Treating Sarcoptic Mange in Red foxes

  I often get calls and e-mails from people who have a Red fox around that is acting lethargic or unfearful of humans.  They will stay close to houses and will eat under the bird feeders, seek refuge under decks and often lay in the hay in barns.  A scruffy, thin appearance usually indicates that the fox has Sarcoptic mange. 

Sarcoptic mange is the name for the skin disease caused by infection with the Sarcoptes scabei mite.  The mites are microscopic and can't be seen by the naked eye.  Female Sarcoptes mites burrow under the skin and leave a trail of eggs behind. This burrowing creates an inflammatory response in the skin similar to an allergic reaction.  The motion of the mite in and on the skin is extremely itchy, as is the hatching of the eggs. This creates further allergic reaction and more itching, loss of sleep and reduced immune response.  Loss of fur, scaly skin  and a general unthrify appearance is characteristic of a Sarcoptic mange infestation.  The condition worsens as a skin infection sets in.  The Foxes immune system is even more compromised and internal parasites (tape, hook and round worms) begin to take over and absorb any nutrients that fox may find.  Mangy foxes are usually starving in the late stages. 

These foxes are not a threat to people, dogs, cats, etc.  They are close to people and buildings because there may be easy food such as cat or dog food left out in dishes, bird seed, garbage, insects, worms, roadkill and a mouse or two.  They are also losing their ability to thermoregulate  and need protection from wind, shade, sun, whatever the present need of the body is.  Mangy foxes (and coyotes) often seek out a pile of hay to lay in. Hay seems to relieve the itchiness and provide a source of comfort.

Sarcoptic mange is treatable if the animal is treated in time before the process of organ failure begins. The drug of choice is inexpensive and easy to obtain. Although it is an "off-label use" according to the FDA, Ivermectin injection for cattle and pigs is a very effective cure for Sarcoptic mange in foxes.  This injectable solution works orally and can easily be slipped into food. The ivermectin also treats a lot of the intestinal worms and any ear mites. The catch is this: it kills the mites living on the skin but doesn't kill the eggs .  These eggs will hatch and reinfect the fox, so it has to be administered  many times to kill the mange mites that hatch after treatment.  I strongly recommend treating Red foxes very aggressively, giving them the Ivermectin every three days for the first three weeks. After the first three weeks, you can dose them every five days.  Be sure to treat them for at least 4-5 weeks.  A daily feeding station using dry cat or dog food can be set up  to facilitate the administration of tasty treats laced with ivermectin.  A spoonful of canned cat food, a hard boiled egg, a chunk of cooked chicken or a section of hot dog can easily be injected with the ivermectin.    

Figure your fox weighs 10 lbs, so give him 0.2 mL for each dose. Many people think they are much larger, but they aren't. For young foxes in April or May  you can cut the dose in half.  You will need a large needle to draw the solution out of the bottle because the solution is rather thick.  Ivermectin is a non- perscription product and available online through many livestock suppliers, such as Jeffers.com  Here is a link and a picture of the product I  recommend 

http://www.tractorsupply.com/ivomec-reg-ivermectin-1-injection-for-cattle-swine-50-ml-2207551

Tractor Supply Co stores (www.tractorsupply.com)  carry Ivermectin. and it is readily available online.  I recommend the 50 ml size 1% steril solution Ivomec Brand Ivermectin for cattle and swine as pictured above.  You will need to get a fat needle and syringe to draw it out of the bottle. Tractor supply Co sells vaccines that include a needle and syringe for administration, so you could spend a little extra on a vaccine and use that needle.  Some people have used the Ivermectin wormer paste for horses and say it works, though it isn't palatable  for the foxes and I personally have never used it. Use it as a last resort.  Don't use the  pour-on for liestock, as it would be toxic given orally!

Use 0.2 mL (or 0.2 cc)   Giving the solution orally (By mouth) in their food is safe and has a larger margin for error than injecting it in foxes.

