DEAR READERS: Please see the information below from Susan Thixton, pet food safety advocate and writer.

From TruthAboutPetFood.com, May 17: The publication PetFoodProcessing.net recently posted news about a meeting of "pet food processors, renderers, suppliers and academia." The purpose of this meeting was for these industry members to "collaborate and work together."

Those attending this meeting were asked: "What are the top challenges for the pet food industry?" The industry responded with: "oxidation, mycotoxins, foreign materials, Salmonella control, peroxide value (PV), stability, inflation and other issues."

All very serious concerns for pet owners.

And the suppliers of rendered ingredients were asked a similar question: "What are the top challenges for the rendering industry?" They responded with: "peroxide value, foreign materials, oxidation, contamination, consumer perception, freshness and other problems."

For more, visit: truthaboutpetfood.com/here-is-what-the-pet-food-industry-says-are-their-top-challenges.

ANOTHER MAJOR PET FOOD DEBACLE AND SETTLEMENT

From TruthAboutPetFood.com, May 9: A website has been established regarding a settlement agreement in the lawsuit against Midwestern Pet Food. The website states: "If you are a person or entity residing in the United States who purchased one or more of the pet food products made by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. and/or Nunn Milling Co., you may be entitled to monetary benefits under a Class Action Settlement."

Per the agreement, Midwestern Pet Food has "agreed to create a $6,375,000 Settlement Fund ... for Pet Injury Claims, Breeder Claims, and/or Consumer Food Purchase Claims." For veterinary treatment claims, it appears the settlement will pay "100% of approved documented losses." However, the agreement also states under this category, "Payment amounts may be reduced depending on the number of valid claims submitted."

And, "Pet Injury Claims ... paid at $75 for pets that became ill but did not die and $150 for pets that died." But again, the agreement states, "Payment amounts may be reduced depending on the number of valid claims submitted."

The lawsuit settlement also will pay 100% for documented pet food purchases, and up to $50 for undocumented pet food purchases.

Per the FDA Warning Letter to Midwestern Pet Food, "approximately 104 products of dry dog and cat diets" were recalled from October 2020 thru March 19, 2021, due to high levels of aflatoxin. FDA testing of Midwestern pet foods found aflatoxin levels "as high as 558 ppb." The maximum amount of aflatoxin allowed in pet food is 20 ppb.

For more, visit: truthaboutpetfood.com/midwestern-pet-foods-class-action-settlement.

HOME AND SOCIAL LIFE QUALITY AND DOGS' LONGEVITY

Dogs with strong social connections and companions -- both human and canine -- tend to be healthier than dogs that are more isolated, researchers with the Dog Aging Project reported in Evolution, Medicine & Public Health. Financial and household adversity were associated with poor health and lower physical mobility, but the effect of social support on dog health was five times as strong. (Full story: University of Washington, May 24)

PROPAGATING SOME DOG BREEDS CALLED 'INDEFENSIBLE'

The Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, according to a report in the British Veterinary Association's April Veterinary Record publication, has written that it is "indefensible" to breed English bulldogs and King Charles spaniels because of their inherited chronic health issues. This assertion was sent to Norway's Supreme Court in support of a prohibition on breeding these dogs in Norway.

I continue to question the "dog days" every summer, when breeds such as the English bulldog are raced at Minnesota's Canterbury Park. What enjoyment is there in this ritual for the dogs -- afflicted as they are with obstructive airway syndrome, spinal deformities, orthopedic disease and other inherited abnormalities, all of which make running stressful and potentially injurious? And what kind of perverse enjoyment do spectators have seeing such dogs struggling "valiantly" to run?

There are other breeds that should not be perpetuated for health and welfare reasons, which I have mentioned in this newspaper column, especially the popular and costly French bulldog. For more details, see my post: drfoxonehealth.com/post/recovering-canine-health-and-the-natural-dog.

