Fox Mange

We have had foxes living in next door's (once) overgrown garden for over 20 years. I know they are not the best loved creatures and have had such bad press.

Here in London, I don't have chickens or sheep so am not affected by their killing sprees and I can understand how they are hated (although I find it hard to believe some of the stories how they enter peoples houses and just attack them for no reason - the latest one in my local paper being a man was attacked and mauled while sitting on the loo). All the foxes I have seen run a mile when they see a human - although if they were cornered I am sure they would come out fighting out of panic - which I think is more the case in these sensationalised newspaper stories.

We have one keeps coming into my garden with mange - we call him "half-a-tail" for obvious reasons - but the bit of tail he/she has is thinning, he is very skinny with scabs on his rump and legs, limping on a back leg - holding it up etc etc.

I have been here before - and I cannot stand the thought of this animal (or any animal come to that) suffering - so I have sent for some of the homeopathic remedy from the fox site. I know this is not going to be a complete cure as I have used it before and the mange will keep coming back.

So for the past couple of nights I have put down a bit of cat food to get the fox used to eating in my garden - and I will get a jar of cheapest honey - and leave out honey sandwiches with a few drops of remedy to start the process. Once I have this foxes confidence I will be able to get something stronger (a spot-on treatment for dogs which works when foxes eat it) which will be a more permanent cure - but of course I need to ensure that this particular fox is the one who is going to eat it.

I did this before a few years ago - a poor older fox who not only had mange but also had a mouth injury and was unable to eat properly - sadly the inevitable happened and the fox eventually died - but I was able to give him an extra couple of years of life and he didn't die of mange - and gave me the opportunity to take some lovely foxy photos.

S

 

None of like to see a wild animal suffer and I empathise with your feelings for this one. However, and I feel I must say this, would it not be better to put this poor fox out of it's misery? In Darwin's scheme of things, the fittest must survive in order to produce the healthiest young and I think this animal would not be well enough to produce young.
But you must follow your heart sumbody and I wish you well my friend,
Jenny namaste

 

Jenny - I agree with everything you have said but it is not sick enough to be able to be caught it is still able to run away - and would need to be caged then collected by a wildlife centre. Mange is curable - after all our dogs get cured of it - and at the moment I don't think it is yet at that stage where euthenasia is the only option. (unlike a very sick fox we saw that had an abscess under its neck - was hiding in our doorway - where we got a wildlife guy to collect it - they tried to treat it but it died overnight).

If I can make sure this particular fox is eating the honey sandwiches, then the next move would be for the spot-on treatment (given the same way and used by many vets and wildlife centres) - two treatments over two weeks - and this will be a more permanent cure.

Of course if this fox deteriorates to a stage where he needs more than I can give, then I will contact the appropriate people for help and advice.

S

 

Awwww, poor thing. You have done this before so you know what you are doing. Good luck to you. Lucky Fox that has you to look out for him.