Dayglo Gums Are NOT a Good Sign

 update: we have been asked to  submit this fox for PM due to the severe colouration of the gums.

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Although the Bristol fox necropsies (post mortems) have ended it does not mean that we are no longer interested in what is killing foxes.  

Today, Sarah Mills responded to a phone call about a fox collapsed on a street, "peddling" its legs and barking. The fox was collected and taken to a nearby vet practice where it was euthanised -there was absolutely nothing that could be done for it other than to relieve suffering. It is a sad decision to do this and it is never made lightly.

One examination of the fox while she took photographs for the record, Sarah found that the fox was extremely jaundiced -she had noticed this while collecting it but it is not possible to fully examine a live animal when the priority is to relieve suffering.

When I first saw the above photograph of the fox's gums I had to enlarge. Out of the foxes we have submitted with jaundice I believe that these are the yellowest gums -almost dayglo.

The jaundice was clearly visible on the ears.

Again, possibly the yellowest eyes so far seen. 

If you work for a rescue or wildlife centre and you find any foxes looking like this then do not just bury it or put it in a bag for disposal. Please look for the nearest Animal Plant Health Agency post mortem centre to you and ask to submit it. The post mortems are free if poisons or disease is suspected. With the current work going on the APHA and Wildlife Network for Disease Surveillance would be very interested in similar cases.

To keep telling people that this is all canine hepatitis is beyond silly. Our necropsies have not revealed one case of ICH and not a single case of the b"rampant in UK foxes" adenovirus. Claims like that are not backed up by facts as the Bristol project has shown.

We need to keep an open mind, not give out conclusions before even basic testing is carried out and above all else take fox health seriously as foxes are a key species in the environment and what happens to them is advanced warning to us about things going wrong.

You can check for APHA PM centres here http://apha.defra.gov.uk/postcode/pme.asp