DEAR READERS: My book of poetry, "For All Our Relations," has just been published by Austin Macauley Publishers. I think many of you will enjoy it.

The book has two parts. The first part contains a message from the Dalai Lama and an introduction by the late Father Thomas Berry. The poems in this part of the book detail my experiences at the animal refuge operated by my late wife, Deanna Krantz. Through the refuge, she provided free veterinary services to poor villagers and tribal communities, which was vital to their economies and health. She faced corruption and death threats in her work saving elephants and other wildlife.

The second part is a collection of poems written between 1975 and 2024. They come from my heart’s deep core of empathy and reverence for all life in a world in need of compassion for all creatures, great and small.

To read more about the book, and to place orders, go to austinmacauleyusa.com/book/for-all-our-relations. All royalties will be donated to animal and environmental protection groups.

SCIENTISTS 'RESURRECT' EXTINCT WOLF

Colossal Biosciences has genetically engineered wolves to resemble dire wolves, which went extinct more than 10,000 years ago. The pups have long white hair, muscular jaws and are on track to weigh 140 pounds at maturity.

After studying the DNA of two dire wolf fossils, reports the Associated Press, "the scientists took blood cells from a living gray wolf and used CRISPR to genetically modify them in 20 different sites. ... They transferred that genetic material to an egg cell from a domestic dog. When ready, embryos were transferred to surrogates, also domestic dogs, and 62 days later, the genetically engineered pups were born." (What is the fate of those surrogate mother dogs, I wonder?)

I have posted earlier about this company, which I wish would focus on helping existing species that are close to extinction rather than resurrecting facsimiles of the already-gone. As the AP story indicates, "'All you can do now is make something look superficially like something else' -- not fully revive extinct species, said Vincent Lynch, a biologist at the University at Buffalo who was not involved in the research." (Full story: The Associated Press, April 7)

These genetically engineered “dire” wolves will be in dire straits without parents or an integrated family pack to instruct them. They will simply become captive curiosities whose very existence is a sad reflection of heartless human ingenuity.

What is also dire is how we are failing the naturally evolved wolves that roam the wild today. These "de-extinction" headlines come as the House Natural Resources Committee advances the misleadingly named “Pet and Livestock Protection Act” -- a bill that would strip gray wolves of Endangered Species Act protections. Wolves were once nearly wiped out by government-sponsored extermination campaigns; their recovery has been fragile and incomplete. This bill threatens to erase that progress.

When asked about gray wolf populations collapsing, bill sponsor Rep. Lauren Boebert is quoted as saying, “Didn’t we just bring a wolf back that was here 10,000 years ago? So, I mean, if it really gets that bad, you know, we could just bring woolly mammoths back and all this stuff.”

It seems to me that human intelligence is getting ever closer to extinction with such legislators in office!

(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 Make America Healthy Again initiative, under the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is purportedly in lockstep with beef and pork industry moguls in advocating for Americans to eat more meat. For details, see this "Processing Meat" column on Vox.com: link.vox.com/view/673f91911d0a87f28f028493ne1t1.bq5/ffe52ae2.

As a former environmental attorney who should know better, Kennedy is unqualified to oversee public health. He and his advisers ignore sound scientific and medical evidence of the environmental, economic and health benefits of plant-based diets. Many peer-reviewed studies confirm the benefits of eating less meat, or none at all.

To quote the abstract from one such study: “Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy products were linked to greater odds of healthy aging, whereas higher intakes of trans fats, sodium, sugary beverages and red or processed meats (or both) were inversely associated. Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy animal-based foods, may enhance overall healthy aging, guiding future dietary guidelines.” For details, see the study "Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging" by Anne-Julie Tessier et al., published in Nature Medicine this year.

One review from 2023 confirms my opinion that mushrooms can be a sustainable alternative to meat. Its findings are summarized as follows: “Edible mushroom proteins usually have a complete essential amino acid profile, meet dietary requirements and provide economic advantages over animal and plant sources. Mushroom proteins may provide health advantages by eliciting antioxidant, antitumor ... and antimicrobial properties over animal proteins. Protein concentrates, hydrolysates and peptides from mushrooms are being used to improve human health. Also, edible mushrooms can be used to fortify traditional food to increase protein value and functional qualities. These characteristics highlight mushroom proteins as inexpensive, high-quality proteins that can be used as a meat alternative, as pharmaceuticals and as treatments to alleviate malnutrition.” For details, see the study "Nutritional Quality and Biological Application of Mushroom Protein as a Novel Protein Alternative" by Francis Ayimbila and Suttipun Keawsompong, published in Current Nutrition Reports in 2023.

There is no need for meat when combining mushrooms, nuts and vegetable oils in our diets. They provide all the nutrients in meat, and more -- and are not correlated with the risk of colorectal cancer!

I have mailed my book "One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives," which includes a chapter on the benefits of plant-based diets for the good of the planet and for our own health, to Kennedy’s office, hoping to better inform and inspire him.

Those who are informed but who have kept silent -- or who have been silenced -- for too long are now rising to speak truth to power. There is nothing to fear except fear itself, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared in his 1933 inaugural address. Retribution from those who call science and reason “woke” is a badge of honor in these dystopian times of injustice and cultural and spiritual corruption.