GENE THERAPY FOR DOGS WITH HEART DISEASE

A gene therapy called RJB-01 (or Rejuvenate Bio) shows some promise in treating myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in canines, according to new data presented at the May 18 meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Los Angeles.

"In the pilot study of cavalier King Charles spaniels with MMVD, a delay in disease progression was demonstrated," per a media release. For more details, visit: dvm360.com/view/gene-therapy-demonstrates-benefit-to-dogs-with-myxomatous-mitral-valve-disease.

Aside from the costs of this kind of treatment for dogs with inherited abnormalities, all such treatments should be conditional on all dogs being neutered to deter breeding.

(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: The Supreme Court's decision on California's Proposition 12 came out in late May. The measure was originally passed by California voters in 2018, with 63% voting in favor, but has been held up in legal challenges.

As ABCNews.com reports, "Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for a five-justice majority, said that California voters overwhelmingly endorsed the 'ethical pork' law in 2018 and have the right to decide what products appear on store shelves."

Some background from HumaneSociety.org: "Proposition 12 requires that mother pigs, hens used for eggs, and calves raised for veal be given at least enough space to stand up, turn around and extend their limbs. The law also bans the in-state sale of pork, eggs and veal produced via extreme confinement."

SentientMedia.org reports: "The Court upheld the rights of California to require pork sold in the state meet certain animal welfare requirements. Notably, all nine justices rejected the National Pork Producers Council's argument that Prop 12 is unconstitutional because it has indirect effects on pork producers beyond California -- (pointing out that) 'virtually all state laws create ripple effects beyond their borders.'"

As Gorsuch wrote in the decision, "Companies that choose to sell products in various States must normally comply with the laws of those various States. While the Constitution addresses many weighty issues, the type of pork chops California merchants may sell is not on that list."

I doubt that this Supreme Court decision had anything to do with compassionate concern and humane ethics for factory-farmed animals. Rather, it is aligned with the intent to put greater responsibility on the states, especially regarding other ethical issues such as reproductive rights. However, this decision will have a ripple effect across the factory farming industry that has, for too long, been insulated from public censure and accountability for animals' health and welfare.

DEAR DR. FOX: It's been about 20 years since my beloved cat, Orso, passed away from natural causes. He used to hop onto the bed with my wife and me and do something like a fandango around our feet before settling down.

A week after his death, my wife and I were in bed at our cottage (about 150 miles away from our Toronto home) and each of us had this same experience: Orso doing his fandango at the foot of our bed, moving from right to left, then stopping. Neither of us spoke until after it happened and we each described it the same way. It hasn't happened again.

While I consider myself to be an agnostic, I agree with you that this phenomenon disconfirms our materialistic worldview -- or, to quote Shakespeare, "There are more things in heaven and Earth ... than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Buddhist beliefs seem to be more accepting of this kind of a transition phase after corporeal death. -- L.P., Toronto, Canada

DEAR L.P.: Many thanks for sharing your experience of an afterlife manifestation of your deceased cat. Such experiences are too often dismissed as a product of our own brain-conditioning, but when two or more people experience the same phenomenon at the same time, that theory is moot.

I would like to hear from other readers sharing similar experiences after their animal companions have died. For more details, see this post on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/animal-spirits-companion-animal-communications-after-death.

MEDICATION TO FACILITATE CAT RESCUE-ADOPTION

Cats rescued from hoarding situations were more amenable to human interaction after being given a dose of gabapentin, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Also, they were rehabilitated and adoptable sooner than cats that received the same rehabilitation program without the drug. The rehabilitation protocol developed by Bailey Eagan, a graduate student in the University of British Columbia's Animal Welfare Program, has been a "game changer" for cats at a shelter in the province, says Kim Monteith, the shelter's manager of animal behavior and welfare. (Full story: CBC News, Canada, May 21)

MEALWORM PET FOOD PROGRESS

France-based Ynsect worked with veterinary nutritionists to develop a nutritional product made with mealworms that can be incorporated into pet foods, and the company recently acquired its first U.S. production facility in Nebraska. The product is high in fiber, omega-3s and protein; low in ash; and has a slightly nutty taste. Ynsect is developing feed for wild birds and backyard chickens and working with other companies on pet food formulations. (Full story: Fast Company.com, May 18)

(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 want to share with you some personal reflections on my career and concerns that are detailed in my latest book, "Animals and Nature First."

