DEAR READERS: Off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, are floating pens: home to millions of farmed salmon. In early September, several million of those pen-raised fish unexpectedly died. The number of dead fish was reported as anywhere from 2 million to 8 million, and the reported causes for the die-off ranged from algae blooms to too-warm water.

The fishing company in question, Northern Harvest Sea Farms, said that 2.6 million salmon carcasses will be sent to another company to be processed into cat food and other animal feed. (thechronicleherald.ca, Oct. 11)

Pet food safety advocate Susan Thixton posted this comment on her website, truthaboutpetfood.com:

“The FDA openly allows diseased animal material to be disposed of into pet food. As recent as April 30, 2019, the FDA stated: ‘We do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion where appropriate.’

“‘Enforcement discretion’ is the FDA’s way of saying ‘illegal waste disposal into pet food without disclosure to pet owners.’ Should you wish to tell the FDA how you feel about the illegal waste the agency allows in pet food, please email them at AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov.”

Thanks to CatFoodIngredients.com for forwarding me this story.

DON’T BUY PIG EAR TREATS, GOVERNEMNT WARNS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising people not to purchase pig ear treats for their dogs: Since 2015, at least 127 people in 33 states have been infected with salmonella from these pig parts.

These parts come from Argentina and Brazil. Pig parts from China are blocked because of the current crisis of Asiatic swine fever, which has decimated the domestic pig population in several Asian countries.

(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 been using Seresto collars for my 51-pound springer spaniel for the past two years, and he has developed cancer all of a sudden.

Chipper will be 12 in November, and he was fine until I started with these collars. He developed bone cancer starting in the jawbone close to the collar.

This is the first time I’m hearing of this connection, as I read your article. Thank you for the info. -- M.S., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR M.S.: You are now witness to the sad reality of the high incidence of various cancers in dogs.

Cancer is a multifactor disease in most instances, involving a combination of genetics and, often, environmental factors. My approach is to avoid potential carcinogenic sources from the environment, which include the long-term use of insecticides on both food crops and our animal companions.

The ingredients in the Seresto collar could have played a role, but this is difficult to prove beyond circumstantial probability. High levels of fluoride and pesticides in some pet foods and drinking water could also be contributing factors.

The best you can do is to make life as comfortable as possible for your dog. Feed him a high-protein, high-fat, low-starch diet with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplements, including one daily teaspoon of fish oil, powdered turmeric and ginger mixed into his food. Also give him a tablespoon of blueberries, grated carrots or broccoli, 500 mg of vitamin C, and 200 mcg of selenium. At bedtime, give him 6 mg of melatonin, a potent antioxidant.

There are many holistic and nutraceutical ways of addressing animal patients with various cancers, along with surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy.

To find a holistic veterinary practitioner in your area, visit ahvma.org.

DEAR DR. FOX: The decline in wild bird populations is astonishing.

No doubt, loss of habitat is the major contributing factor, but the decline nearly parallels the increase in bird feeders and the explosion of the related industry.

I have noticed the effect of sprouting-prevention chemicals used on many commercially produced birdseed products as grass and other plants beneath the feeders die off. If there is also an effect on the health -- specifically, the reproductive health -- of the birds eating this seed, then these chemicals might be part of the cause of decline.

Have any studies been done on this issue? It would be terrible if those of us who adore having beautiful songbirds near us were inadvertently adding to the cause of their demise. -- D.R., South Bend, Indiana

DEAR D.R.: Many readers share your concerns, and indeed, the demise of wild birds across the U.S. and other countries is staggering.

This loss is not simply some aesthetic concern for bird-lovers, but one of profound ecological significance. The ecological services birds provide are of inestimable value for our own food and environmental security, and are one significant aspect of the climate crisis. Birds help in the pollination of some plants, as well the spread of seeds for reforestation and in the control of insects such as the emerald ash borer, now decimating ash trees across the country.

Many beneficial insects and birds are dying from starvation due to habitat loss and widespread use of herbicides like Roundup, a probable human carcinogen also linked with other systemic health issues. Birds lose their appetites when exposed to small amounts of insecticides via treated seeds and garden-store plants, and subsequently die. Insecticides are also applied to crops, livestock and companion animals, with consequent environmental contamination. This is compounded by GMO crops genetically engineered to produce their own insecticides.

Free-roaming domestic cats, both feral and owned, are responsible for killing an estimated 1.3 billion to 4 billion birds annually, as well as billions of small mammals. This magnitude of mortality is far greater than previous estimates of cat predation on wildlife, and may exceed all other sources of anthropogenic mortality of U.S. birds and mammals, according to an article in Nature Communications (volume 4, 2013).

This is all very depressing, and all responsible for this critical loss of global biodiversity should be prosecuted by a yet-to-be-established United Environmental Nations authority. In the interim, we must be vigilant, avoiding all such harmful products in and around our homes. We must also challenge what city and state forestry departments spray to control “weeds” and various insects, and instead support integrated pest control, habitat restoration and organic farming practices.

As for your specific concern, I am not aware that birdseed is treated against germination, although some seeds may inhibit others from germinating. Additionally, bird feeders must be regularly cleaned to minimize spread of avian diseases at feeding sites.

CATS CAN CARRY 36 DISEASES TRANSMISSIBLE TO HUMANS

Revised guidelines from the American Association of Feline Practitioners list 36 diseases that can pass from cats to humans, although overall incidence of feline-to-human zoonosis is low, says co-author and veterinarian Michael Lappin.

Regular deworming, vaccination against rabies, treatment to prevent flea and tick infestations, as well as basic sanitation mitigate risk of disease and can protect humans against many of the zoonotic diseases cats can carry. (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery; AAFP Feline Zoonoses Guidelines, Discover magazine, Oct. 16)

Most important of all is to make cats indoor-only animal companions, and be sure they have wellness examinations at least annually.

(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 seen mention in your column about some animal welfare work you are helping fund in India. Having visited there with my wife this past spring, we see there is a big need for the suffering animals there.

Do post some details about what you are doing there. -- T.U., Minneapolis, Minnesota

DEAR T.U.: My wife, Deanna Krantz, founded and directed the India Project for Animals & Nature to help the indigenous and tribal peoples of South India by improving the health and well-being of their farmed animals and of the dogs and cats in these communities. Against opposition, disinformation and death-threats, she investigated and documented the long-distance “death march” of cattle to slaughter, along with wildlife poaching, land encroachment and the tragic plight of elephants wild and captive.

Putting compassion into action and seeking justice for all, she became the voice for animals’ rights and for the indigenous peoples who cared, but were silenced by the authorities. Our book on the topic (details below) shatters the myth that animals regarded as “sacred,” especially cows and elephants, are always treated humanely, and paves the way for greater transparency and progress in addressing the tragic plight of the animals and all who depend upon them.

This richly illustrated book details the trials and tribulations of setting up an animal shelter and free veterinary clinic in the heart of a unique wildlife region in South India: the UNESCO-designated Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. This is one of the subcontinent’s last few wildlife preserves for the Asian elephant and tiger.

We continue to support our veterinary team there, headed by Dr. M. Sugumaran, and by purchasing the book, you will help us sustain this support. His independent organization, Prakriti Save Nature Trust (prakritigudalur.in), is government-certified to receive foreign donations.

The book: “India’s Animals: Helping the Sacred & the Suffering,” by Deanna L. Krantz and Dr. Michael W. Fox, One Health Vision Press, 2016.

DEAR DR. FOX: Your recent piece about the effects of climate change is very helpful because it tells the public about the microeffects that climate change is having on the local environments that our pets inhabit.

I read the opposition letter from one of your readers that you should “stick to your own lane” and give advice only on pet care, and stay away from climate change.

