DEAR READERS: There is a flesh-eating fungus in the soils of California, Arizona and other states in the region -- and likely to spread elsewhere, due to climate change -- called Coccidioides. It causes a paralyzing, and sometimes fatal, illness in people called Valley fever, which takes its name from the San Joaquin Valley in California.

This fungus thrives in warm soils, and grows billions of spores after a rainfall. The spores are later released into the air when the ground dries, stirred up by wind and by human activities -- especially the building of homes in desert areas with dubious water security.

Cats and dogs can get Valley fever when they inhale Coccidioides immitis fungal spores. They grow into spherules within the pet’s lungs, and if the animal’s immune system cannot wall them off, they eventually burst -- releasing hundreds of endospores that can spread throughout the lungs and other parts of your pet’s body, where the cycle will begin again. The condition will become increasingly severe, often ending in blindness and/or paralysis.

Treatment of Valley fever in pets takes time, just as it does with those people who have the misfortune of becoming infected. The treatment for both dogs and cats will typically include an antifungal medication such as fluconazole or itraconazole. Dogs may also be treated with ketoconazole, but this is not well tolerated by cats.

More than 90% of dogs treated for Valley fever will survive, according to the University of Arizona. Dogs with symptoms involving several parts of the body (particularly the brain), or those not responding well to antifungal medications, have a worse prognosis.

The best preventive measures are to avoid taking your dogs out on dry, windy days or letting them dig in the ground, especially in the Southwest region. Keep cats indoors, since they will dig in the ground if allowed out, hunting small prey and burying their feces.

DEAR DR. FOX: Friends of mine have a 6-year-old Bouvier des Flandres, and their vet suggests he be neutered since testicular cancer is common in this breed. What is your opinion? -- M.F., San Francisco

DEAR M.F.: I believe the veterinarian may or may not be right. If this dog has only one testicle, for example, the veterinarian is correct because the undescended one could become cancerous (such as with a Sertoli cell tumor) and should be surgically removed.

Bouviers are also predisposed to gastric carcinoma, a type of malignant stomach cancer. For details, see morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/dog-breeds-increased-cancer-risk. For documentation of other breed-specific incidences of various cancers, see “Breed-predispositions to cancer in pedigree dogs” by Jane Dobson, published in ISRN Veterinary Science, January 2013.

Male dogs of any large breed, in my opinion, should not be neutered because neutering, especially at an early age, can affect bone development. It may therefore play a role in bone cancer and the weakening of joint ligaments, especially around the hip joint and the knee cruciate ligaments.

VET RECOGNIZED FOR SERVING HOMELESS PEOPLE’S PETS

Veterinarian Dr. Kwane Stewart provides supplies and medical treatment to animals belonging to people experiencing homelessness in San Diego. Volunteers in other cities do the same, thanks to Project Street Vet, a nonprofit Stewart founded in 2020.

Stewart is one of 10 nominees for a 2023 CNN Heroes award, and will receive $10,000 for his work. If he receives the most votes, he’ll also win the grand prize of $100,000. (Full story: The San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 26)

(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: My cousin feeds her dog the "BARF" diet -- Bones And Raw Foods, mainly beef, chicken and turkey -- and is encouraging us to do the same for our two dogs. What is your opinion? -- H.M., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR H.M.: Some groups do champion this idea. On its website, the U.K.-based Raw Food Veterinary Society (RFVS) states that a "gold-standard diet" for pets would primarily consist of "raw meaty bones, meats, (including) organ meats, fruits and vegetables, minimally processed by mincing and freezing. The diet contains no added synthetic supplements, additives or preservatives.”

The RFVS contends that animals on properly formulated raw-food diets have a healthy gut microbiome, which protects them from harmful bacteria that may be in some mishandled raw meats. (For more details, and documentation of their animal health and safety assertions, see rfvs.info/rfvs-position-statement-2021.)

But in my opinion, this is quite a risk, since factory-farmed animal meats are a significant source of harmful, and often antibiotic-resistant, bacteria. Furthermore, a drastic reduction in human consumption of farmed animal produce is called for because of the documented contribution of animal agriculture to the climate and extinction crises.

It is a fact that in the U.S., pet foods, especially ultra-processed kibble products, are often recalled because of salmonella and other bacterial contaminants from farmed animals that could make pets ill. However, feeding dogs raw meat may increase the likelihood that humans could be exposed to antibiotic-resistant E. coli bacteria either through exposure to the dogs’ feces or handling the uncooked meat. (See “One health transmission of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli and risk factors for their excretion by dogs living in urban and nearby rural settings” by Jordan E. Sealey et al, published in One Health, October 2023.)

Feeding raw meat to dogs also runs afoul of AVMA policy, which advises against feeding cats or dogs “any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness.”

I am all for feeding some raw foods to dogs, such as well-washed, grated or blended fruits and vegetables (ideally organically certified). These can be given along with some moist canned dog food of good quality, such as Castor and Pollux Organix (also available for cats) and a slow-cooked or air-dried dog food, such as those from The Honest Kitchen and Earth Animal’s Wisdom dog food. Look for products that are certified by the Global Animal Partnership as humanely produced and of high nutritional quality.

Fully formulated, nutritious vegan dog foods will soon be more available as we humans evolve to feed our dogs in good conscience and with fewer adverse impacts on the environment. I do not advise cat owners to make their cats vegan at this stage in the development of such diets because they are obligate carnivores. But our dogs are more like us: adaptable omnivores able to transition to vegan diets.

Some studies have shown that dogs enjoy better health on well-formulated vegan diets than dogs fed highly processed conventional kibble, which loses so many nutrients from overheating that various vitamins and synthetic substances must be added after processing. These corrective measures sometimes add too much of a given nutrient, resulting in adverse health effects and recalls.

Biotechnological and bioengineering tools are being developed with the aim of making healthier, more sustainable foods with lower carbon footprints that don’t require the deaths of animals. Lower-environmental-impact cultivated meat and fish products, with zero animal suffering and killing, may soon be included in cat foods, as well as dog and human food markets.

If you want to find a cat or dog food of the best quality, visit truthaboutpetfood.com/the-list and pay a small fee to support the research of Susan Thixton, Pet Food Consumer Advocate. All companies on Thixton's list provided verification of the following, where applicable: human-grade food ingredients, human-grade supplements, organic ingredients and meats sourced from humanely raised animals.

(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.)

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.)