DEAR READERS: Pet surrenders are rising in Chicago, straining shelters and rescues. Chicago Animal Care and Control has seen a significant increase in surrenders, with numbers this year shaping up to be six times higher than in 2023. Economic pressures, such as pet-related housing fees, are major factors behind the trend. (Full story: Chicago Sun-Times, July 25)

I have posted about this issue in earlier columns, and the problem is not going away. It is indeed a tragedy that beloved companion animals are being surrendered to shelters, where some will probably be euthanized and others will go crazy, confined to a kennel for the rest of their lives.

The mental health costs to those who loved their animals, and the negative impact on children especially, call for community support for low-income pet owners -- including the homeless with animals at their sides. Any landlords who will not rent to cat owners unless the cats are declawed and devocalized can, with a grain of empathy, change these policies and accept unmutilated cats -- perhaps requiring a security deposit to cover any damages.

Shelter Animals Count (SAC), the most comprehensive national database of shelter animal data, has released its 2025 Mid-Year Analysis, offering a detailed snapshot of intake and outcome data from shelters and rescues across the country from January through June. While overall intake of dogs and cats is slightly lower than the same time period in 2024, many organizations continue to operate at or above capacity, facing ongoing challenges in moving animals through the system quickly. Adoptions decreased slightly, with nearly 1.9 million animals adopted in the first half of 2025 -- down 1% from the prior year.

Nearly 2.8 million dogs and cats had a community outcome (adoption, return to owner, return to field, or non-live outcome) in the first half of 2025 -- a slight decrease of 2% compared to the same period in 2024. And 317,000 dogs and cats were returned to their owners, down 3% compared to 2024.

The report is available here: shelteranimalscount.org/explore-the-data/2025-mid-year-report.

CONTAMINATED WELL WATER: RISKS TO DOGS AND HUMANS

A recent analysis tested the quality of drinking water for dogs participating in the Dog Aging Project who lived in homes not served by a municipal water supply. Researchers tested for the presence of 28 metals in dogs’ drinking water. This included eight heavy metals that have maximum contaminant levels designated by the Environmental Protection Agency, and five heavy metals that have EPA health guidance levels. The eight metals with MCLs are known to cause chronic health issues in humans after long-term ingestion. Detectable levels of all metals tested were found.

Researchers also identified "a potential association between the presence of titanium and chromium and the occurrence of a known health condition in dogs," per the study's abstract. "This prompts further investigation with a larger, stratified sample, analyzing dogs’ drinking water composition and long-term health outcomes in dogs living in diverse geographies. These results may impact veterinary care decisions and husbandry, and underscore the validity and importance of utilizing dogs as sentinels of human health outcomes in the context of drinking water contamination."

See the study "Testing for heavy metals in drinking water collected from Dog Aging Project participants" by Courtney L. Sexton et al., published in PLOS Water in 2025.

An additional concern, especially in parts of Minnesota, is well-water being contaminated with PFAs -- “forever” chemicals -- and nitrates from animal manure and chemical fertilizers. Many homes and various institutions now install reverse-osmosis systems to purify drinking water. I use the Zerowater activated charcoal filter with patented ion exchange for my animal companions and myself. Used filters can be mailed (at owner’s expense) to the company for recycling; see zerowater.com for details.

(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: Andrew deCoriolis, executive director of Farm Forward (farmforward.com), has been speaking out about industrial dairies receiving taxpayer-funded bailouts following bird flu outbreaks.

Such bailouts are intended to compensate farmers for the loss of crops or livestock due to extreme weather or natural disasters. But as deCoriolis has said in interviews with nonprofits such as Our Honor (ourhonor.org), "Bird flu isn’t an 'act of God' -- it’s the predictable result of intensive animal confinement. Instead of improving biosecurity, enforcing standards or changing harmful practices, the system offers taxpayer-funded bailouts to keep business-as-usual running. They have no effective biosecurity and no incentive to change with these public-funded payouts.”

I encourage readers to support nonprofits and other organizations working to investigate and expose these systemic failures and push for change.

HUMANE RODENT REPELLENT?

I would like to hear from anyone who has used this repellent and get their opinions as to its effectiveness. The product is called Vamoose, from pest control company BugMD.

From the company's website: "Each pouch is infused with a combination of Mother Nature’s potent rodenticides: cornmint, citronella and linseed essential oils. This combination creates a powerful force-field of freshness! To humans and pets, BugMD’s Vamoose smells clean and fresh, but mice, rats and other vermin can’t stand the smell. The potent oil infusion irritates a rodent’s nose and throat so severely (that) they stay far away from the source." For details, go to bugmd.com/products/vamooserodentpouches.

I have used peppermint oil in cotton balls in my own home for this purpose, to some effect. Such approaches are more humane than mouse traps that snap, crush or ensnare the rodents with glue, not to mention rodenticides that cause a slow death and can harm any animal consuming a poisoned mouse.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column every week and enjoyed your articles on “making America green again.” I think the underlying cause of human dysfunction is this fact of life: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The rich increase their wealth at the expense of workers who can’t afford health insurance, struggle to pay rent/mortgages, and can barely put food on the table. Historically, when this happens, there is always a tipping point -- which is where we are heading today.

