DEAR READERS: In America, the wolf has become a political symbol of a nation divided between the exploiters and protectors of animals and wild places. Wolves are again in the crosshairs of legislators bent on passing -- without judicial review -- Senate Bill 164, which removes federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. This legislation invites sport hunters and trappers to “harvest” wolves. It arrogantly assumes that we human hunters can replace the wolves’ role in maintaining not only healthy herds of deer and elk, but forests and biodiversity.

Abnormally high deer populations, fostered by state game agencies that profit from them and by landowners planting recreational deer feeding areas, have helped decimate wildlife habitats, while spreading chronic wasting and other deer diseases. Some of these diseases are communicable to humans, such as Lyme disease, which has become a national public health issue.

Delisting wolves will open their domain to mining, logging and other destructive human incursions. Failing protection, wolves will suffer and die under fire from new legions of hunters and trappers and the publicly subsidized beef industry that favors their eradication.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Democracy Index, the U.S. government has been downgraded and is no longer classed as a “full democracy.” That demotion is deserved. Our democracy will never be complete so long as its native flora and fauna continue to be marginalized. The informed majority of America can stop this destructive juggernaut of vested interests by urging their senators to oppose Senate Bill 164. In the protection of the wolf lies the preservation and restoration of democratic process, eco-justice and a humane society.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a Yorkie who has a distinctive sweet, flowery scent on the top of his head. We thought it was possibly transferred from some of the perfumes found in soaps and such that we humans used, but it's not; it's just his own distinctive smell. This is the first time I've ever encountered this in any of my dogs. I love it. Picking him up at the end of a long day and cuddling with him and sniffing his head lets me know I'm home in a very elemental way. -- L.F. Fairfax, Virginia

DEAR DR. FOX: My first dog companion was a husky-mix. Throughout my childhood, she treated me like I was her pup and was always looking out for me. When I would get upset, Mom would apparently tell me to go smell the dog's belly, and it would calm me down. I don't remember anything about this, other than how much I loved that dog.

I am an adult now, and I have my own standard poodle. I thought I'd smell her tummy just to see if it worked. You know, the smell of the dog's tummy is sweet, like flowers and baby powder, and yes, it is still very calming. -- M.H., St. Louis

DEAR L.F and M.H: I have posted earlier responses from dog owners about their perfumed dogs and hope that your letters will encourage others to check out their own dogs for scented body areas. You both give support to pheromone research and marketing of dog-calming body scents for dogs, which you both find calming for yourselves!

We are losing our sense of smell as well as other sensibilities as we text and tweet with our less and less opposable thumbs in cyberspace. Engaging in a good dog sniff may be one way for us to recover our senses. We can also use our sense of smell to help recognize when our dogs are not well and need a change of diet or just need a bath. For most healthy dogs, this is rarely needed, except for some breeds with oily skin and older dogs with various age-related conditions.

(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 DrFoxVet.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I am amazed at your anger about the breeding of domestic cat-wild cat hybrids -- but I'm very glad. My most recent experience with this type of experiment is in southwest Florida. It seems that some university folks thought it was a great idea to cross Florida panthers with Texas pumas, arguing that is how you save the panther. I understand the puma, a more aggressive breed, is considered quite a problem in Texas for us humans and domestic animals. It has proven to be the case here, as well. When will we understand not to confuse interfering with Mother Nature and good stewardship, care and concern? -- D.W., Naples, Florida

DEAR D.W.: Yes, after close to 50 years of advocating animals' rights to humane treatment and respectful stewardship to provide them with a life worth living, I am angry on many fronts when it comes to our collective exploitation and abuse of fellow creatures.

Creating "misfits" like wild cat-domestic cat hybrids, and keeping "exotic" species as pets, are ethically questionable when appropriate environments are not (and generally cannot) be provided for them. We must question subjecting any creature to a deprived existence simply for our own pleasure or dubious "educational" purposes for children and entertainment.

The scientific basis for hybridization is valid when striving to save endangered species and subspecies like the cougar. I asked Will Stolzenburg, author of "Heart of a Lion," a wonderful book about the history and status of America's cougar or panther, to give more insight on the situation you mention. He writes:

“Concerning the Florida panther situation, I have to side with the scientists on this one, who decided that the Florida panther (so terribly rare and inbred at the time that their eyes were crossed, their tails kinked, even their sperm was deformed) was doomed without introduction of fresh genes. (By the way, there's debate as to whether they're even separate subspecies, despite morphological differences that experts can easily detect.)

"The move has proved warranted, as the population has since rebounded from a scant 30 to more than 100. The idea that the fresh-blooded panthers of Florida, or the Texas cougars from which they were bolstered, are more aggressive, I've yet to see any scientific evidence of this.

