DEAR DR. FOX: My 4-year-old cocker spaniel was just diagnosed with Pseudomona infections in his ear canals. Could you explain how veterinarians can diagnose this, how to treat it and how difficult it is to eliminate? This is my second cocker spaniel from the same breeder, and the first also had Pseudomona infections very badly. He had to have part of his ear canal removed. It seems so strange that both dogs have had this problem. Is it common with cocker spaniels?

Also, this same little dog has lost 5 pounds over the last month. We're having him checked for diabetes, and they found a cataract in one of his eyes. Could there be some underlying issue that we might be missing? -- M.G., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

DEAR M.G.: Your dog's condition is called otitis externa, and it is a common complaint in dogs. It is an inflammation of the external ear canal, which consists of the pinna (earflap) and the vertical and horizontal ear canals up to the level of the tympanum (eardrum). In many instances of otitis externa, there is a secondary infection from a fungus or bacterium.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common germ to find in soil, water and decaying organic matter, but it is not a normal inhabitant of the canine ear. When it shows up there and leads to infection, it can be challenging to manage; treatment is further complicated by the growing number of drug-resistant strains.

Dogs with heavy, pendulous ears and with fur growing in the external ear canal (which should be routinely removed) are prone to developing the kind of moist conditions ideal for the proliferation of these microorganisms. So genetics, in terms of ear conformation and fur around the pinna, do play a significant role in dogs developing otitis externa. Food allergies and autoimmune disease may also play a role, along with nutrient deficiency, especially in omega-3 fatty acids.

For dogs with ears like the cocker spaniel, it can help to hold the ears up and open for a few hours, especially after routine ear cleaning, to allow them to dry more thoroughly. To accomplish this, tie a ribbon to the fur on the end of each ear, then lift the ears up and tie the ribbons together on top of the dog's head. This is best done in the evening when the dog is quiet.

High humidity in summer and low indoor humidity in winter can both take their toll on dogs' ear canals. Veterinarians can supply appropriate ear-cleaning products to help. As a general health-maintenance practice, I recommend working a few drops of organic, cold-pressed olive oil into each ear canal with a cotton ball. Help may be needed to keep the dog's head still.

When there is evident inflammation, and the dog is scratching and rubbing one or both ears and shaking his head, an immediate veterinary appointment is called for. Otherwise, infection could spread to penetrate the eardrum, causing middle-ear disease, disrupting balance and even resulting in loss of hearing. Violent headshaking can break blood vessels in the pinna, which can turn into a hematoma (blood blister). This would need surgical correction to prevent a crumpled ear developing as the blood clot shrinks.

When treatment for fungal or bacterial infection is delayed, or is ineffectual, the inflamed external ear canals become thickened and corrugated with pockets that are impossible to properly clean. In that case, surgical opening of part of the ear canal is called for, as you experienced with your previous dog. In many instances where conventional antifungal and antibiotic treatments fail, dogs can be helped by an over-the-counter product called Zymox Plus. Alternatively, rinsing each external ear canal with warm aloe vera liquid every week may help. When the ear canals are dry, use a cotton ball to deliver a good smearing of a mixture of 100 drops of olive oil and 5 drops each of the essential oils of thyme and lavender, both known for their antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Dogs having acute and painful external ear issues may need sedation and analgesia: In some instances, the culprit may be an invading grass seed awn, or ear mites from an infested cat. Fur loss and redness behind one or both ears should not be mistaken for a local skin infection, but rather a result of the dog scratching because of the discomfort. Also, cancerous growths can develop in the external ear canal and require biopsy testing and surgical removal.

As for the possible diabetes and eye cataract in such a young dog, I would see what your veterinarian suggests. You should also confirm that you are feeding your dog a complete, balanced diet, and contact the breeder about this issue. These health issues could have a hereditary basis, and the breeder must keep progeny health records to ensure sound breeding stock.

