A Midnight Call Out to a Fox Attacked by a Dog

Last night, my pyjamas doubled as a rescue uniform when we received a message around midnight via Dartford Animal Rescue about a fox cub that had been attacked by a dog.

A large bull mastiff type breed had encountered the cub in a private garden in Plumstead and had shaken him violently. The dog's owners were distraught and had been contacting every organisation they could think of while the fox lay huddled in a corner of the garden, calling for his mum.

Upon arrival it was clear the cub had a possible leg fracture, in addition to multiple flesh wounds. Since his injuries were serious, he could not go overnight without veterinary assesment and adequate pain relief, so we took him to Vets Now in Thamesmead, who kindly provided strong pain relief to last the night, in spite of already being swamped with emergencies. The on-duty vet believed the fox also has an old, existing fracture which had likely prevented him from escaping the dog, in addition to his fresh injuries.

We finally got arrived back home around 1am, with the cub thankfully sleeping peacefully through the night, hopefully relatively comfortable. He is now awaiting transport to Kent Wildlife Rescue, who, in spite of being very full at present, agreed to take him on. Many thanks to our lovely volunteer Abbie for transporting him.