DEAR READERS: Animals catching diseases from humans, called reverse zoonoses, affects species around the world. These include mussels contaminated with the hepatitis A virus; cheetahs that contract influenza A; tuberculosis being transmitted to Asian elephants; and the parasite Giardia duodenalis being passed on to African painted dogs. For details, see the study by Ali Messenger et al. entitled "Reverse zoonotic disease transmission (zooanthroponosis): a systematic review of seldom-documented human biological threats to animals," published in PLoS One in 2014.

Because of their evolutionary closeness to humans, great apes are especially vulnerable to our diseases. In a 2018 literature review, researchers documented 33 probable or confirmed disease transmission events from humans to chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Those events included deadly cases of measles, human metapneumovirus and the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. For details, see the study by Emily Dunay et al. entitled "Pathogen Transmission from Humans to Great Apes is a Growing Threat to Primate Conservation," published in Ecohealth in 2018.

Greater biosecurity is called for to prevent reverse zoonoses by people infected with potential pathogens, especially tourists entering wildlife habitats, potentially causing even more harm than poaching and agricultural encroachment.

INNOVATIVE VETERINARY CARE JOURNAL

I would like to advise readers who want to learn about holistic and integrative veterinary care, as well as conventional allopathic veterinarians, to subscribe to a publication called the Innovative Veterinary Care Journal. To do so, visit ivcjournal.com.

I have just finished reading the winter 2024 edition and was very encouraged to see topics such as: the evolution of veterinary social work; dealing with separation anxiety in dogs; minimizing stress in feline patients, and what their owners can do; correcting common gut health issues; and, most interestingly and eloquently detailed, a review of why it is important to consider fascia health.

"Go yoga!" as my mother would say (she taught it until the age of 96). Dog yoga is play, as it is for cats and so many animals, from bears to wolves, all of whom love to run, leap, climb and wrestle. Such activities that move and stimulate the fascia system prompt metabolic and endocrine processes that in turn release natural opiates, cannabinoids, endorphins and the bonding chemical oxytocin. These activities are also emotionally rewarding, and potentially beneficial to the immune system.

CLONING MONKEY BUSINESS

From Nature.com: "For the first time, a cloned rhesus monkey has lived into adulthood -- surviving for more than 2 years so far. ... It was achieved using a slightly different approach from the conventional technique that was used to clone Dolly the sheep and other mammals, including long-tailed macaques, the first primates to ever be cloned. ... The new technique could unlock possibilities for using cloned primates in drug testing and behavioral research."

"We could produce a large number of genetically uniform monkeys that can be used for drug-efficacy tests,” says neuroscientist Mu-ming Poo. (Full story: Nature.com, Jan. 16)

(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: Ever since the invention of the flush toilet, we humans have violated one of the basic rules of ecology: the proper recycling and treatment of fecal waste by composting/fermentation to destroy potential pathogens. Now, I also wonder about all the pharmaceuticals that could remain in our waste.

I am concerned about all the non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, especially from birth control pills, that are excreted in our feces and urine. It is notable that epidemiologists check sewage to assess the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus in the community. Every municipality must adopt the best technologies available to promote biosecurity when handling human waste in their sewage treatment and processing facilities.

Waste management is also problematic during prolonged droughts, while on the other end of the spectrum, flooding can put raw sewage into our streets -- not to mention into nearby lakes and rivers, and ultimately the oceans.

For details on these issues, see the studies below:

-- Roger Murray et al.: "The impact of municipal sewage sludge stabilization processes on the abundance, field persistence, and transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes to vegetables at harvest," Science of the Total Environment, 2019

-- Katarzyna Styszko, et al.: "The impact of sewage sludge processing on the safety of its use," Scientific Reports, 2022

My advice: Purchase only USDA organically certified foods. Methods like irradiation, sewage sludge and genetic engineering are all expressly prohibited when growing or processing organically certified foods. (See usda.gov/media/blog/2011/12/16/organic-101-what-organic-farming-and-processing-doesnt-allow.)

DEAR DR. FOX: Our beloved 5-year-old cat died suddenly. It happened just two days after we set up a litter box enclosure/furniture piece, which we later learned was from China.

He was a perfectly happy, playful cat when we set up the enclosure. The next evening, he was vomiting and not eating. He was lethargic and didn’t want to play.

That next morning, we took him to the vet and he had no fever; his heart was fine; no hairballs; and his blood work came back almost all normal. He was diagnosed with FIV, though. They gave him multivitamins, plus medicine for vomit control and immune support.

The next morning, he died in my arms as we rushed to the vet office. His last act was to projectile vomit, making a terrible sound. And then he passed away. Please help us understand what happened.

