WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

[frank_f15]

HEY guys, this is really way off topic, but as you know i live in a very rural area, have lots of critters on my place , Rabits, groundhogs, deer, and just abount anything that lives in the northeast. But 3 times now i have seen this MANGY looking racoon, i mean it is odd( have seen many coons before) but this one seems scrawny, does not walk right, and seems confused (hard to explain) i think it might be Rabid, i am thinking of doing away with it, what would you do?

 

[dynamike]

Ka Pow! Dig a hole, pour some fuel on him, light him up then cover it up.

 

[Sigarms]

Chances are if you saw the racoon during the day, it is rabid (these animals are nocturnal).

If you don't destroy it, you could be putting others in danger.

Consider the fact that it's not a "nice way to go" for the animal as well.

 

[frank_f15]

yep thats the way i am leaning, have the 22 loaded with hollow points, and just waiting to see him again. if i get the chance i will put him/her down. seems like it is the best thing to do. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[GaryE]

It sounds rabid. If you are not willing to shoot it. Please check with your local authorities to take care of it..... It will only spread.

Gary

 

[PineRidge]

Frank I'm with the others on this. If you see raccoons during the day and they act strange or disoriented then more than likely they aren't healthy and should be put down. Just make sure that when you pop him that you dispose of the carcass so a dog can't get sick by making a meal of the dead coon.

 

[SCB]

Yep, gotta say that I agree with the others also. Just one more of those unforseen jobs for the backhoe. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Birdhunter1]

I'd shoot it, then burn it with diesel fuel and bury all remains afterwards. BY NO MEANS woudl I touch it or handle it, except with a shovel or the like.
If you do use a shovel bleach it good and then I'd go as far as placing the shovel head in a fire to clean it off, especially if you use that same shovel around your dog pens. (I'm thinking of my own uses there).

 

[Egon]

Contact the authorities Frank. I think they consider rabid animals a priority and will deal with it. They may even check for more infected animals.

Egon

 

[EddieWalker]

In 1986 I was a Marine Guard at the US Embassy in Yaounde Cameroon. I had a pet dog that I used to play kind of rough with. He'd bite , me on my arms and fists leaving scratch marks and breaking the skin.

One day he was pretty sick. One of the AID workers was a vet and he took a look at the dog. He gave me some pills for him, but he died the next day.

The vet thought it was odd the way he died and said to make sure to check for rabies. Spine "AND" skull. Most common test is on the spine.

The spinal test was negative, but the skull test was positive.

When I arrived in Cameroon one of the many shots I was given was a pre-exposure to rabies. It's so common there that everyone gets it.

After my exposure to it, I was given three more shots in my shoulder. The second shot was one month after the first, and the third at three months.

Of course, after being exposed to rabies, I heard all sorts of horror stories about it. The worse is that there is no cure for rabies. Once you get it, it's fatal. Also learned that it can remain dormant in your fat cells for a year before you become infected. Lots of stories of people who were bit and nothing happens for six months or more, then they come down with it.

Don't take any chances. Kill the racoon and dispose of the body. I'd bury it very very deep. I wouldn't burn it because I've heard that the ashes still contain the disease.

Eddie