DEAR READERS: Americans are feeling the pinch in grocery stores as prices for bacon, steaks and chicken breasts soar, in part because of pandemic-related supply chain breakdowns. All of this is compounded by rising fuel and animal feed costs, and now, the emerging shortage of food grains and fertilizers from Russia and Ukraine, of which other countries are in dire need.

The Minnesota Star Tribune published an opinion piece in May, "War will bring famine unless America acts," which was written by a distinguished professor of economics (Carlisle Ford Runge) and a former Cargill executive (Robbin S. Johnson). The writers suggest some remedial actions that will only exacerbate the climate change that this war is already intensifying. They suggest converting land from Minnesota's Conservation Reserve Program to food crop production to help feed the hungry world. But this will reduce biodiversity and increase carbon emissions as this vital sink of carbon-sequestering soil and vegetation is destroyed. To take advantage of the food crisis created by Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine -- like fossil fuel companies are taking advantage of the fuel shortages -- is ethically untenable and will only worsen climate change.

The loss of biodiversity and the global demand for meat are recognized as major contributing factors to the climate crisis. This means that our appetites, as well as our farming practices, must change. But this is unlikely without a full accounting of the hidden costs of our current practices. A carbon tax must be applied to all consumables and industries, especially high-input commodity crop farming with its overreliance on fossil fuels.

What every American can and should do is reduce the consumption of all animal produce from conventional feed-crop monocultures of corn and soy. This would help save the Conservation Reserve Program while freeing up millions of acres currently used to raise feed for animals and biofuels. National economies are under increasing strain from unsustainable agricultural practices and consumer demands.

To produce food for people at home and abroad, rather than to feed animals raised for human consumption at home and for export to more affluent countries, is enlightened self-interest. Furthermore, climate change must be addressed to prevent massive crop failures from floods, droughts and temperature extremes. Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide reduces the nutrient value of our food crops. While wildfires rage in the American West, the destruction of the Amazon forest continues, and will only stop when there is a global boycott of Brazilian beef. One study has shown that deforestation could be cut in half by 2050, and greenhouse gas emissions reduced, if 20% of global consumption of beef and other grazing livestock was replaced with microbial proteins grown from fungus! (See F. Humpenoder, B.L. Bodirsky, I. Weindl et al, "Projected environmental benefits of replacing beef with microbial protein," Nature, May 4, 2022.)

As geophysicist Gidon Eshel asserted recently in Bloomberg, "Hunger caused by the Ukraine war is one more uncomfortable symptom of the world's refusal to adopt more sustainable agriculture policies and plant-based diets." He estimates that more than 250 million tons of wheat, barley, oats and other cereals are used globally to feed farmed animals, and that 100 kilograms of feed protein produces only 3 kilograms of beef protein.

All of this may intensify so-called eco-anxiety: feelings of helplessness and despair over climate change and the fate of nature, animals and humankind. But we can all do something, and the most immediate and effective action is to shift to a plant-based diet and become a "locavore" -- purchasing locally grown produce, ideally organically certified, and becoming a "kitchen anarchist" in the process!

CANINE PARVOVIRUS VACCINATION REMINDER

Canine parvovirus kills unvaccinated dogs quickly, especially puppies. More background from the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University:

"The tiny parvovirus is extraordinarily hardy. They are capable of surviving for months outside an animal, even through the winter, and are resistant to most household cleaning products. Infected dogs can shed vast numbers of viruses, making it difficult to disinfect an area once it has been exposed to an infected dog. These facts highlight the importance of isolating any dog that is infected with CPV from other dogs. Given the fact that most environments (including dog parks, lawns and even homes) are not cleaned with disinfecting products regularly, a puppy can be exposed to CPV without any warning, making the vaccine protection all the more important."

This vaccine is a must for all puppies, and boosters may be needed later in life.

(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: My 7-year-old mini poodle chews all the fur off his inner thighs, lower legs and feet. I have him on Cytopoint and Apoquel. I’m spending lots of money and not getting very far.

