DEAR DR. FOX: At our police dog kennel, we sell 300 to 400 police service dogs annually. We get many calls from our clients about dogs (whether purchased from us or not) becoming aggressive for no reason after being given flea and tick treatments, while others report dogs vomiting, having diarrhea or having seizures. One dog had to be euthanized last week for aggression and seizures.

These problems are becoming so common that we send flyers out with the dogs to warn handlers of the dangers of these drugs.

The problem is with the veterinarians, my own included, who say these drugs do not cause aggressive behavior and only cause seizures in dogs with underlying issues. I find this hard to believe, as I have seen and heard too many stories over the years about young, healthy animals having serious problems with these pesticides.

Why do the veterinarians refuse to believe these stories? Why are these side effects not being reported to the FDA, or even the manufacturers of these products? It's like banging your head against the wall. The FDA approved these products -- that's the most common rebuttal, as well as the excuse to continue using them and causing harm. -- L.B., Sharpsville, Pennsylvania

DEAR L.B.: I appreciate your concerns on this issue, which I have written about many times in recent years. It is patently obvious that the Big Pharma manufacturers and profit-making providers are ignoring the many well-documented adverse reactions. After much pressure from informed veterinarians and other experts, they simply add a warning on the product label.

I have long called for the prohibition of these substances and the adoption of safer flea and tick control measures. Now, with climate change, people are finding ticks and fleas on their dogs year-round, leading to "panic buying" of these insecticides over the counter in drugstores, hardware stores and from veterinary clinics. Unregulated marketing of these items leads to dogs, their owners and the environment being contaminated with their chemicals. But these products are convenient, and appeal to those who do not wish to take the time and effort to practice safer methods of pest control and prevention (as I provide on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-fleas-ticks-and-mosquitoes).

Another problem is that oral insecticides and parasiticides are regulated by the FDA, while the EPA deals with externally applied insecticides. A unified drug regulation authority is needed -- one independent of the USDA's agribusiness alliance and wholesale marketing of insecticides to various crop producers and to the agroforestry, livestock, poultry and fish farming industries. The damage caused by these toxic chemicals on land and sea is a major factor in the global decline in biodiversity and expanding ecological dysbiosis.

I contacted Dr. W. Jean Dodds -- the one veterinarian I know who has done research on the adverse consequences of these insecticides for dogs -- to add a comment. She sent the following information:

"NexGard (afoxolaner) is one of the isoxazoline class of parasiticides. Please do NOT use any of them again. There are now two isoxazoline-related class-action lawsuits in North America -- one in Quebec and the other in New Jersey. The FDA finally has required warnings on the labels and product inserts. As these drugs work by displacing fat from tissues, you can help detox and remove them faster by adding fats like coconut oil (to your pets' diet)."

Dr. Dodds says she avoids the following products: Comfortis, TriFexis, NexGard, Bravecto, Simparica, Simparica Trio and Credelio. She further advises readers to avoid Advantage Multi, ProHeart 6 and 12, Revolution, Revolution Plus, Coraxis and Sentinel, along with the Seresto collar. The latter was "recently associated with seizures, death and unprovoked aggression," she says, and a warning has been added to its label.

Dr. Dodds offered some alternatives to consider, starting with human food-grade diatomaceous earth: Spread it around floors, carpets and on the pet's skin (check online or at your local pet supply store). Use a flea comb regularly. Look into Flea Treats (fleatreats.com), Wondercide (comes in several scents -- avoid rosemary) and the CatanDog tag. "Essential oils like peppermint, cedar, lavender, citronella, eucalyptus, tea tree and lemongrass" can help, she says, but "read labels carefully and avoid rosemary, oregano, fennel and sage, which can be neurotoxic."

(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: The continuing legal and illegal importation of wildlife and their parts as trophies and for human consumption, notably "bushmeat," is being addressed by U.S. Customs officials, but more support and total prohibitions are called for. Viruses, like the one that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, put us all at risk, and the loss and suffering of wild animals are morally reprehensible.

Reporter Paul Walsh's Jan. 13 article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Potentially deadly bushmeat from Africa seized at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport," highlights this crisis. A man returning from Liberia was found to be carrying the arms and rib material from two monkeys.

We are beginning to realize that we will never find some degree of health and harmony living with viruses, bacteria and other infectious organisms until we live in harmony with other animals and treat them with respect rather than as objects and commodities of trade and consumption.

U.S. animal shelters are on the alert for people who may be adopting cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals for their own consumption. Pre-adoption agreements to make in-home visits are one good safety measure.

DEAR DR. FOX: I've just read your book "Cat Body, Cat Mind," and all I can think to say is, thank you for being you! I'm grateful to know that there is another person on the planet who thinks as I do.

I'm 67, eat organic whole foods, have worked as a nurse and social worker, and I refuse to carry a cellphone. (I do have a flip phone that I keep in a metal tin for emergency use when driving long distances.) I'm sure many people think I'm a real eccentric. Some have even said so. No matter, I can't stop being who I am.

I have an 8-year-old cat. I've had her for three years, and started to wonder if I should get a second cat, so I decided to read your book. While sometimes I feel like the only person who cares about animals and the Earth, I now take comfort from knowing that you exist!

