rabies help

[Quiver0f10]

For the past few days a racoon has been hanging out at our house. It's been in the garage and trying to get on our back porch, where we store our dog and cat food. Well it got into the pet food last night and made a mess. Today it was back again so we called animal control, who came and trapped it. He said he thinks it has distemper because it started seizing while he was here and it's fur was all icky.

I am not sure that he can tell it has distemper by simply looking at it and I don't know if they plan on testing it or not. It didn't sound like it.

 

My biggest concern is that my My 14 and 12 year olds feed the animals and they both touched the food that this animal had been into. If it did have rabies, could they be affected? We did clean up the food and tossed it, but they had touched it before hand.

 

The above happened last night and I called the animal officer back this morning and they said the animal didn't show signs of rabies and it was showing signs of distemper so they simply distroyed it and it no longer can be tested. She said unless the kids had open cuts the chance of rabies would be very very small, but I am still a bit worried. WWYD?

[Tree House Academy]

I am a hypochondriac/germaphobe and I have had many "rabies scares" myself just because I tend to over worry about such things. However, I can tell you with 100% certainity that your kids do not have rabies from touching the food that it ate.

 

#1. If the raccoon was eating, it was likely not even rabbid.

 

#2. The raccoon's saliva has to get into an open would WHILE it has symptoms of rabies (so about 10 days or less before it dies) and the saliva has to be fresh. Once the saliva dries, the virus does too.

 

#3. Animal control does NOT mess around with an animal they feel is rabbid. I had one out at my house in broad daylight that didn't run when they approached it. They killed it and sent it in for testing. It was NEGATIVE. But they did not take it lightly...even though no one was bitten or harmed by the animal at all.

 

I hope this will put your mind at ease. Rabies is NOT easy to catch unless you are very obviousy bitten or scratched by a rabbid animal...or you find a bat in your home and are not sure (bat bites can go un-noticed). I, the hypochondriac who is terrified of rabies would not worry for one more second about your kids' chances of having rabies. :)

Edited April 3, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[Quiver0f10]

Thank you. I aprpeciate the help. The animal office did say what you mentioned about the saliva drying etc, but I needed to be sure LOL. I feel better now. :)

[Tree House Academy]

Trust me, I know the fear! I was worried that the wind blew saliva from the raccoon we had into my mouth and nose (because, as they were disposing of the animal, a huge gust of wind kicked up). The liklihood was so small, it was almost non-existant, but I still worried a bit. Rabies is frightening because you really want to get the shots if there has been an exposure. BUT, with all the research I have done and all the experts I have talked to over the years with my various "scares," I can say that your kids are 100% safe and not doubt it one bit. :)