I made myself a cup of coffee this morning and was walking toward my laptop, when I caught a glimpse of an animal in the backyard.
For a split second, my brain said "Oh, another deer." (We get a lot of deer.) Then quickly, "Wait, it's tiny... a baby deer... no, a fox!"
I have seen a fox in the yard from time to time. It's very rare and usually just a quick glimpse as they are darting away, bushy tail swishing behind.
This fox was different. For one thing, he was lounging in a patch of sun, apparently in no hurry to be on his way. For another, he had practically no fur, a thin scraggly tail, and he was scratching-- a lot.
I snapped a few hasty pictures, but a sound outside scared him off. (Unfortunately, I grabbed my camera in a hurry without changing the previous settings, so the pics are not great.) While I was talking to Peter and the kids about it, the fox came trotting back through the yard.
We all agreed that this was not a healthy fox. A Google search quickly convinced us that our fox has Sarcoptic mange. Red foxes with mange are lethargic and tend to stay close to houses. They eat under bird feeders and look for bowls of dog or cat food. They hide under decks and rest in the hay in barns.
You can tell a Red fox has mange by its straggly appearance. Our fox is missing large patches of fur, has a thin tail, and was almost constantly scratching himself. Mange is caused by microscopic mites that get under a fox's skin and weaken the immune system, eventually leading to organ failure.
I called Animal Control, but the answer was not good. The woman I spoke to was very nice -- and she confirmed that it is mange -- but said there was nothing Animal Control could do and the fox would "succumb to the disease". From my description of his condition, she said he's probably in the late stages already.
I was a little surprised. I had called Animal Control once before about an injured cat in the woods and they came right out to help. It turns out it is not their policy to intervene when a fox has mange and they recommend that residents do not attempt to help wild animals either. It's just part of nature.
When I pressed, she said rescue groups in some states do attempt to put out medicated food for foxes with mange, but the Game Warden in our area does not recommend that.
I'm trying to resign myself to the fact that it's just a part of nature, but it's difficult to see a sick animal and not be able to help.
Woot Monkeys in Space!
4 hours ago
10 comments:
hi
i know what you mean... we live close to a park and have seen similar... here's a site i found that seems informative if you want to try and help ... one can't assume it's in the late stages of the disease ...
http://foxwoodrehab.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/10/treating-sarcop.html
I spoke to a wildlife rehabilitationist yesterday about a mangy fox that is staying in my barn. She said that fox mange is very treatable with a common dewormer called ivermectin. I did as she advised, putting the ivermectin into a ball of raw hamburger. The fox did eat the hamburger. I have to repeat the dose two more times, 10 days apart. She said that this should cure his mange. In the meantime, I am providing food and water as he is in a very weakened condition. Best of luck to all of you who want to help these beautiful animals.
I have a fox living in the woods behind our house that comes down with mange about once a year. A local wildlife rehab gives me syringes pre-filled with Ivermectin. I inject it into some cooked chicken and give it to him every other week for a month (3 doses). I regularly put a small amount of food out for him on our front walk. Foxes must be creatures of habit because he stops by every night between 10 and 10:30PM. That way I can keep an eye on him in case I notice itching and hair loss before it gets bad like it did the first time. Even as bad as the first occurence was, he had stopped itching a week or two after the first dose, and his hair grew back in about 2 months.
Thanks for the information-- I finally spotted the fox that has been leaving tracks all over our yard- and he has a scraggly coat and quite a bit of fur missing from his tail.
My friend runs a cat rescue and I'm going to see if she can get her hands on some Ivermectin. We had a healthy fox here 2 years ago- don't know if this is the same fox...poor little guy.
I'm quite sure my granddaughter and I just saw a fox - with mange. He was a straggley appearing fox. Thin tail. Out in the light of day, of course, it is very early evening.
I suppose he, too, is in the late stage of mange.
To find this article, I typed into Internet: Mangy fox.
I have a female fox and her two pups living in their den under my shed in the backyard. The female definitely fits the descriptions given above and I see the 2 pups scratching feverishly.
The mothers coat is almost non-existent and I feel terrible watching the 2 pups suffer with their scratching.
I am not an adovacte for interferring with mother nature, nor do I want to "feed" these guys, but I like the idea of obtaining a quick dose of medicine and throwing out some medicated meat for them.
Hopefully there is a local place or my vet that can provide meds.
Thanks everyone
Most wildlife rehabs will stock Ivermectin. It is very cheap. You just have to make sure the dose is correct because it is mainly sold as a dewormer for farm animals (horses, pigs, etc.) that weigh much more than a fox. I do not feed my backyard fox enough for him to survive on, just a little to make sure he stops regularly in case I need to dose him with meds.
We interfere with mother nature every day. We build houses where they used to live, we pollute their living areas with chemicals, etc. Why not "interfere" in a good way for once and save a poor mangy fox?
You can obtain Ivermectin at most farm supply stores and also online.
I am currently spiking food morsels for mangy foxes in my neighborhood, hoping it saves at least one of them.
I have a little red fox with mange that has returned to the birth den under my shed. I want to help this little guy, but I cannot obtain Ivermectin. I spoke with a wildlife Rehab center and they will not supply any, I asked for names of any farm animal suppliers at my local vet and really did not get anywhere with that. I don't want the little guy to suffer and die under the shed. The only other option I have is to call a conversation office which they will come out and kill it. I just want to help the little guy out so he can move on. It would be so easy to treat him if I could get the medication.
That is just so sad. I can't believe they would rather watch them suffer than supply some meds to help them. Just doesn't seem right. I saw a mangy fox this evening at the park. I didn't know what it was at first until I came home and started searching the internet and found a picture that looked just like this little guy looks at the park. This little one is showing the same behavior described as well. I hope the parks & rec department will help him get better.
Post a Comment