DEAR DR. FOX: Your post on mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer’s and Moderna’s that saved lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, failed to acknowledge the benefits over the risks. I know you are not against tried-and-true vaccines for people and animals, and while this class of vaccines is new, it holds great promise -- in my opinion as a registered nurse (now retired). -- L.B., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR L.B.: Vaccinations are of great value in preventing highly communicable diseases such as smallpox, mumps and measles in children, and rabies, distemper and parvovirus in puppies, but the precautionary principle must be applied. In my opinion, companion animals and children alike are being over-vaccinated, and science-based revisions in both sectors must be ongoing.

I wish all health care professionals would spend a little time and read about the adverse reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. A good place to start is with the study “Serious adverse events of special interest following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in randomized trials in adults” by Joseph Fraiman et al., published in Vaccine in 2022.

Some additional concerns raised by researchers include the following:

-- The spike protein of the COVID-19 virus, present in widely used vaccines, can cause harm to different people in different ways. The adverse effects of vaccinations for some people, along with long COVID, cannot be denied.

-- The contamination of these genetically engineered mRNA vaccines has been reported. A plethora of DNA fragments is an issue of concern.

-- Persistent post-vaccination symptoms (sometimes classified as “post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome,” or PCVS) resemble those of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Cardiac, vascular and neurological symptoms often emerge shortly after vaccination and persist for months or years, mirroring PASC.

References for all of these issues are provided in my post here: drfoxonehealth.com/post/preventing-pandemics-like-covid-19-and-other-animal-to-human-diseases.

These problems aside, there is growing public distrust and administrative chaos in the U.S., along with a growing anti-science sentiment. We are seeing renewed outbreaks of measles, especially in children, which can be fatal or cause permanent neurological damage and other health problems. Such outbreaks could have been prevented if the anti-vaccination movement had not gained traction in recent years -- led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is unforgivable for all involved.

In June, Kennedy fired and replaced all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The new members announced plans to review the CDC’s child and adolescent immunization schedules, an action that leaders in the American Academy of Pediatrics said is an effort to sow distrust in vaccines.

Health care professionals do not universally agree on the risks and benefits of particular vaccinations in any age group. The World Health Organization advises vaccinations for pregnant women, for the high-risk immunocompromised and for the elderly, but Kennedy has stated that pregnant women and healthy children do not need to be vaccinated. Then again, many schools mandate it.

Florida officials recently announced that the state would phase out all mandates for childhood vaccines. The same day, the Democratic governors of Washington state, Oregon and California announced that they have created an alliance to establish their own vaccine recommendations because they believe the Trump administration’s politicization of the CDC is putting Americans’ health at risk.

It is little wonder that members of the public, parents especially, are confused.

Kennedy should resume funding the World Health Organization, reinstate staff at the CDC and leave the vaccination issue to the experts. He should get on with banning azo dyes in breakfast cereals and establishing nutrition education programs in all schools. All public spaces should receive improved ventilation systems, treating incoming air with sanitizing ultraviolet light.

His agency, along with the EPA and the USDA, needs to better regulate pesticide use and act against the gross overuse of glyphosate. And the U.S. must join other countries to stop the manufacture of plastics and the burning of fossil fuels.

As I emphasize in my book “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives,” many public health authorities are overly reliant on vaccinations but do not simultaneously promote other factors of disease prevention, such as sanitation, nutrition education, food safety, and water and air quality.

(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 Minnesota Star Tribune recently published a letter from Matthew DeBoer, principal of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, to Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife. In the letter, DeBoer detailed his reactions to the Aug. 27 mass shooting at his school, in which two students were killed and many were injured. His words are an eloquent call to “build our future filled with hope -- hand in hand, rooted in love, together.”

There is a connecting thread between these all-too-common mass shootings and the actions being taken by President Trump and his administration: the closing of USAID; the defunding and de-staffing of federal agencies and programs that help the needy, and communities at large, in times of emergency; the deployment of masked, armed ICE agents to round up refugees and other immigrants; and the deployment of military forces in a fabricated “war on crime” in select cities. The connecting thread is empathy -- specifically, the lack of it.

From the executive branch down to the next mass shooter, empathy is in shreds. DeBoer’s letter is a call for more empathy, and for more compassion-in-action, from all sectors of government and society. We must empathize with everyone -- even those who commit violence, as well the victims and all who mourn them. Only then will we find solutions in these deeply dystopian times.

For more on empathy, see my post here: humiliationstudies.org/documents/FoxEmpathy2025.pdf

A (NONPOLITICAL) FAT CAT ISSUE

DEAR DR. FOX: My 4-year-old neutered cat, Tommy, has gotten fat, even though I play with him a lot every night. He is very affectionate and active, but the vet says he must lose weight.

Up till now, most of his meals have been Meow Mix and an occasional scoop of canned cat food. The vet suggested giving him IAMS Healthy Weight cat food. What is your opinion? -- B.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.K.: Approximately 60% of cats in the U.S. are estimated to be overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

This is what IAMS says is in its Healthy Weight cat kibble: “(The) ingredients start with chicken, followed by ingredients like chicken by-product meal, corn grits, corn protein meal, and ground whole-grain corn. The formula also contains fiber sources like dried plain beet pulp and powdered cellulose, along with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, like fructooligosaccharides and taurine, and is preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.”

