DEAR READERS: Perhaps some geologists, climatologists and other environmental scientists can explain why there are so many catastrophic weather events around the world. I theorize that an increase in ocean volume, and a corresponding increase in pressure on deep-ocean tectonic plates, is accelerating the rate and intensity of tectonic plate shifts and collisions. This results in more volcanic activity, both deep-ocean and land-based. (For details, see: ocean.si.edu/planet-ocean/seafloor/how-ocean-floor-helped-seal-deal-plate-tectonics.)

The melting of polar and glacial ice is increasing ocean volume, while ocean temperature is rising and acidifying due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The latter, along with nitrous oxide, methane (from oil and gas wells) and melting permafrost, is warming the global environment. Warmer oceans provide energy for tornadoes and typhoons.

In a 2020 interview, Stanford earth science professor Rob Jackson said that "nitrous oxide has also become the greatest human-related threat to the ozone layer that shields Earth against harmful ultraviolet radiation. ... (Nitrous oxide) emissions are rising fastest in emerging economies where both crop production and livestock numbers are increasing. In Brazil, for example, nitrogen fertilizer use has jumped by half since 2005. ... In the United States, as in China and India, emissions from synthetic fertilizers play a bigger role." (To read the full interview, visit: news.stanford.edu/2020/10/07/laughing-gas-growing-climate-problem.)

Deforestation and mega-wildfires are reducing the carbon-sequestering, carbon-dioxide-reducing contribution of plant life to planetary health. In addition, there is growing concern about the ocean current system called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which is a "conveyor belt" of currents. The AMOC moves different levels of warm water and salt around the Earth, helps regulate Earth’s temperature, absorbs carbon dioxide and fuels the water cycle. There is concern that this crucial system may soon collapse, which could put large parts of Europe in a deep freeze. Disruptions in the seasonal patterns of the jet stream may also lead to more frequent and extreme climatic events.

I also believe some of the weather extremes we are seeing are caused by geoengineering. I was skeptical about this for many years, but recently watched a compelling documentary on the topic. It is called "The Dimming," and is available to view at youtube.com/watch?v=rf78rEAJvhY. The film includes interviews with scientists, wildlife officials and other experts, and presents data about "weather warfare," covert bioweapons, microwave transmissions, aluminum nanoparticles and more.

The complexities of the climate crisis are considerable, and some of the consequences of human-caused global warming are irreversible. The best we can do is to strive to reduce our carbon footprint by how we live and what we consume, and to support all those involved in planetary CPR -- the conservation, protection and restoration of nature.

HUMANE, ECO-FRIENDLY FERMENTED PROTEIN IN PET FOODS

From Vegconomist, the vegan business magazine:

“Colorado-based fermented protein producer Bond Pet Foods has reached a significant milestone in its partnership with global pet food manufacturer Hill’s Pet Nutrition. The company has officially shipped its first two metric tons of animal protein produced via fermentation, enabling Hill’s to begin formulating prototypes for regulatory review and market assessment.

"Bond Pet Foods’ proprietary protein ingredient is made specifically for applications in pet food, using a similar process to brewing beer. The fermented proteins mirror the nutritional profile of conventional meat but without the environmental drawbacks. The collaboration between the two companies was originally initiated in late 2021 to develop an alternative to one of Hill’s most-used meat proteins.”

In its own news release, Bond Pet Foods states: “Employing similar processes to those used in craft brewing, we’re able to harvest the same, nature-identical chicken, turkey, beef and other high-value proteins that can serve as the foundation of pet food recipes, with significantly less resources and carbon intensity -- and without harming other animals.”

Precision fermentation is sustainable and proven: Many companies have been using it for decades. As a technology, it is progressing faster than cultivated meat (the growing of meat from cells). Most notably, it is a cruelty-free way of creating animal protein.

DEAR DR. FOX: Your recent column about chewing's effect on dogs' memory function was interesting because the same thing has been observed in humans: psychologistworld.com/memory/chewing-gum. -- B.C.S., Nassau, Bahamas

DEAR B.C.S.: Many thanks for this reference, which shows we are more like our dogs than we are different. I enjoy chewing gum -- it seems to help me focus, and certainly keeps my gums healthy!

(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: 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.)