DEAR READERS: A rise in zoonotic (animal-to-human) diseases is being driven by environmental degradation, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Program and the International Livestock Research Institute. The report cites rising demand for animal protein, intensive farming practices, exploitation of wildlife and climate change among key factors. The authors suggest adopting a One Health approach, which would unite public health, veterinary and environmental experts to respond to and prevent zoonotic disease outbreaks. (UN News, 7/6)

If preventive veterinary medicine had been applied in China and other countries to better monitor live animal markets and wild and domestic animal factory farms, in my professional opinion, this COVID-19 pandemic would have been much less likely to occur.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put in bold relief how the veterinary and medical professions, and associated public health services internationally, have failed to promote the first medicine: disease prevention. This responsibility has been corrupted by pecuniary interests and an increasingly distorted, dispirited and mechanistic perception of health, which is not simply the absence of disease. The human medical profession may be faulted for not engaging effectively in the politics of human overpopulation and ecologically damaging and unhealthful dietary choices. But many, along with veterinarians and other health care professionals and biological scientists, are rallying under the banner of One Health. This concept is not new, and enjoyed stronger endorsement and support in decades prior to the advent of clinical specialization in human and veterinary medicine. Steps to achieving the end point of this concept are well articulated by the One Health Initiative at onehealthinitiative.com.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a rare Nebelung cat -- a rescue, who was named Smokey Robinson before I got him, much to my delight! I have had him for about eight years now.

I usually take him to a local vet for both grooming and his yearly shots. The price of both services has increased dramatically over the years -- grooming went from $25 to $65, for example. I don’t really mind this, as I assume the groomer is being paid more (as she should be, in my opinion). However, the price of his rabies and distemper shots has gone from about $30 each to $70 each over the years.

Our local Petco offers these shots for $30 each, which better fits my budget, as I am now retired and on a fixed income.

As the vet does not actually examine Smokey at shot time -- the last exam ran $110 -- are the actual vaccines identical in effectiveness? I don’t want to put him in any medical danger by “skimping” on these important items, but it is much better for my budget to pay $59 for these shots than $140 (which I assume will go up again this year, as it has every year).

The vet is what I would call a “high-end” operation with a large building, boarding and training services, etc., so their overhead is obviously larger than a part-time service offered by the store.

Should I feel safe taking Smokey to the pet store rather than the vet so I can save significantly on these shots? -- R.O., Boca Raton, Florida

DEAR R.O.: You do have a rare breed of cat -- there is some inbreeding in their creation.

I would only get the anti-rabies shot, which is mandatory under the law, and no other vaccinations if your cat is indoor-only and not exposed to possibly diseased cats outdoors. (In many instances, annual “boosters” are not needed; a blood-titer test can be done to be sure, but they are costly.) If other vaccinations are needed because your cat does go outdoors, have them given three to four weeks after the rabies shot. Multiple vaccinations at the same time can stress the immune system and result in adverse vaccine reactions, such as so-called vaccinosis.

Ideally a wellness exam would take place before any vaccination, but with many people financially constrained such as yourself, your Petco choice makes sense.

I worry that the groomers may insist on all other vaccinations being up-to-date. I protest this protocol when the cats are indoors all the time and the grooming facility is well-sanitized. (Using ultraviolet light at night to sterilize surfaces is a wise way to reduce potential feline and canine virus contamination.) Blood tests showing your cat is negative for feline leukemia and immunodeficiency virus infections are essential protocols for all cat care and boarding facilities.

INSECT-BORNE VIRUS CONCERNS

Iowa health officials confirmed the state’s first case of Heartland virus this year, as well as a case of mosquito-transmitted West Nile virus. The cases should serve as a reminder to prevent tick and mosquito bites, said veterinarian Ann Garvey with the Iowa Department of Public Health. Symptoms and signs of Heartland virus disease are often similar to those of other tickborne illnesses, such as ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis. (Full story: Associated Press, 6/17)

(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: A pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people” (“A Dictionary of Epidemiology,” Oxford University Press, 2001). So clearly, international cooperation is vital in helping identify, monitor and prevent the spread of highly infectious diseases from country to country.

But now the United States is withdrawing from the one international organization where many American specialists are employed: the World Health Organization. On July 8, the U.S. formally notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the WHO. Global-health experts warn that the move puts at risk everything from polio eradication to pandemic preparedness. Much is uncertain: The WHO’s founding constitution has no provision for countries to withdraw.

“This is the end of an era of United States global-health leadership,” says public-health legal scholar Lawrence Gostin. (Read more at nature.com in the article “What a U.S. exit from the WHO means for COVID-19 and global health.”) Such isolationism is wrong-minded, putting not only American citizens at risk, but people in other countries -- as well as animals wild and domestic, which may become infected with, or be reservoirs for, pandemic diseases.

The British social critic George Orwell, in his seminal book “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” coined the term “doublethink” as a process of indoctrination whereby the subject is expected to accept as true that which is clearly false, or to simultaneously accept two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct -- often in contradiction of one’s own memories or sense of reality.

One illustration of doublethink is President Trump’s repeated assertion that if we had fewer COVID-19 tests being done, there would be fewer cases. The truth is that the cases exist, whether they are documented or not. The failure of the U.S. government to stop this pandemic cannot be papered over by obfuscation, doublethink and promises of soon-to-come vaccines. Trump’s assertion that 99% of coronavirus cases are “harmless” ignores the fact that asymptomatic people can infect and kill others, especially those with preexisting conditions.

