On Jan. 9, a federal judge struck down an Iowa law that makes it illegal to work at a livestock farm or puppy mill in order to conduct an undercover animal cruelty investigation.

U.S. District Court Judge James Gritzner ruled against the so-called "ag-gag" law, which Iowa lawmakers approved in 2012 to stop organizations from doing animal abuse investigations. The law threatened up to a year in jail to those who conducted an undercover operation.

In his decision, Gritzner stated that the Iowa law violated the constitutional right to free speech. Iowa's attorney general has filed a motion opposing the federal ruling.

“Ag-gag laws are a pernicious attempt by animal exploitation industries to hide some of the worst forms of animal abuse in the United States,” Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells said in a prepared statement.

Federal courts have struck down similar laws in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Litigation is ongoing in North Carolina.

DEAR DR. FOX: My niece has an 8-year-old female cat named Cleo whom she adopted about six years ago from a shelter. Cleo was spayed but had a litter of kittens as a stray before she was brought to the shelter.

About two years ago at her annual checkup, the vet said Cleo had some lumps on her belly that were mammary cancer. She said that was common in female cats who have had a litter. It had not spread, so the vet did surgery, which I thought was pretty extensive. Anyway, we took Cleo for a follow-up X-ray six months after and she was clear. At her July 2018 annual exam, there were no bumps on her belly.

Last week, my niece felt a bump on Cleo and brought her in. They did an X-ray, and it's mammary cancer again but has not spread. Her blood work is OK. We have her scheduled for another surgery, but I worry about her age and anesthesia, and these two big surgeries in two years.

I wanted to know your feelings about it. It’s probably more torture for us after she has the surgery, seeing her like that and with a cone on her head. I worry that we are putting her through too much. I pay the vet bills, so hence I am writing to you. I talked to the vet myself, and she said this was the only option. The vet did say last time there was a 66 percent chance of the cancer returning, and it did. Cleo is a beloved family cat.

Thank you for any advice or thoughts. -- J.S., Naples, Florida

DEAR J.S.: I appreciate your concern and financial support for your niece’s cat. Both are fortunate.

Eight years is not very old for a cat, but some may be compromised as strays, along with all the trauma of survival and having a litter of kittens. With modern anesthetics and pre- and post-surgical care, competent veterinarians can perform small surgical miracles every day, so I would not delay a second surgery.

(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.)

The ever-increasing cost of pharmaceuticals in the United States for both humans and companion animals is a top political issue that has yet to be remedied.

Even worse is the reported flagrant disregard for public health by Zoetis Inc., the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock. The company was once a subsidiary of Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, but with Pfizer's spinoff of its stake in the firm, Zoetis is now an independent company. Zoetis sells products in more than 100 countries, and its operations outside the U.S. account for 50 percent of its total revenue.

Zoetis has agreed to stop promoting and selling antibiotics in animals’ feed in the U.S., but continues to promote and sell in India and other countries where this practice is not yet illegal. This non-medical use of antibiotics aims to help farmed animals grow faster, a practice now banned in the U.S. and European Union because of documented concerns over antibiotic resistance in bacteria that can harm people.

This puts the entire world community at risk at a time when life-saving antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective, due in large part to this profit-driven misuse by livestock and poultry producers, according to a Feb. 13 article in The Telegraph.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing about the piece you had in your paper on Nov. 18 by L.S. in Naples, Florida, regarding their dog, Jazzie. When I read this, I was brought to tears.

Remembering my own Chihuahua, Lexy, I think she understood every word that was ever said to her. She had a personality just like a person.

She understood when I didn’t feel well, and when I was ready to pitch a ball and have some fun. She brought so much joy to my life. I knew I would miss her when she was not around anymore, but I didn’t know it would be this hard.

She was my little angel and losing her is like losing a human family member. I will always remember my beautiful Lexy. -- D.T., Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

DEAR D.T.: I am publishing your tribute to your dog, Lexy -- who gave you the joy of unconditional love, the love of absolute trust and devotion -- in part because you are currently in Stokes County Jail in North Carolina. I wonder why you are incarcerated, but I never ask out of respect for your privacy, along with many others who write to me about animals and related issues from their jail cells and to whom I always reply.

Is there any community involvement available, such as fostering homeless dogs and cats and other often neglected animals? Some prisons have programs linked with a local animal shelter to foster and train dogs. Perhaps you have one you can join, or you can start one up in memory of Lexy, the dog who gave you the love you needed and who opened you to love.

