DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 14-year-old Maltese/terrier mix, and she is supposed to have her next rabies vaccination soon. She has had so many over her lifetime, and last time she was unwell for several days -- off her food, shaky, and not interested in our usual games or even going for walks.

I don’t want that to happen again, or something even worse. I don’t see the point anyway, since the only other dogs we meet are on-leash, so she is not going to get bitten. Plus, I live in a neighborhood with responsible dog owners, and I am sure all the other dogs are up on their shots.

I do let my dog play in our yard with a neighbor’s dog, who is fully vaccinated, but I am thinking of giving up on the groomer who wants to see up-to-date rabies tags on all dogs coming in. What is your opinion? -- V.F., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR V.F.: My daughter, Camilla, has a 12-year-old dog with kidney and other health issues, and her regular veterinary clinic is calling for anti-rabies vaccination since three years have elapsed since the last shot. In my opinion, in her case and that of your dog (and thousands of others across the country), this common municipal ordinance needs to be changed.

This review article sets the record straight: "Duration of immunity after rabies vaccination in dogs: The Rabies Challenge Fund research study" by W. Jean Dodds et al., published in the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research in 2020.

From that study's introduction: “Scientific data suggest that commercial rabies vaccines confer durations of immunity well beyond three years, and that vaccinating dogs against rabies triennially, as nearly all American states require, is unnecessary."

PROGRESS IN PIG PROTECTION

On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s appeal challenging California’s Proposition 12, a law that sets animal housing standards for pork sold in the state even if produced elsewhere.

The court’s refusal lets stand a 2024 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the law as constitutional. The IPPA had argued Prop 12 imposed unfair burdens on out-of-state producers and violated interstate commerce protections.

Prop 12, approved by California voters in 2018 and implemented in 2024, requires pork sold in the state to come from farms that give breeding sows at least 24 square feet of space.

WILD ORCAS OFFER FOOD GIFTS TO HUMANS

A newly published study documents 34 cases of orcas -- of both sexes and all age classes -- offering prey and other items to humans. These people were either on boats, in the water or on shore, and the events occurred in or near four different oceans.

"A total of 18 species were offered -- six fishes, five mammals, three invertebrates, two birds, one reptile, and one seaweed," reads the study. "In almost every case, the whales awaited a human response before subsequently reacting." See the full study: "Testing the waters: Attempts by wild killer whales (Orcinus orca) to provision people (Homo sapiens)" by J.R. Towers et al., Journal of Comparative Psychology (advance online publication), 2025.

We all need to be mindful that we are not the only conscious animals on this planet, and need to better protect the habitats of other species from pollution and desecration.

(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: With warmer air carrying more moisture, the frequency, duration and volume of rainfall events are escalating in many parts of the world. Consequently, municipal sewage processing facilities become overwhelmed with stormwater. This, in turn, results in unprocessed sewage, with fecal bacteria and other potential pathogens, being discharged into lakes, rivers and coastal zones. This can be lethal to aquatic life as well as to people.

In 2024, in the U.K., there was a 60% increase in cases of sewage discharge caused by poor maintenance of wastewater/sewage management infrastructure, according to the country's Environment Agency. In communities around the world, after streets have flooded with the sewage-and-rainwater mix, residents are still at risk from the residual contaminated dust during dry periods.

This global issue is compounded by poorly controlled runoff from agricultural fertilizers, pesticides and farmed animal waste, putting human health and aquatic life at risk.

While the invention of the flush toilet was heralded as an advance of civilization, it meant the end of the recycling and composting of human waste as a valuable fertilizer, and created the need for effective waste management and sewage treatment facilities. Now often combined with industrial waste, recycling solids from such facilities for agricultural purposes has led to the contamination of farmlands with "forever" chemicals and other toxic materials.

There are costly solutions, such as improving infrastructure to reduce the quantity of runoff of untreated water from treatment plants by excavating more holding lagoons. But until the climate crisis is fully addressed, this problem of anthropogenic water pollution is never going to go away.

BATTLE TO PROTECT WILDLIFE AND HABITATS

Please see the following post from the Center for Biological Diversity:

“On (July 15), we sued to force the Trump administration to release public records on a proposed rollback of federal protections for marine wildlife habitat -- including any political or industry influences involved. The proposal would revoke the longstanding definition of 'harm' under the Endangered Species Act, eliminating habitat protections even though habitat destruction is a key extinction driver. Threats to marine species’ homes run the gamut -- from warming ocean waters to offshore oil drilling to massive ships speeding through whales’ breeding grounds. ...

