DEAR READERS: Ever since being elected (my senior year in high school) as a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society in the U.K., I have had an enduring interest in and concern for insects. Without them, we humans would probably never have come to exist. But now our existence is threatening theirs.

Insects provide many vital ecological services as pollinators and as recyclers of organic waste, and also serve as food for other insects, amphibians, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals -- including humans. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, and they represent more than half of all known living organisms, with several million extant species.

As some insect species become extinct, ecological dysbiosis follows, leading to the proliferation of noxious plants, insects and other organisms. This, in turn, leads to plagues, pestilence, poverty and famine. In the past, such events were more localized, but now, in what some call the Anthropocene Apocalypse, they are global. Multiple factors are at play, from climate change to natural habitat encroachment and destruction -- the latter exacerbated by our increasing numbers. Also at fault: applications of agricultural herbicides and insecticides, industrial chemical pollution and nonionizing radiation from virtually unregulated telecommunications. All of these life-threatening factors can be rectified, since we are their genesis.

Here are two relevant scientific reports. The first, “Expert perspectives on global biodiversity loss and its drivers and impacts on people” by Forest Isbell et al, was published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment in July. Key findings, as per the study’s abstract:

-- "Biodiversity experts estimated that about 30% (uncertainty range: 16-50%) of species have been globally threatened or driven to extinction since the year 1500.

-- "There was overwhelming consensus that global biodiversity loss will likely decrease ecosystem functioning and nature’s contributions to people. ...

-- "Experts estimated that greatly increasing conservation investments and efforts now could remove the threat of extinction for one in three species that may otherwise be threatened or extinct by the year 2100."

Another key passage: “A recent estimate that at least 1 million species of animals and plants are currently threatened with extinction assumed that 10% of insect species are threatened, based on a comprehensive review of the limited available evidence. ... Our survey estimates ... suggest that the percentage of insect species that are threatened may be much higher.”

The second study is “Electromagnetic radiation as an emerging driver factor for the decline of insects” by Alfonso Balmori, published in Science of the Total Environment in May 2021. The abstract of this study reads as follows:

“The biodiversity of insects is threatened worldwide. Numerous studies have reported the serious decline in insects that has occurred in recent decades. The same is happening with the important group of pollinators, with an essential utility for pollination of crops. Loss of insect diversity and abundance is expected to provoke cascading effects on food webs and ecosystem services.

"Many authors point out that reductions in insect abundance must be attributed mainly to agricultural practices and pesticide use. On the other hand, evidence for the effects of non-thermal microwave radiation on insects has been known for at least 50 years. The review carried out in this study shows that electromagnetic radiation should be considered seriously as a complementary driver for the dramatic decline in insects, acting in synergy with agricultural intensification, pesticides, invasive species and climate change. The extent that anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation represents a significant threat to insect pollinators is unresolved and plausible. For these reasons, and taking into account the benefits they provide to nature and humankind, the precautionary principle should be applied before any new deployment (such as 5G) is considered.”

We can all do something on the homefront, such as buying organically certified foods; not using herbicides or insecticides on our property and pets; replacing UV-light-based, bug-attracting electronic zappers with citronella candles on our patios; and rewilding our lawns with pollinator-friendly native plants. For more information, visit emfsafetynetwork.org and americansforresponsibletech.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 DR. FOX: My husband and I are desperately looking for a specialist who can help our new puppy. She is 10 weeks old and we just got her. She is beyond sweet and affectionate; she's playful and has an adorable personality. A little buster for sure, but so lovable.

We took her to the vet to make sure she was healthy, and our vet informed us that our little female pug, who we are madly in love with, is really a boy. We love him/her, whatever sex he or she is, but we are scared for the dog and don't know what to do.

Our vet said in his 40 years of practicing, he has personally never seen this before. I have been looking for a doctor who may have dealt with this before. I have searched high and low on the internet and have come up with nothing. I came across you, and am hoping you can help me or provide any guidance or recommendations. -- L.A.T., New York City

DEAR L.A.T.: This condition is indeed extremely rare in dogs, but you should not have any reason to worry, provided your dog can urinate normally. And it will not affect your dog psychologically because, in a few months, you will be having him/her neutered. This is advisable since an undescended testicle in the abdomen, or retained uterus, could cause health problems later in life.

You should contact the breeder/supplier, who should have been able to see that the puppy did not have normal external genitalia. Inform them that they should pay for any veterinary services that may be needed -- or at least refund you some of what you paid for this pug in a poke!

I would be more worried about other inherited problems in your beloved pug associated with the deformed, pushed-in face (brachycephaly) and bulging eyes. Your veterinarian can help you on this front. Above all, after neutering, be sure your dog does not start to gain weight -- for brachycephalic dogs, this can quickly lower their quality of life, already compromised by this deformity.

ADVANCES IN GENE THERAPY RESTORE DOGS' VISION

A gene therapy restored some vision to dogs with congenital stationary night blindness, and the treatment might be able to help people with a similar genetic condition, researchers reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A single dose restored dogs' ability to express healthy LRIT3 protein in the retina, and the effects lasted at least a year, the researchers reported. (Full story: University of Pennsylvania's Penn Today, March 22)

BOOKS FOR MUSLIMS CONCERNED ABOUT ANIMALS AND NATURE

I was honored to contribute to a book being released this fall entitled, "Animals in Islam: Masri's Book and Scholarly Reflections on His Work," which the publisher describes as "an authorized and authoritative republication of B.A. Masri's seminal book and reflections on his work by important scholars and experts."

