HELP! Dr. Hive! Do woodchucks....

[houseofkids&pets]

carry rabies?? Ds says no since they are not meat eaters, but I thought any animal could carry rabies. We are clueless:tongue_smilie:!

 

Long story short, I just stuck my hand under my shed since I thought my mini dachshund was stuck (he loves to tunnel underneath). Something nicked my pinky finger. I was thinking it was a nail or rock. Minor cut with bleeding. So, I got closer to look underneath and I saw large teeth. There was a woodchuck right where I had reached it, cornered by my dog. I don't know if I got cut by its' teeth, or something else. Do I need to panic? Ds said just wash it and put on antibiotic. No big deal. Should I go to the doctor?? It is a small cut, so could it possibly be from teeth?? It had pretty big chompers, so I guess I would expect more damage to my finger if it had actually bit me. This is a new experience for me, so I am not sure what to do and don't want to over (or under) react.

 

Thanks!!!!

[Pink Fairy]

It shouldn't matter if the animal eats meat. It would have gotten rabies from another animal, not its food.

 

I think you need to call your doctor. :grouphug:

 

From Ask a Scientist:

 

Rabies is caused by a virus belonging to the family Rhabdoviridae. It was first recognized over 3000 years ago, and is now found on all continents except Australia. A virus is a very small and simple organism that must live inside an animal to survive. It is made up of a single genetic (RNA) strand, a protein cover, and an outer envelope. Rabies is most often transmitted via saliva when an infected animal bites another animal. The rabies virus can survive and cause disease in all mammals, including humans. Once a virus is living inside of an animal, the animal is called a host.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Mamabegood
Adding more info

[creekland]

Kill the woodchuck and have it tested. It's likely to be rabies free, but as far as I know, ANY mammal can carry rabies. Woodchucks are a mammal. Without having the woodchuck tested, you're taking a risk - perhaps minimal, but rabies is 100% fatal without treatment.

[mumto2]

:iagree:You need to call. I think you probably need to call animal control too, if you know where the exact woodchuck is. I think capturing it could be a big plus for your situation.

:grouphug:

[Mommyfaithe]

YES!!! Woodchucks can carry rabies...they are mammals. Please get shots. Rabies is nothing to mess with.

:grouphug: and prayers

[Perry]

While any mammal theoretically can carry rabies, some species are much less likely than others to carry it. Woodchucks are rodents, and rodents rarely get rabies. However, of rodents, woodchucks are the most likely animal to have rabies, but the incidence is still low. It also varies geographically.

 

I would call your doctor and the public health department, and ask them about rabies in your area.

[creekland]

The data is a bit older, but here's what a quick google search turned up for numbers regarding rabies in woodchucks/groundhogs (same critter):

 

"However, from 1985 through 1994, woodchucks accounted for 86 percent of the 368 cases of rabies among rodents reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Woodchucks or groundhogs (Marmota monax) are frequently the only rodents that may be submitted to state health departments because of a suspicion of rabies."

[Lizzie in Ma]

I am of a bit of a different opinion here.

Yes, they can carry rabies.

That having been said, it wasn't acting abnormally and you shoved your hand it it's face. Of course it bit you. I would not jump to the conclusion that it was rabid.

If you see it stumbling or acting aggressively in the open or anything out of the ordinary, that would be grounds for worrying.

[houseofkids&pets]

Well, the woodchuck saga continues. Animal control has been here trying to help. We finally got my dog out from under the shed. The dog had the poor woodchuck cornered for about 2 hours. Unfortunately, the dog's plan to "bark it to death" did not work. It is still under our shed.

 

Animal control has set a trap, but said that woodchucks are difficult to catch. It is hard to lure them out since they are plant eaters, so you just can't put out a can of tuna like he typically does for other wild animals and feral cats. If we don't catch it by Monday (or it escapes), our local Health Department is strongly advising me to start with rabies shots. It is a series of four and I was told that the first is actually the worst.:001_huh: I was also told that even if the small cut on my finger is not an actual bite, I have touched my dog, who has had direct contact with it. Since I already had an open wound (and really, it is small), the Health Dept. thinks that it would be safest to go through the shot series.

 

Now, I am off to take both dogs to the vet for a rabies booster as per the Health Dep't. recommendation. They even called my vet to make sure that my dogs were up to date on their vaccinations. I didn't know that they would do that and thankfully, I had already called and I spoke with my vet and scheduled this appointment.

 

Not.a.fun.Friday.

[Truscifi]

Bummer. I hope they catch it. :grouphug:

[The Girls' Mom]

Try apple peels in the trap. We caught one rather quickly that way. (We had one making a woodchuck condo under our barn)

[gardening momma]

You don't mind a bit of humor right about now, do you? When I read your thread title I thought we were finally going to get the answer to the age-old question of "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck..." :D

[Mommyfaithe]

Well, the woodchuck saga continues. Animal control has been here trying to help. We finally got my dog out from under the shed. The dog had the poor woodchuck cornered for about 2 hours. Unfortunately, the dog's plan to "bark it to death" did not work. It is still under our shed.

