Berry, the brave little fox cub who defied all the odds, was found dehydrated, unconscious, and extremely weak with a dangerously low body temperature in a garden in Whyteleafe.
The little cub was immediately rushed to our Caterham practice in Surrey, by The Fox Project charity, where the veterinary team, led by Veterinarian Surgeon Miguel Fernando, administered life-saving treatment by rehydrating her, raising her temperature, and boosting her sugar levels.
Miguel said: “We were very worried about the cub when she arrived because she was extremely poorly, and we acted quickly to rehydrate her and used warm air to gradually raise her temperature. It was important to administer fluids to hydrate her, but as her veins were so tiny we couldn’t do this intravenously and instead I injected warmed fluids under her skin. We also rubbed glucose gel on the cub’s gums to boost her sugar levels.
“The treatment was effective, and it was very rewarding when she started to improve. She recovered quickly and it was quite a transformation. She opened her eyes and started asking for something to eat straight away, so we gave her some critical recovery food that we would usually give to sick cats and dogs.
“She continued improving and a couple of hours later she was ready to be taken into The Fox Project’s care, and we’ve been told that she’s making great progress. It’s very rare that we see wildlife in the practice, and she is the first fox I’ve treated, so I’m delighted that she’s doing so well.”
The young fox has now joined four other cubs, and according to the charity’s clinical manager Denise Humphries, she’s expected to be released into the wild this summer.
Denise said: “The team at Goddard Vets did a brilliant job bringing Berry back to life and we really appreciate that they were able to see her straight away and are grateful for the exceptional care they gave her.
“Berry had been found by a gardener who contacted us, and we asked one of our volunteers to collect her. They could tell she was very poorly and might not make the hour-long journey to our centre, so they took her to Goddard Veterinary Group for treatment.
“We can’t tell why she was alone in the garden, but her mum may have abandoned her because they were disturbed or she sensed that the cub was unwell, or Berry could have been out exploring and wandered too far.
“She’s very lucky that someone caring found her and she was able to have veterinary treatment quickly. When Berry and her cub companions are strong enough, they will go to a foster home, then after a few weeks they’ll move into the care of another volunteer who will gradually release them back into the wild. With cubs, they can be released in any location, but adult foxes must be released back into their own territory so it’s important we know where they were found.”
We are so pleased to be a part of this incredible journey to recovery, and we share our thanks to our incredible veterinary team in our Caterham Practice.
If you would like to know more about the locations of our practice, visit our Practice Finder online. For more information on what to do if you find an injured fox visit The Fox Project or RSPCA website for more guidance.