DEAR READERS: I strongly advise against feeding dogs, cats and ferrets any raw meats because of bacterial contamination from inhumanely raised factory farmed animals. Raw meat is likely to carry drug-resistant E. coli. This is an animal and public health risk that can sicken, or even kill, family members.

Salmonella is another common contaminant of pork, beef and poultry. While high-temperature cooking kills such harmful organisms (but does not remove residual endotoxins), it also denatures proteins, lowers the nutrient value and produces carcinogens. Irradiation kills these bacteria, but results in radiolytic breakdown products, which have killed cats fed irradiated canned cat food. In addition, animal parts condemned for human consumption, along with animal remains from roadkill, are rendered and included in livestock feed and many pet foods. (For details, see Susan Thixton’s post, “What are rendered ingredients?” at truthaboutpetfood.com/almost-everything-about-rendered-pet-food-ingredients.)

The safest option is to purchase pet foods made with meats from certified humanely raised farm animals. The foods should be slowly air-dried to retain nutrients, as with Wisdom’s dog foods and the Honest Kitchen’s cat and dog foods, all made with human-grade food ingredients.

All meat and meat-byproduct ingredients should be tested and declared safe by mainstream pet food manufacturers. This includes venison, which could be contaminated with the prion that caused the epidemic of chronic wasting disease in deer across the U.S. Like the prion that caused mad cow disease in the U.K., this deer prion could also jump to other species and cause disease.

Poultry ingredients should be tested and declared free of avian H5N1 influenza virus, which is responsible for the inhumane extermination of millions of factory farmed chickens and turkeys to control the spread of the disease. Fox cubs have died in Michigan, in Minnesota and in Ontario, Canada, following consumption of infected birds. Dogs and cats could also be at risk, which is another reason to keep cats indoors and dogs away from dead birds.

Safer alternatives are on the horizon of the now $37 billion U.S. cat and dog food industry, in the form of plant-based complete protein and fat substitutes. Some are already arriving on the market.

DEAR DR. FOX: My partner and I have both been ill with COVID-19. Can our 18-month-old goldendoodle catch it from us? And if so, what symptoms should we be aware of? -- S.M., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR S.M.: I hope you and your partner are in recovery and have no long-term consequences from this viral infection. It can indeed be passed on to dogs, cats, ferrets and hamsters by infected humans in the same home.

It is most notably infective of farmed mink, and mink have in turn infected humans. But there is no evidence to date that in-home pets can serve as reservoirs and infect humans. Many animals in zoos have become infected, including great apes, lions and other big cats. In the wild, white-tailed deer have been infected in several states.

Usually, the symptoms are mild in dogs, who may show respiratory problems and fever -- similar to the symptoms seen in dogs infected with a strain of the influenza virus this year, which can also infect cats.

People who test positive for COVID-19 should take every precaution in handling in-home animals by wearing a mask, washing hands before and after handling, and ideally isolating themselves and having others take care of their animals.

MORE HEALTH BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN WITH DOGS

The health benefits that dogs provide for children include a reduction in the incidence of allergies and a decreased need for antibiotics for ear infections. Now, a study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2022 reports that children who have close contact with dogs early in life may be less likely to develop Crohn’s disease. These findings support the belief that exposure to microbes early in life supports healthy immune function. Cat ownership at a young age was not similarly associated with a lower Crohn’s disease risk, said study leader Williams Turpin. (Full story: Healio, May 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 DR. FOX: I recently adopted a 2-year-old Chihuahua. She came from a breeder, who gave her up because the dog could not have puppies. They tried two times without success and then had no further use for her.

I had lost my 16-year-old Pekingese several months prior, and was looking for a new dog companion. My Pekingese's favorite toy from puppyhood until the day she passed was a small toy octopus named Inky. When I learned that the rescue Chihuahua's name was Inky, I had to immediately meet her. It felt like my Pekingese was giving me permission to move on.

Inky is very small, not quite 4 pounds. I don't think she was ever let out of a crate at the breeder's. She had not been spayed (but now has) and she is not housetrained; I am working with her, but it's going slowly.

She is very needy and only wants to be held. I think she never had much human interaction. She licks me, and herself, constantly. She is very sensitive to any noise. When I am not holding her, she runs in circles nonstop, and any attempt on my part to stop her is unsuccessful. The nonstop circle-running has me very concerned.

I love this little lady and want to give her a good life. I just don't know what to do to help her. Can you please give me some advice on her obsession with running in circles and any other insights? -- S.R., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR S.R.: Poor little Inky! I would like to put the prior owner-breeder in a cage or crate for two years. I regard Inky as a sufferer of PTSD as a consequence of inhumane, and what should be illegal, treatment. Sadly, we are a long way from equal justice for all creatures.

Your dog is showing typical signs of obsessive-compulsive stereotypic behavior, which is driven by anxiety and excitement. Ask your veterinarian to try a small dose of any anxiety-relieving psychopharmaceutical such as Xanax or Prozac. I would also give her 0.5 mg of melatonin at bedtime and a tablespoon of home-cooked turkey, which contains calming tryptophan.

