The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: I read one of your articles after researching an experience I just had with my dog. Long story short, I had two older huskies who both died around Christmas, two weeks apart. The first one made it to the vet, but unfortunately passed there. With the second one, I was able to see the same signs and knew she was about to pass, so I had her do so in my arms at our home.

I monitored her every breath for five straight hours. At the very end, she took three spaced-out breaths and her lungs finally stopped, same as her heart. As I kept my hand over her chest to feel for any sign of a pulse, her body vibrated for almost four seconds. I could not believe what I was feeling.

I have researched as much as I can, but have you ever heard of a body vibrating after death? Did I feel her conscious energy or soul leave her body? Or was it a fluke medical thing? -- D.M., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR D.M.: What you experienced, I, too, have felt while holding animals who were on their way out. My interpretation is that this is the release of their bioelectrical energy. With our beloved cat Mr. Mark Twain, who had had a stroke, I held him for about four hours as he went in and out of consciousness. Then he had a three- to five-second seizure, his body convulsing, and I felt that energy being released and he was gone.

I theorize that this energy is what we call "spirit" or "vital force," and after death, it returns to the unified field that some call “heaven.”

One journalist friend told me that he saw a very clear ephemeral form of his dog’s body rise up when the dog died on the veterinarian’s surgical table after euthanasia. He said it seemed to evaporate, then was gone. Metaphysically, this has been termed the “etheric double.” The etheric body can be characterized as the life force also present in the plant kingdom, which maintains the physical body’s form until death. At that time, it separates, and the physical body reverts to natural disintegration.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I wonder if other readers, including veterinarians euthanizing animals, have ever sensed and felt similarly.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our sweet little mixed-breed Chihuahua, Bailey, was a word learner. He passed away in 2022 and it was like losing a child. We were retired when we adopted him, so he got a lot of attention.

We had to spell many words to keep him from knowing what we were saying: eat, out, treat, carrot, bed, ride, car and up, for a few. The cutest was that he knew our grandkids’ names. They are here almost every day, and Bailey learned, on his own, to go to the door at 3 p.m. and wait for them after school. If I mentioned their names at any time, he would bark and run to the door, looking for them. We miss him so very much.

After that, we adopted a little elderly Pekingese who was in hospice care. He was such a blessing to us, and we were able to have him for 6 months before he had to cross the bridge. He was mostly deaf, but within a couple of weeks, he came to learn my habits and motions -- like lying down on his bed at night when he saw me getting my bed ready. Dogs are such smart creatures. -- V.B., Cumberland, Maryland

DEAR V.B.: Many readers will enjoy what you have shared about your bright little Chihuahua. Not all dogs are so word-attentive. Still, those who do not or cannot learn many words shouldn't be looked down on, as your Pekingese made clear. We should appreciate all dogs, who have so many different talents -- and, in many ways, more virtues than we do.

A GREAT INITIATIVE TO HELP CATS AND PRISON INMATES

A bill introduced in Hawaii’s state senate would fund a pilot program allowing screened, trained inmates at the Women’s Correctional Center to foster cats from animal shelters until they can be adopted or returned to the shelter. If approved, the bill could reduce overcrowding in shelters and improve inmates’ well-being, supporters say. (Full story: KHON-TV Honolulu, Jan. 31)

(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: Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Koen Margodt have written a piece entitled "Essay on Factory Farms: Reasons For Adopting a Plant-Based Diet." Please read the description of the piece below:

"When Dr. Jane Goodall is asked what she thinks about animal factories, she responds with three words: 'Pain, Fear, Death.'

"In this essay, Goodall and Dr. Koen Margodt argue that factory farms are one of the worst ethical developments in human history. Animal factories are inherently cruel and create massive suffering for billions of animals, destroy the environment and even undermine our health. At the same time, this is, in principle, one of the easiest ethical issues to resolve, as we can and should shift towards a plant-based diet. One of the simplest ways of helping animals, the environment and humanity is shifting from factory-farmed animal products to a plant-based diet. (Goodall's and Margodt's) considered belief is that it is imperative that there be an end to factory farms, as all will benefit -- animals, people and the environment. We should work to relegate these places to where they belong -- the past.”

To read the essay, go to: thejanegoodallinstitute.com/essay-on-factory-farms:-reasons-for-adopting-a-plant-based-diet.

This is most encouraging advocacy by Dr. Goodall, famed for her chimpanzee and conservation work. She is in good company on this issue: As my late friend, Nobel laureate Konrad Lorenz, asserted years ago, “Factory farming for the purpose of financial gain is without doubt one of the darkest, most shameful chapters in human civilization.”

Another Nobel laureate, Isaac Bashevis Singer, wrote that “for animals, all people are Nazis; for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka."

Albert Einstein observed, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances of survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

Centuries before any of these, Leonardo da Vinci wrote, “The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men.”

