DEAR READERS: State Minority Democratic Leader senator Lauren Book has filed Florida Senate Bill 932, which all should support and other states pick up. Proposals include:

-- The declawing of cats would be prohibited unless "for a therapeutic purpose," such as an illness or injury. Veterinarians practicing declawing procedures could have their license revoked, be suspended or be subjected to a $5,000 fine under the bill.

-- Manufacturers would not be able to test cosmetics on animals unless it is necessary under federal or state law, and in that case, manufacturers would have to indicate animal testing on product labels.

-- People traveling in vehicles with their dogs would not be allowed to let their dogs sit in their laps, put their heads out of the window or ride in the open bed of a pickup truck, unless in a crate that is secured to the truck and is big enough for the dog to sit, stand and turn around.

-- Outdoor tethering of a dog or a cat with a rope, a chain or another means to restrict, confine or restrain the animal's movement would be prohibited.

-- Sales of pet rabbits would not be permitted on any streets, flea markets or open-air venues, or during the months of March and April. Violations would be considered second degree misdemeanors under the bill.

-- The bill would establish a registry for people convicted of animal abuse. Registrants would remain on the list for three years after a first misdemeanor offense, five years after a first felony offense and 10 years after any further offenses.

These legislative proposals are long overdue and should be adopted by all states in the country. The costs of enforcement should be accepted as our collective responsibility for all animals under our care -- a democratic principle of equalitarianism too long denied by custom, commerce and ignorance.

I would urge an amendment be included to make it illegal for owned cats to roam free -- a legislative stipulation already widely applied to dogs in most municipalities. Free-roaming and wide-ranging domestic cats put the endangered Florida panther at risk from feline viral panleukopenia and other diseases, and put humans in every state at risk for rabies.

AN EXCELLENT INITIATIVE FOR GRADUATE VETERINARIANS

A bill introduced in the California Assembly would offer up to $150,000 in student debt relief to licensed veterinarians in exchange for practicing at an animal shelter or in an underserved community in California for five or more years. (Full story: The San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 18)

DNA TESTS FOR DOG BREEDS QUESTIONABLE

I have found one company that seems the most reliable in the business of testing dogs' DNA for breed information: namely Embark. They have told me that such tests are not always accurate (at least, not yet), and more reliable information can be provided for canine diseases of hereditary origin.

This is confirmed in a recent article where samples were sent to Embark, Wisdom, DNA My Dog and Accu-Metrics. For details, see "How accurate are dog DNA tests?" at CBC.ca.

MEXICO TO PHASE OUT GLYPHOSATE

Mexico announced that it was phasing out the use of glyphosate herbicides, the cultivation of GMO corn and the import of GMO corn for human consumption and livestock feed by the end of 2024. The reasons for the decree given by Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are to protect the health of Mexico's consumers and small-scale farmers, the environment and the purity of Mexico's native corn varieties.

Bayer-Monsanto and Dow have since launched 43 lawsuits in Mexico attempting to overturn the decree. For more details, see "The Science-based Evidence to Ban Glyphosate and GMOs" at RegenerationInternational.org.

HELPING OBESE CATS

Cassava and sweet potato may be key ingredients to help with weight control in cats, according to a group of researchers at Zhejiang University. The researchers found that different carbohydrates affected intestinal microflora, and that cassava and sweet potato improved gut flora and proved effective in controlling blood lipid and blood glucose levels. (Full story: PetFoodIndustry, Feb. 21)

(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: Alarm bells are ringing over recent health news postings. One topic of concern is the increased incidence of colorectal cancer in younger people, associated with high consumption of beef and processed meats high in nitrites (cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/colorectal-cancer-rising-younger-adults). Another is a report from the 2023 World Obesity Atlas that 51% of the human population will be obese or overweight by 2035, bringing health care costs of over $4 trillion (World Obesity Atlas 2023, worldobesityday.org).

These bells have been ringing louder and louder for many years and are largely ignored by government food regulators and educators. Their usual line is, "Eat more fruits, vegetables and fiber," rather than saying to reduce salt, sugar, sugar substitutes, nitrites, food colorings, preservatives and "flavor enhancers" such as monosodium glutamate. The same is true with most manufactured cat and dog foods, which contribute to obesity and its associated health consequences, notably an increased incidence of diabetes and various cancers.

More sedentary lives and lack of regular exercise for people and their pets are contributory factors. Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds such as pugs have difficulty breathing, which makes them exercise-intolerant and notably prone to obesity.

With increasing body weight from pathogenic diets filled with high-glycemic index ingredients, we see associated joint stress and generalized inflammation; these can lead to less desire to be physically active, and ultimately depression. This has opened a profitable market for Big Pharma via antidepressants and analgesics, which in turn can lead to more and more medications, causing liver, brain and other organ damage.

I have expressed my disbelief at the U.S. government's approval of the artificial sweetener aspartame, used in many "diet" sodas, that increases appetite and has other questionable side effects. Xylitol, another sweetener in many snacks and candies, has killed dogs. The sweetener erythritol has been linked to heightened risk of cardiac arrest, stroke and death in humans.

What we eat and feed to our animal companions influences what kinds of good and bad bacteria flourish in the digestive system -- the so-called microbiome. Good nutrition helps sustain and restore a healthy microbiome, which plays many vital roles in digestion, immune system function, mood, cognition and behavior. Bayer-Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate, in their widely used Roundup herbicide, disrupts this gut microbiome and is linked to the increased incidence of cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) worldwide.

More members of the medical and veterinary professions are realizing the importance of a healthy microbiome, and are taking long-overdue corrective steps. Simply adding probiotics and prebiotics (more healthful fiber) to junk foods for humans and pets is not the solution, though this is now being widely promoted by the manufacturers of highly processed pet and human foods.

DEAR DR. FOX: Why don't you just be a veterinarian and write about animal care, as your "Animal Doctor" column is supposed to, rather than use it as a platform for your woke politics? -- R.S., address withheld.

DEAR R.S.: I see it as my professional responsibility as a veterinarian to address those social, economic and political issues that affect animals wild and domesticated and the natural environment we share with them.

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the term "woke" originated as a Black American slang term meaning "being aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)." It also relates to an awakening awareness of, and involvement in, environmental justice, conservation and animal rights, of which I have been a longtime advocate.

Being "woke" means caring for the common good -- including the atmosphere, land and oceans. The recent agreement by members of the United Nations to establish protected marine areas in international waters is a major step forward, strengthening the U.N. Biodiversity Conference's pledge to protect 30% of the planet's land and waters.

Those who use the term "woke" in a derogatory, disparaging way see all such bioethically enlightened initiatives as barriers to "progress" for their own vested interests. As citizens in a democracy, all Americans need to be "woke" and see through the denial and disinformation coming from the "anti-wokers." We must not shy away from using word "fascism." To help save our democracy from fascism and technocracy, all high school seniors and college students should take a course in the humanities.

(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 gave the medication Trifexis to my Belgian Malinois and he got ataxia. It's been more than 10 days and he is still recovering, slowly. Is there a safe alternative to these meds? Vets in this city seem clueless on this question. -- B.D., Titusville, Florida

DEAR B.D.: Trifexis (spinosad plus milbemycin oxime) is a monthly, beef-flavored tablet that kills fleas, prevents flea infestations, prevents heartworm disease, and treats and controls adult hookworm, roundworm and whipworm infections. The attending veterinarians should not be "clueless," since they can read the manufacturer's published details about the product. These details list the following possible adverse reactions: vomiting, depression, lethargy, pruritus, anorexia, diarrhea, trembling/shaking, ataxia, seizures, hypersalivation and skin reddening.

To report suspected adverse reactions, contact Elanco at 1-888-545-5973 and the FDA at 1-888-FDA-VETS.

Some breeds and individual dogs are more likely to develop adverse reactions, and it is a toss-up when balancing the risks against the benefits of eliminating heartworm and some worm species in the intestines. Updated results from the U.S. and the European Union indicate a notable increase in the number of particularly serious adverse events reported for flea and tick preventives, including seizures, aggression and death.

For more details and alternatives for repelling fleas, ticks and mosquitos, check my website entries: drfoxonehealth.com/post/companion-animal-risks-of-flea-and-tick-insecticides and drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-fleas-ticks-and-mosquitoes.

Rather than routinely giving drugs to kill intestinal worms, a prudent step would be having a fecal sample tested to see if medication is needed. A flea comb should also be regularly used. Perform regular visual inspections for ticks, especially between the toes and around the ears. Spritz your dog with a botanical mosquito and biting fly repellant before going outdoors when the bugs are out.

BOOK REVIEW: "Wolfish: Wolf, Self and the Stories We Tell About Fear" by Erica Berry

I was captivated by the twisting journey this young author took me on in her quest -- as a female member of a species that is both predator and prey -- to address her fears and longings through the prism of our relationships, past and present, with wolves. Erica Berry opens our eyes and hearts in her bridging of the great divide between lupophobia and lupophilia. She writes about what it means to cherish the wild, and in the process, recover our sense of self and humanity in a world we have despoiled. Our future and the fate of the Earth depend on how well we attend to the two wolves in all of us: the one driven by the love of power and the other by the power of love.

'GREEN SPACES' CAN HELP REDUCE RISK OF SOME DEMENTIAS

High levels of green space in and around residential communities are associated with reduced risk of various neurodegenerative diseases in adult humans, according to a landmark study confirming a significant benefit of environmental restoration and protection. (For details, read: "Associations of Greenness, Parks and Blue Space With Neurodegenerative Disease Hospitalizations Among Older U.S. Adults," JAMA Network Open, December 2022.) Spending time in nature has also been linked to improved blood pressure, cognition, mental health and sleep.

HOWLING DOGS REFLECT WOLF ANCESTRY

Wolves howl to guard territory and communicate with other members of their pack, and researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary found that most young dogs howl in response when they hear a recording of a wolf howling. However, among dogs older than 5 years, breeds that are more genetically distant from wolves respond with barking, while breeds that are genetically closest to wolves respond with howling. Those that howled back showed greater signs of stress, researchers wrote in Communications Biology. (Full story: ScienceAlert, Feb. 13)

(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.)