Per a Nov. 16 news release from Reuters, "The European Union will extend glyphosate’s authorization for 10 years, even though its member states failed to agree over the active ingredient in Bayer AG’s Roundup weedkiller." (See full release here: reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-commission-renew-glyphosate-authorisation-10-years-2023-11-16)

In my opinion, this ecocidal approval is a crime against humanity since glyphosate is linked with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a host of other health issues in consumers. It is also a crime against nature, as the pesticide is a major contributor to the loss of biodiversity, especially of insects (particularly the monarch butterfly) and various insectivores. Furthermore, some “weeds” have become invasive “superweeds” when they evolved resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides.

Is this democracy and science at work, uninfluenced by the Big Ag and Big Pharma corporate interests? At least the European Commission has made this approval subject to certain new conditions and restrictions. These include a prohibition of glyphosate's pre-harvest use as a desiccant and the need for certain measures to protect nontarget organisms.

Similar conditions and restrictions are long overdue in the United States. In October, a Philadelphia jury hit Bayer/Monsanto with a $175 million verdict in favor of a cancer patient who claimed the company failed to warn about known carcinogens in Roundup. (Full story: SustainablePulse.com, Oct. 29)

On the same website, see the related story, "International Glyphosate Study Shows Likely Cause of Explosion in Childhood Leukemia." Homeowners and municipalities should avoid using this herbicide on private property and public spaces, especially in parks and on children’s playgrounds.

Some pet food manufacturers, such as Earth Animal, are now testing their plant ingredients for this herbicide since the incidence of lymphatic cancer is on the rise in the canine population.

PIG PRODUCTION DRUG SUSPENSION SOUGHT

A decade after beginning a probe into the issue, the FDA is seeking to suspend the use of carbadox, a popular drug on pig farms. Branded as Mecadox, the drug is added to pig feed in pork farms across the country to combat infections and help fatten the animals up. As it turns out, those who consume animals who received carbadox could be at an increased risk of cancer. (Full story: CBSNews.com, Nov. 7)

In the CBS article, reporter Alexander Tin writes, “It is not clear why FDA did not move to pull carbadox sooner after its 2016 warning, which came years after other countries moved to curb use of the feed ingredient. 'This action itself arrived long overdue. The European Union and Canada prohibited use of carbadox in 1999 and 2006, respectively, due to concerns about residues and the safety of workers handling the drug,' advocacy groups wrote in a 2022 letter to the agency, decrying 'craven industry efforts to put off the inevitable' ban."

DEAR DR. FOX: We are fostering a 3- or 4-year-old male brindle dog. He is a very sweet and loving dog. However, he will sometimes, for no reason, get frightened, cower and piddle without control.

At first, we thought it was triggered by a loud man’s voice, but it seems to be any time there is the slightest chance he thinks he is going to get in trouble. Even a slight change in someone's voice, female or male, sets him off.

He originally would just urinate when we returned home after being out for a while, so it feels like it’s getting worse. We are very consistent with his feeding schedule; he gets lots of positive reinforcement and two good walks a day.

Any insight you can provide is much appreciated. -- C.T., Jupiter, Florida

DEAR C.T.: Good for you, fostering this dog. The reaction that you describe may well be indicative of PTSD, the urination being a combination of fear and submission, probably from prior mistreatment.

Never scold for such reactions. Simply ignore and clean up with a natural liquid enzyme product such as Nature’s Miracle.

Give your dog 3 milligrams of melatonin at bedtime and a prescription from a veterinarian, such as alprazolam, after breakfast for three to four weeks. This could be of significant help in getting your dog settled and feeling more secure.

(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: You will be interested in this recent article from The Guardian, featuring an interview with John Vaillant, author of "Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World."

Vaillant is quoted as saying: “We’ve given this Earth a fever. And the irony is that the fossil fuel industry is, in essence, a fire industry: We draw these substances from the ground at great expense so we can burn them. ... Fire has empowered us and enriched us beyond our wildest dreams. But the strange side-effect is that we’ve also empowered the climate. We now live in a world that is more explosively flammable than at any time in human history.” (Full story: The Guardian, Nov. 17)

What is your view? -- I.P., Swansea, Wales, U.K.

DEAR I.P.: I am glad that this issue is receiving more publicity, which may lead to more immediate government action around the world. I wrote years ago about this existential reality: the human-caused acceleration of the Earth’s metabolism.

Firmageddon -- the dying of fir trees that cannot withstand drought -- is now causing Firemageddon: unextinguishable megafires, with all the attendant death of wildlife, air pollution and lingering health effects on humans and other animal survivors. The loss of trees that absorb carbon dioxide and release the oxygen we breathe calls for massive reforestation, forest farming without pesticides and cessation of all commercial logging, hunting and trapping.

A carbon tax should be instigated on all human events with a big carbon footprint/energy use. These would notably include the proliferation of data centers; the increase in air travel; and big events like concerts, from Taylor Swift on down. This tax would fund reforestation and provide help for the rising numbers of people who fall victim to climate change.

In the U.S., rather than communicating by phone or Zoom over the Thanksgiving holiday, an estimated 50 million people traveled long distances by road. Another 30 million traveled by air. The pollution-causing, climate-changing consequences of burning fossil fuels to get them from here to there and back will be their negative Thanksgiving contributions. On top of that, most will not think twice about eating parts of a turkey, a pig or some other animal at their festive gatherings. The annual Thanksgiving ritual of U.S. presidents “pardoning” turkeys from being slaughtered is curiously termed. Should not the turkeys be pardoning us instead?

