DEAR READERS: We are facing a serious health issue of dysbiosis: the disruption of beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms in our soil and our bodies.

One tablespoon of healthy soil contains more microorganisms than the entire human population of Earth. Unfortunately, the focus on monoculture commodity crops, especially corn and soy, has essentially killed the microorganisms in the soil with pesticides in many places. These farmers and agriculture companies now must rely on chemical fertilizers and animal manure, which do not provide proper nutrients for these and other food crops.

Healthy soils are being restored with regenerative and organic agricultural practices. Such soils are better retainers of water and a defense against flooding, and serve as a “carbon sink” to reduce climate change. Fungi, which are neither plants nor animals, play many crucial roles in healthy soils. They provide nutrients for crops via their mycorrhiza connectivity and act as decomposers, decontaminators, recyclers, soil-makers and plant healers.

Crops from improved soils are also more nutritious. Good nutrition supports a strong immune system and a healthy, diverse gut microbiome. A healthy microbiome would include some species of bacteria that produce precursors of oxytocin -- the “bonding” and metabolism-regulating hormone. Higher oxytocin levels in the populace could theoretically increase the overall sense of well-being and decrease depression and aggression.

On the other hand, there is mounting evidence that some antiparasitic drugs and herbicide residues, such as glyphosate, in food can disrupt the gut microbiome, deplete oxytocin levels and cause behavioral and health problems, including sudden aggression in dogs. (For details, see this post on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/antiparasitic-products-and-the-gut-microbiome.)

Dogs who have various health issues can benefit from microbiome restorative therapy, as pioneered by Massachusetts veterinarian Dr. Margo Roman, who was one of the first to make the oxytocin-gut connection in her animal patients.

DEAR DR. FOX: I stumbled upon your website today when I was researching the adverse effects of the chemicals found in the Seresto collar. I was looking into this after the sudden death of my 5-year-old cocker spaniel from adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

He was raw-fed and I was very conscious of household chemicals, etc. I had no idea how dangerous this collar was, and am devastated to think I am responsible for his death by using this awful product. I am based in the U.K. and vets here push all of these toxic flea and tick medications, saying they are totally safe -- when clearly, they are not! -- D.A., Salisbury, Wiltshire, U.K.

DEAR D.A.: It is a challenge to separate all the factors, including genetic and environmental variables, that can trigger certain forms of cancer in dogs (as well as in humans). According to one review, stomach inflammation and ulceration leading to stomach cancer in dogs was associated with the presence of some species of Helicobacter bacteria. What role your dog's raw-food diet played, if any, is an open question. Some raw ingredients could trigger gastric inflammation.

Whatever the case, you should not blame yourself for your dog’s early mortality. My condolences go out to you for all your shock and grief, as well as the suffering your dog experienced.

I wish veterinarians would follow what I advocate when it comes to all such pest-control products: the precautionary principle. The medical oath “First, do no harm” (primum non nocere) should be honored and practiced by human physicians and veterinarians alike.

(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: Re: Catan dog tag. Is there any possibility that this tag would work as a flea and tick repellent? Thank you for your wonderful support for the healthiest ways to take care of our pets. -- J.W., Naples, Florida

DEAR J.W.: Rather than putting insecticides on cats or even giving them orally, which can put cats’ health at risk, try adding 250 mg of nutritional yeast to cats’ daily diet, along with 500 mg of fish oil or marine algae, and spritzing them with 1 part eucalyptus lemon and 100 parts water around the ears, neck and along the back. The same preventives can be given to dogs (500 mg nutritional yeast and 1,000 mg fish oil for a 40-pound dog), and all should be carefully inspected around the ears and between the toes after being outdoors where there is vegetation.

I have looked at the Catan magnetic tag instructions for use and found them rather confusing and wonder if any readers have had success with them on their dogs and cats. I would like to know and share in a future column.

It is notable that there is no published scientific study of the use of magnets for repelling insects, but there is clear clinical evidence published in peer-reviewed human medical and veterinary journals that specially designed magnets can alleviate osteoarthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

PETS HELP TRUCKERS COPE WITH LONG-DISTANCE HAULS

About half the truckers responding to a survey last year said they bring their pets along, which nurse-researcher Mona Shattell says can help truckers overcome loneliness and boost their mental health. Trucking with pets can also help truckers get much-needed exercise, but getting veterinary care on the road is among the challenges, truckers say. (Full story: FreightWaves, June 12)

FATHER’S DIET CAN AFFECT SONS’ HEALTH

A father’s sperm records his diet, which affects his sons’ metabolism -- in both mice and in humans. The male offspring of mice that ate high-fat foods were more likely to have problems such as glucose intolerance, a characteristic of diabetes. And the sons of human dads with a high body-mass index had similar problems, according to an analysis of more than 3,000 children. In mice, an unhealthy diet changed certain types of sperm RNA, which could alter the offspring’s epigenome -- the collection of chemical tags hanging from DNA and its associated proteins. (See Tomar, A., et al. Epigenetic inheritance of diet-induced and sperm-borne mitochondrial RNAs. Nature 630, 720–727. 2024.)

(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.)

