DEAR READERS: The possibility of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overseeing the nation’s health under the Trump administration caused a media stir, as did his stated intention to get fluoride removed from drinking water.

I agree with him on removing sodium fluoride -- an upcycled industrial byproduct -- from drinking water, so long as children brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste. Alternative sources for fluoride include foods like oatmeal, potatoes and raisins. This beneficial trace mineral can be toxic in excess, like sodium, selenium and potassium. (See nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/fluoride.) Studies on the subject are not considered definitive, but excess fluoride intake might be associated with bone cancer (cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/water-fluoridation-and-cancer-risk.html).

I recommend removing fluoride from drinking water for our own health and for that of our animal companions. For details, see my post here: drfoxonehealth.com/post/pure-water-for-cats-and-dogs-and-all. In 2009, the Environmental Working Group posted a study of the fluoride content in 10 brands of manufactured dog foods. Eight brands had levels that could put dogs at risk from developing bone cancer, thyroid disease and other health problems. (See www.ewg.org/pethealthreport/fluoride-in-dog-food.)

I have closely followed Kennedy’s postings on health issues for several years, and initially, I found them to be science-based, well-reasoned and often supported by reference citations. But more recently, I find many of his posted opinions unsubstantiated and extremist -- possibly out of frustration with the lack of progress in preventive medicine.

Even so, I have voiced concerns about some of the same issues Kennedy has raised. For example, I agree with his broad statement, which he has made in many interviews, that "Our kids are swimming around in a toxic soup." He often lists various elements of that "soup," such as glyphosate (the chemical in Roundup), neonicotinoid pesticides, atrazine and other herbicides, PFAS (forever chemicals), high-fructose corn syrup, fluoride, radiation from cellphones and Wi-Fi, and others. But I assure readers that I am not an antivaccination zealot! All pups, and children, need core vaccinations.

Progress in public health calls for pure water, clean air, better waste management, pollution prevention (including electropollution) and health care education. Healthful diets -- from a food production system not dependent on pesticides and pharmaceuticals to enhance animal productivity under the stressful, inhumane conditions of factory farms -- are imperative. These issues, and what we can all do about them, are detailed in my forthcoming book, “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives.”

I wish Kennedy well in his still-undetermined role in the Trump administration. I hope he can recapture the clarity and vision of his earlier advocacy and become a staunch advocate of One Health.

MICROBIOME HEALTH IN BABIES

According to a report in Nature, feeding babies born by cesarean section milk containing a suspension of their mothers’ feces can boost their gut microbiomes. Babies typically receive bacteria from their mother during birth, but delivery method may affect this transfer. Babies lacking a healthful diversity of beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms in their digestive systems may be developmentally and immunologically impaired if not provided with microbiome restorative therapy. (See nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03449-4?utm.)

A UK study of the microbes found in fecal samples from over 1,200 newborn babies revealed three different types of "pioneer" bacteria responsible for colonizing the neonatal gut. Two of them were types of Bifidobacteria, which help babies digest milk. But the third type was the harmful Enterococcus faecalis, and it was more likely to be found in babies whose mothers were given antibiotics in labor. (See the study "Primary succession of Bifidobacteria drives pathogen resistance in neonatal microbiota assembly" by Yan Shao et al., published in Nature Microbiology, 2024.)

I find all this a stunning confirmation of the risks of antibiotics, which should only be given in conjunction with probiotics and prebiotics, and only when there have been lapses in access to proper care, hygiene and nutrition. The CDC reported that in 2022, 236.4 million antibiotic prescriptions were written in the U.S., which equates to roughly 709 prescriptions per 1,000 people. According to The Lancet, in 2021, 4.7 million deaths were associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with 1.1 million of those deaths directly attributable to AMR.

An analogy can be found in agriculture: Once the microbiomes in our soils are restored, organic farming and regenerative agriculture become highly profitable, and chemical fertilizers and pesticides will no longer be needed (at least not to the degree documented today). Similarly, the keystone of our own health lies in restoring the gut microbiome.

Gut dysbiosis -- an unhealthy intestinal microbiome -- can be associated with allergies, autoimmune diseases, depression and other maladies. These “diseases of civilization,” as I call them, are generating billions of dollars of remedial pharmaceutical sales for drug companies. Governments around the world are bending to the demand for continued antibiotic use by the factory farm sector.

Simply giving free meals to children at school will not suffice. Educating them about the benefits of caring for their own microbiomes, through knowing how to select and prepare the right foods, is long overdue. Nutritional scientists, physicians and other health care experts not aligned with the processed and fast-food industries (and derivative pet food industries) will all agree with the above assertions.

(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: My forthcoming book, “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives,” provides a detailed review of what is known about the sentience of plants and animals. The universal nature of sentience has long been a core belief of Indigenous peoples and of our ancestors, and is often referred to as animism. Animism, believing that nonhuman beings can feel and think, was previously dismissed by the culture of objectification and rationalism of the modern mind.

But recent scientific documentation of the sentience and sapience of plants and animals has led some philosophers and others to extend the concept of animism to panpsychism -- the idea that the mind is a fundamental aspect of reality. But I would caution that self-consciousness is different from intelligence. For example, we are not conscious of all the intelligent physiological processes in our own bodies.

Sentience is the ability to feel and perceive, while sapience is the ability to apply knowledge and experience. Sapience and sentience are interwoven in individuated species and in self-organizing processes and systems -- cellular and cosmic, body and mind -- and in the relationships between species, as in symbiosis. Without the beneficial microorganisms in our guts, we would not exist.

