Fox attack

Re: Fox attack

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:03:13 GMT

[quote user="Dagmar Steele"]

I'm a cynic too, but definitely not as bad as you Martin! I doubt that babies make a normal fox bait, but given the obvious overpopulation thing like that seem more plausible than in a rural environment. I've said it before, for me this is a time bomb waiting to explode. How many London dogs and cats catch sarcoptic mange from fox hair in fences by the way? I wonder, does it transfer like that?

[/quote] I read somewhere that foxes are attracted to the smell from dirty nappies so it is plausible that a fox could follow that scent and as the nappy is attached to the baby get a bit confused, I doubt they otherwise enter an occupied home go all the way upstairs with the intention of looking for baby meat. There may be a few such incidents but I still fear it is a convenient excuse for some less than perfect parents. I see a number of cases of sarcoptic mange in dogs and feel there is a link with urban foxes but it goes in phases, don't see any for ages then a wave. Again it has been suggested that it goes on a cycle roughly that of a generation of a dog's lifespan - a bitch builds up immunity following infestation and passes it on to her pups but if they are not challenged they don't have sufficient enough immunity to protect their pups so that generation becomes susceptible. Plausible or not? It would be useful to run a trial with sarcoptes antibody levels over a few years. Maybe I can make that my new project if I can convince the punters to pay for the test!

Re: Fox attack

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:51:44 GMT

Interesting article about urban foxes from last June in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/07/stop-hounding-britain-urban-foxes

Re: Fox attack

Ian Mostyn — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:52:11 GMT

[quote user="Dagmar Steele"]How many London dogs and cats catch sarcoptic mange from fox hair in fences by the way?[/quote]

We have foxes up here both urban and suburban and neither Gillian or myself has ever seen a case of scabies. Plenty of demodex but no scabies since we left Hull 9 years ago. I guess we have clean foxes.......

Ian

Re: Fox attack

Dagmar Steele — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:55:17 GMT

Re: Fox attack

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:12:04 GMT

The cynic in me wonders how many of these supposed fox attacks are stories parents have invented to cover themselves for child abuse or their own dog attacking the child?! Mrs A would have me pilloried for such a thought but when dramatic statements are made like; 'I had to pull the baby of of the foxes mouth, it was halfway down its throat', it makes one wonder about the validity of it.

Re: Fox attack

Michael Woodhouse — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:34:04 GMT

[quote user="Mark Rowland"]So who sells tins of meat for foxes at their surgery then?[/quote]

I hope none of us!