Colorado city's animal control warns of spike in sick raccoons: "It's exhausting because we've euthanized so many"
Agencies across the country and in Colorado are warning of a viral disease outbreak in raccoons. Distemper a deadly illness that can spread to pets.
Longmont Animal Control is reporting that they are experiencing a spike in number of calls about sick raccoons in the Colorado city.
Animal Control officer Ashley Walters says that that distemper won't get humans sick, but can spread to cats, dogs and even ferrets if they're not vaccinated. Now, Walters wants to spread awareness as officers respond to a higher number of calls than in recent years.
Some of the symptoms include raccoons being out in the daytime, acting friendly to humans, wiry fur, "boogery eyes, boogery nose, sometimes you can hear, like upper respiratory sounds like, if they're wheezing; they kind of stumble around -- so, neurological symptoms," Walters said.
While distemper is not a new illness, Walters explained her office has seen a particularly hard fall and winter.
"It's hit this spring's babies, really, really hard. We don't know why. It's just this strain has ... been awful," Walters said.
In just the last three months, Longmont Animal Control says they've euthanized close to 100 raccoons with this disease. Walters also says the department partners with a wildlife rehab center for some cases, but typically there is no recovery.
"We'll get a call maybe one to two times a day about a sick raccoon," Walters said, "It's mentally exhausting because we've euthanized so many, and it's hard because they're an animal, they have feelings, they, you know, have babies and stuff like that, and it's rough."
Walters reports officials are seeing the illness in raccoons across the Front Range; from Fort Collins down to Pueblo. In order to keep pets from getting sick, officers are urging people to be cautious and get their pets vaccinated.
"My number one thing I say to every person that I come in contact with is make sure your pets are vaccinated for distemper, because it is a disease that can be transmitted between raccoons and (pets)," Walters said.
Anyone who believes they see a sick raccoon is asked to call animal control.
"Don't approach them, don't touch them. Just call the the right people to come out and take care of it," Walters said.
And while officers may not know why they're seeing so many cases this year, they're hoping to manage the problem as best they can.
"We don't do this job because we hate animals. We do it because we love them and we want to help them in any way we can," Walters said.