Of course other wildlife might get to the food before the fox does, so try to use your judgment and administer it the best way that will target only the fox.  Placing a leaf or a little grass over the baited food will lower the risk of it being seen and eaten  by crows.  Using hard boiled eggs will decrease the chances of the food being eaten by cats. Ivermectin is a pretty safe drug and won't harm most wildlife.  Some breeds of dogs can be very sensitive to it, particularly the collie family and Australian shepherds . Don't use ivermectin if there is a chance a collie breed might eat the bait.   Use extra caution around domestic animals.  They use Ivermectin in third world countries to treat different things, such as scabies in humans.  Ivermectin is also used to treat dogs for mange.  It is also a good wormer for many animals. 

A topical product called Revolution can be obtained through your veterinarian and used to help prevent your domestic dogs from picking up mange in the grass surrounding your property.  I have found Revolution to be a very effective preventative for mange, but a very ineffective cure for mange, unless applied every two weeks during the month.  I apply Revolution to all my foxes just before they are released back to the wild as a preventative measure for them.  I have successfully used Revolution as a treatment on many  foxes and a dog that had mange, but it has to be applied every two weeks for at least 6 weeks in a row.  

Can people get mange? You bet, but it won't live and reproduce on your skin.  It will give you one heck of an itchy red allergic reaction if you are sensitive to mange mites though.   I have had it more than a few times. it won't bother some people, and others it will.  I happen to be one of those sensitive to it.  In fact, I have used my own skin reaction as an indicator of if an animal's skin condition is actually mange or not.  Often a veterinarians skin scrape can  miss the mites,  but, my skin doesn't.  I have diagnosed mange in fawns, coyotes, dogs, very young fox pups and other tricky things that a skin scraping  had missed.  I will share my personal mange experience in a future blog  :0)   

Comments

[Morgan06109]

Thank goodness I came upon this information. There's a poor hairless fellow hanging around my work. Animal Control just wanted to shoot him! I just put out a plate of dog food laced with Ivermectin. I pray I have helped him in time! Thank you so very much for putting this information out.

[Marg Wood]

I have been given 3 frozen mice injected with ivermetin from Sandy pines wildlife centre.
to treat a very small red fox pup with mange.1 a week for 3 weeks.I gave her/him 1 today. What does the first dose do and how long would it take to see an improvement? Thank you.

[Becki]

I just wanted to say thanks for such valuable information. I have a short success story for you, all thanks to the information I got here. We have a fox friend who has visited us since fall of 2011. In the spring of 2012 I noticed he was starting to look strange, weird scaly patches on his ears, hair falling in clumps from his body, puffy face and legs. I started searching the internet and ran across your site. I waited a little longer to be sure it was mange, sure enough it was. His tail looked like a rat's tail - long and skinny and no hair at all. I have pictures to send you if you'd like some before/during/ and after treatment. I gave him your recommended dosages for the entire time you suggested. I am happy to report he is almost back to normal now and the hair on his tail is full again. He even suprised us by showing us his new family of 3 kits and his wife (who are all very skittish). A million thank yous. It makes my heart smile to know our fox friend is able to see his offspring grow up and we are able to watch him play with his kits.

[Jill Jackson]

Can't thank you enough for this information! We have several foxes that travel across our property, and last week saw this unbelivably sad creature, unrecognizable as a red fox. Fortunately armed with info from your website we began a program of ivermectin in dose and timing you suggest. Hard boiled eggs seem the best tactic for the ivermectin dosage - crows/jays etc don't cart off the egg and we know a fox got the dose. Understanding their inability to hunt effectively with advanced mange, we instituted a daily feeding with plenty of kibble, canned dog food and fresh water at 2 feed stations to make sure there's enough for our variable fox population. Such a simple and humane approach! We are truly grateful to be able to help our little mangey fox tackle this horrible infestation. After a week she already looks better and more robust, although seeing how bad she looks now, even with her red coat growing back in, helps us understand how bad off she initially was and how far she's come. Heart felt thanks!

