What can you do to prevent mange/ticks in Foxes?

 

What can you do to prevent mange/ticks?

Hayley de Ronde wrote a quite long post of treatment and what is/is not legal and she notes:

"Zoopharmacognosy or pharmacophagy (remedy-eating) is a behaviour in which non-human animals self-medicate by selecting and ingesting or topically applying plants, insects, soil or mineral stones/dust in order to prevent or reduce the harmful effects of pathogens, parasites and toxins.

Applied Zoopharmacognosy is the veterinary-supervised practice of utilizing plants, herbal remedies, essential oils, botanical preparations and tinctures in order to alleviate animal pain, injury and disease.

An example of zoopharmacognosy is when animals eat grass to induce vomiting or dust bathe to ward off parasites. Planting parasite-busting, immune-boosting plants in your garden can go a long way in helping your local wildlife to help themselves, without the need to seek veterinary advice.

Canid-safe, parasite-busting, immune-boosting plants:

Mugwort, Garden Cress, Dandelion, Broadleaf Plantain, Milk Thistle, Chamomile, Fennel, Turmeric, Chicory, Chervil, Carrot, Celeriac, Pumpkin, Wild Oats, Barley, Rye, Hibiscus, Blackberry, Rosehip, Wild Strawberry, Blueberry, Mulberry, Gooseberry, Juniper, Elderberry, Coriander, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Peppermint, Sweet Basil, Lemon Balm, Sunflower, Valerian and Dill.

Parasite-repelling plants:

Arnica, Aloe Vera, Astrenia, Anise, Wormwood, Rue, Rosemary, Chamomile, Fleabane, Fleawort, Sweet Bay, Mint, Lavender, Wild Garlic, Chives, Pennyroyal, Pyrethrum, Sage, Citronella, Marigolds, Scented Geraniums, Beebalm and Catmint.

Dust baths:

Mites are the most common ectoparasite found on wildlife and pets, but researchers from the University of California have devised a way for people to provide their animals some respite from the dreaded itch, by coming up with a clever way to control them - bags of brimstone. Using a large sand pit filled with bark and mulch, it could also work for foxes,

“Sulfur dust has been used for decades to control mites... The sulfur is usually provided to chickens in a “dust bath,” essentially a box of dust, which may contain fine dirt, sand, diatomaceous earth, insecticides and other powdery substances [e.g. charcoal/cool ash].”

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is made up of tiny fossilised water plants that are ground into a fine white powder that can be used orally, topically or environmentally. It is an eco-friendly, organic pesticide that works in a purely mechanical manner and because it is not chemical in its action, it has no chemical toxicity and parasites cannot build up a tolerance or immunity to it. However, if inhaled in large quantities it can cause irritation to the lungs, so use considerately and as directed by the manufacturers.

It is reported to kill 75% of flies and fleas that come in contact with it within 72 hrs and is effective for eliminating flies, fleas, mange mites, ticks, slugs and snails.

USING NUTRITION TO PROMOTE HEALTH

If you have sick foxes visiting your garden that you are unable to capture or treat, then providing the right supplementary diet for a short period, can go a long way to helping them fight off the problem.

Always seek advice from a veterinary or wildlife organisation before using diet to promote health and welfare in wild animals. This ensures animals do not suffer unnecessarily and that you are in compliance with the best practices available, which can only benefit fox welfare.

Parasite-busting, Immune-boosting foods include:

Manuka Honey

Honey has been used to benefit health for centuries and its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties have gained increasing scientific awareness in the light of increasing microbial resistance. Honey protects the body against damage caused by bacteria. Some honeys also boost production of special cells that can repair tissue damaged by infection.

Not all honey is the same however, the antibacterial quality of honey depends on several factors, some kinds may be 100 times more potent than others.

Pumpkin and Papaya Seeds

Pumpkin and papaya seeds are great parasite cleaners, containing the amino acids curcurbitin and carica, which work to paralyze and eliminate parasites from the animal's digestive tract. Feed the seeds whole or grind them up and add it to food.

For dogs, it is suggested to use one-quarter teaspoon of pumpkin seeds per 4kg of body weight, once or twice daily until the parasites are gone.

Probiotics

Probiotics are demonstrated to be efficient for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory infections, and allergic symptoms, and also can kill or inhibit pathogens by strain-specific mechanisms relying on competition, molecule secretion, and/or immune induction.

