DEAR READERS: People across the U.S. are currently suffering the health effects of smoke from forest fires, not all of which are caused by climate change. The widespread use of pesticides has decimated insect-eating animals and birds that help protect the forests from invasive tree-killing beetles. Without that protection, beetles destroy the trees, which then become a fire hazard.

Per the U.S. Forest Service (fs.usda.gov), "Recent outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle, spruce beetle and Douglas fir beetle have caused the loss of millions of acres of conifer forests in many Western states." The loss of forest habitat is having a devastating effect on bird populations, especially aerial insectivores, whose prey includes bugs that can transmit diseases to humans and other animals including dengue, chikungunya, the Zika virus, malaria (now resurging in the U.S.) and West Nile virus.

More details from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov): "Among the dramatic declines observed in birds, aerial insectivores have shown the highest percentage of species in decline of any taxonomic group: 73% of species are in decline, representing a loss of 156.8 million birds. Aerial insectivores are a guild of land birds grouped by their foraging behavior of primarily capturing insect prey in flight. They include species of swifts, swallows, martins, nightjars and flycatchers, who play an important role in ecosystems and can, along with bats, help reduce pest insect populations in agricultural and urban areas."

FWS has provided a list of ways concerned citizens can help. Actions include planting oak trees -- "Oaks support a greater diversity of insects than any other tree in general," says FWS; reducing the use of pesticides -- instead, "join a local CSA or grow your own organic veggies"; and mowing and raking your lawn less often -- "The insects (and birds) in your yard will thank you!" See the full list at fws.gov/library/collections/aerial-insectivores.

I urge all readers to consider sending a donation to support the good work of the nonprofit organization the American Bird Conservancy (abcbirds.org) to help save birds and their habitats at home and abroad.

It is notable that the mental health benefits of hearing birds singing has been evaluated and confirmed by scientists, as per the reports at nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20841-0 and nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20207-6.

DEAR DR. FOX: I appreciate your frequent comments about the risks of anti-flea and tick products on our pets. I walk our two dogs on the trails where we live, and do not let them run free in the tall grasses and woods around our area. Leash laws have an additional benefit of reducing dogs' likelihood of picking up ticks, which are a real health issue everywhere, it seems. I wish you would emphasize this in your column and give us more details about safer alternatives. -- R.E., Washington, D.C.

DEAR R.E.: I am not the only voice in the U.S. veterinary community sounding the alarm over the widely marketed insecticides, notably imidacloprid and fipronil, being put on companion animals to ward off fleas and ticks. See Dr. Karen Becker's excellent post at barkandwhiskers.com/flea-and-tick-treatments.

These insecticides are a significant animal health and environmental hazard, and there are safer alternatives all can use. I like Alzoo's flea and tick spray, containing cedar and peppermint oils, which I spritz on our dog and myself before going outdoors (alzoo-vet.com). I also like the Herbal Bug Spray and the Skin Defense Chews, both from Nature's Protection (available at earthanimal.com). The chews contain a combination of vitamins, minerals and medicinal herbs that help maintain healthy skin and repel fleas, ticks and biting insects. (For details, see my post at drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-fleas-ticks-and-mosquitoes.)

With climate change extending the breeding period for biting insects, and in many regions, more moisture facilitating their multiplication, vigilance and effective repellents are called for. The overuse of insecticides that contaminate the environment will eventually lead to some insects becoming resistant -- and beneficial insects becoming extinct. Birds, bats and other insectivores are the natural insect controls, and they are being poisoned or starved to death.

(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: Climate change deniers cannot dismiss the current heat dome over Western states, nor the escalating incidence of increasingly intense heat waves across the world that put us at risk, along with wild and domesticated animals. Heat stress can be fatal.

I will echo the urgent, ubiquitous warnings not to leave dogs or children in vehicles in hot weather. On a 90-degree day, temperatures inside a car can reach 110 degrees in 10 minutes -- and a fatal 130 degrees in 30 minutes. A police dog in Houston recently died when the air conditioning in a squad car turned off unexpectedly.