I want to share with you this poem I wrote a few years ago:

DOGS TO ME

As an infant, I found every dog

a source of wonder and delight;

responsive presence, a joy

to touch and eye to eye engage.

As a boy, they were my best of friends,

more trustworthy than my peers,

incapable of betrayal:

more caring, playful and aware.

To this dog-grown man, every dog

is an open book to an open mind;

an open mind to an open heart;

a kindred spirit in canine form.

(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 a cattle farmer, and your readers might like to know what I have been facing with my animals and at the auctions.

My Holsteins, and those belonging to other people, have been developing visible tumors on their bodies. The cows with tumors bring $.10 per pound, as opposed to $.50 to $.55 per pound for the good cows. A classmate of mine did NOT bid on or buy the cows with lymphoma. I asked him why anyone might buy those cows. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. I wonder what the going price is for meat for pet food?

The remarks below are from a consultant who was working with a particular dairy operation in the Midwest. The consultant sent feed samples to a Lab in Fairfield, Iowa, for glyphosate and AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) residue analysis:

"The particular farm where I took these samples has had cows reach a poor peak, weaken and die for years. Once they had allowed me to start taking urine samples, which showed around 10 ppb of glyphosate/AMPA last spring, they promised to quit using Roundup on the crops that were to be fed to their cows and heifers.

"Three months ago, one of the owners asked me why the cows they are shipping are being 'tanked' (condemned): 'How are they getting lymphoma?'

"When I asked if he had heard about the lawsuit Monsanto lost in California and had to fork out (millions of dollars) to a groundskeeper who was exposed to Roundup and was dying of lymphoma, the owner looked at me in total bewilderment and didn't ask me another question!

"I've been begging them for six years to stop using the stuff!"

A high school classmate of mine is a pound cow buyer for a major cow and bull slaughter packer. He has been buying pound cows and bulls ("pound cows" is a term to describe a cow whose life of efficient production is over and now is headed for McDonald's or Burger King). I asked him if he was seeing much lymphoma in pound cows. His response was "YES, especially dairy cows." This is because the feedstuffs the dairy cows consume contain a constant level of glyphosate/AMPA residue, and glyphosate has been scientifically proven to cause lymphoma in certain cases. -- H.V., Maurice, Iowa

DEAR H.V.: I share your concerns about bovine lymphosarcoma, leukemia and malignant lymphoma. Lymphosarcoma in cattle may be sporadic or result from infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV), the latter being often referred to as an enzootic bovine leukosis. Sporadic lymphosarcoma in cattle is unrelated to infection with BLV. It can significantly reduce animals' well-being and productivity. Why it is so prevalent today may be because of herbicide (glyphosate) residues in cattle feed, which may act as a co-factor in reducing animals' resistance to the virus or be a primary cause of a similar lymphatic cancer as seen in laboratory animal studies of glyphosate toxicity.

Lymphatic cancer is also an issue with dogs, and herbicide residues have been found in some dog foods. We have surely reached the point where the use of such chemicals in food production needs to be curtailed, since they are now being detected in drinking water as well as various foods, beer and wine. Organic farming practices need to be more widely adopted for the good of all.  

DEAR DR. FOX: My 2-year-old Jack Russell has been potty box-trained since birth, and has been great about using his box in the middle of the night.

However, after moving to a new house two months ago, he refuses to use it. Twice, he has pooped on the floor. So we placed his box where he pooped on the floor, but nothing!

We don't understand this new behavior, and don't know how to get him to go in his box again. -- M.B., St Louis

DEAR M.B.: Most dogs do not like to defecate inside their homes, even though they can be trained to do so on a poop (and pee) pad when they are young. Your dog wants to keep the new home clean, perhaps? I do not condone this practice unless you live in a high-rise apartment, or are handicapped and unable to take the dog outdoors on a regular schedule.

Most dogs like a schedule of going outside about six times a day, with at least one long walk or some time off-leash in a safe area to run around and play.

An active terrier dog like yours needs lots of stimulation and activities, including sniffing and urine-marking around where you live. Regular physical activity is good for the mind and body, helping prevent obesity, bowel issues, and other health problems associated with a sedentary existence. Outdoor physical activity stimulates the digestive system, and is always best done before meals.

Your dog is probably trying to tell you enough is enough. He is not a litter box-using cat and needs to get outdoors as often as possible. Teaching a pup to get used to pooping indoors can make it difficult to later have the dog poop outdoors. How often does he get out? No healthy dog needs to poop in the middle of the night.

(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.)