DEAR READERS: Coyotes are essentially monogamous, and they form strong pair bonds. Scientists have now documented changes in the brains of coyotes who lose a mate, shedding light on grief experienced by people who lose a loved one.

See the study "Evaluating the stress system of the grieving brain: Corticotropin-releasing factor receptors and partner loss in coyotes" by Rachel Tong and Sara Freeman, published in Neuroscience in 2025.

On a closely linked issue, coyote-killing contests, along with the routine trapping, poisoning and shooting of these animals, should be prohibited -- both for reasons of compassion and because their extermination does not protect livestock, according to one detailed analysis. See the 2017 article by conservation biologist Megan Draheim, "Why Killing Coyotes Doesn’t Make Livestock Safer," posted on TheConversation.com.

Draheim writes, “To keep coyotes in check, (USDA) employees set neck snares and other traps, shoot coyotes on the ground and from planes and helicopters, arm sheep with collars containing liquid poison and distribute M-44 'bombs' that inject sodium cyanide into the mouths of animals that chew on them.

"As in warfare, there is collateral damage," she continues. "M-44s killed more than 1,100 domestic dogs between 2000 and 2012. Scientists have also criticized (the USDA) for unintentionally killing numerous animals and birds, including federally protected golden and bald eagles, while failing to do any studies of how its actions affected nontarget species.”

She also underscores the superiority of nonlethal methods of predator control, stating, “One 2016 analysis reviewed studies that compared lethal and nonlethal strategies for controlling livestock predation. ... The review found that nonlethal methods generally reduced livestock predation more effectively, and that predation actually temporarily increased after use of some lethal methods.”

For information about how you can help end the relentless killing of America’s iconic wildlife, visit projectcoyote.org and give your support! Also, the award-winning book “Coyote America” by Dan Flores has a new, updated edition, which should be read by all concerned.

PROHIBIT WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING FOR FOLK MEDICINE

The amazing pangolins of Africa and India are being poached and killed for their scales, which are used in folk medicine remedies by several cultures. Also sought are bones from tigers and bile from bears. For details, go to: fourpawsusa.org/campaigns-topics/topics/help-for-bears/protecting-u-s-bears-from-the-bile-trade.

In some parts of China, bears are still kept in narrow cages for years so that people can extract bile from their abdomens, in flagrant disregard of international appeals to stop the practice. The bear bile extraction industry in China has experienced a recent surge in demand, driven primarily by a 2022 research paper suggesting that a compound in bear bile might help treat COVID-19 symptoms and the government’s official endorsement of a bile injection for this purpose.

South Korea, at least, just banned bear bile farming in December because of massive public pressure. Meanwhile, elephant ivory is still being smuggled for various arts and crafts, along with the furs, feathers, skins and fins of increasingly endangered species in many countries. The legal and illegal international trade in wildlife -- tropical fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and even monkeys -- should be prohibited. Doing so would not only aid conservation but also reduce the risk of pandemic diseases, especially from monkeys and other mammals, and cut down on the introduction of new diseases to indigenous wildlife and farmed animals. I document the urgency of this issue in my 2025 book, “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives.”

Most concerning are the so-called “wet markets” across Asia, where various species -- some domesticated, others wild-caught or bred in captivity, like racoon dogs -- are sold and slaughtered. Perhaps this is where President Trump might apply some economic leverage on China, combined with ethical appeals to save the bears, for a start. After that, we must get all nations to address wildlife trafficking, which is closely aligned with sex and drug trafficking.

(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: Many are stunned by the executive branch's new food pyramid, the recommendations of which benefit the beef and dairy industries while continuing to deny climate change. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council, along with many ranchers, join those who see climate change as something to deny rather than properly address. They refuse to acknowledge their contribution to this serious issue.

When we look closely at federal regulatory agencies -- such as the Food and Drug Administration; the departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services; and the Environmental Protection Agency -- we find a tangled web of corporate lobbyists, scientific shills, investors and subsidies. The truly dedicated scientists and civil servants at these agencies are being drowned out by these competing voices, if they have not been fired altogether -- at cost to the public's interests and our collective health.

In early 2025, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency crippled federal oversight responsibilities by firing 20,000 USDA staff, plus 3,500 from the FDA. And the EPA is in chaos after staff and program cuts, then subsequent partial reinstatements. Now, the EPA is reversing decades of policy and will stop including human health in cost–benefit analyses when setting air-pollution limits. Instead, the agency will only tally the costs to industry of regulating two of the most widespread toxic pollutants. So much for public health under the Trump administration!

Amid all this, the rising costs of food, health care and basic living expenses experienced by millions of people are being ignored.

The alliance between Big Ag and Big Pharma is palpable with the continued use of pesticides, and with antibiotics being fed to factory-farmed animals to increase productivity. This has been happening for decades, in full knowledge that bacteria are evolving resistance to these drugs, to the detriment of their medical use for people with infections. Pesticides have decimated insect-controlling birds and other animals, and when natural predator populations crash, insects that are harmful to crops -- and public health -- evolve and flourish.

The rectification of Big Ag’s toxic agricultural practices, which harm animals and the environment, contribute to climate change and put consumers at risk, is long overdue. These same practices ultimately lead to diet- and nutrition-related illnesses, which in turn generate profits for Big Pharma with various medications to treat them. Costly weight-loss drugs are the icing on their cake.