DOGS AT RISK FROM TOXIC LAKES

With climate change, ponds and lakes across the U.S. are warming up, creating ideal conditions for algae to flourish. Of special concern is blue-green algae called Cyanobacteria, which produces a toxin lethal to dogs, and probably wildlife, who drink the water. It can also make people ill if it gets into their water supply. Runoff from fertilized lawns, gardens and agricultural crops, along with farmed animal manure, feed the algae, creating toxic blooms. Scientists are finding nutrients (as well as microplastics) in windborne dust precipitating over remote lakes where algal blooms are being reported.

Keep your dog out of the water if you have no assurance that it is safe, and if your dog does go for an off-leash dunk -- water-loving breeds like Labradors in particular -- hose your dog down thoroughly when you get home. Also, never let your dog drink from standing water. Take water and a bowl with you if you are going for a long walk or hike.

(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 had an animal rescue for 15 years. In addition to doing adoptions and caring for unadoptable critters, I also advised pet owners. People often asked the question about how to know when it’s time to say goodbye. Here’s how I would answer: ”Consider whether your pet is still living the life of (a dog, a cat, a rabbit, whatever). Get a little calendar and every day, mark whether your pet is having a good day, a bad day or a so-so day. When there are more bad days than good days, it’s time.”

People find this comforting. It gives them something they can measure. Another advantage of the calendar is that it helps prevent the “Was it too soon?” second-guessing that torments people. They can look back at the calendar and remind themselves that it was the right time. -- P.B., Memphis, Tennessee

DEAR P.B.: I think your advice will be helpful to many people who may otherwise have regrets and feel guilty having their animal companion euthanized. Keeping a record of daily quality of life can help avoid memory-suppression of bad days, which is part of our own self-protection from the burden of empathy and remembering just how long an animal had been suffering. Desensitization to how much an animal is suffering day after day might then be avoided.

DEAR DR. FOX: How dare you bring religion into how we treat animals? Last paragraph from a recent column: “For atheists and agnostics, there can be no denying that other animals possess intelligence ...” You added the comma, making this sentence represent the calling out of atheists and agnostics as people who do NOT see animals as worthy. I am agnostic, and I believe all creatures deserve life and freedom. I believe animals possess intelligence. You corralled me into a group yet you know nothing about me.

That is how I read your article. Guaranteed, I am not the only one. If you did not mean it that way, then apologize to your readers. Whether we “agnostics and atheists” deny your god has nothing to do with how we perceive and treat our pets and family members. I have been agnostic for a lifetime and I spoil my pets like angels, and yet I see “God-fearing Christians” beat their pets.

I hope you print this, as you are showing your white privilege and your white ignorance. Religion ONLY belongs in a church. -- K.P., Naples, Florida

DEAR K.P.: I am responding to your letter, firstly because you imply that I am displaying “white privilege” and “white ignorance” in my newspaper column by bringing religion into how we treat animals. That is a curious criticism, but understandable, as the “virus” of racism infects and clouds our thinking. For any misunderstanding in my communications, I apologize.

The core teachings of all the world’s major religions, as I document in my book “The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation,” is obeying the Golden Rule: treating others, including fellow creatures, as we would have them treat us. That has nothing to do with the color of my skin, but with the light of compassion and maitri -- loving-kindness toward all beings, which Gautama Buddha proclaimed is the only true religion. I would think atheists and agnostics would embrace this, since Buddhism is atheistic. Secular humanists may be as limited by anthropocentrism as monotheists are in their belief in a male god figure who only created man in his own image.

By all accounts, spirituality needs to be rescued from religions that have, arguably, done more harm than good to man and beast alike for millennia.

Theists, atheists and agnostics alike can surely agree that all lives matter, and that it is time to recover our humanity for the sake of the environment and all life on this beautiful planet.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but when we let what is natural around us touch our spirits, we awaken to the Spirit of Life and feel and breathe the light of creation. Birdwatchers and nature photographers and artists know all about that. But when we awaken to the unnatural around us -- the electrified cities, polluting industries, cruel animal factory farms, impoverished communities and malnourished millions -- we may begin to feel and breathe the truth of why we are such a sickened and sickening species. And with the spirituality of religious teachings -- or the nonreligious bioethics of justice and respect for all life -- begins the great healing that is long overdue.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our dog has a lump on her neck after wearing a Seresto collar for quite a while. We are afraid it may be cancerous. Please advise. -- R.H., Chincoteague, Virginia

DEAR R.H.: I am sorry to hear about your dog’s swelling on the neck, which calls for an immediate veterinary examination. Many veterinary hospitals are open for business, but you may not be allowed into the facility during this pandemic. A staffer will come and take your dog from your vehicle for examination. Be sure to wear a mask, and bring your cellphone to communicate with the veterinarian while remaining in your vehicle.

My fear is that your dog has a form of cancer called lymphoma, but there is the off-chance that this is a nonmalignant lipoma -- a fatty tumor -- or chronic inflammation from a bite or thorn. Do let me know the veterinarian’s diagnosis and treatment.

I wish everyone, including veterinarians, would think twice about putting an insecticide-releasing collar around dogs’ and cats’ necks. We would never do it to our children. For details about the harmful consequences of this incredible stupidity, read my critical analysis “Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides” on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). I also have a step-by-step approach to preventing fleas and ticks in companion animals posted there.

(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.)