DEAR DR. FOX: The Institute for Humane Education launched its first crowdfunding campaign on Aug. 22 to support its Solutionary Program. It is completing the third year of a three-year pilot of this new program for middle and high schoolers in which students work collaboratively to address real-world problems of concern to them and devise solutions good for people, animals and the environment.

The campaign will go for one month, and the Institute's goal is to raise $50,000. Readers can donate at humaneeducation.org/donate. -- Zoe Weil, President and Co-Founder, Institute for Humane Education, Surry, Maine

DEAR Z.W.: Good to hear about this important project, which I am happy to help promote. I hope readers will support this as much as they can.

As I see it, the need for humane education is ever more urgent, considering how epidemic inhumanity has become in virtually every nation, state and community. This includes not only mistreatment of our own kind but of animals, many being pushed into extinction, and of the natural environment we share and upon which all of life depends.

Along with this ethical and humane crisis, there is an apocalyptic awakening, a tearing of the veil of human-centeredness (anthropocentrism) as more people are beginning to see and address harm-reduction and quality and respect for all life. In this regard, it is surely no coincidence that one of America’s biggest publishers, Time Inc., put out two publications this summer prominently displayed on magazine stands across the country: one under National Geographic’s flag, Inside Animal Minds, and the other, The Animal Mind -- A Time Special Edition, exploring “how they think, how they feel and how to understand them."

I am encouraged to read on your website that you offer the only graduate programs preparing people (teachers, activists, advocates) to be comprehensive humane educators connecting animal protection, environmental preservation and human rights; I am also impressed with your online courses and workshops and award-winning free resource center utilized by tens of thousands of educators at home and abroad. Thank you for your work.

A BIG STEP FOR ANIMAL KIND: MORE CITIES SHOULD FOLLOW

Recently, Cambridge, Massachusetts, banned the retail sale of commercially bred pets.

The ordinance, passed by the Cambridge City Council, prohibits the commercial sale of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians in pet stores. Fish are not included in the ordinance but could be added at a later date.

Despite opposition from Petco and PetSmart, the two main pet shops in Cambridge, deputy director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Laura Hagen wrote, “Cambridge residents have been enthusiastically supportive (of the ban), indicating that they want to see Cambridge leave the inhumane animal supply chain.”

Animals in pet shops are often purchased by people who are unprepared or unable to provide for the animals’ needs. Many of those who are purchased from these stores will be abandoned or will die from neglect or improper care. Several pose a public health risk. Infants and those with impaired immune systems are especially at risk from zoonotic diseases. Countless numbers of animals suffer and die before they even reach the market, and wild populations are depleted as endangered species are pushed toward extinction.

(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: Some animal shelters and animal holding facilities still provide insufficient or no exercise for incarcerated dogs. Veterinary clinical researchers have documented the benefit of an exercise regimen to dogs living a sedentary life and suffering from chronic diarrhea. Turn these findings around, and it indicates that dogs who receive regular exercise are more likely to enjoy better health than those who are confined, as in an in-home dog crate, commercial kennels, animal shelter or research laboratory cage.

From behavioral observations of my own dogs, they will pass a few stools when let outdoors in the morning to urinate, but only when they are setting off for a long, fast walk do they fully empty their bowels. Living a sedentary life, rarely aroused and often being trained to evacuate inside -- especially when living in high-rise apartments or confined in a cage or pen -- could well lead to longer retention times of fecal material prior to evacuation with resultant inflammation of the bowels. Physical activity may also help improve circulation and help alleviate and prevent lymphangiectasia, the accumulation of lymph in the bowels seen in some forms of canine inflammatory bowel disease.

Considering the multiple stressors to which dogs taken to animal shelter and rescue facilities are exposed, this veterinary report on the health benefit of exercise for dogs supports what should be a standard policy of providing all dogs with regular brisk walks, ideally twice daily for 15 to 20 minutes. Those under quarantine should be taken to enclosed areas for walks unless medically contraindicated. Safety harnesses are preferable for dogs not used to wearing a collar and those who are fearful or likely to pull and injure their necks and throats. Walking on a leash also socializes dogs to their handlers and is a time to train them to comply with basic commands, which will enhance their adoptability. Walking with a sociable “buddy dog” used to being leashed can help shy dogs accept and eventually enjoy walks while leashed.

Dogs out of quarantine also benefit from being placed in small, compatible play groups in recognition of the benefits of physical activity and social and emotional stimulation. Running stimulates the release of “feel-good” and anti-inflammatory neurochemicals. Many shelters are also adopting group housing for dogs, which, along with regular walks and one-on-one and group human interaction, enhance their adaptability and adoptability.

Private and municipal animal shelters that do not make such provisions and are not open to public assessment of standard animal care procedures may be in violation of state and federal anti-cruelty laws. They are also violating the conditional responsibility of properly caring for animals that the public has entrusted to them.

My thanks to animal protection advocate Helena Servis of St. Louis for bringing this issue to my attention.

