DEAR READERS: Millions of people spend hours at a time on computers, some working on them all day. Like all electronic devices, computers create electromagnetic fields and ionizing radiation, and emit positive ions into the surrounding environment. These discharges can have harmful health consequences that all users should know about and try to prevent. A good resource is here: ruanliving.com/blog/how-to-protect-yourself-from-laptop-radiation.

Cats and dogs should not be allowed to snuggle next to or under laptops and other computer equipment. I think this is a very common source of exposure for cats and dogs, with many staying close to these electronic devices while their human companions are off in cyberspace. Many laptops come with a warning for men not to put them on their laps because of possibly reduced sperm count, which is clearly no trivial matter. Children should have very limited time on any computer device in order to avoid the documented impairment and cognitive rewiring of their developing brains.

In my opinion, if protective measures are not immediately taken, we may have epigenetic and phenotypic mutations that will infuse society with what I call electro-zombies: victims of addictive online gaming and social media.

MITIGATING OWNERS' STRESS MAY IMPROVE DOGS' WELL-BEING

A study finding that dogs’ heart rates mirror those of their owners suggests that veterinarians should incorporate methods to reduce owner stress, as well as give dogs time to adjust to the novel setting of the clinic before beginning an exam. “The impact of veterinary professionals implementing the results of this research in their practices may improve the welfare of both dog owners and their dogs,” said veterinarian Aoife Byrne, one of the study’s authors. (Full story: BelfastLive.com, Dec. 4)

When this study came to my inbox, I had just finished grooming my dog, Kota, and cat, Fanny. I had felt my heart rate and blood pressure both go down as Fanny begin to purr and Kota rolled over for more. We all benefit from the reciprocal release of the feel-good hormone oxytocin during such interactions.

GOOD NEWS: N.Y. BAN ON ANIMAL SALES HAS TAKEN EFFECT

A New York law banning the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores took effect Dec. 15, aiming to curb the flow of animals from puppy mills and abusive breeders. A coalition of breeders and retailers called the Pet Advocacy Network had filed a lawsuit hoping to stop the law from going into effect. (Full story: WTEN-TV/WXXA-TV, Albany, New York, Dec. 13)

Breeders and retailers need to get a life and not make money by breaking hearts: those of the people who know about commercial puppy-, kitten- and rabbit-breeding mills, and those of the people who purchase these animals unknowingly and later suffer the consequences. Many such animals have serious health issues.

All pet stores should be part of their local communities. They should, under veterinary supervision, only put animals in their stores from local shelters -- animals that are healthy and available for adoption.

(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: I receive reports from around the world every day on issues about animal health and behavior, environmental concerns and related public health issues. Here are just a few:

-- Cryptocurrency energy demand escalating. The media rarely report on the escalating energy demands of cryptocurrency transactions from data storage and transmission centers. This wasteful industry is being endorsed by many governments and adopted by the Trump organization and other corporate and private interests.

Building on data from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2023, electricity supporting Bitcoin mining comprised about 0.2% to 0.9% of global demand. "Based on those estimates," states the EIA report, "global electricity use in cryptocurrency mining was about the same as the total electricity consumption in Greece or Australia, respectively." The estimated 2023 U.S. electricity demand supporting cryptocurrency mining "would equal annual demand ranging from more than 3 million to more than 6 million homes." (For more, see eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61364#.)

In this epoch of climate change, the contribution of cryptocurrency mining and transactions should concern us all. Even imposing a carbon tax on every transaction would not serve to ameliorate the risks and consequences.

-- The origin of COVID-19. From Nature.com:

"A new analysis of samples from early 2020 seems to add to the evidence that a market in Wuhan, China, was the likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. Genomic data from raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and greater hog badgers (Arctonyx collaris) found at the market seem to show signs of infection with SARS-CoV-2 or other closely related viruses. This supports the theory that animals were infected, which could have led to a 'spillover' event in which the virus infected people. But 'it doesn’t substitute for finding the virus in an infected animal' in terms of solid proof, says virologist Stanley Perlman." (For more, see nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03968-0?utm_.)

Related, also from Nature.com:

"After years of rumors that the virus that causes COVID-19 escaped from a laboratory in China, the virologist at the center of the claims has presented data on dozens of new coronaviruses collected from bats in southern China. At a conference in Japan (in December), Shi Zhengli, a specialist on bat coronaviruses, reported that none of the viruses stored in her freezers are the most recent ancestors of the virus SARS-CoV-2." (For more, see nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03982-2.)

