DEAR READERS: With the precipitous global decline in wildlife and biodiversity, the hearts of some are hardening with indifference, while others are breaking. The plights of political, economic and environmental refugees grow more dire each day. Many of these peoples are victims of past colonial exploitation, combined with current wars and oppression -- all compounded by the ravages of climate change-driven floods and droughts and consequential famine and disease.

In more affluent countries, rising infertility levels and declining birth rates make the acceptance of immigrants a socioeconomically enlightened decision, in addition to a compassionate one. A leader who understood this was labor organizer and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who helped many immigrant workers.

Many years ago, I had the honor of sharing a podium with Chavez at a public forum in San Francisco on animal and human rights, and was impressed by his humility, wisdom and passion. This world would be a better place with more leaders like him.

Chavez often spoke about the need to protect animals, and he lived a vegetarian lifestyle due to his deep compassion for them. In a famous statement on the subject, he said: “Kindness and compassion toward all living things is a mark of a civilized society. Conversely, cruelty, whether it is directed against human beings or against animals, is not the exclusive province of any one culture or community of people. Racism, economic deprival, dogfighting, cock-fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves.”

Now, after decades of experts warning governments about the looming climate crisis, the more affluent countries are facing the devastating impact of an unsustainable, extractive, polluting, fossil-fuel-based economy. The estimated cost to people in the southeastern United States from damage caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton is more than $50 billion.

The only hope is in the implementation of alternative energy sources, such as solar and geothermal, and in forging a global, sustainable, circular economy. As John Donne declared, “Nature is the common law by which God governs us,” and our current path -- unbridled capitalism, corruption, and corporate and militaristic imperialism -- violates this common law. It is ultimately nihilistic.

Is it not ironic that rich nations and corporations are sending costly, polluting rockets into space to find evidence of life in our solar system, and for billionaires to enjoy brief spacewalk thrills, while not taking care of life on Earth? As Albert Schweitzer famously wrote: “Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 2-year-old dachshund who loves to sit up and beg constantly. I’ve been told that this posture is detrimental to her back and that she should never do it. She is also not supposed to jump on or off the couch.

Is there a supplement to give her to strengthen her back, or an exercise that might help, like going up and down steps? Maybe a particular food that could help her? -- D.H., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR D.H.: This is a lamentable habit in this spirited but deformed breed, many of which end up in a sling/walker or having costly spinal surgery. Selectively breeding dachshunds with shorter backs is long overdue.

It is imperative to not let dachshunds become overweight, and to prevent them from negotiating steep stairs and high jumps off of beds and furniture. Regular exercise, including swimming, to build up strong muscles when young is essential. Short bursts of running and playing should be preceded by a brisk walk or a slow jog on-leash.

My massage therapy book “The Healing Touch for Dogs” has helped dogs with a variety of such conditions. Supplements, such as Cosequin for dogs and Nordic Naturals’ marine algae, can also help. Shockwave therapy (also known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy) is a noninvasive treatment that can help with back pain in dogs; other veterinarians use laser therapy or acupuncture. Consult with your regular veterinarian regarding the best approach for your dog.

In the interim, get a chest harness with a handle so you can give your dog some support while walking. Some mild physical activity is important to help maintain muscle tone.

(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: This is another excerpt from my work-in-progress book, “PAN: People, Animals and Nature -- Restoring Our Sacred Connections.”

We have been at war -- with our own kind, with other species and with starvation and disease -- since the beginning of our presence and multiplication on planet Earth. The ultimate war is within ourselves, as we are fearful of breaking out of the chrysalis of selfishness and anthropocentrism.

The first step toward peace is to break out and emerge as a fully mature imago: an empathic, intelligent and beautiful life-form. Such a compassionate life-form is mindful of the life within and the lives around, preventing famine, pestilence and pandemics, and dedicated to planetary CPR: the conservation, protection and restoration of clean air and water, endangered plant and animal species and biodiversity. This calls for several actions, including a swift reduction in the consumption of produce from factory-farmed animals. The land used to feed these billions of animals is taken from the last of the wild, spurring species extinctions and climate change.

Through Nature, and what some call the Creator or God, we learn about wholeness, interdependence and mutual symbiosis; how different beings help each other, like the bees that pollinate flowers and the mushrooms that feed trees. A deep understanding of, and respect for, these laws of nature form the ethical basis of a truly humane and self-sufficient society, culture and world community. Otherwise, the world will be neither just, with respect to other living beings, nor viable in the long term.

Any creature that has the power and stupidity to harm other beings and destroy its environment will bring injustice and violence upon its own kind and ultimately destroy itself.

