Fox cub left for dead on roadside is rebuilding mobility through dog hydrotherapy pool

When a member of the public found a fox cub lying motionless on a roadside in Nottinghamshire, two vets had already told the finder the same thing: the animal should be put down. His back legs had stopped working after he was struck by a car, and he had been stuck there for days. Instead, Mansfield Wildlife Rescue took him in, named him Chance, and started looking for another way.

That way turned out to be a hydrotherapy pool built for dogs. Chance now travels each week to Mansfield Canine Swim & Splash, a service run by the Mansfield Canine Centre, where a designated carer named Chelsea guides him through assisted swims. The buoyancy of the water lets him move his injured hind legs without bearing his full weight on them — and it is working.

Swimming gives him the opportunity to gently use his body and build strength and muscle while taking the weight off his back legs.— Nathan Edge, co-owner, Mansfield Canine Centre

In just a few weeks of sessions, Chance has begun using his hind legs for support, regained some sensation, and can kick them while in the water. He has also started trying to stand on his own, according to thecooldown.com.

He is starting to get some movement in the back legs and starting to try and stand up on his own, which is amazing in just a few weeks. It's early days but to have such good results so early on is very promising.— Nathan Edge, co-owner, Mansfield Canine Centre

Hydrotherapy is a well-established recovery tool for dogs after surgery or injury, using water's natural resistance and buoyancy to help rebuild strength and movement. Applying it to a wild fox cub is far less common, according to thecooldown.com.

Cathy Fraser, who works at the Mansfield Canine Centre, has watched the transformation up close.

When you see that it looked like there was no chance he was going to survive, to now, it's just an incredible journey and to be a part of it is just so lucky. It's amazing that this little act of kindness is going to go a long way to potentially Chance being released and living a full, wild life, like he should.— Cathy Fraser, Mansfield Canine Centre

Chance received vaccinations before his sessions began, and the centre is offering them free of charge. To give him the best shot at returning to the wild, contact with humans has been kept to a minimum — only Chelsea works directly with him in the water.

Chance's case is not isolated. Mansfield Wildlife Rescue founder Cheryl Martins says the centre has seen a rise in foxes being struck by vehicles this year, and has already nursed five back to health after road accidents. Martins attributes the increase to unusually hot weather driving rodents — the foxes' natural prey — underground, pushing foxes further into towns and onto busier roads in search of food.

If his recovery continues on its current trajectory, rescuers hope Chance can eventually be released back into the English countryside — the outcome that, just months ago, two vets had ruled out entirely.

Why it matters — Chance's case shows how a rehabilitation technique standard in veterinary medicine for dogs can be adapted for injured wildlife, potentially expanding options for rescuers who would otherwise face a euthanasia decision.

Reported by goodnewsnetwork.org, thecooldown.com