(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: Senior reporter Josh Loeb's thought-provoking editorial "Cows and the carbon conundrum," and his feature article "COP26: Is change afoot in livestock farming?", are both timely contributions to the discourse. CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), notably pig and poultry factories and beef and dairy cow feedlots, are anathema to sustainable farming practices. So is the overstocking and overgrazing of grasslands by cattle, sheep and goats, as emissions of methane -- a short-lived but significant greenhouse gas -- are problematic.

The issues of climate change, global warming and loss of biodiversity call for a reexamination of our relationships with and treatment of plants and animals wild and domesticated from the integrative perspective of One Earth, One Economy and One Health. Continuing to raise and kill farmed animals for their meat is a major contributor to these planetary problems.

Ecologically sustainable and regenerative agricultural systems, such as biodynamic farming where farmed animals are integrated with crop production, can contribute to nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, or at least significantly reduced carbon emissions. Relatively novel farmed species ranging from tilapia fish to earthworms to black soldier fly larvae can provide proteins, fats and other nutrients for humans, companion animals and livestock alike. Also, livestock manure can be converted into biogas to reduce deforestation, with the remaining slurry used to fertilize crops.

We are learning more about the essential roles of microorganisms in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Industrial agricultural and agroforestry practices have degraded the soil quality and biodiversity, with the loss of fungal mycelia now being a documented concern. Correcting such dysbiosis, an effort some see as no less essential than reforestation, would do much to help reduce the severity of climate change and improve plant and animal health.

Our pollution of marine and freshwater ecosystems has decimated populations of nutrient-recycling and carbon-sequestering phytoplankton and zooplankton, which form the basis of the food chain for other species. Too much of a good thing in the wrong place creates dysbiosis and pathogens. Over a thousand endangered manatees have starved to death in Florida waters because the light needed to grow sea grass, their main food, was blocked by algal blooms.

The economy of nature, and ultimately, our food security and health, depend on the ecological services provided by the indigenous biodiversity of plants, animals and microorganisms. Our expanding population, and our encroachment and decimation of wildlands, increases the probability of viral and other pathogen spillover of zoonotic diseases from wildlife. According to the United Nations report "Groundswell," by 2050, 200 million people may be climate-change migrants seeking refuge from uninhabitable homelands.

Our overharvesting of krill for oil and livestock feed for human consumption starves whales and also starves carbon-sequestering plankton of essential nutrients from the fecal wastes of krill-eating whales. This is illustrative of our extractive and consumptive global industries and commerce that must become "green," with circular and sustainable economies and trade based on the principles of One Earth, One Economy and One Health.

For more details and citations, see my post at drfoxonehealth.com/post/when-we-harm-animals-nature-we-harm-ourselves.

U.S. INDIRECTLY SUPPORTS BRAZIL'S CONTRIBUTION TO CLIMATE CRISIS

The Brazilian government under President Jair Bolsonaro has been unable to cover up the loss of over 5,000 square miles of the Amazon forest (destroyed for timber, mining and land-clearing to raise beef and soybeans) that occurred between August 2020 and July 2021. This criminal ecocide, which is also a crime against humanity, is not helped when other countries, including the United States, continue to accept imports of beef and soybeans from Brazil.

"Green" ethical conditions must be put in place for the international agricultural commodity import-export business, and political trade wars must be eliminated. "Business as usual" is not sustainable. Quite the opposite: It is decimating wildlife habitats and indigenous peoples. Consumers have the right to see country-of-origin labels of all consumables on the market, and President Biden needs to put this on his agenda.

In light of repeated instances of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in Brazilian beef -- and of delayed reporting of these instances -- Sen. Jon Tester recently introduced legislation to "suspend Brazilian beef imports to the U.S. until experts can conduct a systematic review of the commodity's safety," per a statement from his office. In my opinion, the ban should be permanent.

