DEAR READERS: The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) has been in effect since July 2022, but the start date for the act's Antidoping and Medication Control program has been delayed repeatedly. It finally took effect May 22, but will face additional appeals from the horseracing industry, including from the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. Eric Hamelback, the organization's CEO, vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court if it is not overturned by a lower court. (Full story: The Associated Press, May 4)

In the span of five days leading up to this year's Kentucky Derby on May 6, four horses died at Churchill Downs. The racing of equines -- selectively bred to be highly muscular at a young age, a condition that can cause damage to their skeletal structures when driven hard and fast -- should be prohibited. I document this issue, and other reasons why these horses suffer limb fractures and must be euthanized, on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/race-horse-welfare-reforms-long-overdue.

DEAR DR. FOX: I honestly don't know how you continue your fight to better this world for animals when just reading a mere column about the issue upsets me so much. The depressing statistics you provide are just heartbreaking.

My heart goes out to the people running the farm rescues and dog and cat rescues that I follow on Instagram. For example, a man in Serbia has 1,200-plus dogs at his shelter, and some days he runs out of food. (It's Vucjak Shelter, in case you want to check it out -- the poor man is a true hero.)

So, a huge shout-out to you. Thank you for continuing to preach. -- G.B., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR G.B.: Your words will hit home for many people who still care, but are feeling absolute despair. This reminds me of the story by Loren Eiseley in his book "The Star Thrower." Thousands of starfish were being swept onto high ground by a powerful tide, and a person was throwing some back into the ocean. When asked if the task was pointless, the response was, "If you can save one, you save one."

There are other variations of this story, including Albert Camus' "The Plague," in which a doctor labors seemingly in vain, putting his own life at risk in hopeless circumstances. Our compassion and courage against insurmountable odds reflect the noble spirit of humanity, which is now becoming as endangered as this beautiful planet we have so defiled.

Living with animals, being in nature and observing wildlife can enable us to step outside of ourselves -- outside the confines of purely human relationships, responsibilities and dystopian "civilizations." We have turned our backs on nature, engaging in wanton destruction for millennia, and hardened our hearts in our harvesting and slaughter of animals -- other sentient beings that are more like us than they are different. Nature and animals may yet still save humankind from the tragic consequences of our disconnectedness as more people support conservation and animal protection, which are basic elements of civil society and the hallmarks of a viable democracy and economy, as I emphasize in my book "Animals and Nature First."

The separation of church from state amounts to nothing when both separate us from the Earth and from all life. When we come to respect and understand the powers of nature, and do not abuse or misuse them, they will not destroy us.

(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: We are at our wits' end! Our adorable 5-year-old, 20-pound Havanese-poodle mix has started a behavior that is just not acceptable: He has started to bark ferociously and lunge at other dogs on our daily walks.

He has about five favorite dog friends that he can't wait to see. Other than his favorites, he acts extremely aggressive, even with little dogs half his size. Do you have any suggestions on how we should handle this behavior? -- B.R., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR B.R.: Your dog has some doggy friends, so this aggressive behavior toward other dogs while on the leash may simply be "leash aggression." I would advise you to train him to sit and stay while on the leash, rewarding him intermittently with a treat. Then do this while out on walks when there are no other dogs around. Once he responds consistently, get him to sit and stay when any unfamiliar dog comes by.

If this fails, you might have better control with a harness than with a neck collar. The latter, when your dog pulls and lunges, could damage his trachea and possibly intensify his aggressive reaction.

Either way, when approached by a dog that your dog is not familiar with and friendly toward, simply stand still. Hold the leash firmly, but do not pull it toward you. Pulling could be an inciting signal.

Note: A study published in April in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that, between 2001 and 2020, an estimated 422,659 adults sought emergency care for injuries related to walking a leashed dog. Finger fracture, shoulder sprain/strain and traumatic brain injury were the most common injuries. To reduce the risk of injury, applied animal behaviorist Karen London suggests using front-attachment harnesses and 6- to 8-foot-long nonretractable leashes, training dogs well and avoiding places with known distractions. (Full story: The Washington Post, May 1)

U.K. BANS ELECTRIC SHOCK DOG COLLARS

From The Sun, April 28: "Electric shock dog collars will be banned across the U.K. (beginning in) February next year. The collars, which are often used as a training device, can deliver painful jolts continuously for 11 seconds. They send electrical shocks of varying intensity via a radio-controlled device, which can be triggered from two miles away. The devices cost about 20 pounds each, and about 1 in 20 Brits admitted to using them on their dogs."

SOUTH KOREAN FARMERS PROTEST FIRST LADY'S COMMENTS

Dozens of dog farmers in South Korea recently gathered near the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol to protest comments made by his wife, Kim Keon Hee, about a possible ban on the consumption of dog meat.

"About 1 million dogs are slaughtered for food annually in South Korea, a decrease from more than 3 million annually about 10-20 years ago," according to Ju Yeongbong, an official with an association of dog farmers. An Associated Press article states, "Dog meat is neither legally protected nor explicitly banned in South Korea. During election campaigning, Yoon said he personally opposed dog meat consumption, but that formulating a policy on outlawing it would require a public consensus." (Full story: Associated Press, April 25)

Westerners may be appalled by the idea of millions of dogs being killed for consumption. But pigs, just like dogs, are intelligent, sociable and empathic, and in the U.S. (and many other countries), pigs are not only eaten but are raised in overcrowded, inhumane conditions. They then suffer traumatic transportation to slaughter, where I have witnessed them screaming in terror.

Hog slaughter totaled 10.1 million in the U.S. in 2022, down 7% from April 2021. By purchasing and eating pork, consumers bring cruelty into the kitchen and onto their plates.

