Studies on Abnormal Moulting in the Farm-Raised Blue Fox (Alopex Lagopus)
February 1992
in “
Journal of veterinary medicine. Series A
”
TLDR The farm-raised blue fox had a delayed winter coat cycle and abnormal hormone levels, but its hair growth and hormone changes were still linked.
In a study from 1992, researchers observed an adult female farm-raised blue fox (Alopex lagopus) that exhibited abnormal shedding of its winter coat and was never observed in heat. Histological and clinical-chemical examinations revealed that the fox's winter coat cycle was delayed by about 6 months, leading to hair growth in spring. Initially, the fox developed a biological summer coat, followed by a mature winter coat. This abnormal pattern was partially corroborated by changes in the fox's plasma estradiol and cortisol levels. The study concluded that while the hair growth cycle and plasma estradiol profile of the fox showed abnormal seasonal variation, they appeared to be correlated as they would be in a normal animal.
