DEAR READERS: Babies who have regular exposure to livestock have more diverse gut microbe communities than their urban counterparts, according to a study published in Frontiers in Immunology that confirms previous findings.

When microbes from the rural babies’ fecal samples were inserted into piglets kept in a germ-free lab, the piglets developed more robust lymphoid and myeloid immune cells than piglets that received urban babies’ gut microbes. (Bangor Daily News, 8/5)

This kind of research underscores the benefits of getting children outdoors and exposed to soil and vegetation, where many of these beneficial bacteria can be found. These good bacteria also get in and on the dogs in our homes when they get to run in natural places, rather than mowed and chemical-treated municipal parks and playgrounds.

So-called petting zoos are seasonally popular, especially at state fairs, and are a good source of potentially beneficial bacteria for children. But they should be avoided by the immune-compromised, and every animal should have a veterinary certificate of sound health and be free of any communicable diseases such as harmful strains of salmonella and E. coli.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 8-year-old female cat was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and has lost considerable weight. The veterinarian says there is no cure.

We also have several other cats. They have all been fed dry cat food (Purina Fancy Feast, various flavors). Since this cat has lost weight, we basically feed her anything she wants. Her favorites are canned Fancy Feast, the ”Gravy Lovers” flavors. Usually she only eats the gravy. She also likes bacon, grilled cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Her personality and actions have not changed, and she is not timid around the other cats. We have been taking her in the past year (every two or three months) for injections of B12 and Depo Medrol. Are there any other medicines or treatments I can administer to help her? -- S.E., Sapulpa, Oklahoma

DEAR S.E.: If the veterinarian who examined your cat did not discuss diet, I would seek a second opinion. To find a holistic veterinary practitioner near you, go to ahvma.org.

Chronic diarrhea in cats is a signal of gut inflammation, which can be due to food intolerance or allergy. One cat I know made a full recovery when rice was eliminated from her diet. Others may have adverse reactions to corn, soy, eggs, fish or beef.

In some instances, the problem is lymphatic cancer invading the intestines, for which there is no cure. A biopsy can help confirm this cause, but it is costly, and should be the last resort after addressing the above considerations.

Transition your cat onto my home-prepared diet and see if that helps (if it is acceptable to her, since cats are finicky eaters). If she accepts it and she shows improvement, let me know. Otherwise, let her eat what she likes, and try meaty Gerber baby food and canned sardines. Also, I do not advise feeding cats or dogs an entirely dry, manufactured kibble for many reasons, from obesity to dental and digestive problems.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a finch that comes to our window every day, all day long, for almost two weeks now. He or she sits on the hummingbird feeder hook and pecks on the window, and then flies up against the glass. We also have a birdseed-filled feeder on the window, but the bird doesn’t go to that. This goes on all day long. Other birds come to the feeders, too.

We don’t know what to do for this bird. Is it just looking at its reflection, thinking it’s another bird? Last night, I took all the bird feeders down, and today, he is back -- hitting and flying up against the window with nothing there. The hummingbirds are looking for their food, too.

If you can, please let us know what to do for this bird. -- J.S., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR J.S.: Male birds of various species will display and attack their reflected images in windows.

This is an instinct-driven territorial behavior that can be stressful to them when they are unable to drive the perceived rival away. So, it would be a kindness to tape some newspaper on the outside of the window to cover it for a few days.

There are stickers and reflective strips one can purchase at pet- and bird-supply stores to stop birds from flying into windows, and I wish more property owners, including glass-box corporate offices, would take the initiative. These are not likely to deter your little finch, but you may wish to consider this for the other birds coming to your feeders.

(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 that climate change has become a global climate crisis. This has come much faster than many experts predicted, and is certainly challenging the economic status quo of the fossil fuel industry and their political supporters, who still deny this crisis is upon us all. Deforestation and the rising demand for meat around the world are also contributing factors. A meat-based diet is unsustainable, as is the current industrial economy.

Collectively, we have brought on wetter and hotter summers across North America, Europe and other regions; in the U.S., this has created ideal conditions for the proliferation of mosquitoes and ticks. This is why insect-borne diseases are on the rise in humans and animals alike. Aquatic-borne illnesses have closed popular lakes for swimmers in Minnesota and other states because of E. coli, some strains of which are spread by geese and seagulls. Dogs have died this summer after playing in lakes where toxic blue-green algae have proliferated under these climatic conditions.

I advise dog owners to be extremely vigilant, checking their animals for ticks after being outdoors in tick-infested vegetation, and hosing them down if they get into a pond or lake -- from which they should never be allowed to drink. Cats should not be allowed outdoors to roam free because they could bring home fleas, which can carry the plague, transmissible to humans.

Mosquitoes are also flourishing, so we must all exercise vigilance when outdoors: Humans and wild birds can both succumb to West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Dysbiosis and dystopia go hand in hand. I am not being an alarmist, but a realist. According to a major release on land use from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released Aug. 8, the climate crisis will soon cause food to become scarcer, grocery prices to spike and crops to lose their nutritional value. The climate crisis will also change what kinds of crops farmers can grow, due to some environments becoming too hot to sustain current crops, and other locations seeing more flooding, snow and humidity.