Looking at articles online, I am now highly suspicious of the cat furniture from China. Please tell us what you think. If it is the furniture, we would like to save other animals from this horrible experience! -- K.K.M., Silver Spring, Florida

DEAR K.K.M.: I am saddened to hear about the sudden death of your cat. The diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency virus may be one factor, but from what I have found online, your cat’s immune system could have been compromised by chemicals used on the imported furniture.

One potential toxin is methyl bromide, used as a fumigant. Chronic exposure to this could harm the thyroid gland.

This post from furniture company Dapwood -- dapwood.com/beware-of-imported-products -- makes me suspect that your cat was indeed exposed to a toxin in treated, imported furniture from China.

From dapwood.com: “With international shipping a mainstay in our global economy, ever wonder how America keeps foreign insects, rodents and fungi at bay? So did we. What we found is both fascinating and disturbing. It was fascinating to uncover a side of the importation business that is very rarely discussed in America today. It was disturbing in the simple fact that to kill potential pests, many toxic methods are used and are accepted as a silent, necessary evil. Try to ask a retailer about a particular chair, and what method was used to eradicate pests that may have tried to hitch a ride across the seas. Chances are you will get a very confused expression. Since this information is just part of the import process, it is never shared with consumers.”

Further info from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the importation of wood and wood products. APHIS requires wood and wood products to undergo certain phytosanitary procedures prior to importation in order to eliminate the risk of introducing non-native pests and diseases into the United States.

"There are two treatment options for wood and wood products. Heat treatment involves the use of a kiln dryer or dry heat, such as a microwave energy dryer. Chemical treatment involves the use of a surface pesticide, preservative, or methyl bromide fumigation.”

K.K.M. REPLIES: So good of you to answer. We are deeply mourning our sweet cat. Thinking we were adding something special to our house, and instead causing our cat to die, is a ghastly feeling.

We bought the furniture piece off Amazon. The furniture was under the name Petsite, but elsewhere, the company was listed as Petjoy. I have notified Amazon, and the customer service rep said that the item would be taken off the market.

I talked with our vet, and he said our cat died of toxicity. He is going to warn his other clients.

What else can we do to prevent this from happening to others?

DR. FOX RESPONDS: Only buy products with a “Made in America” label. Do not be tricked by verbiage such as "Distributed by (some American company)," when the item was actually manufactured elsewhere.

(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.)

About one-third of all food produced globally is going to waste, an absurd situation in the face of growing world hunger, related in large part to defective supply chains and storage -- and now aggravated by climate change and associated floods and droughts. It is encouraging that the issue of industrial agriculture’s contribution to climate change and the need to adopt sustainable and humane systems of food production were addressed at the recent international summit conference in Dubai. For details, go to "4 Key Takeaways for Food Systems From the COP28 Climate Summit" (sentientmedia.org).

Producing meat from farmed animals is a major contributing factor to climate change and loss of wildlife habitat to grow feed, especially corn and soybeans, and expanded grazing. But even this sector of the food industry there is massive, documented waste. Each year, an estimated 18 billion chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats and cows either die or are killed without making it onto someone's plate because of diseases and spoilage. That equals 52.4 million tons of bone-free, edible meat, roughly one-sixth of all the meat produced globally. For details, see Juliane Klaura et al, "Animal lives embodied in food loss and waste," Sustainable Production and Consumption (2023).

Some of this condemned meat goes into pet foods or is recycled, and not without risk, into livestock feed. It is self-evident that this sector of the food industry needs to be reformed, and nonvegan consumers must support locally produced, ideally organically fed and humanely raised farmed animal products as per the Animal Welfare Certified label under CertifiedGAP.org. A few pet food companies like Halo, The Honest Kitchen and Earth Animal show this certification on their products.

TYSON FOODS AND PROTIX CO. TEAMING UP ON INSECT LARVA FOOD SUPPLEMENT

Tyson Foods is collaborating with Protix, a company developing insect ingredients for pet food and livestock feed, on a multiyear project to integrate sustainable protein in products. Tyson will invest in a U.S. facility to scale up production, which will produce three to four times the larvae Protix currently produces in its Dutch facility.

Protix makes insect-based ingredients for healthy and sustainable pet food, aquaculture, livestock feed and organic fertilizer. With breeding, rearing and processing under one roof, the company has complete control of the production chain. The company is on a mission to create low-footprint ingredients that solve major issues in the current food system. Protix contributes to a circular food chain by using waste from the food industry as feed for the black soldier fly.

FREE GUIDE HELPS PET OWNERS BE READY FOR EMERGENCIES

The AVMA has published an updated version of the popular disaster preparedness guide that helps pet owners be ready to safeguard their companion animals in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Save the Whole Family: Disaster Preparedness for Households with Pets is a free, downloadable booklet filled with tips, checklists and important information for companion animal owners. Visit the AVMA@Work blog to learn more about AVMA's updated disaster preparedness guide.

(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.)