(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: Late last year, the British Veterinary Association council declared that crabs, lobsters, octopuses and squid "should be regarded in legislation as having consciousness and the capacity to experience feelings such as pleasure and pain" (Veterinary Record, Dec. 2020-Jan. 2021 issue). Now this legislation is the law of the land. From a CNN story by Katie Hunt:

"Octopuses, crabs and lobsters are capable of experiencing pain or suffering, according to a review commissioned by the U.K. government, which has added the creatures to a list of sentient beings to be given protection under new animal welfare laws. The report by experts at the London School of Economics looked at 300 scientific studies to evaluate evidence of sentience, and they concluded that cephalopods (such as octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) and decapods (such as crabs, lobsters and crayfish) should be treated as sentient beings." (Full story: CNN.com, Nov. 22)

Scientists have done many studies to determine what animals, vertebrate and invertebrate, can sense and feel and think -- so-called cognitive ethology. And this is as challenging as it is to know what another person is thinking and feeling. There are gradients of sentience -- varying degrees and kinds of sensing, feeling, intelligence and self-awareness -- both within and between species, as we know from our own interactions with people and other animals. If we had no empathy, would we have any real understanding? As naturalist and author Joe Hutto has asserted, "We do not have a privileged access to reality."

As a curious naturalist and elected Fellow of the U.K.'s Royal Entomological Society, I never doubted that insects were sentient and had emotional reactions. Now scientists are confirming this and elevating our understanding and appreciation for this class of animal life. As Zaria Gorvett writes in an excellent BBC article: "For decades, the idea that insects have feelings was considered a heretical joke -- but as the evidence piles up, scientists are rapidly reconsidering." (Full story: BBC.com, Nov. 28)

For more about animal sentience, see my article at drfoxonehealth.com/post/animal-sentience.

HARVARD SETS ENDOWMENT FOR ANIMAL LAW, POLICY PROGRAM

Harvard Law School has established a $10 million endowment for its Animal Law and Policy Program, expanding the seven-year-old program through a gift from the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy.

The inaugural program allowed for an expansion of courses to include wildlife law and farmed animal law, helped in the development of visiting fellows programs and workshops and opened the door for the launch of the HLS Animal Law and Policy Clinic. This in-house public-interest law firm gives Harvard students hands-on experience and mentorship working directly on real-time animal law cases and policy projects, the school noted in a news release.

The program now bears the name of Brooks McCormick Jr., the Brooks Institute's founding benefactor and an animal lover and philanthropist who passed away in 2015. The institute has become a leading foundation supporting academic work in the field of animal law and policy, supporting animal law programs at Yale University, New York University, Lewis & Clark College, the University of Denver and Vermont Law School, among other academic institutions.

Animal rights law-related courses currently are offered at 167 U.S. law schools, 21 years after the first such course launched at Harvard, the release noted. For more details, see today.law.harvard.edu/10-million-endowment-established-for-the-harvard-law-school-animal-law-policy-program.

CDC EASES RULES ON TRAVELERS ENTERING U.S. WITH DOGS

The CDC relaxed rules banning the importation or reentry of dogs from 113 countries with high risk of rabies transmission, and will now allow travelers to bring in healthy, microchipped dogs that have an up-to-date rabies vaccine from a U.S.-licensed veterinarian. Travelers returning to the U.S. with a dog that has been in a high-risk country may reenter the U.S. through one of 18 approved ports. (Full story: New York Times, Nov. 24)

This is good news for the international dog-rescue network, whose efforts I applaud. But in my opinion, the less we humans engage in international travel ourselves, the smaller our carbon footprint and the smaller the spread of communicable diseases. We can't control migratory birds, who can spread diseases from continent to continent, but we can control ourselves -- and get governments to prohibit the import-export market in wildlife.

The wildlife trade business contributes to the extinction crisis, causes much animal suffering and is a factor in the spread of emerging diseases like COVID-19 in the human populace. The more we harm fellow creatures, the more we harm ourselves.

(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.)