Organizations like Ducks Unlimited have helped protect wetlands from agricultural and other encroachments and pollution. But an initiative in South Dakota is a throwback to the times when some species, like wolves and cougars, were exterminated -- not just to protect livestock, but so deer and elk hunters could have all the game for themselves.

Times are changing, not because of some people’s sentiment for such predators, but because without them, we have ecological dysbiosis: unhealthy ecosystems, as well as less healthy deer and elk herds.

One example of the elimination of perceived competition for hunters comes from South Dakota, which in April set a bounty on target species. The state is giving $10 to trappers for every raccoon, striped skunk, badger, opossum or red fox they kill, because these predators raid the nests of waterfowl and upland game birds.

Shame on South Dakota and the mini-minds who “manage” the state’s natural resources and wildlife. Reducing these species will increase the numbers of others, including mice and other small rodents that are the primary reservoirs for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. So Mother Nature puts a pox on us all!

DEAR DR. FOX: Congratulations on your article in our local newspaper. It is the most balanced mention of vaccines in this paper in at least two years.

I have spoken to no less an authority than Dr. Tom Coburn, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, about his concerns with the MMR vaccine. I have urged reporters to interview him, but they refuse. His first-hand experience doesn’t fit the Pharma/CDC narrative.

Your column is a dose of rational skepticism. Glad to see it! -- S.P., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR S.P.: I appreciate your letter. Reason and sound science take second place these days to vested interests, and the wave of anti-science and disinformation are major civil society concerns.

I was raising questions about companion animal vaccinations in my columns 20 years ago, especially over the annual “boosters” touted by many veterinarians who believed they were safe. Some local veterinary associations then sought to have newspapers drop my column. But since that time, the veterinary profession has progressed significantly in this regard, to a degree I would consider far greater than the human medical profession has. I have never been an anti-vaccine advocate, but to question their safety and effectiveness can trigger the wrath of the medical establishment. I like to say that I have taken the middle road on vaccination concerns over the years, and have been, on occasion, hit by traffic going both ways!

DEAR DR. FOX: Sadly, we are expected to mow lawns in our neighborhood.

We comply, but we refuse to use chemicals, and we allow whatever wants to grow to have its way. In addition, we keep the blade high, to avoid cutting a good many clover flowers and such, and tend to have the shaggiest lawn in the neighborhood.

We have four varieties of clover, a couple of sorrels, buttercups, wild chives, violets and other low-growing blossoms. Everything is natural in our flower garden. We have plenty of bugs, including ladybird beetles and praying mantises. The fence behind the house harbors wild raspberries and other flowering bee treats. It’s kinda like suburban civil disobedience.

Birds and squirrels abound. No need to put out seed. Plenty of goodies in Nature’s grocery! But we are very concerned that honeybees have not put in an appearance. We are not allowed to keep bees, but if they want to take up residence, we won’t bother them, unless a serious beekeeper has a better place for them.

Maybe the rest of the neighborhood will discover the wonders of a wild lawn. We’ll keep the red carpet out for honeybees! Bless you all! -- S.M., Plymouth, Indiana

DEAR S.M.: Many readers will applaud your initiative and, hopefully, follow your “suburban civil disobedience.” If you poison insects in your yard or garden, you will also poison the native birds that eat those insects, including American robins, warblers, swallows, nighthawks, hummingbirds and hundreds of other species. Unfortunately, the adult birds feed the contaminated insects they find to their youngsters in the nest, and the entire family dies. Other insectivores, such as reptiles and amphibians, will also be poisoned -- or, along with the birds, die from starvation because insects are so few.

Local municipal and community ordinances concerning lawn care and maintenance need to be changed, not only for the bees and other insects, most of whom are beneficial, but also to help purify the rain and ultimately our drinking water. Certainly, the chemical fertilizer and pesticide contamination is greatest from industrial agriculture, but residential and corporate property owners, even if operating within the law, should be ridiculed for having “perfect” lawns.

(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 DR. FOX: I have two miniature dachshunds and a little Chihuahua.

Petie is my eldest: 16 years old with a heart murmur, and I fear that I may have to put him down in the not-too-distant future. I had thought that when that sad time came, I would hold him in my arms when the doctor gave him the injection, and that the other two dogs would be there too, as the three are tightly bonded. I don’t want them to wonder if Petie deserted them. I’m certain that they will recognize he has passed.

But I read in an article recently that when a dog is put down, it badly distresses other dogs who witness the death. Is that true? If so, I don’t want to put them through any more pain then necessary, as they will grieve when he is gone, anyway.

What would you recommend? Just taking him myself, or allowing his buddies to be there, too? I also informed my family that when I pass, I want my doggies to smell my body, as I understand that they can smell death and they will understand that I didn’t desert them.

All my dogs are (and any future dogs will be) rescues, and they have gone through enough emotional pain. Please advise me. -- G.B., Owasso, Oklahoma

DEAR G.B.: I sympathize with what you and your dogs have to go through, and applaud your concern for them.