ProPlan’s Fortiflora is a complementary pet food with live probiotics, available from vets and pet stores. It contains live "friendly" bacteria that help maintain intestinal health and balance, and a healthy immune system. Provides palatability enhancement for animals with poor appetite and helps maintain faecal quality. Use as directed on the packet.

Please note that all indications do not preclude appropriate medical management, veterinary diets should always be used under veterinary supervision.

Protein Supplements

Oxbow Animal Health’s Critical Care (for Carnivores) is a complementary pet food with omega fatty acids and essential proteins, available from vets and pet stores for convalescing animals. To be used as directed on the packet.

Please note that all indications do not preclude appropriate medical management, veterinary diets should always be used under veterinary supervision.

Garlic and Sulphur Rocks

Garlic contains over 33 sulphur compounds and sulphur is known to aid in the treatment of mange. Must be used sparingly, as garlic can be toxic to animals in large quantities or concentrations.

A 2008 report published by the National Research Council, was unable to determine the safe upper limit of garlic intake for dogs, cats and horses, but it could “use available research to recommend a range of acceptable intakes according to historical safe intakes (HSI) and estimated presumed safe intakes (PSI)”.

Based on a clove weighing 3 g, the PSI for dogs 20-35kg, it is the equivalent to approx.1/2 clove per day. For a 5-6kg cat, it is 1/25 clove per day.

You can also try Sulphur Rocks, for use in an additional water bowl. A traditional product, used by generations of animal owners as a tonic. One tub contains small lumps of bright-yellow sulphur. Place one piece in the water of the animal’s drinking bowl and replace with a fresh piece every three or four days.

Oatmeal

Oats are classified as one of the world’s healthiest foods. “They are nutrient-dense and provide sustained energy. Even when oats are hulled, they still retain all their fiber and nutrients. Oats contain manganese, selenium, tryptophan, phosphorus, vitamin B1, dietary fiber, magnesium, and protein.

Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a special type of fiber called beta-glucan, shown to lower cholesterol, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, and supporting the immune system’s response to bacterial infections, viruses, fungi, and parasites.”

Mineral Blocks

Tick and Parasite Licks are natural mineral supplements containing a broad spectrum of nutrients to help keep an animal’s nutritional needs balanced. Incorporated into these supplements are unique and beneficial diatoms, (see Diatomaceous Earth, below). These natural remedies have proven beneficial in boosting an animals immune system and helping animals resist disease and parasites.

Activated Charcoal

Using charcoal for medicinal purposes has a long history, particularly for detoxifications purposes. More recently, activated charcoal has been used to treat toxic ingestions and continues to be a form of gastrointestinal decontamination for poisoned patients, both human and animal.

Activated charcoal is a great way to rid an animal of any toxins which they may have consumed. Activated charcoal binds to the toxic substance which decreases the risk of an animal suffering from any potentially poisonous or toxic substance.

Diatomaceous Earth

Medical researchers are gradually becoming aware of the nutritional importance of Diatomaceous Earth (DE). Silica is one of the most important trace elements in the body and is crucial for numerous bodily functions and aiding mineral absorption.

Diatomaceous Earth is an effective detoxifier and on a microscopic level, when ingested, these tiny, sharp particles move through the body's systems, attracting everything from bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses, endorphins, pesticide and drug residues. Use as directed on the product and product information leaflet."

I have to admit that I have changed my own policy on how to treat a fox with mange and no longer recommend homeopathic drops unless the advice and drops come from a source that has a vet approve the treatment.

Hayley has actually come in for a lot of nasty comments regarding her post but I can tell you that she is NOT anti-fox and is pointing out the law as it stands.

There are people who sell pharmaceutic treatments who are not veterinarians or qualified to do so. I get to see the disasters first hand. One person has tablets from someone to treat a fox with mange and because of the secrecy in feeding foxes does not know anpother lady to the rear of her property is also treating. In the end, after my advice was ignore, the fox got worse and Secret World had to trap, treat and then release the fox back to the original site.

I have seen people using drops that are not working and the foxes involved look as though they may be on the verge of organ failure. The people involved will NOT contact a rescue and believe it is a "super mange" -it is NOT. It is that the infection is too far gone for drops to help and rescue and treatment is needed.

I have no idea how many foxes die through being given a poor treatment or tablets someone sold them. I have two post mortem reports on foxes that died from mange and scabies -I often think that people need to see the post mortem photos that I get to see.

