DEAR READERS: On Easter Sunday, April 17, I was encouraged to find the Parade magazine in my newspaper with its Earth Day cover proclaiming, "Don't Let Them Go Extinct: 6 Simple Ways to Help These Species and Mother Earth." But when I read item No. 5, "Eat smart," I nearly spilled my coffee. It stated: "Consuming protein that leaves a small carbon footprint can make a big difference. Swapping beef out for fish even twice a week is a 'good move in the right direction,' says Katie Matthews, chief scientist with Oceana." It then provides a website for salmon recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In my analysis, farmed salmon is one of the most inhumane, unsustainable, environment-harming and potentially consumer-harming forms of aquaculture food production. A 20-acre salmon farm produces as much waste as a town of 10,000 people. For details, see my book "Eating With Conscience: The Bioethics of Food."

For better ideas, many readers will enjoy this free resource: "What to Eat When You Don't Eat Animals: Menus and ideas to inspire people who want to eat as if life is precious," created by Veda Stram and available at all-creatures.org/what-to-eat.html.

DEAR DR. FOX: Regarding your recent letter about the 4-month-old cat with the terrible itch: We had an older rescue cat with similar problems who would scratch herself raw. We tried oatmeal baths at the vet and food changes at home, with no effect.

We finally had allergy testing done, which showed an allergy to pine trees among other triggers. We had been using a pine-based litter. Switching her from it, plus some additional weeks of baths, helped her greatly. Your reader may want to try a litter change. -- C.C., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR C.C.: Thanks for this helpful insight. We all learn from our animals' reactions to various environmental factors. Your cat's allergy to certain types of cat litter -- laudably diagnosed by the attending veterinarian -- is one more data point added to our understanding of our companion animals.

Covered cat litter boxes can become problems for cats because of ammonia, dust and volatile scents being trapped inside. I advise open litter boxes and give additional details on my website (drfoxonehealth.com/post/cat-litter-box-issues) for all cat owners, many of whom do not clean out the box adequately on a daily basis.

PET OWNERSHIP LINKED TO SLOWER COGNITIVE DECLINE

Long-term pet ownership may support cognitive health, including verbal memory, in people over 50, according to a study scheduled for presentation at an upcoming American Academy of Neurology meeting. Pet ownership is associated with higher socioeconomic status, a sense of companionship and healthy behaviors, all of which are also associated with slower cognitive decline, experts said. (Full story: MedPage Today) Feb. 23)

(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: An article entitled "The Development of Speciesism: Age-Related Differences in the Moral View of Animals" by British researchers Luke McGuire, Sally Palmer and Nadira S. Faber was recently published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. The authors summarized their findings as follows:

"Humans care for the well-being of some animals (e.g., dogs) yet tacitly endorse the maltreatment of others (e.g., pigs). What treatment is deemed morally appropriate for an animal can depend on whether the animal is characterized as 'food.' When such categorization of animals emerges and when a moral hierarchy of beings depending on their species membership (speciesism) develops is poorly understood. We investigate this development across samples of children (9–11 years old), young adults (18–21 years old), and adults (29–59 years old) ... Compared with young adults and adults, children A. show less speciesism, B. are less likely to categorize farm animals as food than pets, C. think farm animals ought to be treated better, and D. deem eating meat and animal products to be less morally acceptable. These findings imply that there are key age-related differences in our moral view of an animal's worth that point to socially constructed development over the lifespan."

Evidently, the missing link between the fully human and all other animals has been discovered. It is the most carnivorous, invasive, cruel and murderous of all the primate species: It is us. The chimeric, bipolar nature of this modern protohuman psyche, from rescuer to rapist, healer to harmer and artist to autocrat, is a product of familial and cultural epigenetics, for better and for worse.

Cruelty toward animals in childhood has been linked to sociopathic and psychopathic violence in adulthood. But the best of human nature can be nurtured and inspired by humane education and example. Planting the seeds of compassion and empathy in childhood, facilitated by living with an animal companion like a loyal and loving dog, can do much to help us evolve into a more civilized species.

