DEAR DR. FOX: You will be interested in a recent article in The New York Times by Rachel Nuwer: "We Love Our Dogs and Cats. But Are They Bad for the Environment?" (Link: nytimes.com/2025/07/29/climate/dogs-cats-pets-environment-impact.html.)

Here is a sample passage:

"Gregory Okin, a geographer at the University of California, Los Angeles, calculated in a 2017 study that the estimated 163 million cats and dogs in the United States consume a whopping quarter of the country’s animal-derived calories. 'If U.S. dogs and cats were their own country, they would rank fifth in global meat consumption,' he said in an interview. ...

"To reduce these effects, Dr. Okin recommends pet food brands that meet dietary requirements but contain less animal-derived protein."

What is your opinion? -- P.S., San Francisco

DEAR P.S.: Thanks for alerting me to this significant article. Dogs and cats are part of the recycling of the remains of farmed animals and seafoods from the vast tonnage most people consume, contributing to the loss of biodiversity and associated climate change. Less animal-derived protein in pet foods will mean less human consumption at top of the food chain.

We also must consider the impact on biodiversity of free-roaming cats hunting and killing wildlife, and of dogs and cats spreading diseases to indigenous carnivores. The latter puts these predators at risk, many of which are also being killed by farmers and ranchers.

The health benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets have been well documented. Many also choose these diets on the grounds of compassion for animals, and in favor of reducing their carbon footprint.

Another dietary health consideration: A new study suggests that animal fats might drive the growth of certain cancer cells more than vegetable oils do. Melanoma growth was accelerated in mice fed lard, beef tallow or butter, but not in mice fed coconut oil, palm oil or olive oil, reads the study.

“Our study provides an important proof of principle that dietary fat can regulate immune function in obesity-related cancers,” write the authors. While this is "a significant conceptual development," they write, "we cannot draw conclusions about how changes in human consumption of a particular fat, such as palm oil, will impact immune function or tumor growth." (See the full study: "The source of dietary fat influences anti-tumour immunity in obese mice" by Britta Kunkemoeller et al., published in Nature Metabolism in 2025.)

INTEGRATED CLINIC EXPANDS ACCESS TO CARE

The Seattle One Health Clinic, which offers free medical and veterinary care in the same facility, increased access to preventative care as well as housing and services for young homeless people and their pets, researchers reported in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health. More than two-thirds of health clinic visits were initially for veterinary care, and nearly 80% of all visits resulted in human health care. (Full story: University of Washington, Seattle, Aug. 4)

This is the essence of compassion-in-action that all communities can emulate for the common good.

(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: The spirits of animals -- whether wild, captive, tamed or domesticated -- have only recently been considered by, or factored into, conventional veterinary medicine. The same is true for the spirits of humans.

Spiritual well-being is evident in animals' vitality and responsiveness, including curiosity and playfulness; in humans, it is expressed in various forms of creativity. An environment of security and trust is essential, along with good nutrition -- all integral elements of good nurturing, which complements nature: the innate spirit or psyche of every sentient being.

Just as nature and nurture are interwoven, so are temperament and personality. Temperament is innate, genetically “hard-wired,” to a degree, while personality is formed from life situations and can change over time. The “personhood” of nonhuman animals has yet to be fully recognized by society at large. Doing so might redeem us for causing the extinction, suffering and death of trillions of animals throughout human history. It might also inspire us spiritually to better respect and care for each other in a boundless circle of compassion. After all, anthropocentrism is a self-terminating disease!

There are spiritual wounds that can challenge animals and humans alike, especially in animals that have been abused and neglected, like the dispirited creatures held captive in zoos and circuses. Like people, many animals can suffer from post-traumatic stress, depression, fear and anxiety, along with behavioral abnormalities such as compulsive disorders, self-mutilation and other afflictions of the spirit. They may also benefit from psychotropic and psychotherapeutic interventions, including behavior modification and what I call the healing touch (as per my books on massage therapy, “The Healing Touch for Dogs” and “The Healing Touch for Cats”).

This spiritual ice age of rational materialism and objectification will never melt away without our reverential respect for all life and compassion-in-action when called for. The embrace of loving-kindness can fill the void of fear and suffering with spiritual enlightenment.

Our destruction of nature is the theological equivalent of our separation from God. German mystic and philosopher Meister Eckhart said, “Every creature is full of God.” Pope Francis stated, “There will be no new relationship with nature without a new human being, and it is by healing the human heart that one can hope to heal the world from its social and environmental unrest ... One thing about ecological conversion is that it makes us see the general harmony, the correlation of everything: everything is connected; everything is related.”

A “new human being” is evolving from the egocentric to the ecocentric, as we face the realities of climate change and develop a new language that speaks to all sentient beings from the empathic core of reverential respect and understanding. May a passion for justice and compassionate action lead the way.

Without effective family planning and lack of infrastructure and basic resources, millions of people around the world are dying prematurely. An estimated 733 million people -- roughly 1 in 11 people on Earth -- face chronic hunger, meaning they lack consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. The situation has worsened in recent years, according to Concern Worldwide U.S. (ConcernUSA.org).

Countries the world over are already struggling to adapt to the ravages of climate change (floods, fires, droughts, etc.). This will only worsen if political leaders give tax incentives to increase birth rates rather than accepting immigrants, and continue to subsidize the burning of fossil fuels while blocking green energy initiatives.

Hyperinflation and hyperconsumerism go hand in hand as our carbon footprint stamps out life on planet Earth. The politics of planetary CPR -- conservation, protection and restoration -- should be center stage, not just a cry in the wilderness of a ravaged planet. For details and some solutions, see my book “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Veterinary Perspectives.”

(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 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.)