DEAR READERS: Our dietary choices affect much more than our individual health. Please see this Jan. 30 write-up from Nature.com:

"Debates over what to eat -- more protein, say, or less ultra-processed food -- often neglect any mention of how our food systems affect the biosphere that keeps us alive. But nutrition doesn't exist in a vacuum, notes Earth-systems scientist Johan Rockstrom. He co-chaired the latest update to the Planetary Health Diet, which aims to optimize human health globally and reduce environmental and social harms. (The update) notes that 'global greenhouse-gas emissions could be cut by 20% by 2050 by eating healthily, reducing food waste and adopting sustainable production practices. ... If diets remain unchanged, however, emissions will increase by 33%.'"

Read more at Nature.com, or search online for the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable and just food systems.

One recent analysis shows that, contrary to popular opinion, plant-based diets (PBDs) are often less expensive than the alternatives. "Cost reductions are primarily driven by eliminating expensive animal products, with savings often exceeding increased spending on fruits, vegetables and legumes," reads the study's abstract. "Global modeling incorporating health and environmental externalities further demonstrates that PBDs are more cost-effective than current omnivorous diets when external costs are considered." (See the study "Cost and affordability of plant-based diets: global evidence from 2000 to 2025" by David Goldman and Matthew Nagra, published in Academia Nutrition and Dietetics, 2026.)

Animal-derived foods such as eggs and red meat are the richest dietary sources of choline, an essential nutrient. But increased consumption of these foods is associated with elevated risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer, fatty liver disease and other chronic conditions. There are plant-based sources of choline, including soy products, legumes, nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables and some whole grains.

These options are discussed in another study by Goldman and Nagra: "Choline adequacy and health outcomes in vegetarian and vegan diets," also published in Academia Nutrition and Dietetics, 2025. The authors write that "animal sources are often accompanied by saturated fat, cholesterol, heme iron and other pro-inflammatory or atherogenic compounds. In contrast, plant-based sources provide fiber, phytochemicals and unsaturated fats, which can confer benefits."

NEW BOOKS ON REFORMING AGRICULTURE

It has now been 40 years since I wrote the book "Agricide: The Hidden Crisis That Affects Us All," and since that time, harmful agricultural practices have increased -- along with the suffering of billions of animals. Now, a new generation of writers are addressing this urgent issue, calling for a total revision of our food production systems and eating habits. Check out the following books:

-- Paul Shapiro's "Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World"

-- Michael Grunwald's "We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate"

-- Bruce Freidrich's "Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity's Favorite Food -- and Our Future."

Young people may feel despair in these critical times of social and climatic upheaval. Transitioning to plant-based diets is one way that they -- and the rest of us! -- can help make a difference, and improve their own health in the process.

MULTIPLE PATHOGENS FOUND IN RAW CAT FOODS

From the abstract of a recent study: "Microbiota sharing between people and their companion animals is a concern for development of antimicrobial resistance. To assess the risks associated with feeding raw products to cats, with an emphasis on previously understudied freeze-dried products, a collection of 112 conventional and raw products was purchased and investigated."

Pathogens were found in frozen, freeze-dried and refrigerated products; most had no warnings on their labels, and some salmonella strains genetically matched those associated with human salmonellosis cases. "Parasite genes were exclusively detected in raw foods," the report reads. "The presence of pathogenic species and high load of resistance genes in raw commercial food products, particularly those sold on shelves at room temperature, suggests a considerable health risk to cats and the families who care for them."

See the study "Analysis of the microbiota of raw commercial feline diets to prioritize food safety investigations" by Guillaume Reboul et al., published in Communications Biology, 2025.

As I have stressed repeatedly, cats and dogs should never be fed raw meats or fish.

(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: See the following post from pet food safety advocate Susan Thixton:

"A new white paper, 'Raw Safety: Mitigating the 20x FDA Recall Risk of Fresh Pet Food,' was recently published in an industry website, written by a food irradiation company. Due to the many misleading statements made in the paper, we assume it was published to scare pet owners so badly they would be open to having a raw pet food treated with irradiation.

