Symptoms of a Sick Raccoon

After a night of foraging for food, sleep is the main agenda that a Knoxville raccoon has. However, you may see a raccoon at any hour during daytime. It is important to note that raccoons are amongst the animals that are considered as being primary rabies carriers within the US. Lots of the warm blooded animals can be able to carry rabies but these categories of animals are refereedto as the rabies vector species. Up to date, the CDC claims that only a single human being has ever died from the rabiesstrain that comes from the raccoons. If a raccoon is infected, it dies within a maximum of three days. If you get a bite from a rabid Tennessee raccoon, you need not worry as there is treatment for post exposure which is very effective.



How to tell if a raccoon is sick
If there is a Tennessee raccoon in the yard during daytime, you shouldn’t panic as it doenst mean that the raccoon is sick. It is often a normal thing for the raccoons to venture during the day.

The behavior
The main thing is to stay alert and notice any weird thing in the behavior of the Knoxville raccoon. One of the telltale signs of trouble include:
• Self-mutilation
• Vocalization that are repeated at a very high pitch
• Matted and wet hair on the face area
• Discharge from the mouth and the eyes
• Erratic wandering
• Being oblivious to nearby noise or movement
• A staggering gait.

If there is a raccoon that has the above signs, it is important that you call the police department or the local Knoxville animal control within your locality to have the issue addressed as soon as possible.

Bites and attacks
There is yet another w ay in which you can tell that there is a problem. While it isn’t a big thing to see a Knoxville raccoon up and about during the day, it is not usual for the raccoon to show aggression towards people. It is possible that the female will most boldly defend the young and this can be done by glowing, arching the back and woofing. She may even lunge at the person who poses the threat. However, it is very unlikely that the Tennessee raccoon will chase the person that seems to be a threat.

If a raccoon appears to be disoriented or ill or if the Tennessee raccoon engages on aggression that isn’t provoked, he may have rabies. The raccoonmayalso have feline parvovirus or canine distemper. When you come into contact with such raccoon, you need to talk to the local Knoxville animal control agency as well as the health department to have the matter settled once and for all.

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