DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing to ask you for help. As you know, our pets are in an overpopulation crisis. I have been networking with others across California, and in other states, to try and rescue dogs before they are euthanized.

It is heartbreaking work trying to rescue these dogs, only to see that many cannot be saved due to overcrowded facilities. Boxes of puppies are being dumped at shelters, many with their moms -- whole litters being euthanized. Many shelters are at double or triple capacity and are turning away surrenders. Shelter workers and rescue volunteers have told me they have never seen anything like this before.

Still, it is worth the heartbreak and effort to get even one dog rescued and off to a foster home (and hopefully a forever family).

Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian just to spay and neuter dogs and cats. It was evident even then, in the 1970s and '80s, that there were too many pets and not enough people to give them a home. I became a biology teacher instead and just retired after 34 years. Now, I need to help.

I saw the article you wrote several months ago about some kind of sterilization vaccine, and was so thrilled that there may be an easier, more cost-effective way to sterilize pets. Is there any more word on this drug? Has it been approved in the U.S.? I am wanting to take this to a higher level for legislation in California and other states.

Any ideas or information you can give me would be helpful. -- K.V., Santa Rosa, California

DEAR K.V.: I appreciate your concerns about pet overpopulation in many parts of the U.S. This is a human problem of irresponsible pet ownership. In many communities, dogs are not neutered and are allowed to roam free and breed. Some owners feel their animals should enjoy a “natural” life and that their children should witness the miracle of puppies being born, or they impulsively adopt or purchase a pup but never have the animal neutered.

Every municipality, for reasons of animal and public health and environmental protection, should have ordinances prohibiting owned cats and dogs from roaming off-property. Ideally, all pets should have ID microchips implanted, and police or animal welfare staff should monitor communities to catch and impound any free-roaming animals.

As for the vaccine: A veterinarian and professor at the University of Chile named Leonardo Saenz has developed Egalitte, described as "an immunocontraceptive for male and female dogs, given via subcutaneous injection." It is said to work by interfering with certain reproductive hormones, and is also supposed to be reversible. It is currently only approved for use in Chile, though it is patented in 40 countries. (For details, see acc-d.org/egalitte.)

If it works as described, such a product would be a blessing for free-roaming street dogs in communities around the world, and for our overcrowded shelters here. There is also an implant for male dogs approved in the U.S., which I mention below.

DOG NEUTERING UPDATES FROM BVA

Here are some updates on the subject of neutering dogs, paraphrased from those recently published in the British Veterinary Association’s Veterinary Record.

For female dogs with responsible owners, not neutering is preferable to removing the ovaries, the uterus or both, and also preferable to giving a birth-control implant to block GnRH (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone).

For male dogs with responsible owners, not neutering is preferable to castration, vasectomy, intratesticular injection of zinc gluconate, or a GnRH-blocking implant. An example of the latter is Suprelorin, a GnRH-agonist subcutaneous implant for male dogs. It releases a slow, continuous dose of a synthetic hormone that temporarily suppresses the reproductive system.

The health benefits of not neutering male dogs outweigh the potential adverse health consequences of neutering. Not castrating giant breeds like Great Danes and Irish wolfhounds may help prevent bone cancer, a common affliction in such dogs. Neutering dogs, especially at an early age, is linked to metabolic and endocrine disorders such as Cushing’s disease. (For more from the BVA, visit bva.co.uk.)

I believe that the issue of mammary cancer should still be considered, since the incidence is reduced in dogs spayed before or shortly after their first heat. "Mammary tumors in female dogs account for 42% of all diagnosed tumors, with a lifetime risk of 23-34%," per the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology (see vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/mammary-cancer). Allowing the first heat cycle may be wise, since earlier neutering may interfere with skeletal development, increasing the probability of osteoarthritis and cruciate ligament rupture later in life.

On the subject, Massachusetts veterinarian Dr. Margo Roman writes: "I do vasectomies and ovary-sparing spays unless there are real behavior changes during the heat cycle. Let them mature and go through one or two heat cycles so that you know if they are going to have a problem. If a male dog has become more aggressive, and training is not as successful, then neutering may cut down on some of the hormonal surges and possibly reduce hormonal intensity."

(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 is decimating aquatic and terrestrial wildlife around the world, along with vulnerable human communities, many of which were already impoverished. And things are getting worse under the Trump administration.

Multiple federal agencies have already been directed to remove or downgrade references to climate change from their websites and internal communications. On April 8, Trump signed a series of executive orders using the erroneous banner of a "national emergency" to increase coal production, mining exploration on federal lands and a two-year exemption on reducing emissions of toxic chemicals like arsenic, benzene and mercury.

This action was justified to fuel data centers for AI and cryptocurrency transactions (including Trump’s World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency business). A single bitcoin transaction consumes roughly 699 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is about 24 days’ worth of energy for an average U.S. household. Economic and environmental illiteracy evidently go hand in hand.

The idea of increasing coal production hits quite close to home for me: I grew up in the coal mining (and burning) county of Lancashire in the north of England. During the Great Smog of 1952 in London, an estimated 12,000 people died due to the effects of the thick, toxic, burned-coal smog. I was not without a cold, sinus inflammation or infection until my parents moved into the less polluted rural county of Derbyshire.