"The most concerning statement in the white paper is this: 'Raw Pet Foods Are 20x More Likely To Be Recalled.' ... (However, based on) FDA recall data -- number of recall incidents, specific to pathogenic bacteria recalls from 2018 through 2025 -- non-raw recalls (counted for) 42%. Raw recalls (counted for) 58%. Definitely NOT 20x more." (Read the full article here: truthaboutpetfood.com/they-want-to-irradiate-your-raw-pet-food.)

Dr. Fox here: Food irradiation can destroy essential nutrients and create radiolytic breakdown products that may put human and animal consumers at risk.

According to the Center for Food Safety, "These irradiation byproducts include a variety of mutagens -- substances that can cause gene mutations, polyploidy (an abnormal condition in which cells contain more than two sets of chromosomes), chromosome aberrations (often associated with cancerous cells) and dominant lethal mutations (a change in a cell that prevents it from reproducing) in human cells. Making matters worse, many mutagens are also carcinogens.

"Research also shows that irradiation forms volatile toxic chemicals such as benzene and toluene, chemicals known, or suspected, to cause cancer and birth defects. Irradiation also causes stunted growth in lab animals fed irradiated foods. ... The FDA has never tested the safety of these byproducts. Irradiation has also been shown to cause the low-level production of furans (similar to cancer-causing dioxins) in fruit juice." (Read more here: centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/1039/food-irradiation/about-food-irradiation.)

I am opposed to feeding raw animal products to companion animals because of bacterial risks, especially to those animals who may be immunocompromised. The so-called BARF (bones and raw food) diet for dogs, promoted by a veterinarian in the U.K. years ago, ignores the reality of extensive bacterial contamination of meat and poultry products from factory farms, many strains of which have evolved antibiotic resistance. Gamma irradiation will kill these bacteria, but the simple, safe alternative is light cooking.

The only raw foods dogs should be given are fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, carrots and broccoli. Dogs can even thrive on well-formulated vegan diets. Read more here: sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/2025/10/27/raw-pet-food-research-update.

DOG FOOD ADVISORY FROM FDA

The FDA has issued an advisory on eight lots of Raaw Energy dog foods that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, salmonella or multiple pathogens. The products were tested by authorities in Connecticut and New Jersey after Connecticut officials received a report about a dog illness. The FDA has recommended a recall, but the manufacturer has not complied. For more, visit FDA.gov.

FREEZE-DRIED PET FOODS: A SAFETY ISSUE?

Harmful bacteria, many now resistant to antibiotics, are prevalent in meat and poultry products from inhumane factories, and many fish are contaminated with mercury, heavy metals, "forever chemicals" and microplastics. For these reasons, I advise against feeding raw and freeze-dried ingredients of animal origin to cats and dogs.

With air-dried pet foods, the drying process removes the moisture so that microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts and molds are less likely to grow. However, it does not effectively destroy any such substances that are already present.

The same is true with freeze-drying. According to the Pennsylvania State Extension Service, "Raw and cooked meat and eggs can be freeze-dried. However, the freeze-drying process does not kill harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Therefore, it is important to carefully label raw meat and handle it appropriately before and after freeze-drying." Read more here: extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-freeze-drying.

An additional concern are bacterial endotoxins: toxic components from the outer membrane of dead gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella. Also, toxins from molds -- such as aflatoxin, especially found in contaminated kibble -- frequently sicken pets. These heat-stable toxins survive cooking, enter the bloodstream and can cause systemic inflammation. They are primarily found in meat, dairy and high-fat products. As biologically adapted scavengers, dogs may be somewhat adapted to deal with endotoxins in carrion and contaminated pet foods, but in cases of inflammatory bowel disease in dogs, the food source must always be suspected.

For more details, see this review by veterinarian Dr. Jean Hofve: littlebigcat.com/pet-food-contaminants. And for more insights about pet foods, plus recipes to make your own, read the book that I co-authored with two other veterinarians: "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Food."

(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: Please see the following excerpt from a recent study about the ways that diet, public health and the environment interact.