EXECUTIVE INSANITY: FDA CUTS SENIOR VETERINARIANS

Professional groups and former staff say that 140 people, including leaders and administrative staff, were fired from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine in the latest round of cuts in the Department of Health and Human Services. Two senior veterinarians who were fired had been leading the CVM’s avian influenza response, while others were working on antimicrobial resistance and animal feed safety. “The work done by our veterinarian colleagues in these offices is critical to the safe and effective practice of veterinary medicine, and -- ultimately -- the protection of animal and public health,” said AVMA President Sandra Faeh in a statement. (Full story: USA Today, April 2)

See below for another lamentable effect of these shortsighted cuts.

CVM LAYOFFS MAY WEAKEN PET FOOD SAFETY OVERSIGHT

The FDA’s role in regulating the pet food industry, which was valued at $65 billion in 2023, is likely to diminish due to significant layoffs at the agency’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, leaving pet owners open to fad diets, writes Katherine O’Malley in a post on STATnews.com. O'Malley is a senior policy analyst at Boston University School of Public Health.

Although the FDA regulates pet food ingredients and manufacturing conditions, it doesn’t approve individual products or ensure their nutritional quality. Two nongovernmental organizations -- the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association -- provide guidelines for pet food nutrition and quality, but neither has regulatory authority. (Full story: STATnews.com, April 4)

The book that I wrote with two other veterinarians, "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods," is now more relevant than ever! There are some responsible pet food manufacturers, such as Earth Animal and Evolution Diet, which I encourage readers to learn more about.

(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: Here are two reports that confirm how contact with dogs can reduce stress.

-- SHORT PLAY SESSIONS WITH DOGS REDUCE COLLEGE STUDENTS' STRESS

A study in the journal PLOS One found that as little as 15 minutes of play with a friendly dog significantly reduced stress-related cortisol levels and heart rates in college students. The dogs in the study also had lower cortisol levels a week after the interactions. “Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the beneficial impact of human-dog interactions on human stress levels and highlight the importance of addressing stress in both humans and animals during targeted interventions,” researchers wrote. (Full story: HealthDay.com, March 14)

-- THERAPY DOGS MAY REDUCE ANXIETY IN PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY PATIENTS

Anxiety levels declined among children and teenagers in an emergency department who interacted with a certified therapy dog and its handler, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. Fewer children in the therapy dog arm of the study needed behavior-modifying medication, compared with patients in the group that received standard child-life therapy. (Full story: MedPage Today, March 14)

DEAR DR. FOX: Your column in my local paper is a lifeline for me. I am crushed about this administration's attitude about everything -- especially our land and our animals, wild and domesticated. -- B.O., South Bend, Indiana

DEAR B.O.: I am glad that some of my attempts to bring ethics, sound science and compassion to the forefront of public debate and current politics are helpful to you. As I see it, we are facing a politics of extinction -- of nature and of our spirituality and ethical sensibility, all of which are being crushed by materialism.

It is a fact, and not some spurious conspiracy theory, that a global cartel of super-rich oligarchs, billionaire technocrats and autocratic regimes are dealing in finite resources and competing markets, while ignoring and adding to climate change, the wildlife extinction crisis and spreading poverty and internecine strife.

With increasing polarization and division, the probability of World War III escalates -- but a grain of common sense, decency and compassion could prevent it. Trump’s self-inflicted trade war and declared "Liberation Day" echo the Orwellian newspeak of some high priest of mammon. Ideological rigidity and duplicity turn peacemakers into peace-breakers, with diplomacy and democracy collapsing into autocracy.

The rich should be helping the poor much more, and we can all help by living simply so that others may simply live. Our now-ravaged planet can no longer sustain our conspicuous consumption. It is a fact that natural biodiversity -- and there is only an estimated 3% of pristine aquatic and terrestrial habitat left on the planet -- helps contain many diseases and pests. In my opinion, all governments must engage in planetary CPR (conservation, protection and restoration) and embrace the principle of equalitarianism under the banner of One Health and justice for all sentient beings.

For more on One Health, see my book "One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives." I also recommend the article "Why Worry About Anti-Science and Anti-Vaccines Attitudes and One Health?" by Dr. Bruce Kaplan and Richard Seifman, posted here: impakter.com/why-worry-about-anti-science-and-anti-vaccines-attitudes-and-one-health.

We should all embrace the "tikkun olam" ("repair the world") edict of Judaism, as well as the spiritual doctrine of ahimsa (not harming or killing) shared by Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, among other religions and traditions.

TRUMP FOLLOWS PROJECT 2025’S ROADMAP TO DEFUND SCIENCE

As a scientist, I find the actions described below indicative of a profound degree of ignorance, bordering on being anti-science, in the executive office.

From Nature.com:

“Despite disavowing it during his campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump has closely hewed to a policy plan known as Project 2025, published by a right-wing think-tank called The Heritage Foundation. Some of the science-related recommendations that have already been implemented include opposing diversity efforts, defunding climate science and green energy projects and cutting funds to universities. Areas mentioned in the document that could come to the fore include a prohibition on fetal-tissue research and an end to visas for students from some countries. Perhaps Trump’s broadest deviation from Project 2025 is from the guidebook’s repeated commitment to ensuring 'American science dominance' -- whereas Trump’s cuts will weaken the country’s science infrastructure, say researchers.” (Full story: Nature.com, March 31)

I pray that reason may yet prevail, even though one cannot reason with the unreasonable!

(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.)