As I see it, the escalating violence, terrorism and war in the world mirror the billions of animals who suffer and are killed daily -- along with the destruction and desecration of nature. If we treated all life as sacred, our mental and physical health would improve, along with the well-being of other creatures. Our collective lack of reverence for life creates wastelands of suffering and extinction, but we could choose to turn this around, restoring and protecting biodiversity, life and beauty on our planet.

URGENT NEED FOR RURAL VETERINARY SERVICES

On Feb. 1, The Hill published an opinion piece by AVMA President Dr. Rena Carlson, Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Rep. John Larson of Connecticut. The piece states that the ongoing shortage of livestock and public health veterinarians threatens the health and well-being of farm animals, as well as human health and the nation’s food supply. Educational debt discourages veterinarians from practicing in rural areas and in public health fields, where pay is comparatively low.

Congress could help ease the shortage by passing the bipartisan Rural Veterinary Workforce Act. This initiative is an ethical imperative so long as we continue to raise animals for food. Large factory farms in the U.S., the U.K. and other countries put small producers out of business, and in the process, impoverish rural community diversity and culture -- including support for rural veterinarians. (Full story: The Hill, Feb. 1)

THE BENEFITS OF CONSERVING LARGE PREDATORS

Narrated by actor Peter Coyote, a member of the Project Coyote Advisory Board, the brief documentary film “Ecosystem Allies: Large Carnivores and How They Benefit Us All” is both inspiring and informative. It can be accessed at: youtube.com/watch?v=Vfx19CgvfWc.

The film highlights the importance of wild carnivores for thriving ecosystems. This film will be a key component of national efforts to inspire new audiences to compassionately coexist with their wild neighbors.

(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: Thank you for your article about the effects of overconsumption on our environment and on all living beings. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to do more to reduce these negative impacts.

I knew that those of us in wealthier countries are primarily responsible for climate change, while those in poorer countries are suffering the most from it. However, I did not realize how terribly all-consuming the world’s ultra-rich are in proportion to the poorest. I knew it was bad, but the numbers were worse than I expected.

Thank you for sharing this information and reminding readers that our actions matter. Perhaps we do not have as much impact as the ultra-rich, but we can still strive to do better for the environment and all who live on this planet. -- A.H., Buchanan, Michigan

DEAR A.H.: I appreciate your words of support. Some readers feel these topics are not relevant to the types of pet-health issues they expect in an Animal Doctor column. But as a veterinarian with a holistic view, I see all things as being connected.

When we take care of the land, the land will take care of us. Supporting organic, humane, sustainable food production, and eating less (or no) meat and other animal products, does make a big difference in reducing our collective carbon footprint -- not to mention our contribution to animal suffering. Where there is no empathy, there is no humanity -- only the ignorant, self-limiting rule of profit-driven, pathological narcissism and anthropocentrism.

A BRILLIANT CONCEPT THAT SHOULD BE PUT INTO ACTION

The Regional Animal Protection Society, a Canadian nonprofit, is seeking signatures on a petition urging the Canadian government to make the costs of veterinary care tax-deductible, as has been done for (human) medical care. Doing so would be a step toward preventing “economic euthanasia,” or the euthanasia of pets due to an inability to afford veterinary care. It would also enable more people to enjoy the health benefits of pet ownership, says RAPS CEO Eyal Lichtmann. (Full story: Richmond News, British Columbia; Jan. 10)

CIGARETTE SMOKE A RISK FOR OUR ANIMALS

Scottish terriers exposed to cigarette smoke were six times as likely to develop bladder cancer as terriers with no or minimal cigarette smoke exposure over the course of three years, according to a study in the Veterinary Journal. Cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, was also detected in the urine of some nonsmokers’ dogs, suggesting that dogs can pick up nicotine compounds lingering on owners’ clothing from secondhand smoke exposure, said veterinarian Deborah Knapp, the lead investigator. (Full study: “Association between cigarette smoke exposure and urinary bladder cancer in Scottish terriers in a cohort study,” D.W. Knapp et al., published in The Veterinary Journal, November 2023)

This report should put all dog owners on alert because regardless of breed, some individual dogs may be at risk from tobacco smoke. It is notable that Scottish terriers are also especially prone to develop bladder cancer when they walk and urinate on herbicide-treated lawns.

RESCUED DOGS AID IN WILDLIFE RESCUE, CONSERVATION

Dogs are valuable allies in conservation efforts, writes Romane Cristescu, an Australian researcher who studies koalas, detection dogs, conservation genetics and ecology. Many dogs that had been abandoned have been adopted and trained for many conservation tasks: finding vulnerable or invasive animals and plants; protecting endangered animals, like some species of penguins, from predators; monitoring wind farms; detecting diseases; and serving as conservation ambassadors. (Full story: The Conversation, Jan. 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.)