 

Animal control has set a trap, but said that woodchucks are difficult to catch. It is hard to lure them out since they are plant eaters, so you just can't put out a can of tuna like he typically does for other wild animals and feral cats. If we don't catch it by Monday (or it escapes), our local Health Department is strongly advising me to start with rabies shots. It is a series of four and I was told that the first is actually the worst.:001_huh: I was also told that even if the small cut on my finger is not an actual bite, I have touched my dog, who has had direct contact with it. Since I already had an open wound (and really, it is small), the Health Dept. thinks that it would be safest to go through the shot series.

 

Now, I am off to take both dogs to the vet for a rabies booster as per the Health Dep't. recommendation. They even called my vet to make sure that my dogs were up to date on their vaccinations. I didn't know that they would do that and thankfully, I had already called and I spoke with my vet and scheduled this appointment.

 

Not.a.fun.Friday.

 

I am really sorry you are dealing with this. We had a rabies scare last year...and I ended up having to put down my cat and a feral cat ( who was rabid). None of us had physical contact with either animal, but it was still really scary. The poor rabid kitty was just pathetic!!

 

When we were turlough this, the vet said he had had to put down 2 dogs the week before because they had been bitten by a rabid woodchuck, and were not current on vaccinations....

I hope you can catch that woodchuck and have it tested. Apple peels will probably do the trick.

 

 

Good luck

And :grouphug:

Praying it all works out well.

[creekland]

Well, the woodchuck saga continues. Animal control has been here trying to help. We finally got my dog out from under the shed. The dog had the poor woodchuck cornered for about 2 hours. Unfortunately, the dog's plan to "bark it to death" did not work. It is still under our shed.

 

Animal control has set a trap, but said that woodchucks are difficult to catch. It is hard to lure them out since they are plant eaters, so you just can't put out a can of tuna like he typically does for other wild animals and feral cats. If we don't catch it by Monday (or it escapes), our local Health Department is strongly advising me to start with rabies shots. It is a series of four and I was told that the first is actually the worst.:001_huh: I was also told that even if the small cut on my finger is not an actual bite, I have touched my dog, who has had direct contact with it. Since I already had an open wound (and really, it is small), the Health Dept. thinks that it would be safest to go through the shot series.

 

Now, I am off to take both dogs to the vet for a rabies booster as per the Health Dep't. recommendation. They even called my vet to make sure that my dogs were up to date on their vaccinations. I didn't know that they would do that and thankfully, I had already called and I spoke with my vet and scheduled this appointment.

 

Not.a.fun.Friday.

 

I do hope you can catch the woodchuck and have it tested. I fully believe it's not rabid the way it is acting, but any 100% fatal disease is not something I would gamble with to be honest.

 

It's a good thing your dogs had shots. If they hadn't (and you couldn't catch the woodchuck to test it) around here, they'd have to be put down. Not too long ago a guy had to have his put down even with it having a vaccination because it had been bitten by a rabid animal (in a fight). His other choice was expensive quarantine for a long period of time (I'm thinking 6 months) - even though it was vaccinated. I felt really bad for the dog.

 

Another neighbor killed a raccoon that tested positive and had their whole farm quarantined for a couple of months (animals were vaccinated). If any small animal hadn't been vaccinated in their case (cats, dogs) they'd have had to have been put down.

 

Rabies is a serious disease in many places.

 

I hope they catch the woodchuck, have it tested, and prove it wasn't rabid. Then your life can continue it's regularly scheduled programming without worries. ;)

 

:grouphug: for today, though!

[intp4yhwh]

I am of a bit of a different opinion here.

Yes, they can carry rabies.

That having been said, it wasn't acting abnormally and you shoved your hand it it's face. Of course it bit you. I would not jump to the conclusion that it was rabid.

If you see it stumbling or acting aggressively in the open or anything out of the ordinary, that would be grounds for worrying.

:iagree:

[houseofkids&pets]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I put celery and timothy hay in the cage (we have guinea pigs) in an attempt to lure "Woody" out. I am happy to say that it worked. Animal control is going to pick it up tomorrow.

 

It is not acting abnormal at all and it looks ok. I am an animal person, so I asked if we could just set it free since it seems to be fine. I hate that it will be killed and tested for rabies and odds are it will be negative. However, I was told that it could have come into contact with a rabid animal recently and is just not showing symptoms yet. Dh thinks I am crazy to even think about getting the rabies shots in order to spare the woodchuck's life. Now that I have seen the poor thing, I feel absolutely horrible about what has to be done. I have learned a lesson though. I will never stick my hand under a shed, deck, porch, or any other dark space without knowing what is under there.

[gardening momma]

However, I was told that it could have come into contact with a rabid animal recently and is just not showing symptoms yet.

This is what I was going to say before I read your post. Its behavior now is no indication that it is not rabid.

[houseofkids&pets]

Thanks for confirming that, Gardening Momma. I know that the safe choice is to have it tested for rabies. However, in my heart, I feel awful about it. Poor Woody!!

[houseofkids&pets]

Yes, woodchucks and groundhogs are the same thing. I guess what you call it depends on where you live. I have always called it a woodchuck, yet I do celebrate Groundhog Day:tongue_smilie:.

[gardening momma]

A groundhog can't chuck wood. It just wouldn't work in the rhyme. :tongue_smilie:

 

:auto:

[houseofkids&pets]

You are right, that would absolutely ruin the rhyme.

 

I have named it Woody, while ds12 calls it Chuckie. Dh is afraid that if I name it, I will try to keep it.:tongue_smilie: