DEAR DR. FOX: I just read your “New Year’s Reality Check” column in my local paper. Thank you for shining a light on so many obvious issues that we are facing around the world. ... I only hope and pray that you have a wide readership that pays attention and reads your articles regularly. They are full of your insights and knowledge on many issues facing us: animal sentience, climate disasters and now environmental refugees. I also hope some of your readers choose to do something about it -- or talk to others about their fears!

Recently I had to explain, to my 7-year-old son, how our changing climate might affect him in the upper Midwest. Our reduced snowfall and warmer temps are changing the seasons, and must be harming wildlife’s ability to migrate, too. Thank you again for continuing to make these concepts known; you are a great resource! -- B.S., South Bend, Indiana

DEAR DR. FOX: Great article. If only they would replace the “breaking news” with more valuable content like this. -- R.S., Port Townsend, Washington

DEAR DR. FOX: I faithfully read you in every newspaper edition I receive. I completely agree with your analysis of our world. I can only thank you for writing and sharing your opinions and intelligence. Can you get a bigger bullhorn? -- C.H., Notre Dame, Indiana

DEAR B.S., R.S. AND C.H.: I deeply appreciate the support of the readers of my column, which some deride as my “woke” soapbox. As poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote in his "Duino Elegies," "... already the knowing animals are aware that we are not really at home in our interpreted world."

As a species on planet Earth, we are in crisis, and there is no time for despair. There are many correctives that can be initiated at all levels -- political, governmental, professional and personal -- which I detail in my upcoming book, “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives” (to be published this spring).

We can all ask ourselves what kind of life-path we are on, and whether it is the right one in the world as we see it. With our behavior, values and consumer choices, do we cause more harm than good toward others -- human and nonhuman -- and ultimately to ourselves? For whom and for what do we really care? We can all find ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy use in our personal and professional lives. Our capitalistic, consumer-driven society that has brought on climate change and accelerated the extinction of indigenous species and peoples around the world will ultimately consume itself.

On a planet of finite, dwindling resources, we must redefine progress away from "increasing the GDP" (Gross Domestic Product). The longer governments and corporations delay in addressing the serious consequences of climate change -- beginning already with extreme weather events destroying crops, leading to food insecurity and famine in many regions -- the more the poor will suffer.

Nutrition education and whole food preparation classes, in addition to humane and environmental education, should be in the curriculum of all schools around the world. This is one basic survival skill, among others, that all students should be learning as they face the crises of the Anthropocene age.

In 1992, Hopi elder Thomas Banyacya delivered a message at a United Nations gathering (at which I also had the privilege to speak). Part of his message states: “Today ... you see increasing floods, more damaging hurricanes, hailstorms, climate changes and earthquakes, as our prophesies said would come. Even animals and birds are warning us with strange changes in their behavior, such as the beaching of whales. Why do animals act like they know about the earth’s problems and most humans act like they know nothing?

"If we humans do not wake up to the warnings, the great purification will come to destroy this world just as the previous worlds were destroyed. ... If we return to spiritual harmony and live from our hearts, we can experience a paradise in this world."

(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: Greyhounds, like racehorses, are exploited for money-driven races around the world, too often kept under deplorable conditions and are abandoned or killed when they sustain racing injuries. Such injuries are often initially masked with drugs so the dogs can race until they collapse.

According to GREY2KUSA.org, on Dec. 9, the New Zealand government announced its plans to outlaw dog racing. Even more, legislation was immediately passed to safeguard nearly 2,500 racing greyhounds and guarantee their protection during a 20-month phase-out period. This wonderful moment was preceded by years of advocacy by concerned citizens and animal welfare organizations.

One such organization, GREY2K USA Worldwide, has an inspiring book that I urge readers to purchase. In the process, readers can help put an end to the unethical exploitation of these canid embodiments of grace, gentleness and speed. The book is “Brooklyn Goes Home: The Rise and Fall of American Greyhound Racing and the Dog That Inspired a Movement” by Christine A. Dorchak and Carey M. Theil, with a foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall.

SOME TRENDS IN U.S. COMPANION ANIMAL OWNERSHIP

Dog ownership in the U.S. has increased steadily since 1996, reaching 89.7 million dogs in 2024, while the cat population has remained stable overall, according to the AVMA’s 2024 Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook. Demand for veterinary services is likely to grow along with the pet population. (Full story: AVMA.org, Dec. 12)

DOG OWNERS’ AGE, LOCATION INFLUENCE FOOD CHOICES

According to a study in the Journal of the AVMA, most dogs are fed kibble, but for dogs fed other diets, dog owner demographics -- particularly age and geographic location -- significantly influence what foods owners choose to feed their canine companions. Older owners are more likely than younger ones to feed canned or home-cooked diets, while active dogs in rural areas often receive home-prepared raw or cooked meals. (Full story: Texas A&M University, Dec. 6)

The younger generations need to shape up and not make kibble their dogs’ only food source, unless it is of high quality like the formulations from Earth Animal by veterinarian Dr. Bob Goldstein. A good read about conventional, highly processed kibble is the book “Big Kibble: The Hidden Dangers of the Pet Food Industry and How To Do Better by Our Dogs” by Shawn Buckley and Dr. Oscar Chavez.