We need better leaders and better education to have a society where everyone gets a fair shake. We need a coordinated master plan that includes all progressive organizations! My book “Bucking the System” addresses income inequality and what we can do about it. -- David Stearns, Otto, North Carolina

DEAR D.S.: I commend you on your contribution to economic and social justice. To live simply, so that others may simply live, is a consummation to be devoutly desired!

I like this quote from “Mysteries of the Dream-Time: The Spiritual Life of Australian Aborigines” by James Cowan. He writes: “In a world of agnosticism, the idea that spiritual values might correctly hold precedence over the demands of material well-being is an unthinkable proposition. Modern man is hell-bent on the destruction of all numinosities, whether they be metaphysical, mythic or totemic, in order that he might pave the way for his own material apotheosis.”

The numinous is our apprehension of the sacred. Modern civilization is living in the absence of the sacred in the service of mammon. Our “material apotheosis” is evident in society and government, where economic imperatives take precedence over environmental protection, conservation and social justice. We are already witnessing the consequences, with climate change representing an escalating problem that only a change of heart and mind can mitigate.

Adapt and evolve, or suffer and perish! A carbon tax to fund “green energy” resources for proliferating data centers, coupled with water conservation, needs to be levied on Big Tech and other corporate giants. Otherwise, climate change will exacerbate.

Confucius says: “When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is poorly governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of.” It is regrettable that E.F. Schumacher’s seminal 1975 book, “Small is Beautiful,” did not influence the World Trade Organization, nor local and national governments.

For more details about these concerns -- and solutions -- see my new webinar, “Building an Appreciation for and Relationship with Nonhuman Animals and the Natural World.” View it here: youtube.com/watch?v=snCaW0uxggU.

(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: If you are anything like me, you will support the Union of Concerned Scientists because of your conviction that science can and should be used in service of people and the planet. The scientific community and academia are under attack for being “woke” by the current administration, notably about the reality of climate change and optimal vaccination protocols for children.

See the new UCS report, "Science and Democracy Under Siege: Documenting Six Months of the Trump Administration’s Destructive Actions," here: ucs.org/resources/science-and-democracy-under-siege. The report details how President Trump’s second administration has targeted the public science that we all depend on. Perhaps most importantly, it offers recommendations and resources to counter these attacks and hold the administration accountable.

The report covers five main areas of attacks: gutting scientific expertise, halting science and innovation, ignoring public input, cutting out independent experts, and censoring and suppressing scientific information. It also features a case study on how these attacks have impacted climate policies and programs.

On July 23, the International Court of Justice delivered an advisory opinion on nations' obligations regarding climate change. The message: Countries that fail to meet their climate obligations will be liable to pay damages to other countries affected by climate change.

At the same time, the Trump administration proposes to essentially reverse a landmark scientific report, commonly called the "endangerment finding," that links greenhouse gas emissions to the endangerment of human health. This action is "mind-bogglingly out of touch with reality," said David Doniger, a senior federal strategist at the Natural Resources Defense Council to CNN.

These actions by the current administration should be seen as crimes against humanity and nature. I encourage readers to check out Extinction Rebellion (rebellion.global), a nonprofit organization that is attracting many young people around the world. It offers an antidote to eco-anxiety, depression and despair: to become informed and involved in civil initiatives that benefit people and planet alike.

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for sharing your articles about the impact that free-roaming cats have on wildlife, and the potentially serious public health risks they pose. I am trying to get an ordinance passed in my community for cats just like the one we already have for dogs: No owned animals are allowed to roam free off their owners’ property.

Also, please consider urging the entire veterinary profession to become certified in both CAETA euthanasia protocol (caetainternational.com) and low-stress handling protocol (cattledogpublishing.com/LSH), so that un-owned, un-homed cats can at least die without being additionally traumatized. As you may know, Dr. Sophia Yin pioneered the gentle, respectful method of handling unsocialized cats. -- M.J.R., Medford, Wisconsin

DEAR M.J.R.: For reasons beyond my comprehension, many municipalities and some veterinarians feel that it is OK for owned cats to roam free. I see this as a cultural tradition, evident in many other countries, that is out of step with reality. The domestic cat has become an invasive species in many parts of the world, decimating songbird and other wildlife populations.

As I document on my website (drfoxonehealth.com) and in my new book “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives,” free-roaming cats pose a significant threat to public health. Owned cats should be kept indoors, only allowed out in contained yards and enclosures popularly termed “catios.”

HOPE FOR CAPTIVE MONKEYS

Most primates kept as pets in the U.S. suffer from chronic stress, malnutrition and illness, and countless animals die each year in illegal poaching operations, say Oakland Zoo veterinarian Andrea Goodnight and vice president of animal care Colleen Kinzley. A proposed bill in Congress would ban the private ownership of primates throughout the U.S. All should endorse this legislative initiative. (Full story: National Public Radio, July 26)

(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.)