The Urban Fox

The fox may bring life and colour to an urban neighbourhood but they can also be a nuisance.

The urban fox can carry a range of diseases and can play havoc in your garden. They may also pose a danger to your pets.

The Pest - Go can offer advice on fox control methods and prevention. Some simple guidelines are below.

 

 

 

Foxes can be a nuisance

• Foxes may overturn bins or rip open plastic refuse sacks, spilling the contents. 
• Foxes may leave faeces in gardens or disturb flower beds. 
• Nocturnal screams and barking may cause disturbance. 
• Foxes may kill domestic pets, such as rabbits, small kittens and guinea pigs.     

Foxes and Disease

As foxes are part of the dog family, they can harbour many of the contagious diseases which can often affect the health of pet dogs.

Most foxes have a variety of fleas and ticks but the most common disease which foxes are likely to transmit to man is toxocariasis.

This is caused by a parasitic roundworm in the fox, toxocara canis, which can cause blindness in young children. The roundworm is excreted in the faeces and may be ingested by a child who comes into contact with this.

Fox faeces should be removed and it must be ensured that children wash their hands before they eat.

 

 

What diseases do foxes carry and spread?

Foxes carry many diseases that can infect both native wildlife and domestic animals (and particularly dogs), including hydatids, distemper, parvovirus, canine hepatitis, heartworm and sarcoptic mange.

In Europe, the fox is a major carrier of rabies. Should rabies ever be introduced into Great Britain, foxes would play a key role in its spread and make eradication of the disease very difficult.

 

Toxocariasis

Toxocarosis, Visceral larva migrans, Ocular larva migrans, Covert toxocariasis, Toxocara canis, Toxocara catis.

Human toxocariasis is a helminthozoonosis caused by migration of Toxocara larvae through human tissues.

• The usual pathogen is Toxocara canis, which is a gut nematode (roundworm) similar to the human parasite Ascaris lumbricoides.

 

• Its primary hosts are foxes, dogs and cats.

 

• Humans are an incidental host and do not form part of the worm's life cycle.

 

• The commonest route of infestation in foxes or dogs is transplacental, leading to a high presence of the pathogen amongst young cubs or puppies.

 

• Despite cases of illness due to T. catis (which can be difficult to distinguish from T. canis as they share many common antigens), the importance of this zoonosis has yet to be fully established.

 

• The appeal to young children of puppies, 'mouthing' of objects, and immature hygiene behaviour put them at particular risk.

 

• However, direct contact with the animal is not a route of infestation as it takes two weeks for embryonisation of the shed ova.

 

• Larvae hatch out in small intestine and migrate via liver and lungs to other tissues, though they never mature in humans.

 

• In most cases the larvae is probably eliminated, but in some a surrounding granuloma may form.

 

• Rarely, T. catis can mature in humans and be transmitted by vomit or faeces.

 

• However generally patients with adult T. catis don't have antecedent symptoms, eosinophilia, or antibodies, suggesting that they are acquired by ingestion of adult worms or advanced larval stages from cat vomit or faeces.

 

Weil's Disease (Leptospirosis)

Foxes can also contract Leptospirosis and transmit where disease causing bacteria via their urine which can be transmitted to humans.

Hydatid Disease

The term Hydatid disease describes infection with the larval stage of the cestode (or tapeworm) Echinococcus spp. There are 4 known species of which 3 are of medical importance to humans:

• Echinococcus granulosus, causing cystic echinococcosis (CE) - most common of the three

 

• Echinococcus multilocularis, causing alveolar echinococcosis (AE) - rare but is the most virulent

 

• Echinococcus vogeli, causing polycystic echinococcosis - very rare

Transmission is from eggs found in faeces of fox and accidentally swallowed, usually by children. Larvae develop over many years to form fluid-filled cysts in various organs, particularly the liver. Cysts can grow to considerable size and contain a large amount of fluid and vast numbers of infectious scolices.

Foxes and mange

This is caused by mites and results in irritation or loss of hair. Foxes can pass mange on to dogs if they frequent each others' living space.

The mites live and breed in the skin of foxes and dogs. These mites can bite humans and cause skin irritation, but they cannot live or breed on human skin.

Excluding the foxes and veterinary treatment for the dog will solve the problem in most cases. 

Approved methods of fox control include trapping and shooting.

 

 

 

 

Prevention Guidelines

• Do not leave food out. This could also encourage rats as well as foxes. 

 

• Control the disposal of waste food on compost heaps. Use a compositor bin.

 

• Make sure that household waste is properly disposed of, stored in lidded bins prior to removal. 

 

• At night make sure domestic pets are securely fastened in a hutch or cage which is well above ground. 

 

• Fox-proof fencing is also available although it is expensive to install. A specialist fencing contractor should be consulted.

 

• Never touch foul fouling or a dead fox carcase without appropriate Personal Protective Equipment. 

Questions and Answers

Should I feed foxes?

No. This will encourage them into your garden, which can cause problems for you and your neighbours.  Foxes, like other wild animals, are well equipped to survive without our help in this way.

Should I rear an orphaned cub?

Do not be tempted to raise a cub yourself. Sometimes a cub is left behind when a vixen is moving her cubs from one site to another; if the lost cub is left alone she will often transfer it the following night. If you find this does not happen, contact the RSPCA who will be happy to help.

Can I breed a fox with my dog?

It is a myth that foxes will breed with a domestic dog although it might be feasible for a dog and a fox to mate. However, disparity in chromosome numbers means it is unlikely that there could be a successful outcome.

The biology of foxes 

January: The mating season. Peak dispersal period.

February: Vixen looks for breeding earth. Dispersal period ends.

March: Birth of cubs. Dog fox brings food to earth for vixen.

April: Cubs first emerge from the earth. Adults start to moult.

May: Cubs eating solid food. Adults busy hunting for cubs.

June: Breeding earth abandoned. Vixen finishes lactating.

July: Cubs lie up in brambles above ground. Adults bring cubs less food.

August: Cubs able to forage for themselves. Adults may lie up away from cubs.

September: Cubs full grown and indistinguishable from parents.

October: Moult completed in adults. Fox family group starts to break up.

November: Much more fighting between all foxes. Some sub-adults disperse.

December: Foxes very vocal and active defending territory as mating season approaches.