If we can cut back grass and plant the right things (I am already ordering plants mentioned) then we may be able to cut back the number of mange cases.

People on this group will have seen foxes with bad mange and some of you like me will have seen the sudden decline and horrible deaths. What smashed my face into a concrete wall was seeing a very young fox cub (a few weeks old) that I could not catch and realising that it was on its dying legs.

We are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers so, please, let's change our "fox habits" and see if we can do the right thing.

Hayleys full article can be found here https://onlinefoxforum.wixsite.com/foxes/forum/health-and-behaviour/homeopathy-and-foxes?fbclid=IwAR0JHhLgv1ZWqmQrtDINpEeSWy0omrjcZYgbdPxDnNSR-gN4SPrcGmEbHcs

Funding and the Need To Get It

 

I do not like talking money but there are times when you have to face the fact that personal pockets are not covering everything.

the British Fox Study (f. 1976) fought hard to get post mortems carried out on foxes that had died suddenly. Since 1976 all expenses came out of my pocket and that was about manageable but the new phase of work cannot really be covered "out of pocket".

Were we paying for the post mortems and tests thjen we would currently be looking at a few thousand pounds which, of course, would have meant no PMs were carried out.

The expense comes in the fact that we have one person who has to travel across the City of Bristol to check out any dead fox and ascertain that it does meet our criteria for PM. Petrol is not donated.

Then we have the problem of carcasse storage. Foxes are often found dead at the most awkward times -bank holidays, just before or over Christmas and so on. We cannot simply pick a dead fox up and drop it off. The first thing that happens is that I have to do the online paperwork then inform those involved that we have a fox. On a normal day we may have to wait a day and over bank holidays up to a week or more. By the time a fox was submitted it might be what we term "Well ripe and maggoty". No good for anything really.

We have asked naturalist groups and others in the City whether anyone has a chest freezer that they could store a fox in for a day or so and that request has received...no offers.

This means that we require a storage facility and we have asked whether anyone has a chest freezer to donate but the only response was an offer of one that did not work "but might if repaired" (ie: it was scrap).

That is one expense.

The other concerns DNA testing. I was hoping that some university able to afford to donate some free time to carrying out these tests might out there -the results could certainly result in a paper for someone at least. I have a container in my freezer (which my sister is not happy about) of hair samples. Back in the late 1990s Sir Alec Jeffries and Dr Esther Signer at Leicester University were carrying out DNA tests on UK "big cat" samples (a disaster as every idiot around submitted anything they could find) and that tyupe of thing might be useful for foxes.

We know that British foxes (not the EU imports) have a unique DNA. What we are looking for are any remnants of Old Fox in those found around the UK today -we know certain areas have EU fox DNA due to the past imports.

How are we going to get Old fox DNA samples? Well, the British Canid Historical Society has one of the finest Acquisition Managers (AM) you could ever hope for. Thanks entirely to the AM we have not just rare but some exceptional taxidermy specimens going back to at least the 1830s. There is no UK museum (I have checked with as many as I can find) with a collection of taxidermied fox (and NOT fox) masks and full bodies. It is unique and from these we hope that we might get samples for DNA -we (again) have checked and it is possible. But far more specimens are required so that the scientific research can be as thorough and accurate as possible and once and for all show that the Old Fox of the UK, isolated for millennia from Europe was unique -as should be original Irish foxes before importations.

That the AM has managed to negotiate and travel from one end of the country to the other by car to acquire these specimens is testimony to dedication. However, fuel and specimens cost money and there is only so much one person can buy.

The BCHS is not asking for funds so it can continue its jolly little hobby. In fact I hate even explaining why we need support. This funding is to get as clear a picture of Old Fox types and their uniqueness and to try to find out whether any of the Old Blood still exists. There has never been a project such as this before in the UK or Europe.

Taking the time to research and get professional opinions on fox health problems as well as treatments takes a great deal of time and we are lucky that we have Hayley de Ronde who specialises in this field.

If you take a look at the posts on this forum you will see -I hope it was obvious a long time ago- that the BCHS is not a "fluffy fox" group. It is a serious scientific one and has already made contact with mammalogists in other countries as part of its work.

If you are interested in foxes and finding out about them and their true history as well as what the Old foxes looked like or are a professional naturalist or zoologist then please consider donating towards the continued work.

THANK YOU