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Symptoms:

Fox out during the day, but also laying in the sun, acting lethargic, eating under bird feeders, thin fur on tail, thin fur on body, crusty eyes, scratching a lot, shaking head as though there is a bug in their ear. Swollen, scaly feet, laying in baled hay, going into culverts. A limp in hind legs. Red foxes are not nocturnal, so there must be combined symptoms, not just being out during the day.

Baby foxes, especially those younger than 5 weeks of age hide signs of mange well, as the puppy coat doesn’t fall out, it is thick and you have to part it and look very closely. They will die quickly

What you can do right away:

Start conditioning the fox by putting out some dry cat food or dog food and hot cooked chicken in a spot where the fox will find it easily. 

If possible, turn home surveillance toward the feeding station or use a trail camera to see who eats the food, and if a fox, what time.  Foxes tend to keep a schedule. 

Treatment:

Quickest, easiest, most effective:  3-month Bravecto chew

A single dose of the three-month Bravecto (fluralaner) Chew for a 10 lb. dog wrapped in two Greenies hickory smoke flavor two capsule size pill pockets.  Form into a round meatball that can easily be tossed to the fox from a window, car, or left at a feeding station once fox is conditioned.  These meatballs are also easy to pick back up and try again later in case the fox doesn’t eat it.

Bravecto Chews are much more economical when a larger size is divided. Use a razor blade, cut at room temperature.  Wrap up the remaining chew in original container, then Ziplock bag. It can be refrigerated.  Take advantage of promotions and sales!

88-123 lb. will treat 12 foxes

44-88 lb. will treat 8 foxes

22-44 lb. will treat 4 foxes

9-22 lb. will treat 2 foxes.

Don’t refrigerate Pill Pockets, it will dry them out. Store in a Ziplock bag or covered container room temp.

By Prescription in the USA.  Most veterinarians won’t provide for a wild fox.  If you get some for your dog, chances are you can have enough to cut off enough for a 10 lb fox and have enough left over to protect your dog from fleas, ticks, and mites for three months.

Purchase Bravecto over the counter outside of the country without a prescription at :     bestvetcare.com

Troubleshooting tips

How do I make sure the fox gets it? This is why we use conditioning with food – dry cat food and hot cooked chicken.  Put it out in the early morning to reduce raccoon, opossum, skunks, etc from getting it. Use a camera, foxes will keep a schedule. If the fox is in a culvert or under a shed or deck, you can pt the medication-laced meatball underneath or inside the culvert with it.   Also, meds can often be tossed from a window directly to the fox. Meds can be tossed from a car window to the fox.   Pick them back up and try again if the fox gets frightened and leaves the area, not eating the meds.   

There is more than one fox.  How do I target the sick one?  Mange is very contagious, so they should all be treated if they’re coming for the same food.  Do the best you can, timing is the key. Foxes tend to keep a schedule. 

Should I trap the fox and relocate it? Relocating without treating will infect a new population. The fox in question will also die.  What if it has kits depending on it? Treat, and then if needed, use scare balloons to discourage fox from coming back.

Should I trap the fox and take it to a wildlife rehabilitator: What if it has babies? Also, stress from capture can cause a sudden downward spiral from shock and a quick death.  The fox has the best chance of recovery in its own environment.

Can my dog catch Sarcoptic mange from the fox? Your dog can catch Sarcoptic mange from the grass, like the fox did.  In order to catch it from the fox, it would have to have physical contact i.e. roll on a dead fox. Protection through the Spring and summer is a good idea. Bravecto, Nexguard , Simperica, Trifexis, Seresto collar all protect dogs from Sarcoptic Mange mites.  However, these meds don’t all necessarily cure mange in the fox, and multiple doses are generally necessary, i.e NexGuard needs three doses, one every two weeks for 6 weeks. 

Will the Bravecto kill my cats if they eat it?  Bravecto for dogs and cats have identical ingredients and are the same strength.  The fox is the same average size as a cat  (10 lbs)

What else can I use to put the medications in?  Anything that the fox can eat in a single bite.  Foxes love sweets too.  A marshmallow or glazed donut hole work nicely.  Some people say to use  hard boiled eggs, but these are too large and must be broken up to be eaten. The meds may fall out and go uneaten.   

