Distemper in Raccoons

In just the last five days, West Ridge Animal Hospital’s doctors have had to euthanize four raccoons due to severe end-stage distemper.  All four have come from the area surrounding Heath Middle School.  Greeley and Weld County have always had distemper in raccoon populations and this is an unfortunate spike.

While the distemper that infects raccoons cannot be transmitted to humans, it CAN be transferred to unvaccinated dogs.  Distemper is a highly contagious virus that can spread through particles in the air or via respiratory secretions (nasal mucus, saliva).  It can live in the air for up to 6 months.  Symptoms of distemper in a dog include goopy eyes, fever, runny nose, diarrhea, coughing, vomiting, seizures, paralysis, and, often, death.  Once fully vaccinated, adult dogs are immune to distemper as long as vaccines are kept up to date.  Puppies that have not completed their series of three immunizations between 8 and 16 weeks are still susceptible.

Even if a raccoon appears to be friendly, NEVER approach or feed them.  Raccoons are nocturnal WILD animals, so seeing them in daylight and not afraid of humans is a definite sign that the animal is very sick.  They act so odd because they have neurological disease brought on by the illness and act erratically.  We mentioned that distemper cannot go to humans, but raccoons also carry many other diseases that can infect humans, including rabies.  In fact, distemper and rabies present with very similar symptoms.  Call Animal Control (970-350-9600 in Greeley) and let them take care of the likely infectious critter.

Some tips for avoiding issues arising from contact with wildlife:
-do not leave food outside
-keep pets and children away from wildlife
-vaccinate your pets regularly