One Sick Fox

allen griggs

I am doing work on the roof of the rental house. This is in a suburban neighborhood in Asheville NC.
Yesterday morning, I was going to lunch. In the middle of the neighbor's yard, I saw a fox. He had lost most of the hair of his tail. Much of the hair on his body had fallen out. I could see his ribs sticking out.
He was in the middle of the yard, on a bright, sunny day. I watched him for a minute, and he ran into another yard. I got out there and knocked on the door. I wanted to warn the people, and also to call 911, I don't have a cell phone. The people were not home, but I was 30 feet from this animal. He stood there looking at me for 3 minutes. Then, he jogged off into another yard.
There is a good crop of mice and rabbits in this neighborhood this year, yet this fox is starving. I know foxes to be some of the most elusive creatures in the woods. I have never seen one standing out in a suburban yard in broad daylight. This fox was obviously very sick. Had I seen him near my own house, out in the country I would have shot him right away.
I did call animal control from the rental house. They sent someone out, in an hour and ten minutes. The animal was long gone by then.
What do you suppose was wrong with this fox? Could it have been rabies?

MVP

Could have been with the mouse problem you mentioned there are people using Dcon to poisin the mice and the Fox ate a few of the poisined mice? It is a slow death to the fox if he did eat poisined mice.

JamesRK

What you describe sounds more like mange, but I wouldn't take chances. Could be both for that matter. The biggest favor anybody could do for that fox would be to put him down.

bigtire

Last spring I saw a very healthy looking red fox trotting down our suburban neighborhood sidewalk one morning. Lots of rabbits in the neighborhood for them to feast on. I guess they are adapting and becoming less shy.

duckhunter

Sounds like mange

dheffley

Doesn't sound like rabies, but does sound like scarpotic mange. Doesn't sound like it needs killing, just weak and loosing it fear. Also, sounds like he was not agressive.

Tailgunner1954

This little guy stops by most every evening, he hangs out on the lawn for a while, than goes out into the pasture and hangs out with my horse (they seem to have a understanding "you don't eat my grass, and I won't eat your mice").

MVP

Cool pic Tailgunner1954[8D]

JustC

yep,..it's the mange, seen that before. Do him a favor and kill him,..he is miserable.

11b6r

Used to have an office in Aurora CO. 6 story office- everything else around us was 1-2 stories- so we could look down into the empty field between us and the housing devlopment- and watch the momma fox and her kits that lived there. No one else ever saw them due to tall grass. About 100 ft from the nearest house, in an urban area. Go figure.

GuvamintCheese

Very nice photo tailgunner! Thank you.

Captplaid

THis looks like a good excuse to show of a picture of my first kill from the house. Shot this bad dog from the deck off the kitchen. Saw him from the office, called him back towards the house. Iowa knew something was up and did not like it. He barged into the bathroom while Mrs. Plaid was taking a shower. Mrs. Plaid then found him waiting for her on the bed. Our dog never jumped on the bed.

7MM Browning left a big hole.

Mange.

JamesRK

Mange is treatable, but it takes about four months and requires a cooperative animal. Also the treatment can kill the animal.

Jorge

The erratic behavior in the fox leads me to believe the possibility of something much more dangerous than sarcoptic mange: rabies.