The maxim attributed to Hippocrates, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” needs greater recognition and application. Organically certified foods contain more essential nutrients, notably antioxidants, than conventionally grown produce, and of course are pesticide-free and cause less environmental harm.

Dr. Evaggelos Vallianatos, in his 2017 article “Annihilating the Natural World,” stated, “A successful business strategy of global corporations is to buy politicians and scientists to legitimize and protect their products. Second, they maintain political dominance at home and abroad by keeping the world in turmoil. They do that by bribing politicians who globalize corporate economic and consumption models -- and fight wars for petroleum and other resources.” (See the full story here: huffpost.com/entry/annihilating-the-natural-world_b_596a9443e4b022bb9372b23a.)

These “unholy alliances” between corporations and regulatory agencies need to be broken, and public trust restored in all such institutions. Otherwise, health care and insurance costs will continue to escalate, undermining the economy and national security.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am worried about my dog around my two young children. She is old, and we had her before the kids were born, and she now growls at them if they come near her food bowl when she is eating. I am afraid she might bite them, but at other times, she lets them cuddle and even ride on her back. Should I discipline her? -- O.M., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR O.M.: Do not discipline the dog. She is simply telling your children to let her eat in peace.

Some dog trainers call this behavior “food guarding” and recommend scolding dogs for doing so. Instead, you need to instruct your children to respect the old dog’s wishes and give her space to eat undisturbed.

For more insights into dog behavior, see my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind: Exploring Your Dog’s Consciousness and Total Well-Being."

HORMONE-DISRUPTING PESTICIDES AND GENDER IDENTITY

Research over many years has shown that endocrine-disrupting pollutants, especially agricultural pesticides, affect the sexual development and reproduction of wildlife. Florida alligators are documented as an “indicator” species. (See the study "Alligators and Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants" by Louis J. Guillette et al., published in American Zoologist in 2000.)

The Trump administration's obscenely unempathetic politicization of the issue of gender identity in children, manifested in its attempts to ban young people from seeking treatment, is also totally ignorant of the possible connection with the hormone-disrupting pollutants in our food and water.

The pollutants are the problem that needs solving, not the children seeking treatment and understanding. This is a multifactor health and environmental issue that should be addressed properly, rather than the Health and Human Services department simply revoking funding for gender transitions.

(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: According to the Chinese zodiac, we are entering the Year of the Horse -- specifically, the Fire Horse. With a good stride and a little horse sense, we might all get a better perspective on life beyond pride and wealth.

According to Qineng Tan, Ph.D. and Xiaomei Cai, Ph.D., the practitioners at Art of Wellness Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, “In Chinese astrology, the Horse symbolizes vitality, independence and the pursuit of freedom. When combined with the Fire element, the Horse brings intense, passionate energy. The Fire Horse inspires bold action, confidence and creativity, but also calls for balance and mindfulness to keep from burning out.”

We are all being taken for a ride with generative AI and chatbots. Millions of young minds are being shaped by these technologies, which churn out dopamine rushes from proliferating data centers that destroy the natural environment with their water and energy demands. The end-users with their smartphones are escalating carbon emissions worldwide, while Apple and other manufacturers claim otherwise. (See greenly.earth/en-us/blog/industries/what-is-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-iphone.)

The electropollution and climate change contributions of these devices and systems are currently being ignored in some kind of misguided, technocratic race without any guardrails. Fueled partly by American tech companies, “governments around the globe are racing to deploy generative AI systems and training in schools and universities,” per a Jan. 2 New York Times article by Natasha Singer. At least in Finland, schoolchildren are being taught how to recognize disinformation on the internet.

All children with new toys need guardrails and rules. The risks of the misuse (and trivial use) of AI need to be tempered to reap any potential benefits it may have -- medical, scientific or existential. AI could accelerate bioinformatics and molecular and genetic engineering, for better or for worse -- from bioplastics and bio-fermentation to bioweapons and biopesticides.

While embracing the possible benefits of some technologies, we must remember to seek the divine in nature. The "imago dei" was very evident to me in the four cottontail rabbits eating the food I had put out for them on my deck while writing this column! Neither they, nor I, need AI to engage with the beauty of the natural world. Technology can never match it, and will only continue to harm us until fossil fuel use is prohibited and greener energy sources are adopted.

In his 1923 book "I and Thou," Austrian-Israeli philosopher Martin Buber stated that meaningful existence is found in the "I-Thou" relationship with all living beings. When extended to the divine, this becomes a dialogue with the “Eternal Thou” (God). We must seek these I-Thou connections -- with a horse or any other sentient being we encounter.

AI, properly applied, could facilitate our transition to eudaimonia -- a state of happiness and well-being -- in the Year of the Fire Horse. My dear friend, the late Father Thomas Berry, called this the ecozic era in human evolution, characterized by humans moving from destructive impulses to a mutually enhancing, respectful relationship with the Earth. It could be an era where we see the planet as a communion of subjects, not objects, and foster an integral Earth community for all life.

This a call to transition from an anthropocentric to an eco-centric worldview for all governments, industries and professions, including the veterinary profession.

(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.)