Being 99.9% vegan and organic and believing that animals are sentient beings does certainly set one apart, but I've been like this since I was a small child. I remember asking at age 5 where the carrier truck was taking the farm animals we saw on the highway, and how it must be cold to ride in a mostly open truck in winter. My mother assured me that animals feel nothing, and they have their ways of surviving. I didn't believe her.

It's important never to give up who we are at our core in order to fit in with a dysfunctional society. And we certainly live in a dysfunctional society. -- D.W., Ashland, Oregon

DEAR D.W.: I am sure many readers will appreciate you sharing your sense of being relatively alone in your caring for fellow creatures. But if you explore online and look for animal protection, rescue and fostering organizations and networks, along with wildlife rescue and rehab organizations, you will find kindred spirits and ways to put compassionate concern into direct action. We who care are not alone -- we are the increasingly less silent moral majority!

As a species, we have evolved into the biological equivalent of a predatory, parasitic and destructive planetary infestation. The state of the world today and our brief history as a carnivorous, tool-, weapon- and fire-making primate are evidence enough that this evolutionary path is a dead end. The late Harvard University biologist E.O. Wilson, advocate of biophilia, contended that it would be enlightened self-interest for us to give back half of the Earth to nature (see "Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life"). It is wake-up time for our species, which has the arrogance to call itself Homo sapiens, "man the wise." It is time to wise up, not give up, and begin the task of planetary CPR: conservation, protection and restoration.

With now-frequent catastrophic climatic events that mean injured, traumatized, starving, dehydrated and burned wildlife, every community needs veterinary-overseen, charity-supported regional wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centers more than ever. For information, visit the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association at nwrawildlife.org.

(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: Cats sometimes eat, drink or groom excessively, and such behaviors can be indicative of a medical issue. Many cats -- like other animals, including humans -- become more irritable, withdrawn or aggressive when in chronic pain.

Alternatively, these behaviors may be dismissed as psychological or obsessive-compulsive. Dismissing these behaviors is bad science, and could mean that veterinary care is not even sought.

The flaw of "psychologizing" animals' behavior -- imposing a preconceived interpretation of psychopathology rather than making objective observations -- is exemplified by a ridiculous study entitled "A Domestic Cat Model of Triarchic Psychopathy Factors," published in the Journal of Research in Personality. In their summary, University of Liverpool psychologist Rebecca Evans and associates state: "Findings provide insight into the structure of triarchic psychopathy in cats. Essentially, results measure a cat's levels of three things: 'meanness' (aka traits such as a lack of empathy), 'disinhibition' (problems with behavioral restraint) and 'boldness' -- which, in this instance, is to do with social dominance and low levels of fear. The test also looks at a feline's level of unfriendliness towards people, and towards other pets."

While the media, especially in the U.K., were quick to promote these erroneous claims of psychopathology in cats, other experts have responded, such as Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado (see "No, Your Cat Isn't a Psychopath" at whatyourcatwants.com) and Dr. Marc Bekoff (see "Are Some Cats Psychotic, Or Are They Just Being Cats?" at psychologytoday.com). Certainly, we share similar core emotional states and responses with other animal species, but to characterize some as equivalent to psychopathic conditions in humans is unscientific anthropomorphizing. I sought to rectify this type of error while opening the door to the realm of animals' emotional disorders in the 1968 book "Abnormal Behavior in Animals," in which I edited contributions from animal experts around the world.

I must add my observation that fear, anxiety, exhaustion, depression and anger can distort animals' perception of others' intentions, and can have harmful consequences. These core emotional states are possibly genetic and are certainly familial, epigenetic and cultural. Conflicts in our beliefs lead to violence and war if we are not mindful of how our emotions affect our perception and cognition.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 7-year-old Shih Tzu has allergies and itching, and has been prescribed Apoquel for the rest of his life. Why do vets use that medication so much? It hasn't helped in over a year, and I have heard it has a lot of side effects, which I worry about. Should I stop giving it to him, since it hasn't helped? -- S.D., Erie, Pennsylvania

DEAR S.D.: Check out these articles on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/apoquel-risks-and-alternatives-for-dogs-with-atopic-dermatitis and drfoxonehealth.com/post/skin-problems-in-dogs. I would also look for a holistic veterinary practitioner in your region on AHVMA.org -- the website of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

CATS HELP CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder say their children became more sociable and empathetic and exhibited fewer concerning behaviors within 18 weeks of adopting a cat, and the cats in the study also appeared to thrive. Researchers at the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction selected cats from an animal shelter for families of children with ASD, compared parent-reported behaviors with reports from control families, and monitored the cats for signs of stress. (Full story: Columbia Missourian, Jan. 27)

Having been one of the first to evaluate the possible therapeutic benefits of contact with animals in children diagnosed with autism in the late 1960s, I would advise vigilance and supervision when introducing children and cats.

RABBIT OWNERS VIRUS ALERT WARNING

A variant of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus has spread throughout the Southwest, and veterinarian Krista Keller of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine says domestic rabbits should be vaccinated now, before the virus spreads further in the spring. Humans aren't susceptible to the virus, but people can pick up the virus on their shoes or clothing, then pass it to domestic rabbits. Pet rabbits that graze outdoors can contract the virus directly. (Full story: The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Jan. 27)

(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.)