DEAR READERS: Cargill Inc., one of the world's biggest transnational agribusiness enterprises, is under scrutiny from human rights and environmental organizations, according to (Minnesota) Star-Tribune reporter Jennifer Bjorhus. In a recent article, she presents a disturbing picture of corporate imperialism in Cargill's involvement in the decimation of the Amazon rainforest and grasslands, and the disenfranchisement of indigenous peoples and longtime residents by the soy industry. (Full story: "Cargill's bid to open new port in Brazil opposed by human rights, conservation groups," May 29, startribune.com)

Much of the commodity crop of soy is used to feed livestock and poultry, despite the fact that the demand for meat and other animal products is now seen as a significant contributor to climate change and its adverse impacts on biodiversity, public health and long-term economic sustainability.

This issue of Cargill in Brazil is an opportunity for the company -- which reported a total revenue of $134.4 billion for 2021 -- to set the record straight and begin to label all its animal and plant products with regard to their "sustainably sourced" status. Foods should be certified by environmental organizations such as the Rainforest Action Network, and all animal produce should be Animal Welfare Certified as per the Global Animal Partnership.

Pet owners should consider if they are supporting Cargill in the cat and dog foods they purchase. Cargill has been marketing pet foods since the early 1960s, and currently produces or sells its brands, plus private-label pet foods, in 20 countries. The company also supplies ingredients for other pet food manufacturers, including carrageenan, which can make some animals develop inflammatory bowel problems. Cargill's Global Pet Food Ingredients market accounted for $35 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $68 billion by 2027.

Other pet food manufacturers, like Open Farm and The Honest Kitchen, are producing more acceptable fare, much of which is made with human-grade ingredient meats sourced from certified humanely raised animals. Some pet foods are even manufactured in the same facilities as foods for humans. There is no reason why larger pet food ingredient suppliers and manufacturers -- like Cargill, Mars Petcare, Nestle Purina Petcare, J.M. Smucker, General Mills and Colgate-Palmolive -- should not follow suit.

The mainstream pet food marketers are part of a global agricultural and human food industrial system that is contributing to the climate crisis while profiting from recycled ingredients -- many of which are condemned for human consumption and most of which are produced at cost to the environment. The hegemony of global corporate imperialism and capitalist colonialism is a reality. This must all change, and that calls for consumer involvement -- from boycotts to selective purchasing of both human foods and pet foods.

Corporate responsibility should apply to more than shareholder profits and mega-bonuses for CEOs. We are all responsible for social justice, environmental justice and for securing a more viable and less harmful global economy to sustain our basic needs.

TOO MUCH COPPER IN SOME DOG FOODS

The copper content in some commercial dog foods may be too high and could cause copper-associated hepatopathy, characterized by abdominal swelling, depressed appetite, excessive thirst and urination, jaundice, lethargy, diarrhea and vomiting, according to a study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dog foods in the U.S. must contain a minimum amount of copper, but there is no upper limit. Anne Norris, a spokesperson for the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the agency is studying the issue. (Full story: AVMA News, March 17)

(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 am reaching out to you in regards to purchasing a natural flea/tick collar for my 1-year-old Shih Tzu. We were using the Seresto brand until I saw the news about the number of deaths associated with the collars.

I went to your site and read about various cases; however, I did not see any recommendations. Please let me know what you would recommend we use. -- R.N., Atlanta, California

DEAR R.N.: I have added this statement to my website post "Preventing Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes": Visit earthanimal.com to find various botanical products that help prevent fleas, ticks and mosquitoes from infesting and possibly infecting dogs and cats with insect-borne diseases. With climate change and the documented harms of using insecticides on companion animals and risk to humans, especially children, in the home, these safe and effective alternatives are a wise choice.

DEAR DR. FOX: I discovered you from my research on how to help my Australian shepherd detox from Nexgard. He started taking Nexgard at the recommendation of his vet since we got him when he was 3 months old, and we just took him off of it at 13 months old. The first seizure we are aware of occurred when he was about 6 months old, but he sleeps separately from us because he's so noisy at night, so it's very possible that he'd had previous ones. We have witnessed four seizures in the last five weeks. Our vet never once brought up Nexgard as a possible factor! We did intensive blood and urine labs, and he is otherwise healthy.

I spoke with the breeder, and she confirmed that both lines of his pedigree are clean and healthy. It was the breeder, not the vet, who asked about vaccinations and medications; that's when we looked at the box of Nexgard and saw the information about seizures, plain as day. We obviously stopped using it immediately.

I looked it up online and was horrified by stories I read of this "medication's" side effects! I am in disbelief that it never occurred to the vet that Nexgard could be implicated in his seizure situation. This drug needs to be taken off the market!

In any case, do you recommend the coconut oil, milk thistle, melatonin regimen to all dogs detoxing from Nexgard? Does size matter? Our Remy is about 50 pounds. -- M.C., Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEAR M.C.: For a 50-pound dog to "detox," I recommend 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, twice daily in his food. Also give him a daily supplement of milk thistle (250 to 350 milligrams) and melatonin (6 milligrams) at night for three to four weeks. The coconut oil may lead to loose stools, but that is a nonissue compared to the neurological dangers of the medication.

DOG SUMMER 'HOT SPOTS'

In the summer, many dogs develop "hot spots" -- weeping, red sores. Dogs often scratch and lick these sores, as well, worsening them. The most likely cause is insect-bite allergy, especially to flea bites. One flea on a sensitized dog can cause extensive allergic dermatitis, which should always be checked for when a "hot spot" is found on a dog. A flea comb can catch flea poop (digested dog's blood) in the fur that looks like flecks of coal and turn brown-red when put on a piece of wet white paper.

(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: 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.)