STUDY RESETS TIMELINE ON HORSE DOMESTICATION

New archaeological and genetic evidence suggests that horses were domesticated around 2200 B.C.E. in the Black Sea steppes, which is much later than previously believed. The study highlights the rapid spread of horses across Eurasia once they were domesticated, and the significant role of Indigenous knowledge in understanding this history. (Full story: Scientific American, Nov. 19)

(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 appreciate all your warnings about anti-flea and -tick insecticides in pet collars posing health risks to dogs and cats, and to any family members who pet them.

I am especially concerned about the chemical TCVP. According to a 2021 article on InvestigateMidwest.org, a "study by the Obama administration, in late 2016, had found that children are exposed to TCVP at such high levels in the collars that they are at risk of delayed mental development, lowered IQ scores and increased chances of autism and attention disorders."

Why isn’t more being done to take these poisons off the market? There are safer alternatives available. -- R.S. Minneapolis

DEAR R.S.: Many thanks for alerting readers to this issue. TCVP -- short for tetrachlorvinphos -- is a dangerous organophosphate insecticide used in pet flea collars. The Environmental Protection Agency made the decision in 2022 to ban TCVP, but reversed that decision in 2023 to scathing criticism.

These insecticides being given by veterinarians and sold in stores across the U.S. affect the developmental cycles, reproductive and nervous systems of ticks, fleas and other nontarget insects, so it should be no surprise to see similar effects on other life forms, including us.

The ecological impact of these insecticides, widely used by Big Ag and livestock keepers around the world, is catastrophic. They decimate the insect species and communities that keep the fabric of life together. Consequently, insect eaters -- such as birds, reptiles and amphibians -- are dying from starvation or, with weakened immune systems, succumbing to obliterating diseases.

I recently learned that short- and long-chain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals") have been detected in some pesticides given to pets, notably Frontline Plus and Seresto collars. These chemicals are known to harm the immune system, weaken the antibody response to vaccinations and increase the risk of infectious disease. (See the study "Invited Perspective: The Far Reach of PFAS -- Inert Ingredients and Adjuvants in Pesticide Formulations" by Neha Sehgal et al., published in Environmental Health Perspectives, 2024.)

In addition, fipronil was one of the most prevalent contaminants in nearly 500 streams across five regions of the United States. (See the study "Forever Pesticides: A Growing Source of PFAS Contamination in the Environment" by Nathan Donley et al., published in Environmental Health Perspectives, 2024.)

The Natural Resources Defense Council is now suing the EPA to at least get the impregnated flea collars -- that put children, as well as companion animals, at risk -- off the market. For details, see: nrdc.org/bio/miriam-rotkin-ellman/no-more-poisonous-pets-epas-delay-flea-collars-threatens-our-kids.

All responsible veterinarians should not pander to owner convenience by prescribing toxic anti-flea and other antiparasitic medications without evident need, and certainly not as a “prevention.” This profit-driven Big Pharma ideology of regular preventive treatments is as absurd as taking aspirin in case one gets a headache or antibiotics to prevent some future infection.

Dogs and cats with fleas and ticks can be safely treated with alternative products, as detailed on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-fleas-ticks-and-mosquitoes. Safe and effective flea and tick repellants and oral supplements that boost resistance to these ectoparasites, and that also should be part of treating dogs and cats with mange mite and fungal skin infections, are available at earthanimal.com and core-pet.com.

SNAIL’S-PACE GOVERNMENT FOOD ADDITIVE REGULATION

Leaving a long trail of slime behind, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is finally considering a ban on food dye Red No. 3. The agency has been reviewing a petition to ban the colorant since 2022.

The petroleum-based dye has been used for more than 50 years in thousands of products including candy, snack foods and sodas. It is one of several coal-tar derived azo dyes widely used in pet foods. When present in cat treats, Red No. 3 may trigger feline hyperesthesia, even seizures.

My book “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods,” co-authored by two other veterinarians, underscored that these food additives were considered carcinogenic by the European Food Safety Authority and called for better oversight and restrictions. That was in 2009!

No veterinarian will deny that many of the dogs and cats they see develop cancer, and that is not because they are simply living longer. The longer our companion animals live, the more they are exposed to DNA-damaging chemicals in their food and environments, as are we. Azo dyes have no place in our foods, especially children’s cereals (along with sugar and high-fructose corn syrup), or in pet foods.

(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.)