"Despite the headlines, the frequency of livestock depredations in either Florida or Texas is still relatively tiny and localized compared to all other factors of livestock mortality. My own journalism profession is guilty of hyping these rare depredations with dramatic headlines, while ignoring the great majority of panthers/cougars who go about their daily lives in close proximity to humans and their companion animals with never a hint of conflict. I'm not only glad they saved the Florida population of cougars by intervening; I'm in favor of translocating a few females north of the Caloosahatchee River so that they can naturally expand northward to repopulate the Appalachians. The eastern forests, overrun with deer and feral hogs, sorely miss their alpha predators.”

I would add that free-roaming and feral domestic cats put panthers, lynx and bobcats at risk from feline diseases they can harbor.

NYC VETERINARIANS BATTLE H7N2 OUTBREAK IN CATS

According to the New York Post, "Officials say 386 New York City shelter cats have tested positive for H7N2 avian influenza as veterinarians work to stem an outbreak among feline residents that appears to have started in October 2016. Some 500 cats have been placed at a makeshift quarantine facility staffed by six veterinarians and eight technicians as well as support staff, and some of the animals will be released in the coming days."

I would call this outbreak an example of an anthropogenic, human-generated disease facilitated by the inhumane poultry and pig industries in virtually every country that are the petri dishes for new strains of the influenza virus. This virus can mutate and spread fast, in part facilitated by migrant birds, but far more so by our own international travel and commerce. We reap what we sow. I have met more than one adult who was partially paralyzed, permanently, after receiving an anti-flu vaccine.

Vaccinology and the profitable vaccine industry have too long ignored the path of disease prevention through more humane animal husbandry and good hygiene, so terribly deficient in the CAFOs -- concentrated animal feeding operations. Some historians contend that the Spanish flu virus pandemic, which probably came from pigs, caused such human morbidity and mortality in the millions that it put an end to World War I.

(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 DrFoxVet.net.)

DEAR READERS: No country can yet claim to be a fully democratic society, because democracy calls for inclusivity and equal consideration of the rights and interests of all. This “all” includes not only its citizens -- regardless of race, tribe, caste, gender, age and religion -- but all other species, plant and animal, especially those we consume and others we are driving to extinction. It also requires responsible care for the natural environment we all share.

From my perspective as a veterinarian and advocate of the One Health concept, our own health and the ultimate well-being of future generations are dependent upon a healthful environment, growing plant and animal populations and natural communities. The call for animal rights and eco-justice, too long ignored, now means that planetary CPR -- conservation, protection and restoration -- needs to be immediately implemented. Our commerce with the Earth must become one of mutually enhancing relationships, rather than relentless exploitation, destructive invasion and human infestation.

Climate change, ocean acidification, loss of cultural and biological diversity and pandemic diseases are evidence enough that democracy must become all-inclusive. “When we take care of the Earth, the Earth will take care of us,” a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer once told me, adding, “and that includes caring for the animals.”

DEAR DR. FOX: For people like me who are up in age and worried about who will take care of their animals when they pass away -- three rescue dogs, in my case -- there is a need for a solution.

My local Humane Society has not made a commitment. “No-kill” sanctuaries have said no.

What am I to do? Any suggestions are welcome -- my family cannot help. -- C.S., Bethesda, Maryland

DEAR C.S.: You have my sympathy, and I embrace you for considering the fate of your beloved canine companions, who may outlive you. I understand that your family cannot or chooses not to help, but I am dismayed that your attempts to find peace of mind and assurance that your dogs will be well cared for if you die before them bore no fruit within your community.

I would advise the executor of your estate to go online to find nonprofit organizations dedicated to finding foster homes and forever homes for companion animals -- especially for those belonging to people with terminal illness or having to go into a retirement or nursing home. There are many such networks of dedicated volunteers in most metropolitan areas across the U.S.; some take animals into their own homes on a temporary basis while the pet owners are hospitalized or sent abroad for military or other reasons.

I have urged active retirees to consider dedicating their time and effort to providing temporary foster homes and forever homes for animals in need in their communities by joining with other volunteers associated with legitimate charities dedicated to this humane purpose. I would have a person you trust visit any no-kill operation or animal sanctuary that may promise to take your dogs to determine how well the resident animals are being cared for, including veterinary attention as needed.

DOG FOOD RECALL

Blue Ridge Beef of Eatonton, Georgia, is voluntarily recalling one lot of its Turkey with Bone raw frozen product due to its potential to be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. The affected product is sold in 2-pound chubs. Visit dogfoodadvisor.com for more information.

(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 DrFoxVet.net.)