rabid racoon in my back yard!

**lbaker** · 05-22-2007, 07:52 PM

Dogs found it Sat. morning and chased it up a tree in the back. We gather dogs up and bring inside. Call Animal Control and explain situation. As I am on the phone I say "well dogs are now inside but the 'coon looks rather sick, just stumbled off the back fence" They don't seem too concerned..

3 hrs later the coon is back wobbley down the back yard with FIVE DOGS in the back yard. Coon is either reeeeally stupid or sick/rabid. Too late. Dog grab the coon. Can't tell animal control about the particulars or it's a 6 mo. quaranteen, but they have current shots!! What a dilema. Now son (who ended up having to kill the coon by stabbing it

but it was coming towards me with no fright at all.).. I had pup Lucy by the collar.. The danger is the slobber or spit by the coon. Blood is not contageous but the saliva is. So now we two leggers have to call the doc and probably go through the shots thing.

Took dogs to their doc and he gave them boosters "just in case". Doc said he would try to keep it "under the wire", which means we can try to keep this not an EPISODE. We did tell all our neighbors. I am sooo confused over the right thing to do

Please don't report me to the Feds... let us deal with this. Our dogs don't run out of the fence. Please?

**IRescue452** · 05-22-2007, 08:14 PM

I don't think anybody's gonna report you. Since the dogs are up to date and got new boosters and you two-leggers are gonna go through the fun too I think you'll be alright. I know everybody on this board would be worried sick if their animals got thrown in quarentine. At my college there were two rabid raccoons on campus my first year that had to be shot.

**Karen** · 05-22-2007, 08:53 PM

If the doc thinks your dogs will be fine, I'd just worry about you two-leggers getting your shots - which are not fun, but better than dying.

**lbaker** · 05-22-2007, 10:28 PM

Well that's blunt, but truthful isn't it? Oh dear. Now to get us all in and getting us all to have to go through this

Vet bill = $650.00 Guess I won't be going on a vacation this year but at least I will have my family, two leggers and four leggers. That's worth more than money. Oh sigh.

**Cinder & Smoke** · 05-22-2007, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by lbaker

"The danger is the slobber or spit by the coon.
Blood is not contageous but the saliva is."

"Can't tell animal control about the particulars or it's a 6 mo. quaranteen"

Now to get us all in and getting us all to have to go through this

Vet bill = $650.00

Oh sigh.

This whole event doesn't make a lot of sense!

* HOW did 5 Dog-Boosters wind up costing $650.00 ??

$130.00 for a Rabies shot is a bit MUCH!

* Keepin it all a "secret" from the Authorities accomplishes what?
I Can't believe an MD that obtains Rabies Antidote Veccine can "not report" that
he's giving Antidote shots to a Human!

* WHY exactly are you wanting to take the Rabies Antidote Shots???
Was anyone actually BITTEN by the creature?
Was the creature ever captured and then TESTED by a LAB to see if it was Rabid?

Not so sure a Human can be infected by the "spit" of a Rabid creature ...
unless the Human has an open wound or plays kissy-face with the critter.

I'd sure be having a long, serious talk with a good MD *before* I paid for
and took the Rabies Antidote Shots!

Try to review the WHOLE Situation before you start to react to it.

GOOD Luck!!!

/s/ Phred

**buttercup132** · 05-22-2007, 11:42 PM

* HOW did 5 Dog-Boosters wind up costing $650.00 ??

$130.00 for a Rabies shot is a bit MUCH!

Maybe because you can't just walk into a vet and say give my dogs this shot...they need a check up first which alone cost like $70 and she had 5 dogs.

* WHY exactly are you wanting to take the Rabies Antidote Shots???
Was anyone actually BITTEN by the creature?

To be safe?

That is really scary. I don't know what I would do. I would never be able to actually kill it.
Good luck

**Freedom** · 05-25-2007, 06:07 PM

LBaker, what a horrible experience and such a scary time you've had!

I don't know how old you son is, good for him for being able to do what he did. I know I could never do that. Ugh!

Do you have health insurance? Will that help with the vaccine costs for the 2 leggers involved?

Oh goodness, what a time! Let us know how all are doing!

**lbaker** · 05-25-2007, 06:22 PM

Freedom, and all... my son is 39 and after my husband died a few yrs ago he and his wife and two sons moved in with me.. thank God. What a blessing it has been. But now he just takes over watching over all of us and in this circumstance putting his safety last. DIL and I are still trying to convince him the ugly treatment is the ONLY way to go. He was most exposed, DIL & I less so but will do it if that will help him be convinced to follow through

Try talking to a hard-headed SOB about doing "what's best"

Like most SOB's it's hard to convice him he's not infallible

We are working on it.

**ramanth** · 05-29-2007, 12:38 PM

Laurie, how scary.

I hope you can convince your son to get the treatment.

We recently had a sick beaver stumble onto our patio at the apartment complex. A neighbor was walking her dog and the beaver kept stumbling towards her.

She called the police and by that time he decided to stumble around our patio. Police arrived and said, "Oh it's fine... it's just lost. Beavers don't walk well on land."

They changed their tune when the Mr Beaver kept walking into them and started to become aggitated.

They borrowed a box from me and took him away. Not sure if it was rabies, but it was not a fun situation to be in.