. Dog owners looking for homes to rent are encountering breed restrictions, weight limits, high fees and complete pet bans. And natural disasters have destroyed lots of housing this year, leaving people and animals alike homeless, says Laurie Garrison with the Central Vermont Humane Society. (Full story: National Public Radio, Sept. 7)

(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.)