A squeaky toy might distract her from spinning and trigger her Chihuahua hunting spirit -- but later, perhaps, since right now, the noise might be terrifying. I once tried an obedience-training clicker on one of the dogs my wife, Deanna Krantz, rescued in India, and he turned to jelly with fear.

My book "The Healing Touch for Dogs" has helped many dogs like yours to become relaxed and recover their health and vitality. Keep me posted.

BREED AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN CANINE LONGEVITY

From a recently published study: Among 30,563 dogs that died between Jan. 1, 2016 and July 31, 2020, female dogs had a greater life expectancy than males (11.41 years compared to 11.07 years). Life expectancy tables varied widely between breeds. Jack Russell terriers had the longest life expectancy (12.72 years) and French bulldogs had the shortest (4.53 years).

(Study: "Life tables of annual life expectancy and mortality for companion dogs in the United Kingdom" by K. Ty. Teng, D.C. Brodbelt, C. Pegram et al. Published in Scientific Reports, April 28, 2022.)

(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: In early May, the United States government purchased $119 million worth of Jynneos monkeypox vaccines from the Danish biotechnology company Bavarian Nordic. The news followed the first confirmed case in the U.S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jynneos is administered as two subcutaneous injections four weeks apart. People who receive Jynneos are not considered vaccinated until they receive both doses.

In recent weeks, more than 120 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported in over a dozen non-endemic countries, including the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Spain. According to the World Health Organization (who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox), various animal species have been identified as susceptible to the monkeypox virus. These include rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, nonhuman primates and other species.

The U.S. reported an outbreak in 2003, when a shipment of rodents from Ghana spread the virus to pet prairie dogs in Illinois and infected more than 70 people. My concern at present is the potential for the virus to spread to indigenous wildlife here in the U.S., where some species could become reservoirs for the future infection of humans.

There are probably several sources of the current wave of monekypox infections: Infected monkeys could have been poached from the wild for "bush meat" and/or for export to biomedical and pharmaceutical laboratories for experimentation and the development of new vaccines and drugs. Some consider the possibility of a lapse in biosecurity in one of these facilities.

Whatever the source of this virus, against which the smallpox vaccine gives us some protection, these outbreaks are a clarion call to back off from wildlife exploitation. Habitat encroachment, poaching, live markets and international wildlife traffic must cease, since many animal species can be a source of zoonotic diseases -- infectious and variously contagious diseases transmissible to people -- who then spread such diseases within their own communities. Wildlife habitats need to be protected, restored and extended to ensure optimal, health-sustaining biodiversity.

We should also revisit the bioethical question of using primates in biomedical research and the development and testing of drugs and vaccines.

International collaboration to better reduce climate change is urgently needed to reduce the rising incidence of insect-borne diseases. Mosquitoes, ticks and other vectors of zoonoses are proliferating under the warmer and wetter conditions now prevailing in many regions of the world.

DEAR DR. FOX: I've reached out to you before, when my 17-year-old Chihuahua was in the end stages of his life. You really helped me put the decision into perspective. I am now facing another dilemma with my 16-year-old Yorkie.

His health has declined dramatically over this past month, but I am not ready to give him his wings. I learned from an ER visit a week ago that he has a mass on one kidney and cysts on the other; both adrenal glands are enlarged, and possibly have tumors; the liver is enlarged; the kidneys are failing; and it appears he has pancreatitis.

He was a fairly healthy, if aging, dog before this started. It all began with diarrhea due to giardia, which was treated with two rounds of Panacur and three rounds of Flagyl. The diarrhea cleared, but then he began vomiting every night. On the third night, we took him to the ER, where they ran the labs and ultrasound. He was given Clavamox, Cerenia and omeprazole. He was in the ICU overnight and had two grand mal seizures, which he had never had before. They said it was time to let him go.

We took him home and have been giving him subcutaneous fluids daily. He has been refusing his food and water, except for an occasional sip or bite. I can't let him go because I keep thinking the pancreatitis can be controlled with more antibiotics, and if he has Cushing's, that can be treated as well.

I don't understand how all this happened and was just now discovered. The mass and cysts didn't just appear overnight. I want him to live comfortably and for his kidneys to be as healthy as they can be with what little function he has left. I really feel like this is an acute situation and that some things can be corrected. -- D.M., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR D.M.: I am so sorry to hear about what you and your old dog have gone through. Don't blame yourself or the attending veterinarians for not diagnosing these chronic underlying conditions earlier; the giardia probably aggravated them to the point where compensatory mechanisms failed. It is remarkable how animals continue to act normally even when various internal organs are beginning to fail.

Considering all the organs involved, I would make your old Yorkie as comfortable as possible, offer him good-quality baby food (chicken, turkey and vegetables) and anything he likes to eat. Give him gentle massage therapy as per my book "The Healing Touch for Dogs," and prepare yourself to say goodbye. He may die in your arms, but if he shows evidence of pain and distress, do consider in-home euthanasia. Many veterinarians provide this humane service at a reasonable cost. I send my condolences.

(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.)