In-home euthanasia with an experienced veterinarian is the best option. The dogs will react to a stranger in the home, so it may be preferable to put them in another room, ideally with someone whom they know and trust, so that Petie is not upset by their reaction.

The attending animal doctor may bring an assistant, since the dog must be properly held and restrained for the intravenous injection of the euthanasia solution. Many veterinarians will give an injection of tranquilizer first, to make the dog comfortable and to make it easier to inject the subsequent solution into the vein.

Once the euthanasia has been accomplished and the veterinarian has left, lay Petie’s body on a towel on the floor, and allow the other dogs to examine him and have some quiet time together. Some dogs are indifferent, while others clearly understand. Then wrap up his body and let the dogs see you take his remains out of the house for cremation or burial. Give the dogs extra attention, and be mindful that they may search the house for Petie and show signs of mourning. Stick to their daily routines; outdoor physical activity will be the best therapy for all.

DEAR DR. FOX: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted a notice concerning salmonella infections in people, children especially, from backyard chickens raised for their eggs.

What is your opinion on homeowners keeping a few layers to produce their own eggs? -- L.H., Cincinnati, Ohio

DEAR L.H.: There have been some discussions and concerns expressed in veterinary journals over the past several years about the animal- and public-health risks of backyard laying hens, and also about their welfare. The related issue is lack of people’s experience in caring for hens properly and providing safe, adequate housing for them.

Most children do not have sufficient exposure to bacteria, especially if there is not a dog in the house, and they do not get outdoors much, preferring to stay indoors with their smartphones and computer games. Their immune systems are therefore not well-developed and they, along with the elderly and already immunocompromised adults, can be prone to a number of bacterial infections from being in or around a backyard hen enclosure, or from eggshells not being properly sanitized prior to going into the home.

It is for these reasons that I am opposed to backyard hen-keeping in cities and suburbs with high population densities, unless operated by experienced people with the inspection and approval of the local state board of animal health.

Certainly, from all documentation, consumers are more at risk from bacterial infection when handling poultry and meat from factory farms and feedlots. I advise all people to eat less animal produce in general, and only from organically certified and humane sources, if they are unable to become vegetarians or vegans.

(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: It is evident from the United Nations’ 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services that we have yet to learn to share this planet with other intelligent life-forms and consciousnesses.

This would be for our own good, which is bound to that of other beings in the life community, even if we do not respect and care for the least of them. Without the ethics of respect and care, we are less than human, and have become the most dangerous species on Earth. Inhumanity has no bounds -- ecologically, spiritually or ethically.

I did not foresee, in my 1980 book “One Earth, One Mind,” how rapidly dystopias and planetary dysbiosis, signaled by climate change and a plethora of new pests and diseases, would arrive. Now, almost four decades later, we are well into the Anthropocene (human-centered) age, and we are awakening to the tragedy of our current reality and the challenge to either evolve or perish.

Respect and care can awaken compassion and empathy, which can extend into bioethics and efforts like the One Health movement, now endorsed by the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The British Veterinary Association is now promoting the benefits of sustainable consumption and the concept of “less and better” farmed animal produce for animal-welfare and sustainability reasons. In other words, consumers are encouraged to eat less produce from animals, and only from those raised humanely.

Governments under corporate control and corrupted by vested interests cannot be blindly relied upon, and must be held responsible when they resist initiatives driven by reason, sound science, ethics and justice.

DEAR DR. FOX: My bulldog mix has had diarrhea on and off since December. We brought a fecal sample to our vet, and it tested positive for Giardia. He’s been treated with a bland diet (boiled chicken and rice), along with Metronidazole every 12 hours.

After he finished the meds and bland diet, I took another sample in, and it was negative, but the bouts of diarrhea continue.

I don’t know what to do. He is a happy dog and looks healthy, too. -- A.A., Gaylordsville, Connecticut

DEAR A.A.: Giardia can seriously debilitate dogs -- as well as humans -- and can cause serious damage to the intestinal wall, which can lead to other problems.

The parasite may not show up in fecal samples. Infective cysts can be present in standing water and the feces of other animals, notably deer. My own dog had a persistent Giardia infection, even after the local humane society released her as “parasite-free” after treatment with Metronidazole. Effective treatment was achieved using a combination of Metronidazole and Fenbendazole (Panacur). You should discuss this treatment regimen with your veterinarian.

In addition, I would give your dog digestive enzymes and probiotics (available from drug stores). Give him half the human dose, twice daily before meals. Also consider transitioning him to my home-prepared diet, adding a tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his twice-daily meals.

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS TO CONSIDER FUNDING PET CARE AT HOMELESS SHELTERS

A bill proposed in the California Senate would allocate $5 million to homeless shelters to pay for basic veterinary care, food, shelter and supplies for pets whose owners have no home.

“If we can have more pet-friendly housing, and housing that supports the needs of pets, we will actually bridge the gap between social services and animal health care so we can find a larger solution to help those in need,” said Geraldine D’Silva, director of the San Diego Humane Society’s PAWS program. (KPBS-TV/KPBS-FM, San Diego, 5/21)

(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.)