Is that Raccoon in Your Yard Rabid?

Unfortunately the sight of a raccoon now generates a fear of contracting rabies. While raccoons are among the most common mammals of caring the disease, not all raccoons have rabies.

Raccoons and Rabies

It is a misconception that if a raccoon is out walking around during the day that the animal must be rabid. This is not true. Raccoons are nocturnal, but it is perfectly normal for a mother raccoon to venture out during the day to find extra food for her young.

True signs of a raccoon carrying the disease would be:

1. The raccoon has a dazed or confused look on their face.

2. The raccoon is walking around like they are drunk.

3. The raccoon is foaming at the mouth.

4. The raccoon does not eat.

If you come across a raccoon that you think is rabid, then you should not approach it. Call animal control immediately so the rabid animal can be trapped and tested for the disease. Make sure that you see the symptoms of rabies in the animal! In order to test an animal for rabies, the head would need to come off. Do not let a perfectly healthy raccoon loose its life because of a fear of just seeing a raccoon.

Note: It is always a good note not to ever approach or feed a wild animal.

Rabies and Humans

There are a few different ways that humans can catch rabies. The rabid animal's saliva must go into broken or tagged skin or through a person's bloodstream. This would include a bite from the animal, or the animal hissing on you.

It is alright to step were a rabid animal has been, and a human can not get rabies from touching the rabid animal's feces, blood, or urine. So, if a rabid animal did not bite, then do worry.

If any wild animal should bite a human, then wash the wound with soap and warm water for 10 minutes. Then call your doctor or go to the nearest emergency room immediately. The doctor there will help determine if there was a possibility that the animal could have had rabies (by your description of the animal's behavior), and will determine if testing and a the rabies shot series needs to be warranted.