As a background note, the U.S. government, after some biosecurity lapses, sent funds to transfer coronavirus research to China. Part of the allegation of a Wuhan biosecurity failure to contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus might have been fomented by the Chinese “wet market” industry to deflect responsibility. These markets, where caged and terrified animals are killed in public spaces, are widespread -- especially in regions lacking refrigeration and humane animal slaughtering facilities. They create significant risks to public health. All countries with open live animal markets have a social, as well as an ethical, responsibility to close all such facilities.

-- The panda scam. Corruption has been exposed, thanks to an investigation by Mara Hvistendhal of The New York Times. She details how U.S. zoos pay China millions of dollars for the right to host pandas at their facilities. By U.S. law, the money is required to go to conservation efforts for pandas in the wild. Instead, much of it has gone toward the construction of apartments, museums and computer equipment for Chinese government offices. Worse, many American officials knew about the misused funds but looked the other way for fear of losing access to the popular animals. (For more, see nytimes.com/2024/11/29/world/asia/china-panda-money-us-zoos.)

-- Fentanyl found in wild dolphins. Traces of fentanyl were found in the blubber of 30 of the 89 bottlenose dolphins studied in the Gulf of Mexico, researchers reported in iScience. “Chronic exposure to pharmaceuticals and their cumulative effects on marine mammals are not yet fully understood," said the study's lead author, Dara Orbach, "yet their presence in three dolphin populations across the Gulf of Mexico underscores the need for large-scale studies to assess the extent and sources of contamination.” (Full story: HealthDay.com, Dec. 9)

(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 your columns about the environment and climate change. As the mother of two preteen children, how might I best explain what is going on and why? I think the more they understand, the better they can handle what you call eco-anxiety. They do watch the news, and I am just not sure what to say to them. -- L.H., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR L.H.: I appreciate your concerns. Years ago, when raising my three children, having to explain to them why some people like to shoot wolves -- like those I was raising for my behavioral research -- was a challenge! I told them that some people do not care because they are not connected: They know nothing about the wolves and other animals they kill, so they have neither respect nor understanding.

Such ignorance, and what I call empathy deficiency, can only be rectified by better education about environmental issues and the humane treatment of animals. Sadly, this is yet to be provided in most schools.

I would tell your children that those who harm Mother Earth also harm themselves. She suffers when we burn coal, oil and other fossil fuels, causing climate change. Many people do this because they have lost their respect and love for Mother Earth, treating nature as a resource to exploit and animals as objects -- some to be shot or hooked as trophies, others to be bred in cruel factory farms to be eaten.

A good book for children to read is "Harmony Among Neighbors: The Trumpeting Coyote’s Quest for Coexistence" by Stephanie Becker. And an excellent, longstanding resource that I recommend to parents and teachers is the nonprofit Institute for Humane Education (humaneeducation.org). Older children might be interested to know that there are careers in humane education, and that this organization, through an affiliation with Antioch University, offers graduate programs in such fields.

DEAR DR. FOX: I had been a bit of a climate change skeptic, but now appreciate what you have been saying concerning the loss of biodiversity.

This past summer, my wife and I drove from our home in Minnesota to Orlando, Florida, and back for a conference. My wife noticed that there were hardly any dead bugs splattered on our vehicle after the trip. In the old days, it would have been covered!

I now agree with you. -- B.G., Minnetonka, Minnesota

DEAR B.G.: As alarming as global estimates of insect declines are, the reality may actually be worse in many places. This is especially true here in the U.S., where Big Ag's insecticides and herbicides have created what ecologists call biological deserts. Then there is the so-called domino effect: Insect-eating bats, birds, reptiles and amphibians starve to death (or succumb to disease) with no insects to eat; plants lose their insect pollinators and go extinct; and pollinator-dependent crops fail. And without predators or biodiversity, some insects, such as mosquitoes, flourish. They evolve resistance to insecticides, spread widely (with climate change favorable to them) and put more communities at risk from the many diseases they can carry.

Regrettably, this complex issue has been neglected by governments around the world for decades, and the consequences will impact the quality of all life for generations to come. Immediate remedies must be implemented, beginning with organic, regenerative agriculture and agroforestry and the restoration of regional wildlands. In states like Minnesota, this must include the restoration of wetlands, which are vital carbon sinks, as well as flood prevention and the restoration of wildlife habitats. The latter have been taken over by Big Ag -- drained, tiled and tilled to produce livestock and poultry feed and biofuels.

(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.)