Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Red Fox

What to do about Mange:

This Red Fox was brought to us after being found extremely weak, with significant fur loss and crusted, irritated skin. The poor thing was so debilitated that they walked right into the offered trap without hesitation—too exhausted to resist.

A skin scrape confirmed what we suspected: sarcoptic mange, a condition caused by microscopic mites burrowing into the skin. It leads to intense itchiness, inflammation, and secondary issues like infection and dehydration.

It’s important to know: most wild animals carry some ectoparasites (like fleas, ticks, or mites), and it’s typically not a problem. But when an animal becomes immunocompromised—due to trauma, illness, or toxin exposure—these parasites can overwhelm them.

In fact, a California study found that 100% of bobcats with severe mange also tested positive for rodenticides (rat poison), which are known to impair immune function.

This means mange is often just the tip of the iceberg—the visible symptom of a deeper health crisis. Without treating the underlying issues, the mange (and other health problems) are likely to return.

We administered prescription antiparasitic medications to kill the mites causing the mange, along with medicated baths to help soothe and heal the crusted skin.

Pain relievers and anti-inflammatories were given to reduce discomfort, and antibiotics were started to prevent or treat any secondary infections.

The fox is being housed in a quiet, temperature-controlled space to support healing and minimize stress, with close monitoring to ensure progress and address any underlying health issues contributing to their weakened state.

What NOT to do:

Many well-intentioned people will often encourage those seeing “mangy” foxes to put medications in food for the animals to eat. This is illegal and can be harmful to the wildlife ingesting it!

We’ve seen many cases where animals are overdosed on these medications and must be treated for poisoning. This is especially sad as the medication alone, even if properly dosed, would not have helped an animal in this condition anyway.

The right way to help:

Leave treatment to licensed wildlife professionals who can safely and legally provide holistic care—addressing not just the mites, but also dehydration, malnutrition, infection, and any underlying causes.

Avoid using rodenticides and pesticides.

Make sure to encourage friends and neighbors NOT to use rodenticides, pesticides, or other poisons that can kill and harm our native wildlife.

Thanks to our dedicated team, this fox is now on the road to recovery. With continued care, we’re hopeful they’ll return to the wild stronger than ever.

First case of Bird Flu confirmed in a mammal in Virginia

In other news, we admitted an adult female Red Fox from Hamilton, VA who tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)—the first confirmed mammal case in Virginia.

The fox was exhibiting severe neurological symptoms, and due to the poor prognosis associated with possible rabies, distemper, or HPAI, humane euthanasia was elected.

This fox’s rabies testing has come back negative (along with multiple other tests) suggesting that the HPAI is the primary cause of the clinical signs this fox was exhibiting.

While HPAI is still considered low risk to humans, we urge the public to take precautions: do not allow pets to hunt or free roam, and avoid feeding or consuming raw meat or milk.

Stay informed and help protect wildlife by reading the latest guidance from the Department of Wildlife Resources.

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