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LAURENCE PRINGLE'S BLOG

A Mangy Fox Saga

In the fall I began to see a red fox, and he did not look good. (I knew it was a "he" canine because of the way he peed.) He had mange, a terrible affliction that can cause a fox, dog, or other canine to lose much or all of its fur. Mites burrow in the skin. Feces and eggs (from the female mites) are in the skin, and guess what: it feels awful. So the canine can't sleep, and scratches and scratches. It can practically scratch itself naked. Our local fox was naked on its tail and rear, including all of its back legs.

Curious about mange, I did some research--and learned that a wild fox can be cured of mange! This involves having the fox come for food frequently, and giving it meat or other food with anti-mite medication in it. Mangy foxes are not good hunters so I was able to start feeding "our" fox every night. On Feb. 2 it had its first dose of medicine. It has had 14 doses since, now only once a week because all mites (and those that hatched from eggs) are almost certainly dead by now.

We see new hair growth on its rear, and hints of hair growth on its tail. But a full fox tail has hair at least 6 inches long, so months may pass before the fox looks totally healthy. We hope he'll still be around, deep in the summer, and we can see the glorious banner of a full tail. Ever since I wrote The Secret Life of the Red Fox I have been very fox-conscious. You could say that I'm a fox-lover.  Read More 
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