INSIDE THE WORLD OF WILDLIFE-KILLING CONTESTS

Millions of dollars have been doled out in wildlife-killing competitions across the United States, in which hundreds of animals -- gray and red foxes, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons and other wildlife -- are shot for prizes and “entertainment.”

These carnivores play a major role in public health by keeping rodent populations under control. Small rodents in Texas can carry several diseases transmissible to humans, including hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, murine typhus, plague, Lyme disease and rat-bite fever. It is therefore in the public interest to prohibit these killing contests, as well as the currently licensed shooting and trapping of small carnivores across the U.S.

Find out how you can help stop this depraved “sport,” which I regard as psychopathic, by going to projectcoyote.org. And see the Rolling Stone article by Britta Lokting that brought me to my knees here: rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/wildlife-predator-killing-contests-1235128129.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just read your column about fruits and vegetables for dogs and cats in my local paper. I was alarmed and astonished to discover you failed to warn your readers about the extreme dangers posed to dogs from eating grapes. Your column could have been an opportunity to underscore the risks of grapes to dogs, and your omission implied a general endorsement of all fruits.

You owe it to your readers to publish a clarification. -- E.L.S., Santa Rosa, California

DEAR E.L.S.: My intention was to highlight what dogs enjoy and can benefit from, rather than add on warnings about what fruits and vegetables to avoid. But to clarify, the following should never be given to dogs: raisins, grapes, currants, garlic, onions, macadamia nuts, rhubarb, potatoes that have turned green, unripe tomatoes, avocados and, of course, chocolate.

Likewise, do not allow any sweets with xylitol or other artificial sweeteners. Cannabis products, especially those high in THC, must be kept out of animals’ reach.

(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: Along with people and their companion animals, farmed animals also suffer during extreme weather events. In the national media coverage of the recent catastrophic storms and floods that decimated communities from Florida to Tennessee and the Carolinas, there has been virtually no news about the plight of the millions of poultry, pigs and dairy cows incarcerated and helpless on CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) in these areas.

When the power goes out in these facilities, animals suffocate and die from hyperthermia and lack of air. Or if confinement buildings collapse, the animals are crushed, injured and often killed. They can also drown in flood waters that burst manure-containment lagoons, contaminating freshwater ecosystems with fecal bacteria, antibiotic residues and other drugs fed to these animals.

Few, if any, CAFO owners have contingency plans for such disasters, but they do receive significant taxpayer subsidies. According to the Environmental Working Group, payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support livestock operators peaked at $11 billion in 2020, while the USDA has allocated a mere $124 million since 2001 to support plant-based proteins and other meal alternatives. (For details, see ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/08/usda-livestock-subsidies-top-59-billion.)

Consumers who care are increasing the demand for plant-based proteins. Conservationists, environmentalists and all right-minded public health experts -- those not influenced by the powerful livestock and poultry industries -- are advocating the same beneficial dietary change.

VEGETATION IS TAKING OVER IN ANTARCTICA

Climate-change deniers should note this research finding: Per an article on Nature.com, a key region of Antarctica is "getting greener with alarming speed," which will in turn "spur rapid change of Antarctic ecosystems." Researchers looked at satellite imagery of one of the continent’s fastest-warming regions: the Antarctic Peninsula, which juts north toward South America. They found that the area covered by plants was nearly 14 times larger in 2021 than it had been in 1986. “It’s the beginning of dramatic transformation,” said study co-author Olly Bartlett. (Full story: Nature, Oct. 4)

DEAR DR. FOX: I enjoy reading your columns, but I wonder about your authority, since you also write about human health and environmental issues. There is so much disinformation that I wonder who to believe. -- H.P.S., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR H.P.S.: I agree that there is much disinformation and denial being spread concerning the climate crisis and public health issues. Since you have asked about my "authority," some of my credentials are below. Plus, for many of the articles I reference in my column, I provide peer-reviewed reference citations to give assurance that the information is from a reliable source.

I am a veterinarian, but I also have a Ph.D. in medicine and a doctor of science degree in ethology/animal behavior from the University of London. I am a member of the British Veterinary Association, an Honor Roll Member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, a long-term member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and a founding member of an international nonprofit for animal ethology. I have authored over 40 books, including the upcoming “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives.”

It is an erroneous assumption that veterinarians only treat animals and can have no opinion about human health and disease prevention. Veterinarians receive the same core-discipline education in veterinary college as do medical students in medical schools. Many veterinarians play a key role in public health and zoonotic diseases (those that spread from animal to human, and vice versa).

Besides, humans are animals, too!

(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.)