Diseases Foxes Carry

Foxes are creatures of the wild that usually arise from the dog family. They are mainly found in wild areas and forests but sometimes can be spotted in urban areas looking for food such as small animals like rabbits. It is important to note that foxes rarely attack humans. In fact, they totally do not attack humans. A fox will usually run away when approached by humans as an act of protecting itself. It is considered reflex action. This is because many humans intend to hurt them with the assumption that the fox might attack or bite them. This is not true.



Wildlife rehabilitators who deal with wild animals and in this case foxes are usually aware of all the attributes of a healthy animals because it is their job to take in a sick animal and care for it, with the right medication, feeding and sheltering practices until the animals is back to full health. Animal scientists are also to determine an animal that is operating at full health because they have studied the animal anatomy and behaviour well. Therefore, wildlife rehabilitators and scientists are able to determine when a fox is sick and are also well aware of a sick fox’s behaviour. They are also knowledgeable about the health risks that foxes pose to humans in terms of what kind of diseases that foxes carry.

Just what diseases do these foxes carry? It is believed that because foxes are from the same family as the dogs, they carry the same disease as the dogs but rarely are they capable of transmitting the diseases to humans.

One of the diseases that foxes carry is known as Toxocariasis. This originates from the roundworm. The worms lay eggs inside the foxes and they release this disease to the soil through their waste products.

Another disease is Mange. This is a disease most common in foxes but the risk f humans getting it is very minimal because of less protracted direct contact between humans and foxes.

It is easy to identify symptoms of a sick fox.

    • A fox that will easily allow you to get close to it is sick because it does not have the energy to run away from you. It might be needing help.
    • If the fox is not responding to any touch i.e. if it is not moving any part of its body then it might be sick
    • The limbs might be damaged

    It is not easy to easily get hold of a sick fox because they are usually good adaptive creatures. It is advised however to maintain your distance when you see a fox because it might feel threatened and retaliate in rare cases. It might bite you or get into direct contact with you.

    Go back to the How to get rid of fox home page.

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