DEAR READERS: The cloning of pets has moved from science fiction to reality. People can take a beloved dog or cat to the veterinarian for a routine health check and have a few cells removed, which are frozen and shipped for storage at a pet cloning center. A processing and storage fee will be charged, and when the owners want their companion animals cloned, the center will begin the process -- after a substantial down payment has been made.

Before this new biotechnology is perfected, the cost will probably be in the six-figure range for some time before mass-production follows mass-demand. Texas-based ViaGen is currently the only company in the U.S. that clones pets. The total cost of cloning a dog or a cat is $50,000; a horse, $85,000. (See viagenpets.com/product/initiate-cloning)

Over 1,500 dogs have now been cloned, representing approximately 20% of the American Kennel Club’s recognized breeds. This makes the dog (Canis familiaris) one of the most successfully cloned mammals. However, a report details several developmental abnormalities warranting euthanasia of cloned offspring. (See study: "Insights from one thousand cloned dogs" by P. Olsson, et al, Scientific Reports, 2022.)

So there are many concerns other than financial. The cloned dogs will not be exact replicas of peoples’ beloved animal companions, and many clones will probably have to be destroyed because of various birth defects. Abnormalities may also develop later in life. Clones of other species often have abnormal internal organs, neurological and immunological problems, and may be abnormally large at birth due to a defective growth-regulating gene function.

And what about the quality of life of the thousands of caged female dogs who will be exploited by the pet-cloning industry, and the procedural risks to their health and overall welfare?

Do the ends justify the means? There is no evident benefit to the animals themselves. Instead, why not adopt a dog or puppy who looks like the one you miss? Or you could donate money -- perhaps equivalent to what it would cost to produce one clone -- toward improving the welfare of hundreds, even thousands of dogs and other animals around the world.

For more details on animal cloning, see this post on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/dont-clone-your-dog-or-cat.

CARBOHYDRATE, FIBER INFO ADDED TO PET FOOD LABELS

New labeling regulations for pet food went into effect on Jan. 1 with the approval of the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Manufacturers who adopt the rules will disclose products' total carbohydrate and dietary fiber content, comparable to the disclosures on human foods. (Full story: Veterinary Information Network, Nov. 30)

This initiative is long overdue and has been called for by veterinarians and informed pet owners for decades.

(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: I hope you all had a good holiday season, and I wish you all the best for this coming year.

It seems self-evident that modern “civilization” has become increasingly disconnected from nature -- from respect for, and protection of, the lives in the oceans, forests, mountains and grasslands of planet Earth. Otherwise, we would not be facing today's climate and extinction crises. I am deeply concerned that many Americans, and citizens of other countries, are supporting politicians who are evidently psychopathic, yet who are establishing new cultural norms in their voiced opposition to human rights and environmental protection.

Poor nations are receiving only a fraction of what they need to adapt to climate change, despite being promised the money by rich countries, which are most responsible for causing the problem.

The headline for a recent writeup on Nature.com says it all: "Low-income countries need 10-18 times more global funding than they are receiving to help them adapt to climate change." From the article:

“Studies show that for every $1 billion (U.S.) invested in coastal flood protection, you avoid $14 billion in damages,” says climate researcher Henry Neufeldt, the chief scientific editor of a new report from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). “We have floods, droughts, and heat waves all over the world and it’s just getting worse and worse. This newest data is a wake-up call.” (Full story: Nature.com, Nov. 6)

“There is already clear evidence that climate change is harming the health of people across the globe,” says Elizabeth Robinson, director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment in London. “Without much greater investment in adaptation, health impacts of climate change will only get worse.” (Full story: Nature.com, Oct. 9)

It is no secret that the rich keep getting richer, and that wealthy corporations and individuals are the major drivers of not only unbridled capitalism, but of social and environmental injustice. A report released in November puts startling numbers to these ideas. The report, co-produced by various scientists, the charity Oxfam and The Guardian, says that the world’s richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than do the poorest 66%. It also estimates that the emissions produced by the 1% in 2019 alone could have been sufficient to cause the heat-related deaths of 1.3 million people between 2020 and 2100.

“The super-rich are plundering and polluting the planet to the point of destruction and it is those who can least afford it who are paying the highest price,” says Chiara Liguori, a climate-justice adviser. These emissions come from extravagant superyachts, huge mansions, private jets and even spaceflights, as well as from less-flashy sources like investments in fossil-fuel companies.

With insufficient action on these issues, there will be more immigrants seeking refuge in more secure and affluent countries; more riots over food, fuel and water; more extensive suffering of livestock lacking feed, water and veterinary care; and an escalating extinction rate of indigenous wildlife species.

