Signs & Symptoms of Rabies in Foxes

Rabies is a virus that invades the central nervous system of mammals, including humans. It is most commonly found in wild animals such as foxes and occasionally in domestic pets. Rabies is transmitted through the bites of infected animals. Once symptoms appear, it is almost always fatal. Rabies is also called "hydrophobia" (fear of water).

Symptoms of Rabies in Foxes

• Foxes with rabies may display these symptoms: excessive drooling, foaming at the mouth, dilated pupils, trembling, problems with muscle coordination, extreme aggression, unprovoked attacks on people and other animals, unusual friendliness (foxes usually shy away from humans), running into objects and eating unusual items such as wood, rocks, or soil.

  Once infected, a fox will eventually go into a coma and die. Rabies can take several weeks to migrate to the brain; once there, the fox will die within 3 to 5 days.

Symptoms in Humans

• According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, between 1990 and 2003, 38 people in the U.S. contracted rabies.

  Early symptoms in humans include irritability, headache, fever, malaise and tingling at the site of bite.

  If left untreated, rabies infection will advance to more severe symptoms within 4 or 5 days.

  Advanced symptoms in humans include partial paralysis, hallucinations, agitation, excessive salivation, hydrophobia (fear of water), anxiety, convulsions, delirium and death.

Prevention

• Any bites from unknown, stray, or wild animals should be reported to your local health department and to your doctor. They can give you advice on how to proceed.

  Always keep your pets' vaccinations up to date. Upon being bitten by unknown or wild animals, your pet should be taken to the veterinarian immediately, even if they have been vaccinated against rabies. The effectiveness of rabies vaccinations cannot always be guaranteed.

  It is important to inform your children not to pet or handle wild or stray foxes, no matter how friendly the fox appears. It is important to report any animal suspected to have rabies to local animal control authorities.

  Treatment for humans who may have been exposed to rabies may include a series of six vaccines over a 30-day period. These shots are no longer given in the abdomen.

  Vaccinated pets who have been exposed to rabies stand a far better chance of recovery if taken to the vet sooner. Unvaccinated pets may have to be euthanized upon exposure to rabies.

Other Animals

• Other animals that can be infected by rabies include skunks, raccoons, bats, opossums, woodchucks, groundhogs and coyotes. Dogs, cats and ferrets can be infected as well. Rabbits, hamsters and rodents rarely get rabies.