DEAR READERS: In many communities in the United States and abroad, animals are being killed inhumanely because of religious tradition.

Religious freedom is an essential democratic principle, but should not preclude impartial evaluation of various associated traditions and beliefs. Ritual slaughter by butchers following Jewish and Islamic traditions involves slicing the carotid and jugular blood vessels in the neck. Suddenly receiving less oxygen, the brain triggers panic-suffocation reactions. This makes the animals struggle and gasp for air with blood being inhaled and exhaled through the trachea (wind pipe), which is also severed.

Furthermore, this form of ritual slaughter does not lead to immediate unconsciousness, because arteries supplying the brain (and therefore maintaining some degree of consciousness) travel through the bony vertebrae and are never reached by the knife.

Aside from that, animals show fear when being led to and restrained for slaughter. Advocates of more humane ritual slaughter are calling for pre-slaughter stunning to render animals unconscious prior to throat-cutting.

We appeal to all Muslim and Jewish communities around the world, and their leaders, to adopt this practice that has already been accepted, or is being considered, in several countries. Pioneering animal rights scholar/activist Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri, the former imam of Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking, England, proved in his 1989 book “Animals in Islam” that the captive-bolt stunning method is more humane, and is also in perfect consonance with the animal slaughter principles of Islam. We therefore appeal to these communities, globally, to urgently adopt this practice, as a way to move forward and mitigate further suffering.

-- Michael W. Fox, veterinarian, Golden Valley, Minnesota; Nadeem Haque, Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri’s grandson, Toronto, Canada

DEAR DR. FOX: I read with interest your column on whether other pets should be present when a dog is euthanized. Based on my experiences, I believe that other pets definitely should be present.

Several years ago, when we had to put our sweet Aussie, Mattie, to sleep, we found a wonderful vet who was willing to come to the house. He suggested that our cavalier King Charles spaniel, Lillie, stay with us through the whole process. Lillie was absolutely glued to Mattie until literally the exact moment that the doctor told us she no longer had a heartbeat. As he was telling us, Lillie got up and walked away. I pulled her back, but she refused to stay and walked away again. The doctor told me to let her go. He said dogs recognize the smell of death and know what it means, which was why he said she should be there. He said that even though she would be sad, she, like us, would know what happened to Mattie and she wouldn’t always be waiting for her to come home.

He was absolutely right: She grieved, but didn’t search for Mattie. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever witnessed. In contrast, when Lillie died, sadly, we did not have the option to include our other dogs, Annie and Roxie -- she went into cardiac arrest at the animal hospital. When we came home without Lillie, both Annie and Roxie were constantly and obviously looking for her, especially Roxie, who was very attached to her. Fortunately, I had clipped some of Lillie’s fur after she died, and after a few days of heartbreaking sadness (they were unusually quiet, and they raced to the door whenever someone came in, walking away dejected when it was never Lillie), my husband suggested we let them both smell the fur. We did, and it worked. After that, they were still clearly sad, but they began to perk up, and never again raced to the door expecting her to be there. It was amazing.

I truly believe dogs know so much more than we realize. -- P.W., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR P.W.: I am glad to revisit this question with you, since many people have more than one animal in their homes. As in prior columns, however, I urge people not to allow their animals to witness the euthanasia procedure if done in-home.

For the cat or dog whose time has come because of intractable suffering, in-home euthanasia is the ideal and least distressing method. Some people would prefer a “natural” death for their animal companions, but chronic organ failure and eventual shutdown can be protracted and distressing for all. I always advise an objective, yet empathetic, clinical evaluation by a veterinarian.

I agree with you that dogs realize much more than we give them credit for. My concern about having other animals present during the administration of the euthanasia is that some may become disturbed and protective, or fearful toward the veterinarian and his/her assistant. Better, in my experience, to allow the dogs/cats to see their animal companion laid out on the floor after the procedure has been completed. As you have confirmed, there is more distress and a lack of “closure” when the deceased animal is left at the animal hospital and not brought home for the other animals to examine; and yes, most do seem to comprehend that their animal companion is deceased. This generally shortens their grieving time significantly.

(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: Our grandson has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. He is 6 years old and is in therapy.

His parents say that their pediatrician says it is genetic, not caused by vaccines. You have written about some of the harms that vaccinations can cause to pets, and we wonder if animals ever develop something like autism. If so, that would be proof of risk, wouldn’t it? -- M.M., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR M.M.: This is indeed an issue of grave concern and controversy in the human population. There are genetic and so-called epigenetic aspects to this disorder. Many interesting articles and studies have been posted to www.childrenshealthdefense.org, for your further reading.

To my knowledge, there is no clinical evidence of animals developing any condition resembling autism, or any association between being given vaccinations and subsequent changes in cognitive and affective behaviors in cats and dogs. I would like to hear from readers who may have experienced otherwise with their animals (beyond the short-term trauma that some animals experience from going to the veterinary clinic for shots and checkups).

Post-vaccination seizures in dogs have been reported, which does indicate that vaccines can affect the brains of companion animals, possibly due to the presence of aluminum and mercury in most vaccines. This does not mean that companion animals should not be given vaccinations, since the health risks of non-vaccinated populations far exceed the risks of adverse side-effects to a few individuals. The latter can be reduced by avoiding giving too many combined vaccines at the same time, and skipping unnecessary re-vaccinations by doing blood titer evaluations of immune status.

I am much more concerned about the short- and long-term health and environmental consequences on companion animals from topical and oral anti-flea and anti-parasite drugs. For details, see my article “Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides” posted on my website (drfoxonehealth.com).