We must learn the lesson of the wolf and other predators, whose numbers are always far fewer than their prey. As evolving carnivorous apes living as gatherer-hunters for millennia, humans were few and often nomadic. But once we began to domesticate plants and animals and became more sedentary, our numbers began to escalate, now to over 8 billion. We now have rising poverty and famine and crime and ever more political and economic-environmental refugees.

Our rising population and consumption rates are unsustainable and are leading to the demise of wildlife and their habitats along with climate change, which we are now experiencing as it intensifies. We should be raising and consuming less meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, regardless of how profitable these items are for Big Ag and Big Pharma -- the latter of which produces and markets many vaccines and drugs to these food-animal industries that are not without risk to the environment and to consumers.

We must collectively achieve a complete phase-out of fossil fuels, reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. This will not be achieved without funding and development of alternative energy sources.

What is now called for is a new order: not of human domination, exploitation and consumption, but of responsible, empathic planetary CPR -- conservation, protection and restoration. Father Thomas Berry called this the "ecozoic era," where humans live in a mutually enhancing relationship with Earth and all creatures. In such a world, equal consideration will be given to the protection and rights of all species, plant and animal, under the global vision of One Health.

For more details, go to drfoxonehealth.com/post/one-earth-one-health-a-manifesto-for-action.

(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: Your statement in a recent column, "Time to give protection to natural predators -- especially wolves, grizzly bears and mountain lions/cougars," leads me to believe that you, your loved ones or people you know don’t work in the forest or live near these predators. This is such an ignorant statement due to the fact that these creatures kill people and target small children.

Introducing more of these beasts will only increase human death and destruction as more people venture into the forests for recreational activities. Cougars are already a threat in many residential areas. Do some research on grizzly bear attacks and cougars coming into people’s yards. -- J.L., Sedro-Woolley, Washington

DEAR J.L.: Your concerns about possible risks to people, especially children, living near the habitats of these predators -- whose ecological services keep these environments healthy -- are shared by many. The usual response after an “incident,” be it a fatality or not, is for the police or wildlife agents to kill the animal that was responsible. This is an understandable reaction, but should be avoided when the individual animal cannot be identified or is not a “repeat offender.”

According to Pounce Conservation, only 30 wolf attacks are on record for North America during the last 100 years, with five of them being fatal. Cougar attacks are also rare, occurring much less frequently than fatal snake bites, fatal lightning strikes or fatal bee stings. In the past 100 years, a total of 126 cougar attacks were documented in North America, 27 of which were fatal. As for grizzly bears, between 2020 and 2022, there were eight fatal grizzly bear attacks in North America.

The risks of large predators attacking humans -- often because their territories are being invaded or because they are hungry and/or defending their young -- can be minimized by leaving core areas of their habitats off-limits to all people except wildlife managers and scientists. Children and dogs should never be left unattended or allowed to roam free in these areas.

Expansion of housing developments close to, and even into, wildlife areas should be prohibited, along with agricultural activities and any ranches that use lethal methods of predator control. Nonlethal methods include the use of guard dogs, as promoted by the USDA. For details, visit projectcoyote.org and search "nonlethal solutions to reduce conflicts."

More people are harmed by deer colliding with their vehicles than by these large predators. For details about how wolves in Wisconsin have helped reduce the incidence of vehicular collisions with white-tailed deer, see instagram.com/reel/Ch7ohZgp5Qx.

Fewer than 100 hunters die yearly from firearm accidents, according to one analysis, along with some 300 to 500 annual deaths from tree-stand accidents in the United States (see legaljobs.io/blog/hunting-accident-statistics). These are far more than the deaths and injuries caused by large predators.

J.L. REPLIES: I just know there is real fear with people I know. One couple is afraid for their 3-year-old granddaughter, who runs in the woods between her house and theirs. I fear for my sons who hunt and work in the woods. I fear for strangers. And I fear for myself, if I go out in the forest.

As more creatures are introduced, and more people move in, there will be more attacks. That, we know. Field cameras are expensive, but can be used for awareness and safety. However, that only helps on private property.

DEAR J.L.: It is good to be fearful -- that is a natural state of heightened awareness where there is potential danger, be it any big city or an area where people are out hunting. Some hunters accidentally shoot each other!

Learning to be vigilant from an early age is enlightened education. I am shocked how parents allow their children to run and shout and scream when outdoors, along with people yelling to each other on mountain bikes. Vigilance in such places is called for, and being as silent as possible is respectful for the wild animals who live there.

HELP FOR DIABETIC CATS

The FDA has approved a medication for diabetic cats that is given orally, so that such cats can now be treated without the discomfort (for them) and difficulty (for their owners) of insulin injections. (Full story: vetmed.illinois.edu, Nov. 2)

This medication, Senvelgo, has great promise in alleviating this condition, which is especially common in cats fed high-carbohydrate kibble. Routinely feeding cats a good-quality canned cat food is one of the best preventives.

(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.)