Prevention and Treatment Methods and Key Technical Points for Common Diseases in Foxes and Raccoon Dogs
From July to September, breeding foxes and raccoon dogs enter the recovery period, and the young enter the growing period. The common diseases in this period are mainly the following.
(1) Heatstroke (sunstroke and heat exhaustion) This disease occurs in the midsummer season, when the temperature is too high and ventilation is poor, and the animal is exposed to direct sunlight, causing brain overheating (sunstroke) or the whole body being stimulated by heat (heat exhaustion). It usually occurs rapidly, and the mortality rate is very high.
Foxes and raccoon dogs have extremely underdeveloped sweat glands and dissipate body heat slowly, making it very easy for their body temperature to rise, with listlessness, swaying gait, a fainting state, vomiting, difficulty breathing, open mouth and protruding tongue, continuous gasping, cyanosis of the visible mucous membranes, and finally coma, convulsions and death. After death, there is mostly cerebral congestion and pulmonary hemorrhage.
When this disease occurs, the animal farm must immediately take cooling measures, such as watering the ground and strengthening ventilation facilities. Sick animals should be moved to a cool, ventilated, shaded place; cold compresses should be applied to the head; when cardiac function is insufficient, 1--2 milliliters of Qiang'erxin can be injected intramuscularly; for cages in sunny locations, measures such as shading, ventilation, and sprinkling cool water on the ground or on the cages should be taken.
(2) Gastroenteritis The main causes are improper feeding and management, sudden replacement of feed or feed spoilage, drinking and feeding utensils not being cleaned and disinfected for a long time, unclean drinking water, and excessive feed intake; in addition, long-distance and long-duration transport can cause extreme fatigue in animals, leading to reduced body resistance and the occurrence of this disease; canine distemper, Pasteurella, Escherichia coli and other diseases can also cause secondary gastroenteritis.
The clinical manifestations are reduced appetite at the beginning, sometimes vomiting, and complete loss of appetite in the later stage, congestion of the oral mucosa, dryness and fever, listlessness, and unwillingness to move. The abdomen is tucked up, with an arched back, increased bowel sounds, diarrhea, and excretion of egg-white-like grayish-yellow or grayish-green loose stool; some also pass bloody stool, and the hair around the anus and perineum has loose stool attached and is dirty. In the later stage, there is severe dehydration, sunken eyeballs, messy hair, lethargy, convulsions and death.
When a large number of animals in the herd are affected, adverse factors should be removed from the daily ration. Protective dietary therapy should be adopted: the initial feed amount should be smaller, and after improvement it should gradually reach the normal amount; if conditions permit, fresh milk or milk powder can be fed; when necessary, tetracycline or chloramphenicol, etc., can be added to the feed, 2 times daily, 25 milligrams each time. Streptomycin or neomycin, about 10,000--20,000 international units, can also be dissolved in water and poured into the water box for them to drink on their own. For severe cases, sulfaguanidine can be given orally, 0.1--0.2 grams per day. When there is dehydration and exhaustion, 20--30 milliliters of 5% glucose and 0.5--1 milligram of camphor oil can be injected subcutaneously at multiple points. To help sick animals recover their appetite as quickly as possible, compound vitamin B injection can be injected intramuscularly, and vitamin C 0.5--1 milligram can also be injected intramuscularly; penicillin or streptomycin 200,000 international units each time, injected 2--3 times daily, is sufficient.
(3) Prolapse of the anus (rectal prolapse) It is mostly secondary to severe indigestion or gastroenteritis diarrhea, and young animals are prone to it. Due to tenesmus and increased abdominal pressure, after the animal defecates, a cylindrical curved tube protrudes from the anus. Due to clamping by the anal sphincter, the intestinal tract becomes edematous and is easily damaged and bleeds. If not treated in time, the mucosa gradually changes from red to purple, and in severe cases becomes black and necrotic.
When prolapse of the anus is found, it should be reduced in time. First, wash off the dirt adhering to the rectum with 0.1% potassium permanganate aqueous solution. If edema has already occurred, gently massage by hand or prick with a needle. After the edema disappears and it becomes soft, wash the prolapsed rectum with 0.5%--1% procaine solution for anesthesia. Use a glass rod together with the hand to gently push the prolapsed part back. Finally, perform a tobacco-pouch suture. When suturing, the tightness should be moderate, so as to avoid re-prolapse or difficulty in defecation. The stitches can be removed after 5--7 days.