“And (earlier in July), the CBD sued the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to find out which environmental rules have been targeted by Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

“We need full transparency on each and every attempt to greenlight more pollution, bulldoze public lands, and drive species extinct.”

DR. FOX HERE: Adding insult to injury, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlas 15 project, which would help alert and prepare communities for extreme rainfall, has been suspended by the Trump administration. Also, blatant evidence of executive empathy-deficit disorder is in the news with the dismantling of USAID. As just one example, 500 tons of high-energy biscuits -- enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week -- have deteriorated in storage in Dubai and will be burned because of cuts to U.S. foreign-aid distribution programs.

The Department of Government Efficiency has all but dismantled several federal agencies -- including veterinary divisions vital for the health of livestock abroad -- and suspended thousands of dedicated staff. This is all in the name of eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse,” which seem most evident in the executive branch of government.

(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: We have lived in a 19-story condo in Florida for over 20 years, and our bylaws state that no pets are allowed. When we first moved here, one resident had a dog; now I think we are up to 20 dogs in the building, and one is a Doberman. Apparently all you must do is get a letter from a doctor saying you need a “comfort” animal.

When we moved in, we found homes for our two beloved cats because we did not think it fair to confine them to a high-rise condo. But a cat at least uses a litter box, and doesn’t need to go outside like a dog does.

So here we are -- many of us old, with health problems, going up and down elevators with dogs. I feel sorry for one young man, who carries his spaniel all around, but I also feel sorry for the dog! He or she deserves a yard.

I read somewhere that dogs need to go outside five times a day. I have now learned about pee-pads, which some residents' dogs may be using, and I have seen others peeing in the stairwells.

Do you have any advice? -- H.R.F., Jensen Beach, Florida

DEAR H.R.F.: I appreciate your concerns, but I am not sure how I can help, except to say that many people need companion animals for their mental and physical health -- a well-documented fact that housing authorities and landlords should honor.

A residential building should have a code of care for cats, including not allowing them outdoors and kitty litter being disposed of properly. Any damage from scratching should be paid for upon inspection.

Dogs should be walked at least three times daily in designated areas where all poop is picked up and put in garbage containers. Professional dog-walkers can be hired as needed.

Dogs can suffer from heat stress and die from heat stroke. Hot pavements and sidewalks call for early morning and late-evening walks. And never leave them inside a vehicle, even for a short time. Some pets have died when left in a car with the engine running to provide air conditioning when the engine stalled.

Some communities disallow dogs because they fear the nuisance of barking. Barking dogs can indeed be a problem, sometimes warranting a veterinary behavioral consultation. Leaving a TV or radio on while away can help alleviate dogs’ separation anxiety and the associated yowling, and also acts as a sound barrier to outside noises that can trigger barking. Giving a dog a food-puzzle toy or a non-rawhide bone to chew can also alleviate anxiety and boredom.

AVOIDING BLOOD CANCER IN DOGS

Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine are developing a combined blood test and treatment for canine hemangiosarcoma, a cancer of the blood cells that affects an estimated 50,000 dogs annually in the U.S. and is almost always fatal within a year. The treatment extended six-month survival rates after splenectomy in a pilot study. (Full story: AVMA News, July 8)

With so many dogs getting this cancer, one must wonder why, and seek prevention. I agree with veterinarian Dr. Lynda Loudon, who posted recently on her website: “Many commercial flea and tick products contain harsh pesticides that linger on your dog’s skin and can be absorbed into their bloodstream -- posing long-term health risks.

"Thankfully, there are effective, natural alternatives that don’t compromise your pet’s well-being. Essential oil blends, diatomaceous earth, and dietary support are some of the measures that can help keep pests at bay without the toxic load." Read more here: drloudon.com/pet-health/the-silent-risk-is-your-lawn-putting-your-dog-at-risk-for-hemangiosarcoma.

Many pets are exposed to glyphosate, the carcinogenic weed-killer used on private property, in parks and on various crops that go into pet and human foods. For more on glyphosate, see this significant review: "A comprehensive analysis of the animal carcinogenicity data for glyphosate from chronic-exposure rodent carcinogenicity studies" by Christopher J. Portier, published in Environmental Health in 2020.

(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.)