Dead, sick raccoons turning up in the Highlands Ranch area: What you should know
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KDVR) — Sightings of sick and diseased raccoons are on the rise in Douglas County, specifically in the Highlands Ranch area.
Most people fear the animals have contracted rabies, but the director of the Douglas County Health Department, Michael Hill, said they haven't.
After speaking with local vets he believes it's an outbreak of Canine Distemper.
Hill confirmed to FOX31 that over the last month, they have seen an increase in reports of sick or dying raccoons. In one day they received 15 calls about the issue.
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"It's heartbreaking when you're watching an animal suffer," said Kelly Ruedeen.
She found one in her driveway on Thursday morning.
"You could tell he was not well," said Rudeen. "As he was getting closer you could tell he couldn't see. He was stumbling and sniffing towards smells and falling over consistently."
Rudeen looked on the Nextdoor app and saw many others complaining about the same problem so she tried calling Animal Control.
"They told me it was nothing they could do about it," said Rudeen "Let nature run its course."
Hill said for weeks the county has shared a warning on its website on what to do when you encounter a raccoon. He said an outbreak like this happens once every five years.
Rudeen said, "As a community, we haven't been told any of this."
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According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife 'Canine Distemper' is a viral disease of wild and domestic carnivores with a wide range of symptoms. Spread of the virus is mostly by direct contact with infected animals.
People can not get distemper but man's best friend can and there's no cure.
Rudeen said, "I thought it was a rabies thing so check up with your vets and if your animals aren't vaccinated get them vaccinated."
Here are some symptoms to look out for:
Incoordination, seizures
Weakness, slow-moving
Crusting around eyes and nose
Thickened paw pads
Abnormal behavior
Staff at the Health Department said a sick wild animal is not an emergency so don't call 9-1-1. They said because it's not a common occurrence they don't have staffing for the outbreak. There is no agency responsible for picking up the dead raccoons.
If you don't want to pay an expert to come out they recommend you double bag the animal and throw it in the trash.
Here are some guidelines from the Douglas County Health Department, depending on the type of encounter:
Any wild animal could potentially be carrying diseases, so do not touch, feed, or interact with wild animals. Teach children to leave wild animals alone.
Keep your pets away from wild animals by keeping them on a leash or in your control when contact with wild animals is possible.
Animal control cannot remove wild animals that are alive. If you would like the animal removed, contact a wildlife removal and relocation company.
If you or a family member has any contact with an animal that could have rabies, contact the Douglas County Health Department immediately at report the exposure online
If you were bitten or scratched by an animal that could carry rabies (even if you don't know if it was sick), wash any wounds immediately with soap and water, and seek medical care.
Learn more about how to protect your pets, family and property from wildlife on their webpage