I question the inclusion of chicken by-product meal in dog and cat foods. I especially question corn products for cats, as corn could be contaminated with the herbicide glyphosate. This could also be a contaminant in beet pulp, disrupting cats’ gut bacterial microbiome.

Instead of this product, I recommend that you transition your cat to a moist canned food, like grain-free Friskies or Wellness. Add a few drops of fish oil or marine algae; cats need omega fatty acids in their diets, and these are lacking in dry kibble. Cat owners who are away from home all day can purchase wet cat food containers that open at timed intervals for their cats while they are away.

This is an important issue that needs wider coverage, so I invited fellow veterinarian Dr. Jean Hofve to comment. She states: “The best way to help a cat like Tommy lose weight is to stop the kibble and feed only wet food. Dry kibble is very dense in calories. It’s like potato chips: soaked with grease, and full of empty carbohydrates that cats rapidly convert to fat. Dry diets lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, GI issues, diabetes, arthritis and many other health problems. Dry food is also dehydrating.

“‘Weight control’ dry foods are no better,” she continues. “Unless portions are strictly limited, cats just eat more of it to get the protein they need. Dry diets can lead to bladder crystals and stones, as well as constipation and other gastrointestinal issues. Canned foods are higher in protein and much lower in carbs. The increased moisture is also much better for their digestive and urinary systems.

“Since Tommy already eats some canned food, this will be a simple transition. Feed as much wet food as he wants, but only in timed meals: 20 to 30 minutes, three times a day (morning, after work/school, and bedtime). He will adjust to the schedule quickly, and the extra weight will come off gradually in a safe and healthy way.”

I agree, and believe that if all kittens were weaned onto a moist canned or fresh-frozen cat food and never fed high-carbohydrate dry kibble, to which many cats become addicted, obesity and many of its related health problems in cats could be prevented.

(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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently identified toxoplasmosis as one of five neglected parasitic infections of people due to its high prevalence," per a report from the Cornell Feline Health Center. "More than 60 million people in the U.S. are thought to be infected."

The solution is for owned cats to be kept indoors -- or at least prevented from killing and consuming infected rodents -- and for communities to better address free-roaming and feral cats. This is because the domestic cat is the definitive host for this parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, and can pass it to other animals and humans via feces, contaminated soil, vegetation and food crops.

"When a cat ingests infected prey or raw meat, the parasite is released from cysts into the cat’s digestive tract, where it reproduces and produces oocysts," writes the CFHC. "Infected cats then excrete these oocysts in their feces by the millions" for about two weeks.

"Most cats infected with T. gondii show no signs of disease. Occasionally, however, a clinical disease called toxoplasmosis occurs, often when the cat’s immune response cannot stop the spread of tachyzoite forms," writes the CFHC. "The disease is more likely to occur in cats with suppressed immune systems, including young kittens and cats with feline leukemia virus or feline immunodeficiency virus."

Cats diagnosed with this parasite can be treated with a course of the antibiotic clindamycin, possibly paired with corticosteroids. Communities need to be more vigilant with regard to free-roaming and feral cats, and anyone adopting cats that have been outdoors should have them tested.

As the article states: “Indoor cats that do not hunt prey or consume raw meat are unlikely to be infected with T. gondii. In the U.S., people are much more likely to become infected by eating raw meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables than by handling cat feces. The possibility of infection after gardening in soil that has been contaminated with cat feces also exists, and this possibility can be mitigated by wearing gloves and by washing hands after gardening.”

Read the full report here: vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/toxoplasmosis-cats.

To break the cycle of infection from cats to farm animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, equines and poultry, cats should not be allowed around farms. This is a global problem affecting the health and productivity of farmed animals and putting consumers at risk. (See the study "Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in farm animals: Risk factors and economic impact" by S. Stelzer et al., published in Food and Waterborne Parasitology in 2019.)

Dogs can become infected by ingesting contaminated material like cat feces, raw meat or soil. Most healthy adult dogs may not show symptoms, but puppies and dogs with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to developing illness. Infected cats can infect wild carnivores such as bobcats and coyotes, as well as most other wild species that ingest infected prey or contaminated soil.

Medical studies have established a relationship between infection with this parasite and aggressive behavior -- specifically, self-directed aggression. Latent infection has also been linked to behavioral changes, impulsivity and neuropsychosis. (See the study "Toxoplasma gondii Infection: Relationship With Aggression in Psychiatric Subjects" by Emil Coccaro et al., published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2016.)

All owned cats should be kept indoors to avoid possible infection from another cat’s feces or from consuming an infected rodent. They can be walked on a leash in a harness, or allowed time in an outdoor “catio” enclosure. Their litter boxes should be cleaned with due caution, especially by pregnant women. Feeding cats any kind of raw meat is ill advised.

(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.)