It is difficult to tell farmers what to do when it comes to environmental and wildlife protection and more humane treatment of animals raised for food when they are driven by profit margins and know how to farm the government for subsidies and price supports. According to one survey, “Total covered cropland declined nearly 10 million acres or -4% between 2012 and 2022. The decline was slower between 2017 and 2022 (-3%). Total covered cropland includes land in cover crops, winter wheat, and forages as well as cropland in CRP and pasture and grazing land that can be cropped without additional improvement.” (Zulauf, C., G.et al. "Cover Crops and Covered Cropland, 2022 US Census of Agriculture." farmdoc daily (14):37, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Feb. 22, 2024.)

Cover crops help prevent soil erosion and loss of nutrients and enhance carbon sequestration. No agricultural land should be left bare. Only 3% of farmed acres in Minnesota, used mainly to produce corn and soy, have any protective winter cover crop such as winter rye. I wish Cargill and Forever Green success in developing the over-winter cover crop of oil seed camelina that could be highly profitable and protect the precious soil.

Another harm that is evident in the decline in monarch butterflies and other insects, along with birds and other wildlife that depend on insects as a food source, results from the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops that are resistant to Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide treatment and produce their own insecticide called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). Now, a new study links monarch butterfly and other insect and bird declines with the widespread treatment of corn and soybean seeds with neonicotinoids in the Midwest that are absorbed into plant tissues. (See Van Deynze, B. et al (2024) "Insecticides, more than herbicides, land use, and climate, are associated with declines in butterfly species richness and abundance in the American Midwest," PLOS ONE 19(6): e0304319.)

Ninety percent of corn grown in the United States and over 80% of soy crop is fed to farmed animals. Much of these crops are exported to China and other countries to feed factory farmed animals that are a potential source of pandemics, such as the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus now decimating wild bird and land and sea mammals around the world.

With climate change-related floods and droughts reducing crop yields and causing food shortages and rising market prices globally, feeding people first rather than using land to produce crops for farmed animal feed, regardless of the dubious promises of developing genetically engineered flood-, salt- and drought-resistant feed crops, would be prudent.

Recent floods in many states have led to factory farm waste/manure holding lagoons overflowing, causing extensive pollution of surface and ground waters, fish kills, and risks to public health from excess nitrates and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Climate change also brings unprecedented heat that stresses these confined animals or suffocates them during power outages. Their suffering is compounded when ventilation is turned off to kill them when they have diseases such as avian influenza, extermination being the accepted means of disease control -- which would not be needed if animal factory farms were phased out.

Wealthier countries need to consume less meat to tackle climate change -- and one nationwide experiment in Denmark to encourage plant-based diets may show a way forward. (See article by Sanne Wass: How Denmark Is Nudging the Nation To Cut Back on Meat; Bloomberg, June 26.) Big Pharma that makes billions from antibiotic, vaccine and production-enhancing drug sales for factory farmed animals will protest and lobby against any reductions.

In a world full of unrest, fears are mounting about access to our most vital resources -- food and water. "The Grab" is a documentary that chronicles the way certain governments are attempting to control these global resources. The journalist and director behind the film, Nate Halverson and Gabriela Cowperthwaite, join the show to discuss whether the fight over our most precious commodities could lead to geopolitical conflict. For example, Smithfield Foods was recently purchased by China, making China the owner of 1 in 4 pigs in the U.S. The largest dairy company in the Middle East purchased 15 square miles in Arizona and is pumping water to grow hay that is sent to feed dairy cows back in Middle East; being in an unrestricted part of Arizona, there is no restriction on water abstraction even though nearby domestic wells may run dry. (See video documentary: youtube.com/watch?v=ppwlFwcL4iY.)

Consumers can join the farm-with-less-harm movement by purchasing produce and prepared foods (including some pet foods) that carry the logos USDA Organically Certified, GMO Free and Animal Welfare Certified. Country of origin should also be indicated. For environmental, biodiversity conservation, economic and health reasons, millions of consumers in many countries are now opting for vegetarian and vegan diets, and healthful vegan pet foods are now available for companion animals.

BLOCKING ALTERNATIVE (AND HUMANE) CULTIVATED MEAT PRODUCTION

A Republican congressman recently proposed a bill that would ban the use of federal funds in various areas related to cultured meat. Eight Republican colleagues cosponsored Rep. Warren Davidson’s (R-Ohio) REAL Meat Act of 2024. “Fake cell-cultured meat not only poses a health risk to the human body, but it also threatens the livelihoods of America’s hard-working ranchers, livestock farmers and butchers,” Davidson said after the bill was introduced. “Recently, laws prohibiting lab-grown meat have been passed in states like Florida and Alabama. Congress must act to ensure U.S. taxpayers are not footing the bill for this inferior, experimental product.”

I know of no documentation of any such health risks, but they are well-documented with conventional animal products. Cultured meats could provide greater consumer safety and significantly less negative environmental contribution to climate change -- and animal suffering.

U.K. CULTIVATED MEAT CAT FOOD COMING TO U.S.

A U.K. company plans to bring the first cultivated-meat cat food to the U.S. this year through an R&D partnership with a manufacturer in the U.S., where regulatory tests also remain, says Owen Ensor, co-founder and CEO of Meatly, which sells 5-ounce cans in the U.K. for about $1.25. Some big pet-food companies see a market opportunity in lab-grown meat, while others are skeptical, and Meatly's goal is to end pet food's reliance on farmed animals and decrease its effect on the environment. (Full story: The Daily Beast, June 29)

(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.)