DEAR DR. FOX: Do you know about the American think tank Rethink Priorities? They research and investigate animal and environmental issues worldwide. Such a good resource. -- D.K., Minneapolis

DEAR D.K.: Yes, indeed, Rethink Priorities covers many serious issues. Readers will be interested in their extensive coverage of animal issues needing immediate attention. For details, go to rethinkpriorities.org/animal-welfare.

The group is focusing, currently, on the stressful and inhumane conditions under which some 230 billion shrimp are being raised in several countries. There is currently no protective legislation for these and other farmed, decapod crustaceans, despite advances in our understanding of the behavioral needs and sentience of these creatures.

VEGAN DOG FOODS HIGHLY DIGESTIBLE

In an experiment last year, researchers tested two mildly cooked human-grade vegan dog foods from the Bramble company. Ingredients included organic pea protein, lentils, whole peas and garbanzo beans as primary protein sources.

Both formulations were found to be highly digestible for dogs, advancing the market potential of feeding dogs less (or no) farmed animal produce. This will also help reduce the suffering of factory-farmed animals and lessen the contribution of this industry to climate change and loss of biodiversity.

For details, see the report by Leah J. Roberts et al., "Amino acid digestibility and nitrogen-corrected ...", published in Translational Animal Science in 2023.

In a 2022 public poll in the U.K., vegans and vegetarians were less likely to say they would eat cultivated meat (16.4%) than meat-eating respondents (40.3%). However, among vegans and vegetarians who would not consume cultivated meat themselves, 55.9% indicated that they would still feed it to their pets.

For details, see the report by Alice Oven et al., "Investigating the market for cultivated meat as pet food," published in PLOS ONE in 2022.

COMPANIONSHIP REDUCES STRESS ON DOGS IN SHELTERS

Matching dogs in shelters with compatible canine companions reduces stress on the dogs and may result in quicker adoptions compared with dogs kenneled alone, according to a recent study. Dogs housed with matched companions exhibited fewer stress behaviors such as lip-licking and whining. Their urinary cortisol and creatinine levels were lower than those of solo dogs, and they were adopted an average of four days sooner.

For details, see the report by Grace Hecker et al., "Effects of single- or pair-housing on the welfare of shelter dogs: Behavioral and physiological indicators," published in PLOS ONE in June.

All animal shelter managers should consider these findings, for which I advocated several years ago when I helped Pro Animale, an animal rescue organization in Germany, fight a government mandate that all dogs must be kept in separate enclosures. They won their case for group housing of compatible canines.

(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: The group Earthday.org has released a new report regarding the effects of exposure to plastics on our pets. The "Pets Vs. Plastics" report examines the risks posed by pet toys, foods and packaging.

One section of the report -- entitled “So What is Your Pet Actually Chewing On?” -- states: “Polyvinyl Chloride is a hard form of plastic which is most commonly called ‘vinyl.’ It’s too hard for dogs to chew and could potentially even damage their teeth, so toxic chemicals known as phthalates, often referred to as plasticizers, are added to PVC pet toys to make them softer, flexible and essentially more chewy. The issue is that when your dog or cat chews on a toy made from this plastic cocktail, the phthalates leach out of the toy and can be absorbed through our pets’ gums and skin.”

Phthalates have been linked to cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, infertility, abnormal genitalia, asthma and other health problems. For details, go to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587442.

For the kind of safe, plant-based dog chews that I give to my dog and to my friends with dogs, go to earthanimal.com.

DEAR DR. FOX: My cats are not allowed outside (not safe). I personally have found that Avon Skin So Soft bath oil keeps ticks off me; is it safe to use sparingly on my cats? I am reluctant to use chemicals or even Heartgard. -- K.B., Wallingford, Connecticut

DEAR K.B.: Yes, Skin So Soft bath oil has long been touted as a good insect repellent for humans -- by consumers, not by the company. (For details on how it fared in tests, search for the product name on ConsumerReports.org.) Either way, I would not advise putting it on your cats, since they will ingest it when they groom themselves and each other.

I am glad that you do not let them out, both for their own safety and to protect the birds and small mammals in your area. Going outdoors can also lead to cats picking up fleas, ticks, feline diseases from infected cats, and rabies from infected skunks and other wildlife.

Your cats should need no anti-parasite medications since they are kept indoors. Be sure all porch and window screens are secure to keep out mosquitoes and other biting insects.

Anti-parasitic medications for cats can have adverse consequences because cats, unlike dogs, lack the liver enzymes to detoxify these drugs. Instead, try Bragg’s nutritional yeast: Over several decades, there has been significant evidence showing that mixing a quarter teaspoon of nutritional yeast (NOT baking yeast!) to cats’ wet food helps repel biting insects. Use just a pinch when starting out, then gradually increase.

MINNESOTA URGES PET, LIVESTOCK OWNERS TO UPDATE RABIES VACCINES

Health officials in Minnesota are urging owners of pets, horses and cattle to ensure their animals’ rabies vaccinations are current. So far this year, rabies has been documented in 14 bats, 12 skunks, six cattle and a cat, and 17 people in the state have undergone preventive treatment after being bitten by or exposed to saliva from an infected animal. (Full story: Duluth [Minnesota] News Tribune, July 31)

This is a warning to people in all states, especially those living near wildlife, to be sure that their animals have anti-rabies vaccinations and to never let their dogs and cats roam free.

PARVOVIRUS INFECTING DOGS CAN BE PREVENTED

Kentucky has the fifth-highest number of documented canine parvovirus cases in the nation, and the virus is spreading quickly across the state. The highly contagious virus lingers in fecal matter and soil, and can cling to clothing and kennel surfaces. Prevention is key: Parvovirus vaccines are effective. A vaccination campaign in Warren County has kept the number of cases there below a dozen in the past several months, says Brandon Taylor, operations manager for the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society. (Full story: WBKO-TV, Bowling Green, Kentucky, July 31)

This news item is a red flag for all dog owners, especially those who have recently obtained a puppy. Parvovirus is a terrible disease -- costly to treat and often fatal. So be sure your canine companions are protected with a vaccination.

(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: Please see this excerpt from an October release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, entitled “Technical Report: September 2023 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses.” It contains data collected by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which is part of the USDA.

“In the United States, from May 2022 through September 22, 2023, USDA APHIS reported HPAI A(H5N1) virus detections in 200 mammals comprising 20 different species in 26 states or territories. Globally, sporadic HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections have been reported in farmed mink in Spain and farmed foxes and other mammals in Finland, harbor and gray seals in the United States, sea lions in Peru, Argentina, and Chile, and in many other wild mammal species in several countries, including domesticated pets such as cats in Poland, France, South Korea, and the United States, and dogs in Italy. The reports of HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections in mammals are not surprising given the widespread outbreaks of HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections in wild birds worldwide.”

The full article is available at cdc.gov/bird-flu/php/technical-report/h5n1-100523.html.

Readers wanting more details can read this excellent article by Jonathan Runstadler and Wendy Puryear: “The virus is out of the barn: The emergence of HPAI as a pathogen of avian and mammalian wildlife around the globe,” published in The American Journal of Veterinary Research in May (doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.24.01.0018).

According to my records and estimates, the number of mammals being infected with this virus is in the thousands. And the more hosts the virus infects, the greater the possibility of spillover into the human population.

DEAR DR. FOX: I want to draw your attention to an article by Erin Adler -- “Feral cats and the fix too far” -- which ran in the Star Tribune in July. It reports that because of rising costs, the Animal Humane Society (AHA) is charging $75 to sterilize all cats considered unadoptable before releasing them to the neighborhoods where they were caught under their “community cat” TNR (trap, neuter, release) program.

Other rescue organizations are facing similar financial issues, especially since the “number of stray or abandoned cats has already skyrocketed in recent years because people can’t afford them or don’t want them post-pandemic,” Adler writes.

What solutions do you have to offer? You have written a lot about TNR, questioning the claim that it helps reduce feral cat numbers. It seems evident to me that the situation will get worse with more sick and injured cats out there, and more cats killing birds and other wildlife. -- J.L., Minneapolis

DEAR J.L.: I have read this article, noting in earlier reports that the AHA releases hundreds of purportedly unadoptable cats into surrounding communities to survive on their own. My late wife and I rescued and rehomed several such cats.

Many shelters across the U.S. are full to capacity as people surrender their cats and dogs because of rising care costs and/or housing restrictions. And with the shelters full, some people are simply letting their cats go free to fend for themselves. This is a tragedy indeed, meaning more animal suffering: a slow death for many cats, more decimation of wildlife, and increased risks to public health from the diseases cats can carry.

Charging people who bring in cats they have saved from the outdoors is likely to backfire, becoming a financial deterrent for would-be animal rescuers when the word gets out that this good deed comes with a price. This is a sad reflection of the rising costs of operating animal shelters, which all communities should support.

Aside from the problem of rising inflation, there is the thorny ideology of “no kill” shelters, which does not face the real necessity of having to euthanize otherwise healthy animals when there are too many of them and too few responsible adopters. I see this as a moral dilemma and an emotional burden on those involved in humane euthanasia.

It is much like the abortion rights issue. As an advocate of the ethic of reverence for all life, I see the pro-life ideology as causing more harm than good when not cast in the broader perspective of One Health and Welfare, which is the complex subject of my next book. In essence, the quality of life and consequences for all involved must be considered.

In sum, cat TNR should be prohibited, since only under exceptional circumstances has any significant reduction in free-roaming cats been accomplished. And women’s reproductive rights should be protected -- not undermined by patriarchy and by misguided, albeit well-intended, forces.

(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.)