The Trump administration has also ordered half of the national forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service to be opened for logging to boost timber production. This initiative is counterproductive. We need more trees to absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide, now reaching peak levels as we burn more fossil fuels and lose forests from drought-sparked fires.

Global warming is causing fossil methane and carbon dioxide to be released from melting Arctic permafrost. This natural source of greenhouse gases calls on us to reduce anthropogenic sources to avoid a catastrophic planetary climatic tipping point.

The acceleration of climate change, coupled with the declining quality of air and water, will harm the quality of life for generations to come -- a sacrifice economically justified by the spiritually corrupted politics of extraction and extinction. Trump’s push to encourage deep-sea mining to stockpile critical minerals is also ill advised without environmental impact assessments and international regulatory accords.

While the gulf between rich and poor expands, many nations are now spending trillions on military defense, weapons of mass destruction, cybersecurity and espionage rather than on addressing poverty, hunger, disease and environmental protection.

These nihilistic cycles, fostered by fear- and greed-driven authoritarian regimes, can be broken by an informed public and by dedicated nonprofit organizations. These include the Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace, the Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Working Group, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Earthjustice and the Alaska Wilderness League.

We must all embrace our existential responsibilities for nature, animals and each other, as I document in my new book, “One Health.” State and federal legislators must wake up from the numbing chaos of this era and make amends.

(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 appreciated your column addressing the risks to dogs and cats of using insecticides even when they don’t have fleas, ticks or internal parasites. Giving pets these pesticide treatments as a preventative is like taking an aspirin every day just in case you might get a headache.

I found FDA data on the internet about reported adverse reactions and deaths after administration of flea and tick treatments, and the numbers are horrifying. As just one example, the FDA reports that Simparica Trio killed 6,700 dogs in less than a year. It took Trifexis 10 years to kill roughly the same number of dogs (6,600). It's no wonder that the petition below has over 24,000 signatures to pull this killing drug off the market!

Add your signature to pull Simparica from the marketplace and start a class-action lawsuit: change.org/p/petition-for-the-immediate-withdrawal-of-simparica-flea-tick-treatment-from-the-market.

Also, see this related news release from 2021: beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2021/03/despite-1700-dog-deaths-from-flea-collars. -- B.G., Minneapolis

DEAR B.G.: You have certainly done some research on these products, which are widely used and unconditionally endorsed by too many veterinarians. These drugs are also documented as serious environmental contaminants that affect aquatic life when dogs get into freshwater ecosystems.

Over-the-counter sales of flea and tick products that contain neurotoxic, endocrine-disrupting and possibly carcinogenic ingredients should be prohibited. Veterinarians should never prescribe them as routine preventatives in uninfested pets, but only as a last-resort emergency treatment. This also includes collars for dogs and cats containing tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP), an organophosphate insecticide that works by disrupting the nervous system of the targeted insects. Exposure to organophosphate insecticides can cause a range of health problems in humans -- from respiratory failure and seizures to developmental issues and increased risk of certain cancers. Children exposed to these insecticidal chemicals on pets in their homes are at risk. Acute exposure to these chemicals can be fatal, especially if it leads to respiratory failure.

Additionally, many chemicals that contaminate our home environments can cause hypothyroidism. Per a 2023 study: "There is considerable evidence to indicate that exposure to the insecticides organochlorines, organophosphates and pyrethroids increased (the) risk of hypothyroidism. Exposure to herbicides also increased risk of hypothyroidism." (See the study "Exposure to pesticides and the risk of hypothyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis" by Wachiranun Sirikul and Ratana Sapbamrer, published in BMC Public Health, 2023.)

The 2022 debacle with Seresto flea collars -- where nearly 2,700 animal deaths were reported, along with more than 100,000 incidents of harm, according to the EPA’s records -- was deplorable. Sadly, even with this evidence presented to the EPA, Elanco has been allowed to continue sales. Absolutely absurd -- and, of course, not good for dogs and cats. For details, find the news release by going to biologicaldiversity.org and searching for "Seresto."

Visit earthanimal.com and adorepet.us to find various botanical products that help prevent fleas, ticks and mosquitoes from infesting and possibly infecting dogs and cats with insect-borne diseases. Earth Animal products include supplements, repellant collars, sprays, topical treatments and shampoos. AdorePet sells an Herbal Defense Powder, to be mixed daily with your pet’s food, that contains several natural ingredients that help repel biting insects.

With the documented harms of using insecticides on companion animals -- as well as the risks they pose to humans, especially children in the home -- these safe and effective alternatives are a wise choice. For more ways to prevent fleas, ticks and mosquitoes from harming your pet, see my post here: drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-fleas-ticks-and-mosquitoes.

Another concern of mine is the widely advertised and prescribed drug Apoquel to treat dogs with itchy skin, with the side note “not to be used in dogs younger than 12 months.” This drug suppresses the immune system and can have harmful side effects. It provides a quick and profitable way to stop dogs from scratching themselves without addressing the cause, which could be dietary or environmental. See my critique posted here: drfoxonehealth.com/post/apoquel-risks-and-alternatives-for-dogs-with-atopic-dermatitis.

(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.)