(4) Fur-eating disease (baldness disease) The cause is unknown. The main symptom is that the tips of the coat are eaten off, the guard hairs have bald tips, and the down becomes coarser. It mostly occurs on the tail, neck, buttocks and sides of the body. The areas where the coat has been eaten look like a sheep after shearing.
The prevention and control measures are to supplement the daily ration with sulfur-containing amino acid feed, such as feather meal, eggs, soybean milk, etc. In daily care, attention should be paid to providing nutritionally complete feed and maintaining the hygiene of cages and whelping boxes.
(5) Self-biting disease The cause is unclear, and opinions differ. Breeding animals are prone to it in spring, and young animals have attacks in August--September.
The symptom is that the sick animal bites its own tail, buttocks, or some other part of the body, which can cause death. The disease is acute and often attacks suddenly; in one night it can bite off the entire tail, or when biting the flank, pull out the intestinal tract. There are also chronic cases: first biting the tip of the tail, then the base of the tail, then the buttocks or flank. When the sick animal is quiet, its mental state and appetite are normal. In severe cases, it does not eat for several days, becomes emaciated, convulses, or dies from malnutrition and anemia.
There is still no specific therapy for prevention and treatment, but symptomatic treatment can be given. The principles are sedation and wound management, and antibiotics can also be injected. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride 0.25 grams, calcium lactate 0.5 grams, and compound vitamin B 0.1 grams are ground and mixed evenly, divided into two portions and placed in the feed to be fed, twice daily, 1 portion each time; for local wound management, after cleaning and disinfecting with hydrogen peroxide or iodine tincture, apply sulfonamide ointment (in summer, to prevent flies, 2% trichlorfon can be mixed in); new drugs such as Ziyaoling and Ziyaoting can also be tried, with usage and dosage according to the instructions. In addition, according to a report by Cai Zhizhong, a treatment method combining Chinese and Western medicines, with internal administration and external application, achieved good results. The method is: (1) add 0.1 grams each of copper sulfate and manganese sulfate per kilogram of feed; (2) inject 2 milliliters of 2% procaine hydrochloride at the Houhai acupoint; (3) Sophora flavescens 15 grams, Stemona root 15 grams, Polyporus umbellatus 15 grams, Ligusticum sinense 10 grams, Coptis chinensis 10 grams, Scutellaria baicalensis 10 grams, tangerine peel 10 grams, licorice 10 grams, decoct in water to a concentrated soup and filter; after taking the liquid, add an equal amount of 40--50 degree white liquor; after it cools to lukewarm, soak the affected part in the medicinal liquid for 10--15 minutes, once daily, for 3 consecutive days.
(6) Mite disease This disease is a skin disease caused by sarcoptic mites parasitic on the skin. The lesions mainly occur on the legs, abdomen, ears, nose, lips and tail. Sick animals constantly lick the affected areas with their tongues or rub against the cages, or scratch with their claws, causing skin redness, swelling or damage, with yellow or red fluid exuding; after drying, white scabs form, the skin loses elasticity, the sick animals are restless, appetite decreases, and body weight drops.
Prevention and control measures: (1) Cut off the hair around the affected area, scrub with warm soapy water, and remove hard scabs and dirt; scrub and disinfect with 1% benzalkonium bromide, apply medicine after drying, smear with a 2%--5% aqueous solution of trichlorfon, dip a brush in 60% sodium thiosulfate aqueous solution and apply, then after drying apply 5% hydrochloric acid solution, and apply again after 2--3 days; apply a mixture of equal amounts of sulfur and glycerin, or iodine glycerin (iodine tincture 3 parts, glycerin 7 parts); boil 1 part tobacco leaves or tobacco stems with 20 parts water for 1 hour, and apply when the temperature is suitable; grind 1 centipede, 50 grams sesame oil, and 50 grams borneol into powder and apply to the affected area. (2) Feed affected animals 1 Baichongmie tablet produced by Jilin Chunhua Veterinary Medicine Factory; every other day, inject 0.5 milliliters of avermectin subcutaneously at the neck, and repeat once after 1 week. (3) Miechongding injection, produced by Nanjing Jindun Animal Pharmaceutical Factory, inject 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
There are many prevention methods, and they must be carried out strictly and conscientiously to achieve good results. (1) Medicated bath. Use a 2%--3% aqueous solution of trichlorfon, fully soak all foxes and raccoon dogs in the medicinal liquid for about 0.5--1 minute, and repeat once after 1 week. (2) Maintain cleanliness and hygiene on the animal farm. There should not be hair and fluff flying around or piles of feces; cages, feeding and drinking utensils, and all other equipment used must be regularly cleaned and thoroughly disinfected.