Without sentience, there could be no stability in our universe and on our living planet. Nonliving objects, atoms and stars are responsive entities, their consciousness evolving with increasing complexity and individuation. Collectively, we have yet to find a way of life in balance with the rest of the life community on this beautiful planet, Earth.

DEAR DR. FOX: My dog went on a sequence of Apoquel for itching: twice daily for the first week, then one pill daily. She has now developed substantial gingival hyperplasia as well as some skin lesions.

Our vet says there is no scientific literature that indicates that these symptoms are related to the Apoquel. I kind of think they are. Do you have any articles that you could point me to?

My dog is 15 -- too advanced in age to undergo gum surgery. It is a shame she must live with this discomfort. -- C.S., Littlestown, Pennsylvania

DEAR C.S.: I am sorry to hear about your poor dog’s oral health issue, and agree that she is too old to risk surgery. Give her wet, soupy food to ingest easily, and try CORE brand oral-care gel, which will help reduce tartar buildup and gum inflammation. (See core-pet.com for details.) This contains a tried-and-true natural formulation of botanicals that is widely used to maintain healthy gums and oral cavities in dogs and cats.

I have voiced my concerns about Apoquel, which, in my opinion, is being overprescribed and suppresses the immune system. For details, go to: drfoxonehealth.com/post/apoquel-risks-and-alternatives-for-dogs-with-atopic-dermatitis.

GOOD NEWS FOR DEFORMED DOGS AND CATS

Please see the excerpt below from a PETA news release:

"The signing of the Companion Animal Protection Ordinance makes Ojai the first city in the U.S. to ban 'torture breeding.' The new law will help protect breathing-impaired breeds such as French bulldogs, English bulldogs, pugs, boxers, and Boston terriers, as well as Persian cats, all of whom have been intentionally bred to have extremely flat faces and deformed skulls. The ordinance will also protect other breeds with exaggerated features, such as dachshunds, cavalier King Charles spaniels, and Scottish Fold cats who suffer from a wide array of painful and debilitating health issues like intervertebral disc disease, syringomyelia, and osteochondrodysplasia, all for the sake of looking a certain way.

"The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, and Vets Against Brachycephalism, which collectively represent more than 25,000 veterinarians from 66 countries, have called on cities and countries to ban torture breeding, and many European nations -- including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland -- have already passed similar legislation to protect dogs and cats." (Full story: PETA.org, Oct. 22)

(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 main issues in America’s presidential election, aside from women’s rights, were the state of the economy, the rising cost of living and the number of immigrants seeking refuge in the United States. All of these are connected to climate change, which should be the primary issue for every government and political leader to address. What will the new administration do about this issue?

Climate change is created by the burning of fossil fuels, which releases the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Another greenhouse gas, methane, comes from millions of abandoned oil wells, from now-melting permafrost tundra, from landfills and from cattle and other ruminants. Nitrous oxide is another factor, especially from fertilizers and factory-farmed animal waste from the petrochemical-dependent agricultural industry.

These gases trap solar radiation, leading to rising land and ocean temperatures that exacerbate forest fires; cause regional droughts; and feed tornadoes, hurricanes and other extreme climatic events. Water evaporation from warming oceans and melting polar ice caps leads to atmospheric rivers, resulting in decimating regional floods and landslides. Absorbed carbon dioxide in the ocean causes acidity that kills plankton and other marine life, which normally sequesters more atmospheric carbon than all the world's forests.

The escalating severity of climate change -- now a climate crisis -- impacts the global economy, public health and food security for ever-more people every year. We now face the tragedy of governments and industries failing to address the crisis, which was documented by scientists (those not aligned with the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries) over four decades ago. Without international coordination to adapt to, prepare for, and prevent further escalation of climate change, national security will founder, with predictable declines in the economy and public health.

We can all do something to reduce our carbon footprints, from traveling less to changing our diets, and businesses must assume greater responsibility and accountability for the “externalities” or hidden costs of their products and services. The adoption of a sustainable global economy based on the science and bioethics of ecology could herald the birth of the "Ecozoic Era" envisioned by the late Father Thomas Berry.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am full of feelings today. A month or so ago, I found out my dog, Max, had lymphoma. At first, he was listless, panted almost continuously and did not rest well at night. Soon, his vet found swollen lymph nodes all over his body. Finally, he stopped eating.

From there, he deteriorated quickly. There was little left to do but put him down. He went quietly; I was with him in his last moments.

I am a Baha’i, and Baha’i writings state that everything in this universe is put here for our training: We are here to develop the spiritual qualities that we will need in the next life. Max certainly trained me as much as, or more than, I trained him. Because of him, I developed qualities that will serve me well in the next life: the ability to love unconditionally, a deep empathy for all God’s creation, patience to teach and be taught, and a better ability to share and reciprocate.

I will carry these qualities and more into the next life, and because they were part of Max, he will accompany me to the next life, as well. Thanks for allowing me to share this. -- B.C.S., Nassau, Bahamas

DEAR B.C.S.: I send you my deepest condolences. I know only too well what it is like to experience a companion animal suffering from a terminal illness and then dying.

Glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup, is implicated in lymphoma in humans, and since it is a common food and garden contaminant, I suspect it may also be a factor in the rising incidence of canine lymphoma.

I appreciate the eloquence of your sentiments about your dog, Max. Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” By this token, then, dogs are spiritual beings having a "dog experience," and the better we can make it for them, the better we are as human beings.

Many people grieve more over this kind of animal companion loss than over the death of a human friend or family member. This is easily explained by the kind of trust and devotion our empathic animal companions so often provide.

Your statements from the Baha’i faith resonate with the Indigenous Australian declaration “Dingo (dog) makes us human.” To the North American Anishinaabe, it is the wolf. The sentiment remains the same.

(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.)