What are the treatment methods for fox skin diseases?

There are mainly two common skin diseases in foxes: one is mange; the other is fungal disease. Mange can infect any part of the body. Apart from hair loss, the affected areas appear grayish-white and shed large amounts of dander. Affected foxes show severe itching and pain; the lesions bleed from biting and rubbing, forming thick scabs, and the affected areas are irregularly shaped. Fungal infections cause only mild itching, and the affected areas mostly appear as round ringworm patches with clearly defined borders. After the scabs fall off, the skin appears bright red, moist, and erosive on the surface, often with residual hairs. If diseased material is collected, processed, and examined under a microscope, the two are easier to distinguish.

For the treatment of mange, avermectin (chongkexing) is the drug of first choice. Generally, 0.02 mL per kg of body weight is injected subcutaneously into the neck, once every 7 days, and 3 consecutive treatments can cure the disease. However, in recent years, judging from treatment results, foxes have shown a tendency to develop resistance to avermectin. Therefore, the dose can be considered slightly increased, such as 0.03-0.04 mL per kg of body weight, once every 5 days, with fairly significant results. Dectomax produced by Pfizer of the United States is more effective than avermectin in treating mange and has lower toxicity; generally, 1-2 treatments can cure the disease. After diseased foxes are found, they must be strictly isolated for treatment. After recovery, contaminated cages and housing should be thoroughly disinfected with flame, and quicklime should be spread on the ground for disinfection. If strict and thorough disinfection is not carried out, reinfection will occur.

Fungal infections do not respond to avermectin treatment. Oral griseofulvin is effective, and topical drugs such as nystatin and clotrimazole are all drugs of first choice.