Fox Paralysis

Summer Camp 2021 Article - Under Construction

Fox paralysis is a condition found in dogs, wolfs, and foxes all over the world. It is a viral infection which can not be transmitted to humans. But it is contagious among the animal species who are susceptible to the virus. The disease causes paralysis which can lead to a fatal outcome.

Symptoms

Early Stage

The first symptoms are sneezing, a runny nose, watery eyes, and coughing. These are often not enough to distinguish between other more common illnesses among animals. They show up about five to seven days after infection.

Middle Stage

Most animals develop the first sings of paralysis after two or three days of showing the first symptoms of the disease. This often starts in the hind legs with the animal showing a sort of swaying motion when it walks. The paralysis will often progress to the rest of the body, making it very hard for an animal to walk after a few days.

Late Stage

Paralysis can eventually affect every muscle in the animal's body. This leads to suffocation and heart failure.

Outbreaks and Fear

Fox Paralysis sometimes leads to outbreaks among animal populations. For wild animals this can be devastating. Entire populations can get wiped out because animals can no longer defend themselves from predators. For pet owners the disease is a nightmare. When symptoms start showing in neighborhood pets it is often too late for their own pet. Many try to keep their pets indoor in hopes it has not yet been infected, sometimes with good results. This leads to entire towns or cities locking pets indoors.

Ippah Hospital Outbreak

About eight years ago the Fawnih Fox population in Ippah Hospital was severely reduced after an outbreak of Fox Paralysis. They lost many of their most beloved animals, and it took them years to rebuild their population.

Fear

Pets are a common sighting in most settlements. Some of them are susceptible to Fox Paralysis. When an outbreak starts, people often lock any pet they have in their houses. Even those pets, like cats, who are not susceptible to the illness. Wild animals like wolves and foxes, that live near settlements, are sometimes hunted and killed because people see them as the cause of an outbreak among their pets.

Type

Viral

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Fawnih Fox

Prognosis

Not every animal affected by this disease will develop late stage symptoms. But in the past many animals died because there was no cure. Animals who survive often deal with partial paralysis which is often temporary, but will not always recover completely. Excersises have been developed over time to improve recovery. If done daily pet owners can often help their animal recover most of the strenght in their body. Obviously wild animals don't have the opportunities their domesticated counterparts receive. For them it can become the end of an entire population.

Treatment

For a long time this disease was often fatal. But a cure has been discovered very recently by the Ippah Medical Foundation & University. It will take a while before it is available in most parts of the world, but Fox Cure could be the saviour of many dogs, foxes, and wolves.