Just killed a weird acting racoon with my bow

[**DONOTDELETE**]

A funny story - When we were first married, about 25 years ago, we had a 'coon hanging around our bird feeder just like you describe. I wanted to shoot it, but my young wife insisted we would 'get in trouble". Being the new people in the subdivision, I agreed and called the Sherrif. A deputy showed up, and promptly blasted it with his .357 magnum. I said to him, "geeze, I could have done that with a .22...."

He kind of glared at me and growled "then why didn't you?"

I never felt like more of a city slicker than that moment. ;0)

[Zbone]

Charlie – Yeah, but kill it during the night…8^) the ODNR regulations sez it can only kilt legally between the hours of 6PM and 6AM or something like that…8^) (seriously)

A couple or so years ago, had a very similar incident one early winter/late fall in an apartment complex. Distemper was the diagnosis.

[trapperDave]

what about trapped coon? Ya gotta run em before 6??

[pine nut]

I am a vet.  We are having a rabies outbreak in our area.  Distemper is a possibility as well as is rabies.  Both diseases are encephalitic in nature.  They can both cause central nervous system dieease.  Distemper is not a problem for your dog if he's vaccinated against it.  If your vaccinated animal has contact with a known rabid animal he would need to be watched under quarantine for 30 or forty days and be revaccinated.  Rabies is a 100% fatal disease.  when you have symptoms you're going to die!  Always take this disease seriously.  The life you save might be your own or someone you love.
Two weeks ago it was my unhappy lot to have to put down a dog that fought with a raccoon at 4:00 PM.  The young nam was in the woods with his dog and did not bring out the raccoon carcass.  The dog was six years old an had never been vaccinated.  He was a nice dog but a six months quarantine with a high probability of developing rabies made euthanasia the only option for him.  I was more than a littlle mad at these folks but sorry for them too.  Most of all for the dog.  Get your pets their rabies shots folks and always be alert.

[pine nut]

I have a friend of many years who was attacked by a raccoon about halfway to her house from her car in the driveway.  She has bad arthritis  and cannot move very quickly.  She managed to get back into her car but it got her shoe off and started chewing on her foot.  She beat it off with her purse and called 911. It was positive too. She is ok but could have died from only a minor bite.

[pine nut]

I have also been told by epidemiologists that a raccoon may transmit rabies for six months before they are symptomatic.  If a dog  can transmit it he will die within 5 days.  The law says to quarantine for ten days if he is alive at the end of ten days the person is ok from that bite.  Doesn't say from a later bite though.

[PastorSteveHill]

Check for baby racoons in the dog house. If it was a female that is. If it was a male, who knows???

[trapperDave]

raccoons have their young in april

[pintail_drake2004]

its not too bad. I have trapped 2 rabid coons this year. Called the DNR and they said "what do ya want us to do about it." they figured that is why we were trapping/hunting them to keep the populations down. I skinned them out anyway (always wearing gloves) and cleaned the whole area with bleach. Im still here and i aint foaming yet.

[halsey]

Call your vet asap. there is another disease which raccoons carry that can be transfered to dogs. I cant remember what it is, but you better call.

[Aram]

Call the vet, the DNR, wash the arrows with bleach but there's nothing you can do about the bow. Send it to me for safe disposal.
 

[57HOP]

I had a case like that - the coon had holed up in my Bilco door - and called the NY DEC.
They had no interest, & told me to call a nuisance critter removal service.
What? I wasn't gonna spend the $75 bucks, so I took care of it and buried the remains.

[bigiron]

burn the coon & every thing of yours that came in contact with it. the organizations mentioned don't want to spend money for tests & don't care anyway.

[Brian Krebs]

Like the vet said - rabies is 100% fatal. If you guys understood how easily it is transmitted; you would not be doing the things you are.

 I worked with infectious diseases for 3 1/2 years for the University of Michigan.

 No offense but listen to the vet - and do not take the chances I have seen listed here. Please!

[JohnV]

I work in a public health lab that tests for rabies.  There is no reason to submit an animal for testing unless there is a human exposure or a domestic animal was bitten.  Bury the animal and disinfect with bleach any items that came in contact with the animal.