Mange in foxes

[Pat]

I've been feeding foxes in our local wood for about 2 years now mostly to stop them getting run over going for food on the other side of the road ( since I've been feeding them there have been no fatalities! ) About 5 weeks ago I noticed that 2 of them were developing quite bad mange, I couldn't put anything down for them because it's a public wood and anyway I couldn't be sure that the mangy foxes would get it, I was talking to a fellow dog walker who told me that her dog had a history of skin problems so she put him on a suppliment called SA37,it's a vitamin & mineral powder quite expensive but the dogs skin complaint has cleared up so I thought I would try it on Vera and Foggy, anyway after a month the mange has cleared completely and Vera has actually got a tail now! I don't know how it worked unless it boosted their imune system or the mange mites didn't like the taste! but anyway all the mange has gone and I thought it might be of some interest ( I'm Pat who posts all the foxy pics )

[StuartDH]

Thanks for the info Pat. We've got a Fox that cross the end of our road every week or so that has been showing all the signs of mange for the past month or two. She used to regularly walk through our back garden, but since we got a dog we rarely see her any more. If we can find her new route through the estate then it would be great to help her out with something like SA37, so fingers crossed.

Cheers

Stuart

[tufftie]

Are you feeding the foxes? If so put some raw garlic cloves in a sausage or other raw meat and give it to them. It may take a little while but it works a treat. This advice was given to me by a local wildlife rescue person.
Also sometimes foxes look like they have mange but are just going through a bad moult - some foxes can go almost bald with this!

[clover green]

Some good tips here, I will make a note of them for future use, but hopefully it won't be needed. Luckily my local foxes look in good condition atm, with nice coats and fluffy tails. Cheers.

[Words]

Pat, that's great news. Food supplements can be useful (as you've shown). The first year we had a mangy Fox we used vitapet (a cod liver oil supplement) and it seemed to work well, but over a longer period.

Nice one!

[mystic meg]

Hi all, I'm not sure the foxes you have been discussing had mange for sure. sarcoptic mange in the Fox is extremely difficult to treat, as the mites burrow into the epidermis. SA37 is a brilliant vitamin and mineral supplement, we use it every day on our Hedgehogs food,but can,t see how it would cure mange.Have a look at a new Fox website The fox website: one site with all the answers about foxes it has been launched by Steve Harris of Bristol University Mammal Group, to provide a detailed summary of all relevant published data on foxes. Also the National Fox Welfare can be contacted for mange advice, and will also send out free herbal treatment for anyone wishing to help foxes affected with mange.

[Words]

Meg, that's a good point, especially earlier in the year when foxes can be in heavy moult and look pretty battered. Fleas can also be a problem and cause all sorts of skin conditions. The conditioners can help (too many reported successes of foxes improving).

I think I read somewhere that the homeopathic treatment from the NFWS may work by improving skin oils in the Fox, effectively starving the mite of oxygen (something along those lines anyway). I've not tried it with our foxes but it seems probable that dietary supplements would work in broadly the same way. The research on effective treatment is fairly thin, though ivermectin undoubtedly works (but needs fairly well controlled conditions).

The Fox Website you mention is excellent isn't it.

[bunnylover]

Originally Posted by mystic meg

Hi all, I'm not sure the foxes you have been discussing had mange for sure. sarcoptic mange in the Fox is extremely difficult to treat, as the mites burrow into the epidermis. SA37 is a brilliant vitamin and mineral supplement, we use it every day on our Hedgehogs food,but can,t see how it would cure mange.Have a look at a new Fox website The fox website: one site with all the answers about foxes it has been launched by Steve Harris of Bristol University Mammal Group, to provide a detailed summary of all relevant published data on foxes. Also the National Fox Welfare can be contacted for mange advice, and will also send out free herbal treatment for anyone wishing to help foxes affected with mange.

Scarcoptic mange is almost impossible to cure in dogs even with a regulated diet and constant washing as it can lie dormant in the blood ,i doubt if vit supplements would cure such a vicious ailment,also its highly contagious and come the breeding season you ll have litters and most foxes in your area infected.Only one way to deal with badly infected animals if you care for them as individuals and as a species ,assuming you don t just like them being arou nd for your own entertainment.

[Words]

Bunnylover, all the veterinary sites I've looked at say that sarcoptic mange is eminently treatable in dogs. Also it's life-cycle is 2-3 weeks, so can be broken. The mite can also live off-host for a few days, so re-infection is a possibility (which is the main problem in treating wild foxes) but standard care of domestic pets is usually more than adequate.

The preferred method of treatment in domestic animals is not dietary supplements, but rather the various drugs treatments available. Ivermectin is used successfully with foxes, including pregnant vixens. I treated one a year ago with bad mange. The result? 7 very healthy mange-free cubs.

[Squirrels]

Poor Fox! Because they're members of the dog family, they can easily get mange and if it's not treated by concerned humans it can often prove fatal, because the Fox scratches itself constantly which results in sore patches developing which then become infected and eventually kill the Fox. Why do these diseases exist - I'm sure animals would be much better off without them!

[bunnylover]

Originally Posted by Words

Bunnylover, all the veterinary sites I've looked at say that sarcoptic mange is eminently treatable in dogs. Also it's life-cycle is 2-3 weeks, so can be broken. The mite can also live off-host for a few days, so re-infection is a possibility (which is the main problem in treating wild foxes) but standard care of domestic pets is usually more than adequate.