How can I tell if my fox is getting better?  Fur may not grow back until fall, so look for spring in the step, clear eyes, being more skittish, and not being seen as much, less scratching and ear shaking  

Albino Red foxes are very rarely born in the wild in New York. This young male was having a difficult time, but we didn’t know why until we were able to catch him. He was extremely thin and had pneumonia. We treated his pneumonia and put weight on him, but were concerned about releasing him until we figured out why he was in such poor condition in the first place. After observing him closely on a camera and doing some simple tests, we came to realize that he has a hearing deficit. This would explain his poor condition, as Red foxes need to hear in order to locate their prey. As a little guy, he may not have been able to hear his momma calling to let him know she brought home dinner. He couldn’t hear insects, worms, frogs and small mammals scurry across the ground. We also noticed that he is very sensitive to the sunlight and is more nocturnal than any of the Reds foxes we have ever had. Because of this, the only time we really get to see him is when we use a motion-activated camera with night vision. Though fox ranchers commonly create white foxes and variations of white through breeding programs, a naturally occuring Albino fox is very rare in the wild, so we feel very blessed to have been able to save this little guy! He is the first we have ever seen or heard of in our over 30 years of working with wild Red foxes. We are unsure at this time if or when he may be released back to the wild. Much more evaluation has to be done

I am so excited that my friend Jack’s book “Fox World” is finally out! We met years ago when he contacted me about saving a beautiful Red fox who had Sarcoptic mange. Together we devised a plan to heal this fox, and the fox repaid him with the experience of a lifetime. The book just came out, and I promise you, it is magnificent. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for your nature-loving friends. https://www.foxworldnow.com/book.html

This female Fisher was very unfortunate. A tree fell on her in the woods and she was trapped for days. A man walking his dog found her, well, his dog actually found her. They called me, but were unable to find it again last night because it got dark. This morning they went out, found the Fisher and it was still alive. Unfortunately, the dog ran up and killed her before they could stop him. I have her body and am going to save her in my freezer and try to get a permit and have her mounted so I can use her for education.

Fishers are incredible athletes!  Look at her feet!

This gorgeous jet black male mink was caught in a trapper’s snare and suffered an injury to his right front leg. He was released when he fully recovered.

The weasel was released over the weekend. I’m sorry I don’t have pics of the release for you, but she was VERY wild and very elusive and I must respect that.

She entered life in the wild via a process called “Slow Release” where she is given the opportunity to familiarize herself with the surroundings in the safety of her cage, and then the door is opened and she is allowed the freedom to come and go as she pleases. Food, water and a familiar shelter for her were provided for her to come back to as needed. I won’t reveal the location, but it is excellent weasel habitat, loaded with mice.

Above are a couple photos of her being raised. As she became a young adult, her natural instincts began to reveal themselves and she did not want to be handled and began to become more secretive in her movements. Though followers would have loved to see her all grown up, my responsibility to her is greater, so that is why there were no more photos of her. I appreciate your understanding this.

One of the things that you will find we do NOT do here at Fox Wood is exploit our wildlife. We don’t get the donations that result from the exploitation of displaying animals in uncomfortable public settings or putting them on public display here at our facility. What we do here is strictly for the animals, not for the money, not for our ego’s. That is what sets Fox Wood apart. We rely only on donations from people who understand what we do and why we do it.

In May and June Fox Wood receives many calls from well meaning people who are worried about an “abandoned fawn”. It is important to know that fawns are born with a natural defense mechanism. When fawns are first born they have no appealing scent to predators and they have an amazing ability to lay perfectly still and quiet, allowing the fawn to hide in plain sight. The mother deer does not stay with her fawn because she does not want to alert predators to her baby’s location. She comes back to her fawn throughout the day and night, but only when it appears there are no humans or other predators around. She feeds and thoroughly cleans the fawn to erase any scent they may have. Instinctively the fawn knows that when mom leaves, it must lay very still and silent in the location mom left it. Since the fawn does not move and no mother is present, people often think it is abandoned. Because of this, healthy fawns are often “kidnapped”.

A doe may keep her babies in the short grass area, near your home, in your garden, etc. for the first 3 days, not in the woods where the predators are hunting. These first days a fawn can’t outrun a predator, so they go limp when someone picks them up. They are not dying, they are playing “possum” so you will not be interested and put them down. With twins, a doe will leave one baby in one place, and then 300-500 feet away, she will leave the other. She then goes off to the closest hiding area and forms a triangle so she can watch over both, unseen, until it is time to feed again. She will not let them travel with her until they are old enough to keep up with the herd, but she is never far away.

There are times when a fawn will not express normal fawn behavior. We will usually be concerned when we get a call about a fawn that is wandering around crying out. This is not natural behavior as it attracts predators. Diarrhea, flies, falling down, limping, twins together and obvious wounds are all signs of a fawn that needs help. If you suspect a fawn needs help, or just want to make sure a fawn is OK, you can contact us or your local  Conservation Office for direction. In closing, remember the fawn that is lying still in your yard or garden is just nature’s way of giving us one more reason to smile. The fawn will leave on its own in just a couple of days, so take a picture and leave the baby for its real mother