ANOTHER REASON TO KEEP YOUR CATS INDOORS

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 170 mammals have been infected with a highly pathogenic avian influenza during the ongoing outbreak, including cases in dogs and cats linked to predation. Veterinary diagnostic pathologist Sarah Sillman points out that avian influenza cases in domesticated cats are very rare, but often fatal; poultry veterinarian David Swayne says cases in humans are even rarer. Nevertheless, says ecologist Nichola Hill, dogs should be kept leashed and cats should remain indoors to protect them from contact with infected birds. (Full story: KCUR-FM, Kansas City, Missouri, April 27)

(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: Salmon has long been touted as a healthy food, but there are some serious downsides to consider.

Stocks of wild salmon and other fish, such as cod, tuna and halibut, are in dire straits from overfishing and from the warming, acidification and pollution of our oceans. The alternative, farmed fish -- especially salmon, as I have detailed in earlier writings -- have now also reached a point of critical concern. I call for an immediate consumer boycott of salmon, whether it be fillets, salmon oil supplements or as an ingredient in foods and treats for dogs and cats.

For more details, here is an excerpt from a June 2022 article on BeyondPesticides.org:

"Farmed salmon serves as an inferior food source, accumulating more toxic chemicals in fatty tissue with fewer healthy nutrient properties, (says) a study from the University of Bergen, Norway and Alternative Medicine Review. However, the issue of toxic chemical contamination in fish dates back decades. ... The aquaculture industry (e.g., farmed seafood/fish) repeatedly faces sustainability issues, failing to adhere to environmental regulations and threatening marine health. Extensive use of pesticides in local marine ecosystems has induced coastal habitat loss and increased genetic and health risks to wild marine populations. Moreover, insecticides used to kill salmon parasites (e.g., fish lice) have led to widespread disease persistence and pest resistance.

"Marine species biodiversity is rapidly declining due to overfishing, global warming, pathogens and pollution. Thus, further biodiversity loss can change aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem functions and reduce ecosystem services.

"Food analysis results find the consumption of farmed salmon fillets contributes to higher rates of metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity. These farmed salmon also contain levels of toxins, including PCBs and dioxins, that are five times higher than levels in other tested foods. The report suggests the primary causes of farmed salmon toxicity stem from the toxicants in fish feed, like ethoxyquin, and environmental concentrations of the chemicals, whether from terrestrial sources or farmed fish itself."

In addition to the other synthetic chemicals, PFAS (aka "forever chemicals") are now all over the news, primarily with freshwater fishes (see ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2023/01/ewg-study-eating-one-freshwater-fish-equals-month-drinking), but in salmon, too (see purewaterblog.com/does-salmon-have-pfas-in-it-what-are-your-risks).

According to a 2018 article by Laura Reiley in the Tampa Bay Times, "Farmed salmon are fed pellets made out of fish oil and smaller fish, ground-up chicken feathers, poultry litter (yes, that's poop), genetically modified yeast, soybeans and chicken fat. Wild salmon get its lovely rose color from eating krill and shrimp. Farmed salmon, because it eats those pellets, is gray. To make it more appetizing to consumers, farmers add dyes to their feed."

See also this post on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/eating-lobsters-imperils-whales-farmed-seafoods-imperil-fish-stocks.

Put yourself in the mind of a farmed salmon, living in an overcrowded floating enclosure. These are fish that are used to swimming thousands of miles from rivers to oceans and back. Atlantic salmon are one of nature's greatest navigators: Their migration is a 2,000-nautical mile round-trip voyage.

On a promising note, veterinarians in the U.K. are advocating for better handling and more humane killing methods to be rapidly implemented, and more people are adopting vegan and vegetarian diets for environmental and health reasons. More government support is needed for Indigenous peoples, like the Lummi Nation, to restore coho salmon habitat for spawning and population recovery, as their rivers are being severely damaged by dams and by the timber industry.

For more, visit: americanindian.si.edu/environment/lummi/Strategies.cshtml. And to support efforts to protect fish, visit fishfeel.org.

DEAR DR. FOX: Since animals, fish and plants all have feelings, what should we eat? -- J.C., Westerly, Rhode Island

DEAR J.C.: Your question goes to the heart of an issue that has become ever more serious as the human population has increased to 8 billion. Where income permits, the market for meat has also increased, at great cost to the environment, wildlife and biodiversity, with documented suffering of farmed animals. This is why I regard veganism and vegetarianism as ethical imperatives, as per these posts on my website:

-- drfoxonehealth.com/post/world-hunger-and-rising-demand-for-meat-and-water

-- drfoxonehealth.com/post/changing-diets-for-healths-and-earths-sake

-- drfoxonehealth.com/post/vegetarianism-an-ethical-imperative

Read on for a study that is quite relevant.

PLANT-BASED DIET MAY LOWER COVID-19 INFECTION SEVERITY

A study found that in six European countries and the U.S., plant-based diets or pescatarian diets were associated with lower odds of moderate-to-severe COVID-19. From the study's conclusion: "Our results suggest that a healthy diet rich in nutrient-dense foods may be considered for protection against severe COVID-19. Future studies with detailed macro- and micronutrient data are warranted to study associations between dietary intake and COVID-19 severity." (Study: Hyunu Kim, et al.: "Plant-based diets, pescatarian diets and COVID-19 severity: a population-based case-control study in six countries," BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health, May 15, 2021)

While I applaud this study and its conclusions, I would caution that the research was limited to relatively affluent countries with better food availability than much of the world enjoys, including poorer citizens within those countries. We must develop agricultural practices that are sustainable, socially just and cause the least harm to the environment and the life community -- which includes plants, microorganisms in the soil, and animals terrestrial and aquatic.

(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.)