Children need help as they grow up in a culture of violence toward nature; they must learn how they can make a difference and not become desensitized to, or accepting of, cultural "norms" of inhumanity, speciesism and racism.

Several universities are now offering courses in humane education, with one -- Antioch University, in partnership with the Institute for Humane Education -- offering online graduate programs in the subject. (The creator of some of these programs, Zoe Weil, is also the author of the bestseller "The World Becomes What We Teach.") For details, visit antioch.edu/academics/education/humane-education-ma.

To realize that we are all part of the cosmic miracle of life and consciousness puts the significance of our individual existence in the broader dimension of awakening our sense of kinship with all life necessary to transcend self-centeredness and anthropocentrism. Empathic sensitivity and ethical sensibility may then arise spontaneously, reducing the need for moral instruction and law enforcement.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just wanted to point out a pretty major reason that shelters are overflowing with pets turned in or returned: the insanity of rental prices around the country. In West Palm Beach, where I live, people are stuck with rent increases of up to 50%, and hardly any inventory even if you can pay that!

Besides rent itself, pet policies in rental housing are also a problem. I know of at least one apartment complex that just changed their policy, out of the blue, to $100 per pet, per month. A woman who had adopted two feral kittens from me had to give them up. -- G.C., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR G.C.: I am appalled by this evidence of pure greed that puts companion animals at risk of having to be separated from their owners and put up for adoption. How degenerate as a culture can we become?

Indeed, KC Pet Project, a Kansas City, Missouri, animal rescue organization, has seen a huge spike in people surrendering their companion animals. One reason is that there aren't enough affordable apartments that accept pets, said Tori Fugate, chief communications officer at the nonprofit. Some landlords who do accept dogs still ban certain breeds or sizes, Fugate said, or refuse to rent to someone evicted from a previous apartment. KC Pet Project offers fostering and works with local groups on food and housing assistance. (Full story: KSHB-TV, Kansas City, April 18)

(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 current coronavirus pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for over 6 million deaths worldwide and millions of other people with chronic health consequences.

Some virologists contend that scientists genetically engineered this virus to have a "gain in function" -- that is, to become more contagious -- which is a common step in the vaccine development process. But its most likely original source is from infected animals being handled and killed for human consumption in live markets where cold storage is not available.

My main concern is that agencies have not yet taken any significant steps to prevent future pandemics from zoonotic (animal-to-human) diseases by seeking international prohibitions on wildlife trade and live markets. We must also seek a rapid phasing-out of CAFOs (confined animal feed operations, or factory farms), especially of pigs, poultry and COVID-19-susceptible mink. Deer and "trophy" game operations, especially of white-tail deer, who are very susceptible to this virus, are also on the list. New zoonotic diseases will evolve, which will not be prevented by our current vaccines.

Let us hope that the bipartisan legislation introduced in November 2021 by U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Rob Portman to combat international wildlife trafficking and strengthen interagency efforts to tackle the issue will be quickly passed.

We humans must, as a population of nearly 8 billion (which many ecologists see as a global infestation), change our eating and breeding habits. We can begin with better family planning and the rapid adoption of nutritious plant-based diets to reduce our depredation and dependence on animals, wild and domesticated, as a source of food. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is now also urging adoption of plant-based diets as a significant step to help reduce climate change.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just want to ask if you can help me with my pit bull, who has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. She is 11 years old and weighs about 48 pounds. She is on pain meds, antibiotics and nausea medicine, and she loves to ride in the car and be held.

I would like to know what I should feed her and how I can get her to drink water. The vet said she only has a week or so left, but she is not giving up, and I'm not going to, either. -- M.R., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR M.R.: I am saddened to hear about the plight of your canine companion. In my opinion, more might be done to improve her condition, including intravenous and subcutaneous administration of electrolytes. Given under the skin, such treatment is a cheap and effective form of dialysis for dogs and cats with failing kidneys.

For more, see this article on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/care-for-dogs-cats-with-chronic-kidney-disease.

Keep me posted as to your progress. Above all, provide lots of TLC and a gentle full-body massage twice daily, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Dogs."

(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.)