Further description from the publisher: "The uniqueness of this book, 'Animals in Islam,' is that it is possibly the only truly authoritative work on Islamic concern for animals. The author, Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri, was the first Sunni Imam of the Shah Jehan mosque in England and is widely respected for the depth of his scholarship in this field. The observations he makes are supported by a wealth of quotes from the Qur'an and Hadith. 'Animals in Islam' is a republication of this iconic text for the world to enjoy, edited by his grandson, Nadeem Haque. True to Islamic tradition, Al-Hafiz Masri welcomes readers -- particularly theologians and scholars -- to write to him, giving their opinions on what must be one of the most relevant and thought-provoking pieces of literature on animals within Islam to be released for several centuries."

See also "Ecolibrium: The Sacred Balance in Islam" by Nadeem Haque, Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri and Mehran Banaei, for which I wrote the foreword.

(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 find it too simplistic to say, "Dogs love us unconditionally." The love of dogs is a result of their socialization with us in puppyhood, enhanced by generations of domestication and heredity. They are highly empathic: They sense what we feel, and can detect when we are emotionally distressed or physically sick.

In many ways, dogs' love makes us "human" by bringing out the best qualities of human nature, acting as our exemplars of loyalty, trust, devotion and, often, protection and heroic rescue. But they also suffer the consequences of our inhumanity, cruelty and indifference, as well as our overindulgence. Their basic needs and well-being are compromised when treated as surrogate objects of selfish emotional gratification.

Our dogs can comfort us when we are grieving, depressed or suffering from PTSD; they take away loneliness and join us when we are ready to play and explore the great outdoors; their senses enrich our own experiences and heighten our communion with nature. Children growing up with dogs learn compassion and caregiving as well as respect for other species, breaking through the self-limiting barriers of egotism and anthropocentrism.

As veterinarian Sean Weasley writes in his book "Through a Vet's Eyes": "The animals we welcome into our homes have become family members. But love is a feeling in our minds, and can only be appreciated by animals through our actions towards them." Those actions should be in their best interests in terms of physical health and emotional well-being.

Dogs have shared and added to our lives and civilization for millennia, and deserve greater recognition under the rule of law. The latter should make abandonment and all acts of cruelty and neglect (certified by a veterinarian or animal welfare investigator) felonies, rather than misdemeanors, just as such crimes against children are judged and prosecuted.

DOGS CALM CHILDREN

School-age children who spent time with a therapy dog twice a week subsequently had lower levels of salivary cortisol than children who participated in guided relaxation sessions and those who did neither, according to a study published in PLOS One. The study involved children with and without special educational needs, and both groups appeared to benefit from therapy dog time, researchers reported. (Full story: The New York Times, June 15)

Other studies have shown that children learn to read, and read better, when a dog is next to them!

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your article about dogs getting sick, and even dying, after having Seresto flea collars put on them. I found this statement online about how they work: "The Seresto collar works with a unique polymer matrix of two active ingredients, which spread from the site of direct contact over the skin surface of your dog: Imidacloprid has been used in products for years to control flea infestations. Flumethrin effectively kills and repels ticks."

So what about people, especially children, petting their dogs? It seems crazy to me. Are the anti-flea pills that contain these same insecticides, but are given orally, any safer? Your website says they are not. So what are the best options? -- R.E., Washington, D.C.

DEAR R.E.: These insecticidal products, widely used on livestock, should be prohibited on companion animals. They contaminate the environment when a dog plays in a stream or lake wearing an insecticidal collar (or after receiving a topical treatment), and also when insecticides and parasiticides are given orally and then excreted in urine and feces. These poisons are also absorbed into various internal organs, causing subsequent health problems.

But you know the story: Big Pharma seems to regulate most legislators and regulatory agencies, rather than the logical reverse.

The fact is that, in addition to the animal health, public health and environmental risks these widely marketed products pose, fleas and ticks still have time to suck blood when they get onto an animal -- and trigger allergic reactions and transmit diseases in the process. In my opinion, the safest approach is to apply various botanical products that are nontoxic but act as potent repellants of these insect pests (as I have repeatedly stated in my columns and posted on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-fleas-ticks-and-mosquitoes).

Visit earthanimal.com to find various botanical products that help prevent fleas, ticks and mosquitoes from infesting dogs and cats, and possibly infecting them with insect-borne diseases. The products include nutrient supplements, repellent collars, sprays, spot treatments and shampoos.

'DISTURBING': WEEDKILLER INGREDIENT TIED TO CANCER FOUND IN 80% OF U.S. URINE SAMPLES

More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a U.S. health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer -- a finding scientists have called "disturbing" and "concerning." The report, by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that out of 2,310 urine samples taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the U.S. population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate.

Commonly known as Monsanto's Roundup herbicide (now owned by Big Pharma company Bayer), this toxic chemical is widely used on various nonorganic food crops and by homeowners on their properties. Glyphosate residue in many pet foods, and around homes and gardens where pets and children may play, certainly puts our animal companions at risk.

(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.)