[Ronald Liss]

Why can't Durvet Ivermectin 1.87% be used on foxes. If I am careful with the amount I use will this be acceptable.
thanks, Ron

[Ronald Liss]

Why can,t I use the Durvet Ivermectin Paste (1.87%) mixed with cat food?
You can try that, though there may be palatability issues with pastes. let me know how it works

[ellen levine]

i have a fox with moderate mange that i am trying to give the ivermectin to, a local vet gave me 3 doses one per week, in the hopes i can trap him in that time and will take him to a wildlife rehab about 2 hours away.
i have the first dose in a ball of raw beef and kippers, on top of raw chicken and some dry cat food which he has been eating for the last couple of weeks,it is placed on a dish at the entrance of an open ended racoon cage. it has now been there for 24 hours.
i have crows squirrels woodpeckers and bluejasy and other small wildlife as well as a stray cat, i put peanuts and dry cat food out eveyday and he has been eating it during the day.
how can i get this fox to eat and not poison any other creature. how can i trap him?
i am so worried about her, it is a miserable death, i live in eastern canada where we still have 2 more months of winter.
she has classic mange signs, mussle ears tail and haunches and eyes but still lots of fur on belly and back and legs,
any advise on feeding trapping would be greatly appreciated.
but if i can get the medicine in to her i would even consider doing it weekly till she improves
thank you
ellen.
Comment From Elise: The Ivermectin is very safe and won't "poison" any other creature. Drizzle the ivermectin on the food you are feeding the fox. But, you need more Ivermectin than the vet gave you. Put it on the food every three days for at least 3 weeks. that way, if something else eats the food on a few days, the fox will still be getting what it needs. to clear up the condition. Foxes are very wary and difficult to get in a box trap. Keep your trap set, but also keep feeding and medicating the fox

[vicki]

please help , my 14 yr old collie has contacted sarcoptic mange has been treated but is now covered in a yeasty skin infection and my vet really is unhelpful , i am desperate and she is close to being put to sleep , am heart broken , the derbishire fox rescue have sent medicine through the post but i feel it may be too late please help . ps i live in the uk, thank you.

[katie]

Hi i'm worried about a small mangy fox in my garden. i live in the UK and can't find ivermectin but can get ivomec for cattle- is this the same stuff?
Many thanks

[Melanie Tilghman]

Regards!

I wanted to thank you for the information you posted on this site, and for assisting me in helping our local fox. When I first started treated the fox, it was totally devoid of fur. It has been over 10 weeks, and through careful administration of the ivermectin, our fox, his wife and young child now all are beginning to grow fur coats once more. They are more difficult to catch sight of these days at the feeding station, as the healthier they get, the stealthier they appear to become as well. We are delighted that we have been able to help this young family become healthier, and that they will all have fur once more before winter.

Once again, thanks so much for your shared information, supplier information, and for taking time out of your hectic schedule to answer my initial questions. The only question I have remaining is whether these foxes are now dependent on us for their regular meals (they come nightly), as it would help as far as dog food bag planning (they love the chicken and rice Pro Plan kibble)?

Though I have been unable to catch a picture of the family once again growing their fur, I do have pics of the original "naked" fox should you desire to see how he started out with us.

[501 (c) 3 Not For Profit]

The Ivermectin would be a good wormer for the cats. It wont hurt them at all

Elise Able

East Concord, NY

http://foxwoodrehab.typepad.com/

[Emily]

Will Ivermectin harm the stray cats that I also feed. We've watched the fox's health deteriorate rapidly. It doesn't even look like a fox anymore. It almost looks blind. I wish I could catch it to have it put down. It breaks my heart.

[Keith]

There are no foxes or coyotes where I live, but instead of people calling them "chupacabra's", they should be trying to treat the mange in these native animals. Why let an epidemic like this kill innocent creatures when locals or any rangers can try to help rehabilitate them.

