DEAR READERS: Recent studies have furthered our knowledge on the connections between children’s allergies and pets. Some recent highlights:

One-third of infants living in a home with a furry pet (dog, cat or rabbit) had animal-specific bacteria in their fecal samples, compared to 14% of those living in a pet-free home. At 6 months old, none of the infants that had animal-specific bacteria in their fecal samples tested positive for allergies.

Exposure to animal-specific microbes has beneficial effects, including potentially strengthening infants’ immune systems. A 2017 study from the University of Alberta found a lower incidence of obesity, as well as allergies and asthma, in children born into families with animals.

Some of these findings have been helpfully summarized by veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker at healthypets.mercola.com.

In my opinion, the developing immune system “interrogates” viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms that enter our bodies, and is coupled with the microbiome in our guts. The more diverse the microbial population, the better the immune system is “educated” to function against allergens and potentially harmful microorganisms. Otherwise it may overreact, creating what is termed a “cytokine storm” -- common in children and seemingly healthy young adults -- which can make a mild influenza infection fatal, or nearly so.

In addition, children who live with animals have been shown to have improved intellectual and social development. Many children are growing up with a lack of exposure to a diversity of microbial life, thanks to our sanitized environments and lack of contact with the outdoors and other animals. Sanitizing surfaces may therefore do more harm than good.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 10-year-old cockapoo, Daisy, has warts all over her body, ranging from small to large. What can we do for her? -- G.B.D., Boca Raton, Florida

DEAR G.B.D.: Warts are caused by a papilloma virus (one not transmissible to humans) invading the dog’s skin. They are common in puppies and in older dogs, some breeds more than others. To be on the safe side, a veterinary visit is in order, since your diagnosis of warts could be wrong: Dogs like yours are prone to developing benign sebaceous tumors of the skin glands and hair follicles, which call for different treatment protocols.

Assuming they are warts, these can often be removed -- provided they are not near the eyes, and the dog cannot lick or scratch them -- with human anti-wart treatments such as silver nitrate or salicylic acid. Some people report that “painting” the warts daily with apple cider vinegar, or with two drops of essential oil of thyme or frankincense mixed into a half-teaspoon of olive oil, removes them. These treatments kill the papilloma viruses in the growths.

Discuss all of this with your veterinarian, but be on the alert: I know of one reader who was charged over $1,000 to have a few small warts removed from her schnauzer. A general anesthetic, extensive blood tests, etc., are not called for unless the warts are large, ulcerating and/or bleeding, or if the dog cannot seem to stop scratching them. Growths around the eyes and eyelids are dangerous, as well. In these cases, surgery might be called for.

After treatment, your dog may need to wear an “Elizabethan collar”/”neck lampshade” to stop her from licking and scratching the treated areas.

I would boost her immune system and skin condition with a few drops of fish oil in her food daily, or a canned sardine and one-half of a crushed-up human daily multivitamin tablet.

Funny story: When I was a child, I had a wart on the end of my nose to which, under a doctor’s advice, silver nitrate was applied. This just turned the wart black and did not remove it, so it looked like I had snot on my nose at school! Shortly thereafter, the man who delivered our morning milk (from his own cows) gave my mother a horse hair to tie around my wart. All that weekend, I walked around with a whisker on the end of my nose, which my mother kept tightening. Come Monday, the wart had fallen off and I could go back to school without being teased!

SUNSHINE MILLS RECALLS DOG FOOD DUE TO AFLATOXIN

Sunshine Mills recalled three varieties of dog food due to high levels of aflatoxin, a naturally occurring byproduct of mold that can cause lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice if ingested. No cases of illness linked to the food have been reported, and dogs that show signs of exposure should be seen by a veterinarian, the FDA says. (Full story: CNN, 9/5)

This and other toxic molds are a problem exacerbated, in part, by climate change. Increased rainfall and humidity around harvest time leads to greater costs to effectively dry high-moisture-content grains before storage. Most are genetically engineered, which has been shown to increase crop vulnerability to such harmful organisms.

(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 a friend who has many feral cats in his backyard. A previous neighbor (who has since moved away) used to feed these cats, leaving a problem for my friend. Being a good Christian, he just couldn’t cut off their food source. You can imagine the major problem he now has. Is there any agency or organization that handles these kinds of problems? -- J.H., Matawan, N.J.

DEAR J.H.: Yes, being a “good Christian” -- or good Samaritan, or whatever you want to call acts of compassion -- can indeed have adverse, unintended consequences. Sometimes we do more harm than good, which supports the truism that “no good deed goes unpunished.” Yet it is also true that “evil flourishes where good people do nothing.”

As I learned helping my wife at her animal refuge in India, one can become a “captive” of one’s compassion, and we must be courageous and prepared to accept the burden of having to euthanize healthy animals that have no place to go when the ark is full. Deanna reduced that burden by neutering and vaccinating all the dogs in surrounding villages and tribal settlements.

Now, those dogs were not wildlife predators, and were either indifferent or protective around chickens, calves, lambs and baby goats. But cats everywhere are predators, so neutering them to stop them from multiplying is only a partial solution. Your friend who inherited a feral cat problem on his property could enlist the help of a local humane society and the municipal public health authority.

Each cat will have to be trapped, if not amenable to being picked up and put in a carrier. A local animal charity or fundraising drive could help defray the costs of the necessary veterinary services.

After that, some cats may not be adoptable after all, and would be euthanized. Perhaps your friend would consider setting up a large cat enclosure on his property, or at some other location, for these cats to live out their lives in security and comfort. For this, he could seek the support of other cat lovers in his community.

