Fox poo ... why does it smell so bad ?

You may have read about Toffee having a roll in some fox poo and the fun I had getting rid of the stink (three baths and half a lemon)

Dog poo , cow poo , they smell bad enough but one bath will sort out that pong ... so why is it that fox poo reeks so badly & is so hard to get rid of ?

Ermmm.... try badger poo

Around where I walk Rue it's Badger Central, and they have a habit of digging latrines.... so you walk in a field and come across lots of little shallow holes filled with poo (a bit unnerving if you didn't know it's badgers) and wellllll.... let's hope you spot them FIRST if you know what I mean....!

I take it the smell is bad then

I gotta admit that sounds kinda cute though , a badger digging a little toilet hole for itself

My first Boxer loved rolling in anything unsavoury, fox poo, dead or decaying creatures, she beamed with pride at getting covered in the stuff.

The first time she got in a field with fresh cow dung [it was a country park], she didnt roll in it, which would have been bad enough, her eyes lit with joy and to my absolute horror + her delight she decided to sample it ..... yuck

That got me wondering so went and found some info.... its to do wth a chemical in the anal glands ... heres what was on the web.....

Fox exert from web:-
Territory holders generally have little to gain from fighting other territory holders and so the neighbours adopt passive actions (predominantly scent marking) to maintain boundaries - some foxes may even go out of their way to avoid meeting their neighbours. Territory boundaries are marked with scent: either urine -- although scent marking only accounts for about 12% of a fox's urinating behaviour -- or a hormonal secretion from anal glands located either side of the anus and scent glands around the mouth (around the lips and angle of the jaw) or between the toes. A study by Eric Albone found "volatile terpenes" in the anal gland secretion of foxes. In chemistry, if something is said to be 'volatile', it means that it is capable of readily changing from a solid or liquid into a gas/vapour. In this instance, the terpenes -- which are a type of lipid -- move from the liquid of the secretion into a vapour, which other foxes (and apparently some humans) can detect. A 1980 study of the bacterial microflora in Red fox anal sacs by microbiologists at Bristol University, recorded 18 species of anaerobic bacteria from six genera (including Clostridium and Eubacterium); several of the species are well known to produce substantial quantities of fatty acids. The authors found bacterial levels of between one billion and ten billions per millilitre of anal sac fluid. Scent glands are also present between the toes, on the forelegs and on the face.

Foxes, like other canids, possess an additional scent gland located on the ventral (top) surface of their tail (often characterised by a patch of dark fur). This gland is roughly oval in shape, measures about 25 by 7.5 mm (1 x 1/3 in), is positioned about one-third of the way down the tail -- about 5 or 6 cm (2 to 2.3 in) from the base -- and is referred to as the supracaudal (or violet) gland. The gland is composed of tube-shaped sweat glands and massively developed sebaceous glands. In his 1940 histological examination of the supracaudal gland, German scientist J Schaffer, concluded that the secretions may be expelled from the gland by contraction of the muscles at the base of the hairs. Studies on the chemical composition of the gland and its secretions, carried out by Eric Albone (now at Clifton Scientific in the UK) during the 1970s, found that the gland may play an important role in the metabolism -- and possibly even the production -- of steroids. In one particular (1976) study, Dr Albone and Peter Flood (Bristol University) found that the gland has "naturally fluorescent photolabile sebum constituents", which basically means that it glows, although the light is hidden from our eyes -- and probably the fox -- by the unfavourable UV/Visible flux ratio in the atmosphere. The origin of this glow is unknown, although Albone and Flood speculate that it may be related to the presence of carotenoids (a family of red and yellow pigments found in plants and animals) in the gland secretion.

The function of the supracaudal gland is still somewhat unclear, but it does seem to be involved in intersexual communcation - the gland of male foxes seems to be more active during the breeding season. The gland also seems to play a role in intraspecific communication – when foxes meet they will often sniff one-another’s violet glands. Indeed, in a 1971 paper, Michael Fox found that the secretory activity of this gland increased after group play in the Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). Badgers are also known to possess a violet gland, which is apparently used for similar (if not identical) purposes to to that of the fox. The violet gland of the European badger (Meles meles) produces a lipid-rich (high fat content) secretion that is used to mark both their environment and conspecifics .


So thats why lol ....... mad or what tee hee

WOW - that's interesting stuff. My purcher has a dark patch of fur about a third of the way down her tail. I'm gonna inspect it later - see what I can see or feel. There's no way my nose is going there though!

All of my dogs, particularly Jenzi, have a panchance for fox poo. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they are experts in finding it and they have a telepathic link to the others to come and roll in it too before I get to it!

It sticks like glue to Tashi's fur and is a nightmare to get out. Then the stench lasts for days (well it seems to). I've found that tomatoes also help get rid of it (just as if they were skunk'd). Haven't trie lemons though - will try next time (cos I know there will be a next time soon).

I find tinned tomatoes the bestmethod or even ketchup, then it just washes off, anda can of coke works quite well

I've heard similar ~ that ketchup or brown sauce can be effective in removing the smell of fox poo.

But it really does have a unique smell of its own, doesn't it! Nothing quite like it ~ perhaps it's the canine version of Chanel No 5?

I wonder what dogs make of our air fresheners & plug ins & perfumes & household cleaners? Do they sit around discussing the latest disgusting smell that we dream up & smother ourselves in?!!!

Give me Channel no 5 any day, I love it

I have never made up my mind which I hate most Fox poo or Anal Gland secretion Ugg