DEAR DR. FOX: Max is a 9 1/2-year-old female domestic shorthair cat I adopted from the Arlington Animal Welfare League when she was 6 months old.

She has never liked car travel. During the five-minute drive to my vet (while she is in a cat carrier), she meows loudly with anxiety. I once took her to my beach house 2 1/2 hours away, and it was clear by the nonstop loud meowing noise and her stress level that she hated it. Fortunately, on the trip back home, she was a bit better and was fairly quiet, but kept her tongue moving in and out, breathing shallowly, indicating how stressful it was for her.

I am retiring and moving first to a nearby apartment for four months, then to Clearwater, Florida, and taking Max on the flight in her carrier on my lap. I am nervous about how loud and stressed she may get in the airport and especially on the flight.

I have asked my vet several times about how to keep her calm during the trip and have gotten different answers. One said that “kitty Xanax” would work well. The next time I asked, one vet said a Benadryl-type substance should be used.

I would really like your advice on how best to help keep my Max as comfortable and relaxed as possible on the plane. -- B.K., Falls Church, Virginia

DEAR B.K.: Traveling with cats (and dogs) can be facilitated by having them get used to sleeping and eating in an airline-approved carrier that will be used later for travel.

In your instance, I think it best to let your cat spend a short while (10 to 15 minutes) in the container she will by flying in once or twice a day for a few days. She will soon learn that there is nothing to fear in the carrier and that she will soon be released. Offer her favorite treats while she is being confined. I am opposed to giving animals any medications for travel other than anti-nausea (ginger or Dramamine).

A few drops of oil of lavender or a spritz with a cat pheromone product like Feliway on a blanket or pad given to that cat to lie on in transit may help calm her.

Medications like Xanax and Benadryl can make animals fearful in strange places because they are more vulnerable and have less control, especially as the medication wears off. They are especially useless for long flights since they will wear off and can put animals at risk if they panic while feeling drug-disoriented.

(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: Our 8-month-old kitten has recently been diagnosed with feline leukemia virus (FeLV), which has spread to his bone marrow.

We adopted him at our local animal shelter when he was 4 months old. We brought him into our home with our 7-year-old cat who we had adopted two years ago from the same shelter. She has tested negative for FeLV and FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) several times, so we are assuming that our new guy was born with FeLV. He now has monthly checkup appointments at the vet and is on daily doses of prednisone.

I have two questions for you:

1. As the FeLV has spread to the bone marrow, what are the expectations for years of life left? Is there anything beyond steroid treatment we should be doing to improve his chances or extend his life?

2. Our older cat was never vaccinated for FeLV. She has since been tested again and is negative. She was immediately vaccinated and subsequently received her booster, during which time she was separated from her brother. We have now reintroduced them for quality of life purposes. Are we putting her at undue risk by allowing them to be together? Are there strategies we can employ to reduce her chances of contracting the virus?

Any insight you can share would be most appreciated. -- D.P., Washington, D.C.

DEAR D.P.: Cats are susceptible to a variety of virus infections, some contracted prenatally, others very early in life.

Those with certain infections, such as feline herpes, do well keeping the infection suppressed so long as their immune systems function well and they are no subjected to stress. Your young cat may cope with the feline leukemia virus infection so long as he is not unduly stressed, as by frequent trips to the vet; so arrange for in-home visits if possible.

Avoid boarding and separation from his family. Also avoid additional vaccinations and anti-flea drugs, which can wreak havoc with the immune system and trigger a flare-up of the infection. Good nutrition is essential, ideally some raw or freeze-dried cat foods, or my home-prepared diet, posted on my website.

DEAR DR.FOX: My 9-year-old spayed female yellow Labrador has been very itchy all her life. We had her tested for allergies when she was 2, and she tested positive for many food and environmental allergies. We can control the food allergies, and we give her allergy shots for 12 of her environmental allergies. She still gets so itchy by July and August that we can't even touch her or give her a belly rub because she goes into a scratching frenzy. Several summers I have had to give her prescription pills from my veterinarian, which can be quite costly.

This spring, I read in the newspaper about the benefit of local honey for people with seasonal allergies. I checked online to see if honey would be safe for dogs, and decided to try giving one teaspoon a day on her dry food. She loves it, and licks the spoon, but even better, within two days, her itching was gone. She got through July without itching, and I'm hoping she will get through the rest of the summer and fall without constantly scratching. Maybe some of your readers' itchy dogs could benefit from this cheap but effective remedy. It must be locally produced honey, which is available at local farmers markets and even some supermarkets. -- G.M., Jackson, New Jersey

DEAR G.M.: I have been advocating giving dogs local honey or bee pollen for decades to help stop seasonal allergies. Many thanks for confirming what some of my critics have said disparaging words about. Such treatment can indeed be highly effective, but of course it is not a panacea, since there are other causes of itchy skin in dogs, which call for different treatments.

(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.)