[Amymichel]

Thanks so much for this article. I know of at least one fox who lives in the cemetery where I walk my dogs, and is displaying classic signs of mange. Thanks to this article, I have ordered the ivermectin and am in the process of cooking chicken livers to medicate and leave out in a place only the foxes can access. One question, though: can ivermectin be toxic to foxes with heartworm, or is this a chance one should take? Anyways, I really appreciate all of the information. I will do my best to get pictures.

[Christine O'Keefe]

I can't seem to find the .27% solution on the Jeffers website - just a 1% solution. Am I reading this incorrectly? If you can let me know exactly which product I should buy for treating our foxes, I'd appreciate it! And thank you so much for your website! Great to know someone cares and offers a solution other than having the animals shot!
Chris

[LInda Izett]

A mother fox was killed on my road in May in Berwyn, PA. My neighbor and I have been feeding the six babies for 3 months. We have used ivermectin on all of them with success but our runt still has mange. The other 5 are hunting and just having a snack with us. We hope they will disperse in the fall. We are going to try to up the dosage of ivermectin in hopes of curing our last one who is still small, mangy, and very dependent on us.

[LInda Izett]

A mother fox was killed on my road in May in Berwyn, PA. My neighbor and I have been feeding the six babies for 3 months. We have used ivermectin on all of them with success but our runt still has mange. The other 5 are hunting and just having a snack with us. We hope they will disperse in the fall. We are going to try to up the dosage of ivermectin in hopes of curing our last one who is still small, mangy, and very dependent on us.

[Linda Baker]

I am just beginning an Ivermectin treatment for some mange infested fox which are frequenting my yard. What is the likelihood of the rabbits and birds and (me?) contracting this mite from the fox being in the yard?
Thank you for the great info in your website. Without it I would not know what to do for these suffering animals.

[James crawford]

I live on a farm in Michigan and have a fox den under a barn the a mother and three kits the mother had mange some guy spotted her and came to the house and said I had to shoot her I told him to leave her alone the S.O.B must have came back and shot her skined her and through her pelt in my driveway Iam just sick its A fruit farming area and fox are beneficial well there are still three kits I fed them some dog food is this the right thing to do what should I do I whish I got that guys plate number when he pulled out of my driveway Iam very angry I never seen him before In my life thats crazy I guess my question is will it be alright to feed them and if so should I put a half dose of Ivermetin In food

[Bob in Boston]

This is great. My in-laws have a family of foxes near their house in the Rocky Foothills (Colorado). A number of the foxes have developed mange, hopefully this will help them if we can get the treatment going. They are such beautiful animals, a shame to see them go sick and suffer. Thanks again!

[cson johnson]

thank you for this detailed information. we have had fox with mange on our property and yes, being a rabies vector species no one wants to trap and get them to rehab, just euthanize. we have been treating our fox with ivomec injected into a hard boiled egg and she has no problem accepting the snack. we set up a "feeding station" of sorts (raised up off the ground) and though we have no positive results yet, i will be looking for them.

[Nicole Macleod]

I have a fox as well in my yard and it comes very close to my kids and everything around here. I can see that she is in trouble. As a human i feel it is my job to help out, and so that what i have done. I called for help for the fox. Now I'm waiting for the help!!

[Gary Morgan]

Thanks so much for the info. on ivermectin, I just got back from tractor supply and have put out a plate for a very sad looking red fox with a pretty bare looking tail. I am not sure how long I should do this for and would appreciate it if someone could advise me. Thanks, Gary.

[Rob Wilson]

I have a mangy fox in our yard that I thought I would treat. I see the 0.2 ml ivermectin advice but not the frequency. On another site, I saw a recommended treatment of once a week for 5-6 weeks. Is that right?

[Wendy Graziani]

We have a fox on our farm that definielty has Sarcoptes. I am a vet so we are going to treat it with Ivermectin. Thank you for your article, it was very helpful.

Dr. Wendy Graziani
Friendsville, TN