Can I prevent fox attacks?

PAMPERED PETS

- DR DAVID GRANT

A fox chased my eight-year-old rescue rabbit in our garden. He escaped but was very shaken. How can we prevent this happening again? Can rabbits die with extreme stress, and can foxes be deterred?

Your rabbit was incredibly lucky. I would not expect a rabbit to survive an attack of this kind. They are prey species and very prone to shock when attacked, leading to heart, respiratory failure and a rapid death.

You mentioned your rabbit had a minor wound. Even if apparently minor, wounds can cause severe problems.

First, from infection as the mouth of foxes is full of pathogenic bacteria, and secondly pain is poorly tolerated by rabbits. It often leads to shutdown of the alimentary tract, (ileus), which rapidly becomes an emergency.