My opinion is that my energetic dog, who has won many AKC agility and obedience titles in past years, is bored and needs to run a much greater part of his day. I’m 82 years old and now live in a retirement community with no running area for him; I can’t give him the exercise and workouts we were doing just three years ago. His 15-minute daily walks with a paid dog-walker don’t tire him out at all. His temperament and energy remind me of the border collies I know.

Do you think I’m right, or is this just another unidentified food allergy? He didn’t have this problem when we were training and competing in obedience and agility events three years ago. Can’t do it now. -- J.B., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR J.B.: Dogs and cats will sometimes lick, scratch and fur-pull to the point of self-mutilation when they are frustrated or bored. Your theory may be correct. As an alternative, your dog may have a condition called trichotillomania, which is a compulsion to pull out one’s hair or fur. Our rescued cat Fanny pulls her fur out while she waits beside the door for her beloved Kota (our dog) to return from a walk.

In many instances, however, there is an underlying skin infection, parasite, thyroid gland dysfunction or allergy at play. Allergens can include food ingredients, grass or other environmental triggers (think dust mites in carpet). Keep your dog off the grass when being walked and have the dog-walker put a light coat on him.

Wean him off the Apoquel and Cytopoint and give him a teaspoon of local bee pollen in his food daily, plus a few drops of cod liver oil. Get some dog toys and encourage him to play interactive games with you indoors, and get some treat-containing puzzles he can solve, as well.

DEAR DR. FOX: I don’t eat seafood and my cat hates fish. Even so, I am concerned about many aspects of ocean pollution and ecology. Microplastics are now being found in human blood, and there are tons of plastics and other chemicals in the oceans. I see kelp being marketed in health care products and snacks for humans and pets, but then read about kelp containing arsenic. What about krill oil? That is marketed as an omega-3 super-supplement, but I thought whales depended on krill as a vital food source for their survival. -- R.E., Washington, D.C.

DEAR R.E.: First, all things in moderation. Never overdo any supplement, vitamin, mineral, herb or whatever. Kelp can contain small amounts of organic and inorganic arsenic, which is not likely sufficient to cause poisoning when small quantities of kelp are consumed. Ideally it should be farmed rather than wild-harvested, since the kelp forests of the oceans provide food and shelter for countless marine creatures. The overharvesting of seaweeds for human and livestock consumption is crippling this major carbon sink and life-sustaining ocean community of plants and algae.

Similarly, the harvesting of krill for cheap livestock and poultry feed, and the sale of krill oil to consumers and pet owners, must be curtailed. The great whales and other marine life, including birds, are starving to death as a consequence of overfishing, especially from the overharvesting of krill.

FRENCH COURT ORDERS 4G ANTENNA SWITCH-OFF

A French court found in favor of a farmer who said that a newly installed 4G antenna near his property was harming his cows. He said that milk production had dropped by 15%-20% in the days following the installation, and that 40 of his 200 cows had died. The antenna is to be shut off for two months while solutions are researched. (Full story: Connexion France, May 25)

The telecommunications industry is neither well- regulated by governments worldwide nor open to reducing its documented risks to humans and other animals. For more details, see drfoxonehealth.com/post/electropollution-existential-threat-to-public-health-and-life-on-earth.

UKRAININAN COUPLE RESCUES DOZENS OF ANIMALS

Veterinary student Anastasiya Tykha and her husband, Arthur Lee, led or carried two dozen animals -- 19 dogs, five cats, two Triton lizards, one hamster, one turtle, one chameleon and one axolotl -- 2 miles through Irpin, Ukraine, and across a bridge to relative safety. It took Tykha and Lee several trips, braving bombs and bullets each time, to evacuate the animals from a shelter Tykha has run for four years. “There were explosions and shooting, but after two weeks of Russian occupation, we were used to it,” Lee said. (Full story: The Guardian, 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 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.)