As responsible citizens, we must make the climate crisis the top priority for responsible governments and industries to address. We must also call for the establishment of a United Environmental Nations to help critically compromised human communities and wildlife habitats, both aquatic and terrestrial.

DEAR DR. FOX: We recently adopted a shelter dog, a few months after losing our loving Maltese. We looked at several places online, telling them we were looking for another Maltese, and one of the shelters sent an email saying they had one. We drove over 100 miles to find out there was not a Maltese in the place.

A young girl started bringing out dogs on leashes, and the first was a beige terrier female. I picked her up and she kissed every inch of my face. We ended up buying her for a lot of money. She is about 3 or 4, our vet says. (The shelter said she was 2 years old.) She will not go outside to pee or poop, so she is still paper-trained.

Ever since we got her, she eats her poop when I am not looking. I have her on Natural Balance dry and canned foods. I bought pills at a pet store that were supposed to make her stop eating poop, but they did nothing. Last night, I gave her a little treat of a small piece of chicken and some fresh-cooked carrots. She went into the bathroom and brought me back a piece of her poop.

Do you have any ideas how I can stop this awful habit? -- E.H.., Port St. Lucie, Florida

DEAR E.H.: You certainly had a run-around adopting this poor little dog.

My guess is that she was confined in a cage or crate for some time, which can lead dogs to eat their own feces. Another of several reasons why dogs engage in this behavior (called coprophagia) is related to chronic deficiencies in nutrition and/or gut bacteria (the microbiome). If this indeed is the root of the problem, transitioning your dog to a raw (or partially raw) diet, along with my home-prepared dog food recipe, may help. Also try digestive enzymes, found in a teaspoon of fresh papaya or pineapple, and daily probiotics.

Above all, get your dog trained to evacuate outdoors. Take any soiled newspaper outside, and encourage her before and after meals to go to the newspapers and evacuate -- after running around and sniffing, since activity does get the bowels working and improves digestion.

(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: Your column is always informative, and I appreciate your commitment to what is best for our pets and the environment.

I must take issue, however, with your recommendation of fish oil for pets -- or humans, for that matter. The international market for fish oil has resulted in giant factory ships that vacuum up the tiny fish that play a vital role in the ocean’s food chain. This practice is hastening the collapse of ocean fisheries.

I recommend Paul Greenberg’s excellent book, “The Omega Principle,” which is a fairly short and fascinating look at the fish oil industry. -- T.C., South Bend, Indiana

DEAR T.C.: I appreciate your legitimate concerns and the opportunity to clarify this important nutritional issue for cats and dogs.

Highly processed pet foods, especially dry kibble, are nutrient-deficient with regard to essential fatty acids, which are destroyed by heat processing and oxidation. Because most poultry and beef cattle are fattened on corn (as opposed to grass-fed), they have an imbalance of excess pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids from the corn. As documented in my book “Not Fit For a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat & Dog Foods” (co-authored with two other veterinarians), many health problems can develop from deficiencies of these kinds of nutrients, which are available in fish oils, marine algae and, at lower levels, in organically certified, grass-fed beef and dairy products.

You will see on my website (drfoxonehealth.com) an article advising people against purchasing these oils derived from krill. You are also correct about the global problems of overfishing, drifting nets and ocean-bottom factory fishing and mining. Oils from farmed salmon are not acceptable because of dioxin contamination.

So to clarify: More sustainable sources of these essential oils can be obtained from suppliers of marine algae, wild salmon and Atlantic cod, the populations of which are being better managed. These are important dietary inclusions for cats, who are obligate carnivores. For dogs, organic butter from grass-fed cows will also be beneficial.

DEAR DR. FOX: Bebe is a wonderful, fun-loving 2-year-old Yorkiepoo, but a finicky eater.

She can’t eat chicken, but will eat egg yolks and dried liver treats. Eventually, she decides she doesn’t like most of what I give her. She does like corn, but it goes right through her.

Help. She only weighs 6.6 lbs. I’ve never had this issue with my other dogs. -- H.B., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

DEAR H.B.: Some dogs are very clever and can manipulate/train us to give them what they want. I believe this is the case with your smart little dog.

First, a full wellness examination by a veterinarian would be in order, checking especially the teeth and throat for any issues. Then, set a schedule of physical activity: a long walk and/or playtime before eating, which should be two or three small meals a day, at a set time. Do not fuss over the dog after you put the food down. Ignore her, but make a big deal about getting the food ready. If the dog does not eat right away, pick it up without a word and put it down again a half-hour later after some outdoor activity.

Hungry dogs who are healthy should have a good appetite. If she seems to have any problems swallowing, discuss this with the veterinarian. And it might be good to put heavy ceramic food and water bowls (not metal because of static electricity sparks, or plastic because of lingering odor and possible toxic chemicals) on a slightly elevated platform, or in a stand, so she does not have to reach down too much to eat and drink. Also, try my home-prepared recipe, posted on my website. Let me know your progress!

P.S. No snacks or treats between meals until she is eating well!

(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.)