Raccoons aren’t exactly known as the most sanitary of creatures. Despite how they might look, raccoons are very commonly seen digging in trash heaps and ripping apart plastic bags filled with garbage to get into its contents. Said garbage bags are commonly filled with rotting food, which raccoons will pounce on at any opportunity they get, they aren’t exactly picky eaters.
In a previous article, we pointed out that raccoons have the ability to cause untold damage to your properties and even inflict potential harm on you, your pets, and your loved ones if left unchecked.
We also pointed out that these raccoons have the ability to pass on diseases that they may carry, many of which can potentially be life-threatening. In this article, we will be exploring these diseases that raccoons can carry, and why further caution should be taken when dealing with these creatures.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is caused by the Leptospira bacteria, and it is most commonly found in rodents and, of course, raccoons. To be more specific, the disease comes from their urine, and can be transmitted through simply contacting the urine or even things that the infected urine has touched. This includes water, soil, and food. These things should be treated as contaminated items and thrown away. If you have pets that drink water outside your property, prevent them from doing so, especially if there is raccoon activity in the area. Your pets are not immune to the disease and can catch it as well.
For the symptoms, the disease has a bit in common with the flu, giving you severe muscle and head pains, as well as high fever. If not treated quickly, the symptoms can increase in severity and cause kidney problems as well as meningitis.
Raccoon Roundworm
Raccoon roundworm, as the name suggests, is a parasite that one can obtain from raccoons. The parasite as an adult lives inside the intestines of a raccoon and actually inflicts little to no harm to its host animal.
These aren’t the ones you should be watching out for, though. Instead, you should be paying attention to the droppings of a raccoon, as these are where the eggs of the roundworm can be found. Not being careful when dealing with raccoon droppings can cause you to be infected. Worse, the parasite is airborne, and can actually infect you simply from inhaling it.
The disease itself is very dangerous to both humans and pets alike, as the parasite attacks the central nervous system. It can travel up to the brain and inflict multiple organ damage and neurological impairment. Death usually follows not long after, which is why treatment is essential in making sure that someone afflicted survives.
For the symptoms of this disease, your motor skills will suffer greatly, and you might also lose your vision.
Rabies
This is the big one, because not only is it a deadly disease, but rabies is also a very common one too, depending on where you live.
It is seen in a lot of urban places with poor sanitation and handling of its strays. Dogs, cats, and bats are common vectors of rabies, but in places with poor hygiene and sanitation with a raccoon population, raccoons join the group, and unfortunately, these rodents are quite susceptible to rabies.
One can contact rabies through the saliva of a rabid animal, which can occur by way of bites or simply contact with an exposed wound. Strong bites naturally create wounds when inflicted, while open wounds are perfect entry points for the rabies virus to enter and do its thing inside your body.
For raccoons, they are animals that bite and scratch, and if you suspect that one is rabid, then they should be avoided as much as possible. Rabid raccoons have telling behaviors that make them differ from normal raccoons, in the same way of rabid dogs or cats. A rabid raccoon might seem agitated and act violently, as well as become bolder in approaching humans. Sometimes, they might even froth at the mouth. While bites are the primary mode of transmission due to the location of the saliva on the animal, one should not disregard scratches from the raccoon just yet – their claws may contain bits of saliva which have the rabies virus on them, and that’s usually all it takes to get you.
Rabies is the one disease you do not want to see symptoms of, because once you do, it’s too late to save you, and you are almost guaranteed to die in the coming days. But if you really want to know: Rabies symptoms include fever, nausea, confusion, as well as a fear of water.
Wrapping up
Despite the seemingly fluffy nature of these rodents, these animals are highly likely to turn into annoying and dangerous pests, and the fact that they can inflict dangerous diseases to unprepared individuals means that you’re probably better off leaving it to pest control instead of trying to handle it on yourself.
If you go try to deal with any raccoon problems on your own, there’s a chance that you’ll be able to walk away with one less raccoon to deal with without spending anything… or there’s a chance you’ll walk away from a raccoon that’s still rabid and on large while you might have contracted a fatal disease. It might be better to not leave it to chance in that case.