One of my greatest joys is when my efforts, writings and consultations help improve the health and well-being of animals, whether wild, companion or farmed. I have served on several national committees of biomedical research scientists, veterinarians and animal scientists to advance the standards of animal care for laboratory and farmed animals. I have given lectures to professional organizations; universities; state and national egg, poultry, dairy, beef and pork producers; the national associations of state governors and of public health; and numerous organizations involved in environmental conservation, wildlife and domesticated animal rights. I have lectured to cat and dog owners in several countries about the behavior and basic needs and care of their animal companions. I also advised the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War to improve canine soldiers' stress-resilience and capacity to work under combat conditions.

As a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medical science and animal behavior/ethology, I followed this conservative path in good faith to help improve how animals and the natural environment are treated. Looking back now over half a century, I still see more debate today than effective legislation and action in most of these sectors of animal concern and public and private responsibility.

The joy to which I alluded is tied to my childhood joy of coming to know and care for rescued dogs and cats, and also from observing wild animals in nature, all of which evoked awe and wonder. But my love for animals at the core was conflicted and compromised in my earlier years by my unquestioning acceptance of cultural norms: enjoying the Sunday roast lamb dinner and Christmas turkey; making collections of birds' eggs, butterflies and other insects; going fishing; and later, experimenting on animals as a biomedical research scientist.

I began to examine and question these cultural norms, and my involvement in them, when my own research in animal behavior, development and communication convinced me that other animals are more like us than they are different. They have interests and lives of their own. As such, they have the right not only to be treated as humanely as possible within the various contexts of human use, but to be liberated from all conditions that are dispiriting or harmful to their ethos, their intrinsic nature and their essential needs -- physical, emotional, social and environmental.

But this is all wishful thinking so long as the "pleasure principle" of killing animals for sport, trophies and fur overrides reason and compassion, and as long as economic interests and lack of international laws to protect animals and their habitats prevail over the rights of animals. The latter is exemplified by the traffic and trade in wildlife, both legal and illegal. This has opened the floodgates of species extinction and pandemics.

The genetic engineering, cloning and patenting of animals, primarily to enhance their utility to humans, is ethically questionable, especially at a time when scientific and medical resources are urgently needed for planetary restoration, public health and food security.

Now that more veterinary colleges and other animal-related disciplines, especially in Europe, are including courses in ethology, animal welfare and the law in their curricula (which should be mandatory), I see a glimmer of hope. The possibility of a more humane society where all creatures are not treated as mere objects or commodities, but are embraced equally within the scope of our moral and empathic concern, is within our reach.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 3-year-old American basset hound has developed an antebrachial deformity of her left front leg. She is on a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement as well as an anti-inflammatory, and we have shortened her walks. Her weight is appropriate for her size.

I understand that this condition can be common with the breed, and that surgical correction is the gold standard in severe cases. But is there any value to splinting or wrapping her leg during walks? Any other nonsurgical options we should consider for her? -- J.F., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR J.F.: This deformity is, regrettably, all too common in the dwarf (achondroplastic) breeds with bent and shortened legs. Surgical correction is no "gold standard"; rather, the breed standards need to be changed by organizations like the American Kennel Club to prevent the perpetuation of extreme physical deformities in many breeds. For details, see my critique on this issue, "Recovering Canine Health," on my website: drfoxonehealth.com/post/recovering-canine-health-and-the-natural-dog.

A daily massage, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Dogs," plus a few drops of fish oil and 1/2 teaspoon of powdered turmeric and ginger daily in the dog's food may help. You may be able to avoid corrective surgery.

(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.)