The study's conclusion states: “This paper offers an in-depth analysis of the intricate relationship between evolving dietary practices and the health trajectories of non-communicable diseases, with particular emphasis on pressing global concerns such as the obesity epidemic, climate change, and eco-environmental sustainability. ...

"An increasing amount of scientific evidence supports the role of planetary health diets in facilitating sustainable food transitions, as demonstrated by comparisons between resource-intensive animal-based food production and more sustainable plant-based alternatives. These comparisons also reveal the ecological footprints of different dietary patterns within the framework of planetary boundaries. Furthermore, plant-based diets have been shown to reduce the prevalence of diet-induced obesity.

"The Earth’s finite resources -- particularly in relation to food and water security -- pose significant challenges to global public health, necessitating further exploration. The interplay between food production systems, dietary patterns and environmental sustainability calls for a reimagining of nutritional health transitions to promote both human health and eco-environmental resilience in the Anthropocene.”

See the full study: "Planetary health diets: sustainable nutrition transition for obesity epidemic and eco-environmental sustainability in the Anthropocene" by Alice Li, published in Academia Nutrition and Dietetics, 2025.

DEAR DR. FOX: My cat, nearly 18 years old, has a megacolon. I refuse to put him down, as he’s showing no signs of pain or nausea. I have been giving him IV fluids (at the vet's direction) and laxative powder. The vet gave him an enema and also prescribed cisapride. He’s been on it for just over 24 hours and still hasn't pooped, but I think it can take a few days.

Any advice would be welcome. He is eating wet food and currently drinking lots of water, which is good. -- S.A., Sydney, Australia

DEAR S.A.: Cisapride is a commonly used and effective medication for treating mild to moderate feline megacolon and chronic constipation by stimulating the smooth muscles of the colon. It helps move feces through the digestive tract, preventing painful impaction.

It’s great that your senior cat is drinking fluids. It may also help to add cooked pumpkin or pulverized lima beans to his wet food. Begin with one half-teaspoon of each mixed in with his food, daily, then increase to a teaspoon of each.

As per my book “The Healing Touch for Cats,” giving your cat a deep, gentle abdominal massage for five to 10 minutes, three or four times a day, can be a helpful complementary therapy to encourage evacuation. Adding some physical activity, like chasing a laser pointer or feather toy, could also help.

ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF FLEA AND TICK INSECTICIDES

Isoxazoline flea and tick treatments for pets might contaminate the environment and harm insects that feed on dung, according to a study in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Researchers found the drugs in pet feces even after treatment had ended. They said fluralaner and lotilaner pose significant risks to insects and ecosystems.

“Our preliminary assessment suggests that pet ectoparasiticides may be detrimental to the environment,” the researchers write in their conclusion. (See the study "Prolonged fecal elimination of isoxazoline antiparasitic drugs in dogs and cats: Is there a risk for nontarget species?" by Philippe Berny et al., published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2026.)

This is bad news for bugs, but also for the wider ecosystem. Insects are essential for processes like nutrient cycling, soil health and pest control, so falling victim to environmental contaminants may disrupt the already-delicate equilibrium that exists.

As I have advised repeatedly in this column, the use of these external insecticides on companion animals should be prohibited since they also put children (and anyone else who pets the animals) at risk.

DOGS CAN LEARN NEW WORDS BY OVERHEARING

Some "gifted" dogs can not only learn the names of hundreds of objects, but they can learn new words just by listening in on conversations between human family members, new research shows. These abilities put them on par with the language-recognition skills of toddlers at about 18 months old.

Only a few animals, including bonobos and an African grey parrot, have been observed to recognize objects through unique names. Learning words indirectly through watching human interactions is even harder.

CLEVER COW USES TOOLS TO SCRATCH HERSELF

Veronika, a pet dairy cow who lives on an Austrian farm, can use a utensil to scratch and groom parts of her body -- the first documented instance of tool use in cattle. Over the years, she’s advanced from sticks to implements as large and heavy as brooms; she switches between using the handle and the bristles to scratch different areas of her body. The use of a single tool for more than one purpose has only been seen before in chimpanzees and humans, says cognitive biologist Alice Auersperg. I would add crows to that list!

(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.)