DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for your article about the effects of overconsumption on our environment and on all living beings. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to do more to reduce these negative impacts.
I knew that those of us in wealthier countries are primarily responsible for climate change, while those in poorer countries are suffering the most from it. However, I did not realize how terribly all-consuming the world’s ultra-rich are in proportion to the poorest. I knew it was bad, but the numbers were worse than I expected.
Thank you for sharing this information and reminding readers that our actions matter. Perhaps we do not have as much impact as the ultra-rich, but we can still strive to do better for the environment and all who live on this planet. -- A.H., Buchanan, Michigan
DEAR A.H.: I appreciate your words of support. Some readers feel these topics are not relevant to the types of pet-health issues they expect in an Animal Doctor column. But as a veterinarian with a holistic view, I see all things as being connected.
When we take care of the land, the land will take care of us. Supporting organic, humane, sustainable food production, and eating less (or no) meat and other animal products, does make a big difference in reducing our collective carbon footprint -- not to mention our contribution to animal suffering. Where there is no empathy, there is no humanity -- only the ignorant, self-limiting rule of profit-driven, pathological narcissism and anthropocentrism.
A BRILLIANT CONCEPT THAT SHOULD BE PUT INTO ACTION
The Regional Animal Protection Society, a Canadian nonprofit, is seeking signatures on a petition urging the Canadian government to make the costs of veterinary care tax-deductible, as has been done for (human) medical care. Doing so would be a step toward preventing “economic euthanasia,” or the euthanasia of pets due to an inability to afford veterinary care. It would also enable more people to enjoy the health benefits of pet ownership, says RAPS CEO Eyal Lichtmann. (Full story: Richmond News, British Columbia; Jan. 10)
CIGARETTE SMOKE A RISK FOR OUR ANIMALS
Scottish terriers exposed to cigarette smoke were six times as likely to develop bladder cancer as terriers with no or minimal cigarette smoke exposure over the course of three years, according to a study in the Veterinary Journal. Cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, was also detected in the urine of some nonsmokers’ dogs, suggesting that dogs can pick up nicotine compounds lingering on owners’ clothing from secondhand smoke exposure, said veterinarian Deborah Knapp, the lead investigator. (Full study: “Association between cigarette smoke exposure and urinary bladder cancer in Scottish terriers in a cohort study,” D.W. Knapp et al., published in The Veterinary Journal, November 2023)
This report should put all dog owners on alert because regardless of breed, some individual dogs may be at risk from tobacco smoke. It is notable that Scottish terriers are also especially prone to develop bladder cancer when they walk and urinate on herbicide-treated lawns.
RESCUED DOGS AID IN WILDLIFE RESCUE, CONSERVATION
Dogs are valuable allies in conservation efforts, writes Romane Cristescu, an Australian researcher who studies koalas, detection dogs, conservation genetics and ecology. Many dogs that had been abandoned have been adopted and trained for many conservation tasks: finding vulnerable or invasive animals and plants; protecting endangered animals, like some species of penguins, from predators; monitoring wind farms; detecting diseases; and serving as conservation ambassadors. (Full story: The Conversation, Jan. 7)
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