Don’t let unthinking or politicized readers keep you quiet about the effects of climate change. You are doing your readers and their pets a service. -- R.P., Storrs, Connecticut

DEAR R.P.: Thanks for your words of support.

Sound science, reason and evidence-based opinion all have inevitable political consequences when they call for change in policies, governance and how the 7 billion of us should best live on this planet. We have excluded other animals, plants and microorganisms from equal and fair consideration, the latter contributing more to the common good than we do -- a realization that is beginning to dawn on the human collective consciousness.

I was very encouraged recently to see National Geographic’s beautifully illustrated publication “Secrets of Animal Communication” for sale at my local grocery store. The findings of ethologists and scientists who study animal behavior (I being one with a doctoral degree in this discipline) are presented in an engaging way to help the public understand and appreciate other creatures. Many of the species in this publication are endangered, and will soon be lost forever if we do not, collectively, address the extinction crisis.

Reading this publication will help people accept that just as we are spiritual beings experiencing life in human form, so these other organisms are spiritual beings experiencing life in other forms, and treat then accordingly. The Golden Rule may then be applied to all creatures, great and small. This publication helps advance this moral imperative.

DEAR DR. FOX: You espouse various philosophical views with regard to animals and the environment, and sometimes are critical of some religious traditions, notably how animals are ritually slaughtered.

May I ask which religion you follow or are you, considering the state of the world, an atheist? I have just about lost my faith and was raised Christian. -- Y.L., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR Y.L.: No, I am not an atheist; as I spell out in my book “The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation” (published by the Theosophical Society), I embrace panentheism.

This is not pantheism, but rather holds that God or the Great Spirit is in all, and all is in God or the Great Spirit -- or whatever we choose to call the divine, universal, numinous presence deeply felt in moments of communion with another being or in nature.

Philosopher Martin Buber called this the “I-Thou” relationship, as distinct from ”I-It.” In relation to this concept, theologian Thomas Berry asserted that the universe is not a collection of objects, but a communion of subjects. Philosophers such as Joseph Campbell alluded to the “mysterium tremendum et fascinans,” the awakening of our sense of awe and wonder. This spiritual sensibility is the basis of religious rituals, practices, faith and beliefs. But I reject all religions that are anthropocentric and fail to extend the Golden Rule to other sentient beings.

Embedded in human DNA is our ancestral, evolutionary history, and we share many genes with other species, affirming our biological kinship. To believe that only humans are created in God’s image to rule the Earth is a misconception with tragic and self-limiting consequences if that God is not one of absolute compassion, with loving concern and care for all creatures great and small.

(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.)

LABRADOODLE CREATOR VOICES REGRETS

Wally Conron, known as the first to breed a poodle with a Labrador retriever, set off a firestorm of criticism when he said he regrets creating the “designer breed” because unscrupulous breeders have capitalized on the market.

Dr. John Howe, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, says prospective Labradoodle owners should take time to get to know a dog before committing. And former AVMA President Dr. John de Jong says mixing breeds can reduce the risk of genetic or health problems. (National Public Radio, 9/27; USA Today, 9/27)

In my opinion, there can be serious problems when a seemingly healthy Labrador and standard poodle are mated to generate Labradoodles: Both parents could carry the recessive gene for hip dysplasia or other heritable diseases. Put two asymptomatic recessive carriers together, and bingo! -- many of the offspring will have the disease and suffer the consequences.

Many “designer” dogs, large and small, come from commercial puppy mill breeders who treat the “breeding stock” like livestock, confined in small cages and crates. These are defended at the state level by livestock producers and their political cronies, who fear any kind of legislation with regard to commercial exploitation of animals might impinge on their business.

Take my advice and adopt a pet from a shelter. Never buy online. If you are seeking a particular breed of dog, learn all about it first, especially any health issues and behavioral needs that might not fit your lifestyle. And above all, see the prospective pup’s parents and living conditions.