WelFur – foxes: the inter-observer reliability of the WelFur health measures, and the prevalence of health disorders on fox farms during the growth period

The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of health disorders on Finnish and Norwegian fox farms, and the inter-observer reliability (IOR) of the health measures included in the present WelFur fox protocol. Ten and five fox farms were visited in Finland and Norway, respectively, in October-December 2011. Three (Finland) and two (Norway) assessors assessed the same animals on each farm. The results revealed that obesity-related problems, i.e. bent feet, moving difficulties and diarrhoea, were the most common problems on the Finnish fox farms with the majority of the foxes being blue foxes. Bent feet was the most common problem also on the Norwegian fox farms where the majority of the assessed foxes were silver foxes. However, in Norway the percentage of foxes with bent feet was much lower than in Finland. The results also show that IORs of all WelFur health measures but one, i.e. bent feet, are good or even excellent indicating the consistency of assessment between different assessors. It is concluded that all health measures included in the WelFur fox protocol are relevant welfare measures that can be measured reliably enough during a one-day farm visit.