These are a common problem during warm weather. Adult female fleas bite foxes to obtain blood. They then lay eggs in cracks, etc. around pens and next boxes. These eggs hatch to small larvae which soon form into pupae. Any vibration will stimulate the new crop of fleas to hatch. The entire cycle takes about 14 days.
90% of fleas live in the environment and not on the host. Therefore, environmental treatment is as important as treating the animal. Fleas can be controlled by good sanitation and treatment. Other flea hosts on the ranch are often overlooked during treatment. These may include dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, etc. Bear in mind that the majority of fleas are in the environment and it should be treated equal or more aggressively than the fox itself.
Treatment with pyrithrins will kill fleas. Pyrithrin dust may be used in the bedding and nest boxes. Dusting should be repeated in two weeks to kill any fleas which have recently hatched and break the life cycle. 5% malathione can also be used in the same manner as pyrithrin, but not two weeks prior to or four weeks after whelping.
Fleas can spread disease, cause anemia and irritation in large numbers, so should be controlled.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service. Updated 8/16/12 by Hugh Hildebrandt DVM, Medford Veterinary Clinic.
These are insecticides in fairly common use. They will cause less of appetite and condition with terminal convulsions. A few years ago, these were used on baited corn to kill birds in Great Britain.Wild foxes eating dead birds showed the above symptoms and died. It would appear that foxes are quite susceptible to these poisons. They should not be used on the ranch close to foxes.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service.
There are two types of tapeworms of concern. Both can live as adults in the fox gut and pass eggs. Eggs are picked up by a second host. In one, Dipylidium caninum, this host is the flea larvae. Infected adult fleas are accidentally swallowed by foxes, this tapeworms develop in the gut. The second one, Taenia pisiformis, has a similar cycle except the second host is different. Eggs are picked up by rabbits and then form cysts around the liver. Once these cysts are eaten by foxes, the adult tapeworm develops in the guts.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service.
Figure VII. ...due to an all meat diet.
Calcium required for growth (seven to thirty-seven weeks of age) is between 0.5 percent and 0.6 percent of the dry diet. The ratio between calcium and phosphorus is omportant and should be about 1.0 to 1.0. Abnormal ratios will result in improper bone growth, even with adequate Vitamin D (Figure VII).
Symptoms include rear leg stiffness and walking on pasterns. Joints swell and leg bones become bent and crooked. Later, head bones swell as do muzzle and guns. Teeth become loose in their sockets.
The usual cause is an all-meat diet which is low in calcium and high in phosporous.
With a balanced diet, this condition will not be seen. Analysis of feed can identify calcium and phosphorous levels if a special request for this is made.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service.
Figure IX. Roundworm egg in feces magnified 300 times.
These are more common in young animals. They cause no major problem unless present in large numbers. Adult worms in the fox gut pass eggs in the feces (Figure IX). After several weeks of warm, damp weather, these eggs develop (embryonate) and become infective. If swallowed, they will tehn develop into mature intestinal worms in about three weeks.
The most serious risk is in young animals. Worm larvae will live in the tissues of vixens for several years. When females are pregnant, larvae migrate into the unborn young. There is little reaction unless very large numbers of larvae migrate. Then pneaumonia and liver damage will be seen. The migration allows infection to be established in young at an early age. Massive numbers of mature worms can be present by the time kits are three weeks of age.
Signs include poor fur and growth with a pot belly.
Worming can be done using a product such as piperazine. Young should be treated at least three times, several weeks apart. The first should be at about two weeks of age, then four weeks and, finally, at weaning. This is especially true if a problem exists. Adults may be wormed before breeding but this does not mean young will be free.
Alternative effective treatments would be Ivomec, Panacur or Strongid.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service. Updated 8/16/12 by Hugh Hildebrandt DVM, Medford Veterinary Clinic.
It must be high quality for growth. from seven to 23 weeks of age between 25 percent adn 34 percent is required (dry matter basis for analysis). After this, between 19 percent and 25 percent is required. Deficiencies retard growth, cause poor condition and lack of normal fur development.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service.
This was first reported on the Chastek Fox Farm in Minnesota in 1936. It is due to this vitamin being destroyed in the feed. Certain fish contain the destructive enzyme known as thiaminase. Common ones include smelt, alewife, sucker, saltwater herring and bullhead. Most saltwater fish such as cod, haddock, redfish and mackerel are safe to feed.
The enzyme can be destroyed by cooking fish at 100°C for 15 minutes. Positive fish should be avoided, if possible, although they can be fed 2-3 days per week if alternated with negative fish. Other items such as liver, meat, brewer’s yeast and wheat germ are high in thiamine.
Indirect deficiencies may happen if cod racks are fed and not cleaned. some stomachs contain thiaminase positive fish or shellfish so still destroy the B, when mixed in the ration.
The first symptom may be refusal to eat followed by staggering and death. Depression and weight loss are also seen.
Treatment is to inject vitamin B1. Rapid recovery is usually seen, especially in early cases. The source of the thiaminase must also be removed from the diet.
Fox Diseases. Novia Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and Marketing Livestock Service.
This is always a potential ranch hazard due to contamination of fish or meat. The cause is high levels of type A, C, or E toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. The toxin is made by bacterial growth in unfrozen or slowly frozen food. Poorly handled whale or seal meat is most likely to contain the toxin.
The symptoms are flaccid paralysis, abdominal breathing coma and death. Blue foxes appear more sensitive to the toxins.
Diagnosis is by laboratory tests on feed as well as typical symptoms before death.
Prevention is by vaccination. A mink vaccine which combines the toxoid with distemper is good. It should be given between eight and ten weeks of age or two weeks after weaning.
This disease is normally caused by Brucella abortus. It will result in abortions or still births. Diagnosis is by tests on fetuses and blood samples from involved females.
There is no trreatment, but animals with positive blood tests would be pelted.
This bacteria also causes Bang’s Disease or contagious abortion in cattle. This disease level is very low in the Maritimes, but is higher in Ontario. Infected cattle or any aborted fetuses should not be fed for this reason.
Any industry that involves animals being caged has been met with opposition. In recent years, millions of dollars worth of damage has been done to research facilities and large ranches. Attention has started to focus on the smaller ranches. GPS trackers and the Internet have made it easier for even the smallest of ranches to be located. It has become necessary for every ranch, large or small, to either upgrade or invest in some measure of security.
Your best tool against the threat of opposition is ethical ranch management and informing the general public. By following a code of ethics , becoming a certified ranch and taking excellent care of your animals by providing for each of their individual needs, you are giving the opposition fewer arguments to use in the case against fur farms. You can also support groups that promote the fur industry and spread the word about the ecological benefits of wearing fur which will in turn improve public acceptance.
In addition to ranch certification and public acceptance, some suggested security measures include: motion detectors with alarm, surveillance system, trail cameras, web cameras, baby monitors, guard animals within a perimeter fence, etc. Communication among ranchers is also vital. Ranchers need to share knowledge of break-ins, security tips, and any articles or websites that aid in keeping the ranchers and animals as safe as possible.
Fur Commission USA administers several farm security programs. If you would like more information, please contact FCUSA.
U.S. Fox Shipper’s Council And North Central Fox Producers. Standard Guidelines for the Operation of Fox Farms in the United States, 2006. USFSC and NCFP.