The Thanksgiving holiday itself is "not without controversy," per History.com. "Many Americans -- including people of Native American ancestry -- believe Thanksgiving celebrations mask the true history of oppression and bloodshed that underlies the relationship between European settlers and Native Americans. (Full story: history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving)

In my heart’s core, every day is a Thanksgiving of gratitude for all this good Earth provides to sustain my life, and all life, and for celebration when harm and suffering are prevented by our benevolence, vigilance and compassion.

Speaking of holidays, there is also Independence Day, with its loud fireworks that terrify animals. The noises cause roosting birds to fly off in panic, collide with branches and die. Many dogs and cats go into panic mode and suffer terror, as do some war veterans with PTSD. The added factors of air pollution and fire risk in drought-stricken communities are generally ignored, fire stations on emergency standby being a joke.

I am writing this on Nov. 20, and already I see vehicles passing by with severed fir trees tied to their roofs to be decorated in people's homes in celebration of Christmas, rather than several live ones (with roots wrapped) for planting to replace their toxic lawns.

The ethos of Christmas today seems more consumer-driven than ever, with shopping trumping the spirit of giving to those in need, including the homeless and the animals in our communities. Celebrating the birth of a holy child who was later crucified can center us in the spirit of self-sacrifice, but only if we step back from our capitalist habits.

Come January, suburban streets will be lined with dead brown fir trees waiting for the garbage pickup service. I see these corpses as evidence of how we are killing the Tree of Life. I want to pull the plug on all of this so we may properly reconnect and save the trees and, in the process, help the unseen and the voiceless. All the wildlife is falling victim to what we are doing to the environment and to ourselves.

In our family, every Oct. 4, we celebrate the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of the Environment, and commune with friends who care for animals as St. Francis did. We share vegan meals and send donations to nonprofit organizations doing something about our 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 READERS: You may recall my earlier column this year detailing the plight of racehorses collapsing while racing from limb fractures, bleeding from the lungs and even dying from heart attacks. Now, thanks to investigations by the FBI, the illegal drugging of these poor animals to mask lameness and enhance “performance” may at last come to an end.

From justice.gov:

“Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that defendant Seth Fishman, DVM, received a sentence of 11 years in prison today for his role at the helm of an approximately 20-year scheme to manufacture, market, and sell to racehorse trainers and others in the racehorse industry 'untestable' performance-enhancing drugs for use in professional horseracing. Fishman was one of over 30 defendants charged in four separate cases in March 2020, each arising from this Office’s multi-year investigation of the abuse of racehorses through the use of performance enhancing drugs.”

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 16-year-old orange neutered male tabby named Rusty. He has enjoyed good health over his lifetime despite eating nothing but kibble. (My attempts to change that habit would have resulted in his early demise due to liver failure from not eating. “Gradual transition” does not work with him, believe me!)

I'm hoping my experience will be informative for other cat owners. About a week ago, we noticed he had some blood on the bottom of his left front paw. His dewclaw looked as though it had been pulled somehow -- apparently he got it caught on something. We figured it’d heal on its own. However, it did not heal, and later appeared to be infected. I made an emergency vet appointment and the wound was soaked and cleaned, leaving something of a “crater” around the dewclaw. He was given the proper medications, and all his claws were trimmed while we were there.

Now comes the cautionary tale. Rusty has always gotten very, very carsick, ever since he was a rescue kitten, so in his advanced age, we have not been taking him to the vet regularly. (Risks-vs.-benefits thinking.) Consequently, his claws had gotten long. We have never attempted to trim them ourselves; a vet tech does it.

Upon examination during his dewclaw appointment, a couple of his claws were just starting to turn up into his toe pads. The vet said this is an issue with aging cats.

I want to urge owners of senior cats to check their cats’ feet and claws so this does not happen! -- C.M.C., Cumberland, Maryland

DEAR C.M.C.: Your insights will be appreciated by many readers who have older cats. Thanks!

CAT LANDS ON FEET SOON AFTER BRAIN SURGERY

Veterinary surgeons in Cheshire, England, removed a large tumor from the brain of a 6-year-old pet Bengal cat that had lost its vision and ability to walk. Neurology specialist Rory Fentem led a transfrontal craniectomy, removing the tumor in pieces from the center outward to prevent damaging surrounding tissue. The cat regained his vision and was able to walk only four days after surgery, and was nearly back to normal neurologically about a month later. (Full story: Cheshire-Live.co.uk, Nov. 1)

CHAGAS DISEASE FROM 'KISSING BUGS' ON THE RISE

Nearly 13% of dogs in the U.S. have Chagas disease, a parasitic infection transmitted primarily by insects known as "kissing bugs." Thanks to climate change, these kinds of insect-transmitted diseases are becoming more prevalent. Dogs can get the disease from a bite from an infected kissing bug, or by consuming an infected bug or contaminated food. Mother dogs can also pass Chagas to their puppies.

Signs of Chagas disease include lethargy, fever and swollen lymph nodes, but veterinarian Roy Madigan says 95% of the cases he sees are asymptomatic. Madigan leads the Canine Chagas Treatment Study at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

Owners of dogs with Chagas disease should be tested themselves. While dogs cannot transmit the disease to humans, people can contract it from the bugs, contaminated food and other sources. (Full story: KSAT-TV San Antonio, Nov. 7)

PLANTS COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER

Several research studies have demonstrated that some trees and plants send chemical signals in the air when they are under attack by insects, to which other plants will respond by releasing insect-repelling substances. This raises our understanding of the concept of “sentience,” and should also increase our respect for these life forms.

For more details, see the study "Green leaf volatile sensory calcium transduction in Arabidopsis" by Yuri Aratani et al., published in Nature Communications, October 2023.

(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.)