I watch the news on TV every day and am shocked that so few people seem to be wearing cooling bandannas. Cooling vests and bandannas have helped save farm workers' lives (see study at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33357122), and similar gear is available for dogs (and should be provided for all working canines). For a homemade solution, simply wrap crushed ice in a bandanna and put it around your dog's neck, then do the same for yourself. This can increase comfort for you both as it cools the blood going to and from the brain and the rest of the body.

I see many dogs being walked, even jogged, alongside runners and bicyclists on hot pavements that could burn their feet. If you must walk your dogs in such conditions, consider outfitting their feet with insulating bootees. Walk on grass or shaded, wooded trails. Sand, like cement pavements, can burn. Dogs can also get sunburn.

While we sweat to keep cool, dogs pant, losing body water in the process. Dogs may be less at risk from kidney damage than humans because we also lose minerals in sweat, which need to be replaced with electrolytes. But to be on the safe side, when going out with your dog in hot weather, always take water with an added pinch of salt and sugar for your dog -- or ideally, a diluted mixture of plain Pedialyte electrolyte solution for both you and your dog.

Dogs compromised by overheating can become disoriented, feverish, pant laboriously, drool, vomit or have seizures. They may develop bright red, gray, purple or bluish gums, indicating dehydration and possible circulatory collapse. Such signs call for emergency veterinary services, and if such are not close by, the immediate application of water over the head, neck, ears, body and paws. Lower the dog's body temperature by wetting them thoroughly with cool water. Do not use ice-cold water because cooling too quickly can be just as dangerous as heat exhaustion. For very small dogs or puppies, use lukewarm water instead of cool. Allow them to dry off beside a small fan.

Dogs with flat faces, like French bulldogs and pugs, are especially susceptible to heat exhaustion because they cannot pant as efficiently. Also at risk are overweight dogs and those with dark-colored fur and/or heart conditions. If air conditioning is not available at home, a fan on the floor -- and a cold floor to lie on -- can help overheated dogs cool down, along with plenty of water to drink.

DEAR DR. FOX: My dog Sami, a Samoyed mix, likes to roll in anything smelly on our walks when I let him off leash. Why does he do this, and how can I stop him? I can't keep him on the leash all the time, since he needs to run. -- M.F., San Francisco

DEAR M.F.: This is a conundrum for many dog owners. From my observations of wolves, other wild canids and domesticated dogs (as per my book "Behavior of Wolves, Dogs and Related Canids"), this behavior is a "self-anointing" with any organic substances that the animal finds attractive. From their facial expressions while rolling and rubbing into such materials, the activity seems to be very enjoyable. There is no evidence for the idea that canids engage in this behavior to mask their own scent before hunting. Rather, when they meet up with pack-mates or other dogs, they get extra attention by being more thoroughly sniffed.

I see some analogy here with people anointing themselves with perfumes. I have been critical of the perfume industry for decades for not using purely botanical ingredients. And the more costly brands use "musk" -- anal gland secretions from caged wild civet cats -- and ambergris secretions from whales. A cruel industry indeed.

Some cats will roll on certain plants, like catnip, to inhale volatile compounds that can be both stimulating and relaxing. In addition to providing a quick "high" for the animal, these compounds may also help repel biting insects.

Some dogs never engage in what I call scent-rolling behavior. Those who do might best be prevented by anointing them before they go outdoors: Use any volatile organic substance, such as essential oil of cedar, or extract of lemon peel for its citronella (which one can prepare by making a spritz from simmered and filtered sliced lemon in water). This is worth a try for dogs who want to roll in anything odoriferous they find outdoors.

PETITION TO BAN 'CYANIDE BOMBS' ON PUBLIC LANDS

On June 29, the Center for Biological Diversity, Predator Defense and scores of other conservation groups petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior to ban the use of M-44 devices, commonly known as "cyanide bombs," on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. These devices -- used by the USDA's Wildlife Services division to kill "unwanted" predators such as coyotes -- are spring-loaded ejectors armed with cyanide powder and baited to attract animals. They injure people and inhumanely kill thousands of animals every year.

Their use persists despite public support for a nationwide ban. Per an article on biologicaldiversity.org: "Federal agents last year reported using M-44s in 10 states: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. The EPA also authorizes state agencies in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Texas to use M-44s.