The preferred method of treatment in domestic animals is not dietary supplements, but rather the various drugs treatments available. Ivermectin is used successfully with foxes, including pregnant vixens. I treated one a year ago with bad mange. The result? 7 very healthy mange-free cubs.

You treat the Fox it uses the same burrow or another Fox uses the same burrow. How do you catch the Fox????how long does it have to be in captivity to be treated????will this stop the spread to others once released??.Will this stop the others infected reinfecting thesame animal??If not how do you catch him again????
Assuming all this of course is scarcoptic mange and not follicular mange,how long does it take you to find all this out??While the Fox is kept in a cage ,scared.Mange is mostly common in areas of overpopulation,so the simple and most common sense answer is put the animal to sleep,and dispose of the corpse by incineration.

[Words]

Sarcoptic mange is more likely (adult Fox, significant baldness over rear flanks and back) but the treatment is the same anyway (ivermectin).

I agree that unless you have a good relationship with the Fox, treatment is tricky and may require capture. In my case, the foxes are so regular that it's possible to target feed if needed (I don't regularly feed foxes, but will target an ill one). No certainty that there won't be re-infestation, but to date the foxes we've treated have recovered and not been re-infested to our knowledge (they're regular so we can generally check). If we do have to treat again, so what? It's easy. It works. And as I say there haven't been signs of a major outbreak (eg the cubs around the adults have been fine).

This - by the way - is a heck of lot easier than trying to trap/kill a Fox. A major outbreak may well need a different strategy, but given an otherwise healthy Fox (possibly with young to feed) I can't see an issue with attempting treatment where possible.

[bunnylover]

How do you treat a Fox unless you trap him,then you ve no chance of a Fox getting trapped again??Just curious.

[Words]

Well for me it's either easy or impossible. With the foxes that let me photograph them, they are so familiar with me that feeding them is easy. It's then just a matter of waiting for the right Fox to show and telling it to wait (seriously) and getting the treatment from indoors. During treatment (4 weeks, once a week at weekly intervals) I feed the target Fox daily to keep an eye on it and get it used to coming for food. Feeding stops after the last treatment, other than the occasional tidbit if I want to get a close up photo.

If the Fox isn't co-operative there's not a lot I can do. But to an extent that's the same for trapping. If the animal isn't a regular visitor (ie you are on its main territory) treatment or trapping is going to be very hit and miss.

Out of interest are you in a rural or urban setting? I'm curious because I suspect the treatment debate is somewhat location-specific.

[bunnylover]

Originally Posted by Words

Well for me it's either easy or impossible. With the foxes that let me photograph them, they are so familiar with me that feeding them is easy. It's then just a matter of waiting for the right Fox to show and telling it to wait (seriously) and getting the treatment from indoors. During treatment (4 weeks, once a week at weekly intervals) I feed the target Fox daily to keep an eye on it and get it used to coming for food. Feeding stops after the last treatment, other than the occasional tidbit if I want to get a close up photo.

If the Fox isn't co-operative there's not a lot I can do. But to an extent that's the same for trapping. If the animal isn't a regular visitor (ie you are on its main territory) treatment or trapping is going to be very hit and miss.

Out of interest are you in a rural or urban setting? I'm curious because I suspect the treatment debate is somewhat location-specific.

I live on the edge of a small town,a lot of people hunt and shoot in the country side around our town and mangey foxes are a rarity ,i have only seen one in 15 years ,but i have seen some scabby scrawny looking foxes in town so i suppose if you live in town or are dealing with Fox in town the shootng ,hunting option is not an option.

[Words]

Well actually we're semi-rural, but the foxes are commonly seen in the built-up parts. It makes me wonder if mange is really related to over-crowding (rural foxes get it too), or whether it's simply that we see foxes more often in towns and therefore see more of the ones with mange. Not because there are more mangy foxes in town, but because there are more people around to do the seeing. I spend many hours out on the downs but have yet to see a Fox there. On the other hand I can look out of my window most nights and see them trotting along the pavement.

[bunnylover]

Originally Posted by Words

Well actually we're semi-rural, but the foxes are commonly seen in the built-up parts. It makes me wonder if mange is really related to over-crowding (rural foxes get it too), or whether it's simply that we see foxes more often in towns and therefore see more of the ones with mange. Not because there are more mangy foxes in town, but because there are more people around to do the seeing. I spend many hours out on the downs but have yet to see a Fox there. On the other hand I can look out of my window most nights and see them trotting along the pavement.

I was speaking mainly ,not just from observer but even as a hunter ,i have only came across a few and only even heard of a few in the country as such.I always assumed it was the dustbin feeding habits and rat feeding that was the main cause in towns,also the places they share with rodents ,only guessing though.

[Kerry]

Disease in any animal is down to susceptibility and in towns the foxes are more likely to be eating scraps, tinned food that people put out, etc thus making them less healthy. A country Fox is going to be eating a far healthier diet so will be less susceptible to ailments of any sort. The vit mix that was given will be improving the animals health by giving the nutrients that are lacking in the diet: healthier animal = less susceptibility to disease.