What is it and what can be done?
Fox with Mange!
Emergency!
If you have found a collapsed or severely injured fox, get help now!
If you have come across a fox that is suffering a medical or traumatic emergency, contact your nearest rescue for help!
Contact our rescue for any local emergencies by using the ‘contact us’ section on our website.
If you’re not in our area, use the wildlife directory to locate your nearest rescue!
What is Mange?
Mange is a skin disease caused by parasitic mites that significantly affects foxes, leading to various health issues. Infected foxes often experience severe itching and discomfort, which can result in excessive scratching and grooming, leading to hair loss and skin infections. The lack of insulation from fur can also leave them vulnerable to harsh weather conditions. Additionally, mange can lower their overall health, making it difficult for them to hunt effectively, find food, and reproduce. Consequently, mange can lead to population declines in affected areas, as the disease weakens the individuals and reduces their survival rates.
Can foxes be treated for mange?
Yes!
Once captured mange is treatable. Initially, affected foxes are assessed for the severity of the infestation at rescue or at a veterinary practice. The treatment includes the administration of antiparasitic medications and potentially antibiotics for any secondary infection. It is crucial to provide supportive care, including proper nutrition and hydration, to help boost the fox's immune system during the recovery process. In some situations, affected animals may also require topical treatments to alleviate skin irritation. Continuous monitoring is essential to prevent reinfestation and to assess the animal's overall health, ultimately aiding in their successful rehabilitation and return to the wild.
Does the fox need to be caught for treatment?
To treat mange effectively, veterinary medications will need to be prescribed for the fox by a registered veterinary surgeon. As the drugs used for treatment aren’t licenced for foxes, or are legally allowed to be administered to a fox unless a full examination has been carried out by an 'attending vet', it isn’t possible to provide prescription treatment for use ‘in the field’.
What about homeopathic treatments?
For minor cases of mange, some organisations may recommend the use of Homeopathic treatment arsenicum 30c and sulphur 30c or psorinum 30c given on a daily basis.
Homeopathic potions have little scientific backing, but we must recognise that feedback received is often positive in minor cases. It’s not known if it’s a direct result of the homeopathic treatment, or weather it’s part of an improved diet alongside the fox fighting off the mange on their own, but as long as the animals welfare isn’t compromised, you can get ‘treatment’ such as this from organisations such as The Fox Angels Foundation, The Fox Rescuers, or Derbyshire Fox Rescue.
How do we capture foxes for treatment?
Our rescue uses two humane traps to capture sick or injured foxes.
Due to our limited capacity as a small rescue, we have to prioritise the worse cases first. We have a strict criteria that must be met, alongside a site visit to ensure trapping is the best welfare decision for the safety of animal, and any other wildlife in the area.
Our traps are monitored by 4G CCTV cameras, which alert us as soon as an animal enters the trap. This ensures that there in no delay in getting the animal help once trapped.
If you’re in an area with a high density of wildlife, trapping may not be appropriate, as they are not selective about the animal they capture. It is also harder to set traps in peak season, such as summer, as we are a small rescue dealing with multiple species.
We do not trap during the mating or cub season.
Treating a mangy fox in their food…
There are still some groups who may disregard the legal and ethical dilemmas and continue to provide prescription treatment, often this will be ivermectin dosed over a period of days without knowing vital information, such as the animals weight or other health concerns.
Often, this will result in gaps between treatment, and under, or over dosing medication. This can lead to medication resistance, which is a major concern within the profession at the moment.
Some medications are also toxic, not only towards the environment, but could present significant hazards towards other animals, such dogs, cats, hedgehogs, as foxes are known to store food away. Which could be picked up by any other animal unintentionally.
Mange treatment is certainly a difficult process, not for treatment, but for the legal and ethical decisions that form what the “right” thing to do is.
Who should I call for help?
For any collapsed, unresponsive, severely injured/mangy foxes, or for general advice, your local wildlife rescue or vets will be your first point of call!
In Lincolnshire, you can find your nearest rescue on our website, CLICK HERE.
For rescues further afield, CLICK HERE.
For further help and advice about mange, you may consider speaking to a ‘species specific’ rescue, such as: