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Two-year-old Chihuahua Lexi was pulled from the mouth of the animal but was left with a huge wound in her neck

Vets saved the pet's life after emergency surgery near Basildon in Essex

By Martin Robinson


Recovery: Lexi only survived after she was wrestled from the fox's jaws by her plucky owner Vicky Reeves, pictured

A brave pet owner has been left sickened after her beloved dog's throat was ripped open in a 'horrific' attack by an urban fox.

Vicky Reeves was forced to wrestle two-year-old Chihuahua Lexi from the jaws of the animal in her back garden in Laindon, Essex.

The 29-year-old heard screams and ran out to find the fox had jumped over the fence and was attacking Lexi - leaving the dog with severe bite wounds to her neck.


'It was horrific,' the mother of three said.

'The fox had got hold of Lexi and I tried to pull her off, but the fox pulled even harder and wasn’t scared of me at all.

'I eventually pulled Lexi free, but the side of her neck had been ripped open.'

Ms Reeves rushed the dog from her home to a Basildon vet where she was stitched up and put on antibiotics.

Injured: Lexi, pictured, underwent emergency surgery to repair a large rip in her throat

The Chihuahua spent three days recovering at the surgery after the attack last week.

Shaun Plunkett, deputy practice manager at Cherrydown vets said: 'It was a dreadful attack.

'If her owner hadn’t rushed her here, she might not have survived.

'Dog owners need to beware of foxes because they’re getting more and more urbanised.'

Ms Reeves today warned other dog owners about the danger of foxes.

Lucky: The urban fox was not scared at all when Lexi's owner came to protect her, leaving the dog with deep wounds

She said: 'I was really shocked a fox could do this. Lexi could have been killed.

'Now people are using wheelie bins, foxes are finding it harder to track down food so they’re getting desperate and people need to watch their dogs.

'People must not encourage foxes by feeding them, because they’ll keep coming back.'
Attacks by urban foxes on animals and even humans are on the increase.

In May 2010 nine-month-old twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis had to spend a week in hospital after a fox crept into their cots at their home in Hackney, east London, and savaged their arms as they slept.

Last year sleeping London student Mario Castilli woke up with a shock to find a fox biting him on the face while he lay in bed in his attic bedroom.

Scores of small dogs, kittens and other pets have also been attacked or killed in recent years in Britain's towns and cities.



source:dailymail