Sarcoptic mange causes severe suffering in urban fox populations but is treatable through householder-administered medication programs that have achieved significant welfare benefits.
Urban fox mange represents an enormous and largely invisible source of wildlife suffering in UK cities. Thousands of foxes each year experience the progressive deterioration of untreated mange — intense itching driving constant scratching, progressive fur loss leaving them vulnerable to cold, weakening from secondary infection and dehydration, and slow death. This suffering is preventable through a simple treatment program available to householders with garden fox access. The National Fox Welfare Society has treated thousands of foxes using a medicinal treatment administered through food, saving animals that would otherwise have died in prolonged suffering.