The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: I would like to know if your homemade food recipe for cats would need any changes if urinary crystals are a problem for the animal.

My cat is refusing all commercially produced prescription cat foods, but I tried your recipe and he absolutely loves it. We have already seen changes for the better in his litter box. Should we make any changes to the recipe to address his urinary problems?

I have been feeding my dogs your recipe for many years, and they are healthy, shiny, lean and muscular. They are happy, and they love their food. -- P.V., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR P.V.: I am glad to hear your dogs are thriving on my home-prepared recipe, as posted at drfoxonehealth.com under “Dogs.” My feline recipe (under “Cats”) has given new life to many cats previously subsisting on dry kibble. Some cats are very finicky (and become addicted to their kibble!) so a gradual transition to the homemade food, or to a moist canned or rehydrated freeze-dried cat food (like The Honest Kitchen’s), is needed.

It is good that your cat is readily accepting my home-prepared cat food, especially since most special prescription diets for urinary crystals are very unpalatable for cats. There should be no concern as long as there is plenty of moisture in the food, and your cat is drinking water. If your cat does not readily rehydrate, you can make drinking water more appealing by boiling up a few pieces of chicken into a stew and storing it in the refrigerator, or by buying salt-free or low-salt chicken bouillon. Add a teaspoon of either to the cat’s water, which should be fresh every day.

Many cats do not like plain tap water, probably because of the chlorination and fluoride in our drinking water, which could contribute to thyroid and other health problems in humans and felines alike. (For details, see this post: drfoxonehealth.com/post/pure-water-for-cats-and-dogs-and-all.) We use a Zero water filter in our home and I can smell and taste the difference from what comes out of the faucet here in the Minneapolis area!

B. CANIS SPREADING FROM DOG TO DOG IN U.K.

Until recently, Brucella canis was seen in the U.K. only in imported animals. But now, says U.K. Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss, the bacterial disease appears to be spreading from dog to dog through breeding with infected imported dogs. Though it rarely happens, B. canis can infect people, and the government is considering implementing a screening protocol. Regardless of mandates, Middlemiss recommends voluntary testing before importing and/or breeding animals. (Full story: The Telegraph, Sept. 18)

FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS EPIDEMIC IN CYPRUS

Veterinarians in Cyprus have repurposed leftover stocks of the COVID-19 antiviral drug molnupiravir to treat cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a disease caused by a different coronavirus that recently surged on the island, killing hundreds (potentially thousands) of cats. Veterinary scientists are sequencing FIP virus strains to see whether any specific variant caused the massive outbreak. (Full story: The Atlantic, Sept. 18)

BUMBLEBEES LEARN BY WATCHING

Bumblebees were taught by researchers to open a puzzle box containing a sugar solution -- and bumblebees that observed that experiment subsequently used the same method to open the box 98% of the time, even after they discovered an alternative method. Bumblebees that observed bees trained to use both methods also learned both, but colonies eventually developed a preference for a single method. Researchers say the findings, published in PLOS Biology, suggest that social learning has a significant influence on bumblebee behavior. (Full story: BBC, March 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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: What you think of trophy hunting? I would appreciate your informed opinion. -- DR. A.J.T.J., Dehradun, India

DEAR DR. A.J.T.J.: I think trophy hunting is for psychopaths. It is an ego-driven obsession for the empathy-deficient. Killing for pleasure/recreation is the antithesis of subsistence hunting -- killing to live.

The economic justifications often given for trophy hunting -- providing income for local guides and outfitters to kill old animals who are going to die anyway, rather than animals in their prime -- are rather fatuous. But the bioethics of killing invasive species is on more solid ground, I feel.

So-called “canned hunt” operations, where trophy hunters pay to kill captive-raised wildlife (often under the banner of species preservation), should be closed down. Biodiversity must be restored, creating viable natural habitats for all. In this process, selective culling may be bioethically valid in the process of rewilding.

In India, efforts to protect wildlife and iconic species such as the Asian elephant are meeting opposition by other vested interests. Climate change, invasive plants and a huge uptick in tourism are contributing to a major drive to de-list protected areas and cull elephants.

For details, see these news reports:

-- article-14.com/post/india-s-wildlife-protection-in-hands-of-those-with-interests-in-its-destruction

-- livemint.com/Opinion/dFql2X72U2SgEBPQXdKKiL/An-elephant-scientist-who-missed-the-jumbo-on-the-track

I reported in an earlier column that this year, the Indian government banned environmental education and climate change discussion in schools. Meanwhile, here in the U.S., most government agencies have natural resource departments that do not put their primary focus on habitat and wildlife protection, biodiversity restoration and control of invasive species. Instead, priority is given to the industries of hunting, trapping, fishing, timber, cattle ranching, agriculture and mining -- not to mention recreational tourism, with the construction and maintenance of roads, trails, camp sites and lodges. All this, even though restoration of wildlife habitats is an essential element of reducing the negative impacts of climate change.

So, India is just further down the same road as the U.S. in putting human interests before those of other species. The ultimate fragmentation of wildlife habitat, increased human encroachment and population expansion, compounded by livestock and agricultural intrusion, are aggravating climate change and facilitating the emergence of pandemic diseases.

It is ironic that white-tailed deer -- whose Minnesota population is managed by the state for hunters who lobby for the virtual extermination of “competing” wolves -- is now a concerning potential source of new variants of COVID-19. Veterinarian Andrew Bowman and colleagues at Ohio State University have found that wild deer have become reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2. Also, “the evidence is growing that humans can get it from deer, which isn’t radically surprising,” said Bowman. Researchers say that the virus mutates faster in deer than in humans, and that variants that were no longer common in people were found in deer.

I should add that humans can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to domestic cats, which can then become infected and transmit the virus to other cats, whether through direct contact or contact with feces or contaminated surfaces. Infected cats shed the virus and can infect others for roughly eight hours. This is just another reason to keep all cats indoors. (Full story: Earth.com, May 31)

DEAR DR. FOX: Your recent column on animal reincarnation was interesting, as I’d never heard anyone else speak on this issue. I have a story of my own to share.

After our very old Lab, Hagen, died, we buried him in our dog graveyard at the edge of the woods. Each night for a couple of weeks afterward, we saw a young deer standing directly on Hagen's grave. The deer would stand there and look at us.

Then one night, we heard an animal noise out back. My husband looked outside and told me, "Come see this!" There was "Hagen-Deer" coming across the yard, looking at us and “speaking” to us. He came right up, stopping just a few feet away. We talked softly to him, and then noises nearby alerted us to a herd of about 16 deer right at the edge of the woods. We said our goodbyes, then he joined the herd and moved off.

We didn’t see him again. But we were positive it was him. -- M.R., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR M.R.: I have an open mind when it comes to reincarnation -- the transmigration of the soul from one life to the next. But there is evidence of after-death manifestations, especially in animals who were closely bonded with their human companions, as per this post on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/tags/spiritual-issues.

In this instance, with the young deer already existing as an ensouled being when your dog passed, it is tempting to think that part of your dog’s spirit touched this deer with whom you enjoyed a most unexpected communion. On the other hand, the deer might have sensed your good intentions and love for your deceased dog, coming to you in trust for a memorable moment of interspecies communication.

Our love of nature and of our fellow creatures is interwoven on many levels, including the biological affinities between plants and animals. These are mutually enhancing symbioses, as exemplified by the beneficial bacteria in our guts, without which we could not live. Our treating nature simply as a resource, and objectifying animals as commodities, truly represent a “fall from grace.”

(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: 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.)