DEAR DR. FOX: As a vegan, I would appreciate your opinion. I have an 18-pound, 5-year-old dog, rescued and neutered. What is your professional opinion about the Natural Balance vegetarian/vegan formula for dogs? The ingredients are as follows:

Brown rice, oat groats, barley, peas, potato protein, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, dicalcium phosphate, dried tomato pomace, natural flavor, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, taurine, minerals (several listed), salt, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, vitamin A supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, niacin, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D2 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin), flaxseed, dried spinach, parsley, cranberries, L-lysine monohydrochloride, L-carnitine, citric acid (used as a preservative), mixed tocopherols (used as a preservative), yucca schidigera extract, dried kelp, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), rosemary extract. -- C.H.F., Larkspur, California

DEAR C.H.F.: Unacceptable, in my opinion. It is nutritionally incomplete, and likely in some breeds to cause dilated cardiomyopathy and other health problems. Read on for more on the subject.

FDA LISTS BRANDS MOST COMMONLY LINKED WITH DCM

The FDA collected 515 reports of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and nine in cats between January 2014 and April 2019; and because some reports involved multiple pets in a single home, the agency said the total number of animals affected is probably higher.

Although genetic predisposition seems to play a role in some cases of DCM, the FDA has been exploring a possible link with diet. The agency’s latest update includes a list of associated brands and numbers of cases reported for each:

Acana: 67 cases. Zignature: 64. Taste of the Wild: 53. 4Health: 32. Earthborn Holistic: 32. Blue Buffalo: 31. Nature’s Domain: 29. Fromm: 24. Merrick: 16. California Natural: 15. Natural Balance: 15. Orijen: 12. Nature’s Variety: 11. NutriSource: 10. Nutro: 10. Rachael Ray Nutrish: 10.

Many other brands are probably linked to this heart disease in dogs. In my opinion, there are genetic and epigenetic factors involved in the genesis of this cardiac inflammatory disease, which causes enlargement of the heart and eventual heart failure. But diet may also be a factor. The lectins in some vegetables (pulses and potatoes) may block uptake of taurine, a deficiency of which can lead to this disease in dogs and cats.

Dysbiosis may also play some role. There is a lack of beneficial gut bacteria and a paucity of prebiotics and probiotics in many pet foods, as well as a lack of omega-3 fatty acids and an unbalanced excess of omega-6 fatty acids from corn and corn-fed animals.

(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 read your testimony to our government to keep the wolf on the endangered species protection list. Love it! So beautifully written.

I am always saddened by how little people actually hear and take in. To give you, and others, only three minutes to testify at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s public hearings is absurd, and disgusts me greatly.

I am glad, though, that are you are still at it, and I know you will never give up. There are some who can hear you, and all we can do is pray for the rest of them to wake up! You will perhaps never truly know the full magnitude of how your spirit has served! Bless you. -- P.H., West Fork, Arkansas

DEAR P.H.: I appreciate your good words of support and consolation. But I am not a lone voice, since recent polls indicate that the majority of Americans want the gray wolf protected.

The status of wolves and other wildlife in North America is indeed perilous. The peril began soon after the incursion of settlers two centuries ago, who started exterminating indigenous peoples, animals and plants. The University of Washington Press has reprinted Murray Morgan’s 1950 book, “The Last Wilderness,” in which he wrote: “It was strangely like war. They attacked the forest as if it were an enemy to be pushed back from the beachheads, to be driven into the hills, broken into patches, wiped out.”

With the climate crisis we face today, the Hopi prophecy that “when the trees are gone, the sky will fall” seems to be coming to pass.

Morgan’s statement affirms the warlike, adversarial state of mind that I witnessed while growing up in the industrial north of England, surrounded by William Blake’s “Satanic mills.” Still today, many rural communities will support any initiatives that exploit natural resources, especially fracking and mining, if the companies provide jobs for them -- regardless of the long-term hidden costs. I sympathize with them: the rural communities taken over by factory farms; the out-of-work farmers having to care for their ailing elders, many of whom are dying of cancer because of constant exposure to agrichemicals.

I remember pulling over while driving in Iowa, after a tour of Iowa State University’s prototype meat irradiation plant, to save a remnant member of a once-abundant indigenous species: the soft-shelled swamp turtle. I got out of the vehicle and looked back at where I had come from, remembering what I had just seen and felt. I breathed in the heavy, tainted, almost fetid air of that humid summer evening and wept as I set the struggling turtle, so vulnerable in the middle of the road, beside the ditch a few feet below the elevated highway -- the last vestige of her wetland habitat.

Once-thriving towns are now rife with unemployment, depopulation, poor health care services, depression, suicide, crime and drugs. Farmed- and companion-animal veterinary care is lacking in more and more rural communities. There are political and economic solutions, but they are not seen as profitable by most government leaders and their corporate supporters.

The recovery of quality of life for rural communities is inseparable from environmental quality and viable economies that are sustainable for generations to come.

DEAR DR. FOX: I’m 66 years old and a life learner; your column is a daily source of education for me. I’m a pet owner, but your advice goes well beyond this, advocating for environmental and wildlife concerns. Keep it up. -- B.C.S., Nassau, Bahamas

DEAR B.C.S.: Thanks for your encouraging words. I do get occasional letters from readers who do not like the “political” content of some of my syndicated columns. But what I call “biopolitics” is a central aspect of animal health and well-being, just as bioethics links us to a more responsible and humane environmental and planetary stewardship.

Former editorial writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, James P. Lenfestey, wrote on Aug. 27 about the death of multibillionaire David L. Koch in an article entitled, “A shameful legacy of outsized anti-science influence.” Not mincing words, Lenfestey wrote that “there will be a special place in the annals of the hell of a hotter Earth for him and his brother Charles.” Both have provided funds to support various vested interests to discredit research, by myself and others, in animal welfare science and advocacy of humane treatment, animal rights and environmental protection.

(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.)