Thursday, 15. March 2007, 23:40:39
mange, fox
The old fox has been paying fleeting visits this week, but tonight he kept still long enough for me to get a better look at his coat to see how he's recovering from the mange. His tail is still fairly bony, but the covering of hair on his flanks is now quite extensive, and the striations on his side have diminished.
You can see the improvement in these two photos taken a month apart:
15 February 2007
15 March 2007
And a more flattering view from tonight
Monday, 26. February 2007, 23:42:22
mange, fox
As promised, a quick update on the foxes. Both of them showed up tonight after a weekend of complete (visible) absence. The youngster's visit was fleeting and he was gone before I had even thought about the camera.
The older fox stayed around for a few minutes and I had a good opportunity to see how his coat is recovering from the mange. It's doing well, and there's a distinct thin fuzz growing back on his legs. Given a little bit of time, he should be back to his former glory.
No sign of the vixen since the brief sighting a week or so back, but I suspect she's around. If last year's calendar is anything to go by, the cubs will be born in the next couple of weeks. It will be about a month later that they emerge from the earth.
Thursday, 15. February 2007, 22:35:52
mange, fox, newt
I was beginning to wonder how this week would go. I was outside watching the newts and seeing if I could spot the one in yesterday's photo. I think she's pregnant, judging by her abdomen which is somewhat rounded.
I'd just taken a couple of shots, including the one above, when who should show up but the dog fox. He's not due for his fourth dose of ivermectin until the weekend, but I was beginning to wonder where he'd got to.
It's difficult to judge how he's getting on. The mange treatment hasn't been as regular as it should be, which means there's a risk of re-infestation. Mind you, he hasn't been scratching at all while he's been around, so that's a good sign. And the bare skin is darkening which may be the start of hair growth. Another good sign. On the other hand the upper part of his tail looks slightly the worse for wear. His face is still clear.
So to the photos...
Signs of hair growth?
His face is fine
Not so fine at the other end though
But always the fox...
Sunday, 11. February 2007, 10:37:13
mange, fox
Well you could set your clock by him. Just after 1.20am the old fox popped into the garden. This time I managed to get to the back door before he disappeared. So he's now had three does of ivermectin over a four week period. Ideally I'd like to get one more dose in him.
As for his condition, it's no worse than before. The tail is still down near the bone in places and much of his rump is bare. The upper body looks reasonably healthy though so there hasn't been any significant spread. The wet weather (it was raining when he showed up) doesn't offer the best conditions for judging how he looks. The rain flattens and darken the coat, and I was taking photos from inside the door.
Eating the medicated food
Face and upper body looking good
Plenty of bare patches though
Friday, 9. February 2007, 20:56:00
mange, fox
Just a brief update. The old fox we're treating for mange is still around. I happened to glance out of the window and saw him in the garden. He had disappeared round to the front by the time I got to the back door, so no treatment. From what I could see out of the front window as he trotted across the road into another garden (it was dark, I was tired, he was moving away) he's as mobile as ever and still has some form to his brush. That's good. His rear flanks showed up as pale under the street lighting but it's difficult to tell whether this was a trick of the light or signs of spread. With any luck I'll get a better view over the weekend.
He seems to show between about 11.30pm and 1.30am (which may be why we've missed him), so it's back to some concerted late night watching. Going to play havoc with my sleep patterns.
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