"According to Wildlife Services' own data, the program poisoned approximately 6,000 animals in 2022 using M-44s. More than 150 of these animals were killed unintentionally, including dogs and dozens of foxes."

As the mega predator on this planet, the human species, in its war of extermination against other predators, has caused potentially irreparable harm to the environment, the consequences of which we are all suffering today.

(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: We inhale particulate air pollutants, a serious health hazard, from fireworks. Forest fires, which are mainly started by humans, are another major source of these pollutants. Climate change is upon us as we wake up and realize we have committed ecocide, accelerating the natural metabolism of life on Earth by burning fossil fuels.

I am glad that Minneapolis, and a few other cities, put on a laser light show in celebration of July 4 instead of the traditional fireworks this year. But for several nights around our home, explosive fireworks were being set off in various communities. Some delinquent youths were arrested for throwing fireworks -- even at police vehicles!

Is it coincidence that so many people in the U.S. are shot on July 4 and 5, I wonder? July 4 also sees more pets panic, run off and get lost, and more people treated for burns and fires, than any other day of the year.

We engage in many other activities of escalating violence against nature, the natural order and each other. The climate crisis has brought us other crises -- economic, social and environmental. The world sees millions of refugees, devastating loss of wildlife and habitat, and more suffering and hardship for our own kind and other species, wild and domesticated.

Exploding fireworks should be prohibited since they upset wildlife and pets, not to mention military veterans with the burden of PTSD. Experts warn that excessive noise has health impacts including elevated blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and anxiety. These are all related to the fright response, with which we and other animals are innately programmed.

When will we sing "Silent Night" and enjoy the stars, no longer obscured by our light pollution and associated carbon footprint? Perhaps when we can temper our infantile impulsivity and lack of consideration of others, and manifest a grain of empathy.

DEAR DR. FOX: I learned about raw-feeding cats and dogs through your articles when I was a young girl. We started raw-feeding our dog and we had amazing results!

I now have two American shorthair indoor cats. One cat, Milo, is a neutered male, age 7. He has been raw-fed since he was 2, and his fur and teeth have been great ever since!

A problem came just over a year ago. Milo was still eating like normal, but would run around the house while he was defecating. It was often diarrhea, and quite smelly. I grew concerned and brought him to the vet, where they did blood work and a fecal analysis. Nothing conclusive came up. They decided it was IBD and wanted to put him on a prescription diet that contained only by-products, and I did not agree.

I did my own research and found a paper from UC Davis that also dealt with diarrhea in seemingly healthy cats. One way they cleared it up was with probiotics. I bought the same kind mentioned in the article, and it cleared up Milo's problems in a few days.

Now fast forward to this spring and Milo is having the same problem! This time it isn't really diarrhea: The poop is formed, but soft, dark and smelly. He is still raw-fed. The probiotics haven't helped. I tried slowly changing his food over the past six weeks, but he's still having problems. He's gone in his litter box a few times, but every couple days, he starts running and crouching and poops somewhere around the house (often in multiple locations while he's running).

All other behavior is normal. There's no vomiting, and he has a good appetite, healthy fur and gums. He uses the litter box for urinating just fine. I've tried many other probiotic additives and adding some fiber, but nothing has worked.

Have you ever seen this kind of behavior in a raw-fed cat? -- M.K., Snoqualmie, Washington

DEAR M.K.: The growing veterinary consensus is that feeding raw foods to dogs and cats is not without risk because of bacterial contamination of animal ingredients. Some of these bacteria can cause acute diarrhea and chronic health problems; some can be transmitted to human family members; and some are resistant to antibiotics.

In some instances, cats develop food intolerances or allergies, so one must do the detective work and find out which ingredient is causing the problem. Beef, dairy and fish are common causes in cats. I know of one cat who was allergic to rice!

If your cats get outdoors, the scope of possible causes is significantly increased, including giardia and internal parasites. Having the veterinarian test another stool sample from your cat would be advisable.

If the issue is not bacterial contamination or a food intolerance/allergy, low fiber may be an issue, as you have mentioned. Mix a half-teaspoon of psyllium husks or crushed canned lima beans into the food, and feed the cat four or five small meals daily. Most cats do better when given small meals, rather than twice-daily feeding, as for dogs.

(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.)