42 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 
Writers report that rabies and canker of the ear have been known, 
but no evidence of these diseases was found during the present investi- 
gation. Mange is also mentioned and probably exists. The usual 
remedies applied in the case of dogs seem to be effective wherever 
used and they are usually put up in a form easy to administer. 
The following quotation from a letter from Spratt’s Patent, Ltd., 
who manufacture dog biscuits and medicines, contains a number of 
useful suggestions for the rancher: 
“In our pamphlet on dog culture, you will find chapters on 
all the diseases mentioned in your letter. If foxes, also, are 
subject to these diseases special precautions will have to be taken. 
Besides being wild animals, we presume they live in artificial or 
natural earths, and you can readily understand that, when an 
animal is suffering trom ophthalmia, special precautions will have 
to be taken. 
“The same applies to mange; otherwise, all the animals will 
soon contract the disease. 
“When the animals are from four to six weeks old, they 
start changing their milk for permanent teeth and bone is a 
useful article to give, as this helps the shedding of the milk teeth. 
Sometimes, of course, they are so firmly imbedded in the gums 
that forceps must be used, and should you find an animal’s head 
swelling, we strongly advise you to examine the mouth and re- 
move the milk, especially the canine, or eye, teeth.” 
Dr. Alexander Ross, of Charlottetown, formerly of Alberton, 
P.E.1., who has given much attention to fox diseases and their treat- 
ment and has acquired a rare experience in treating toxes on the numer- 
ous ranches situated within his practising territory at Alberton, has 
written the following article on fox diseases and surgery for this report: 
“ Foxes bred in captivity are more liable to disease than those which 
roam the wilds. In confinement they are shut off from various foods 
they seek in the wild state, particularly when they are not well. They 
are also limited as to exercise, so their muscular tone is usually below 
par. They often show malformation in the bones of their limbs 
(rickets) which, I think, is due principally to their food being deficient 
in bone salts and to restricted exercise. On the whole, however, I have 
found, in an experience extending over fifteen years, that the colonies 
of foxes in Prince Edward Island are remarkably free from diseases. 