This is a problem in so many places. Now that we know cats can be infected with the COVID-19 virus (for which there is no vaccine yet), and with the plague and rabies (for which there are), public health authorities need heightened vigilance regarding free-roaming cats.

A VISIONARY STATEMENT AND APPEAL FROM TWO DOCTORS

The following is excerpted from “What the COVID-19 Crisis Is Telling Humanity,” by D.O. Wiebers and V.L. Feigin, which appeared this summer in the journal Neuroepidemiology.

“The time has come for us to rethink our relationship with all life on this planet -- other humans, nonhumans, and the Earth, a life form in itself. What is good for nonhumans and the Earth is virtually always in the best interests of humans, given the profound interconnectedness of all life. All that we do depends upon abundant plant and animal life, as well as clean air and water. Each of us can have a positive impact upon these fundamentals by demonstrating and inspiring an enhanced mindfulness, beginning most basically with what we eat and how all of our daily choices and actions may be affecting animals and natural habitats. Ultimately, the survival, not only of other life forms on this planet, but also of our own, will depend upon humanity’s ability to recognize the oneness of all that exists and the importance and deeper significance of compassion for all life.”

I would add that we urgently need much greater international collaboration and coordination to end this pandemic, and to establish policies and practices to prevent future pandemics. We need much more involvement of the veterinary profession, and of wildlife and conservation experts, in these processes.

(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: Humans and other animals would very quickly die if all the viruses, bacteria and other microbial organisms were removed from our bodies’ surfaces, mouths and digestive systems. These communities of microbial life are called microbiomes, and they are integral to environmental and public health.

For humans, healthy microbiomes mean healthy functioning of the brain, and of the endocrine, immune and digestive systems. Healthy microbiomes in the soil, as maintained by organic farmers, mean healthier and more nutritious crops and livestock. A properly balanced soil microbiome supports growth and disease-resistance in plants, and healthful gut microbiomes in free-ranging animals. Children have fewer allergies and infections when they live on farms or get outdoors regularly and “play in the dirt” -- ditto where there are dogs in the home, which bring in all kinds of microbial life on their paws.

The impact of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers on agricultural soils is a major One Health issue. These chemicals are not just in crop land, but also in the air and rain. They make their way into our food, our drinking water and even into breast milk and amniotic fluid. There is now clear scientific evidence that these agrichemicals, along with antibiotics and other drugs given to farmed animals, contaminate our food and water and harm the microbiomes of millions of consumers.

Restoring and protecting biodiversity at all levels is a task we must pursue for the greater good. A diverse diet of biologically appropriate foods, ideally organic -- including fermented foods rich in probiotics (bacteria) -- helps build and sustain a robust gut microbiome for all of us and our animal companions.

DEAR DR. FOX: Just saw you on an episode of Johnny Carson from back in 1976, when Richard Pryor was on the show. Your observations and advice were very interesting. I then found out you were a frequent guest. I was wondering: What was it like to be on Johnny Carson? -- M.G., Corpus Christi, Texas

DEAR M.G.: Johnny Carson was the best of the talk-show hosts, along with Dick Cavett and Larry King, because they gave me time to talk! Today, they all seem to be in a rush before the next volley of commercials, and often want to deflect with a joke or put in their own opinions.

I had prior education in elocution, stage acting and public speaking in England, which helped in these appearances. I saw such occasions as an opportunity -- and professional responsibility -- to promote respect, care and understanding of animals, and expose such cruelties as fur-trapping, factory farms, puppy mills, wildlife trafficking and the exotic pet trade.

Johnny Carson opened our interviews more than once with the question, “Are pigs smarter than dogs?” My response: There’s nothing more intelligent at being a pig than a pig; to make such comparisons is specious and can lead to speciesism. Some people think pigs are filthy creatures, but they take mud baths to keep cool and repel biting flies. We may think ourselves superior and the most intelligent animal on the planet, but we are the only species that fouls its nest to the degree that we have done to planet Earth.

On occasion, I got into some crossfire with other guests. Once, I appeared with actress Shelley Winters, who was wearing a full-length lynx fur coat. During a commercial break, I asked if she knew how many lynx had been trapped, suffered and died to make that coat. Her response: She’d thought they came from a fur farm, and anyway, Marlon Brando had given it to her!

During that time of considerable public exposure, a monthly veterinary column in McCall’s magazine and a nationally syndicated newspaper column, I was offered a very lucrative deal from an international pet food manufacturer to be their spokesperson. I declined for ethical reasons: Most readers know of my continued challenging of this industry to produce biologically appropriate, healthful foods for our animal companions.

I have also done countless radio interviews, including a memorable one with neurosurgeon (and medical adviser to the Vatican) Robert J. White, who made me wonder what kind of world I was living in. White had gained publicity after grafting the head of one monkey onto another. I realized then that some people take certifiably insane actions in the pursuit of what they consider the good. No good ends can come from evil means!

BRACHYCEPHALIC DOGS PRONE TO ‘SHOCKING HEALTH ISSUES’

Flat-faced, or brachycephalic, dogs are prone to respiratory, eye and spinal diseases and disorders, and live an average of four fewer years than dogs with longer snouts. But they remain among the most popular dogs, researchers reported in PLOS ONE. “Owners are becoming hooked on the loving personalities of these sweet dogs, but also accepting and normalizing their shocking health issues,” the researchers said. (Full story: HealthDay News, 8/28)

(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.)