Hi friends! Reef the fox here with your weekly “Reef’s Report.” Well, it appears my allergies have officially flared into another dimension this year.
What started as a little eye irritation quickly turned into what my mother describes as “a veterinary situation.” Personally, I think that sounds dramatic, but considering I’ve had two vet appointments in less than a month, perhaps she has a point.
The first appointment was highly offensive. I was sedated, which means I arrived expecting a routine outing and instead woke up feeling like I’d been abducted by aliens. They poked my eyes, took samples, ran tests and generally treated me like a science experiment. The audacity.
The second appointment was much more acceptable. I remained awake for the entire thing and was able to supervise the situation personally. Dr. Tucci examined my eyes, administered my medicine, and I spent most of the visit charming every woman in the office. It was exhausting being that handsome, but someone has to do it.
Thankfully, my eyes are improving, although slowly. It turns out my allergies triggered inflammation and allowed a small infection to move in and make itself at home. So I’ve now received not one, but two long-lasting antibiotic injections in an effort to get these eyes back to magazine-cover quality.
Unfortunately, there is another part of this story. Many people don’t realize that foxes raised on fur farms have been selectively bred for generations exclusively for appearance. Farmers focused on coat color, fur quality, size and unique markings because those traits generated profit. Health and genetic diversity took a back seat. As a result, many captive-bred foxes can be predisposed to health issues that their wild counterparts rarely experience. Wild foxes are shaped by natural selection. Fur-farmed foxes were shaped by human demand.
In my case, that means I seem to have inherited allergies dramatic enough to shut down a small city. It’s one of the unfortunate consequences of generations of irresponsible breeding practices. The very traits that made foxes desirable to the fur industry sometimes came at the expense of long-term health.
The good news is that I have an entire team working to keep me healthy, comfortable and ridiculously good-looking.
I have another follow-up appointment, and while I am not thrilled about returning to the vet, I understand sacrifices must be made when one is expected to remain the sanctuary’s leading male model.
Anywho, that’s all for this week. Until next time, Reef, over and out!
