DARE COUNTY, NC — In July, the Town of Southern Shores and Dare County Animal Control received some unusual calls from residents about aggressive raccoons in their neighborhoods. Almost a month later, we now know that more than a dozen of these raccoons had contracted canine distemper.
“It was unusual for us. We hadn't received calls with raccoons that were behaving in this manner," said Bill Coleman, executive director for the Outer Banks SPCA/Animal Shelter.
“Canine distemper is a disease caused by a virus. It is worldwide, and quite a few species can get infected by it," said Miranda Turner, the statewide wildlife health biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
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The airborne virus can be spread to dogs and a variety of wild animals like raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks, otters and weasels. Though the symptoms can be mild, in some cases the way the animals are acting is hard to decipher between canine distemper and rabies.
“Sometimes canine distemper can turn neurologic, and some of the symptoms in those scenarios include paralysis, seizures, stumbling around or falling down multiple times, and in those situations, just by looking at an animal it it's really not possible to tell between canine distemper and rabies," said Turner.
Turner said there have been no recorded cases of a human contracting the disease. Organizations are hoping to get the message to dog owners about the dangers of the virus. Especially having up to date vaccines for your pet and keeping them away from potentially sick animals.
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“There is no real hard treatment for canine distemper, it's really kind of you have to take a step back and provide care as as much as possible. In adult dogs, mortality rate can be around 50% and in puppies, it's even worse, it is around 80%. So it's really important to get your dogs vaccinated and to keep them on a leash and away from both animals acting sick and carcasses," said Turner.
Turner said there has been an uptick in these cases in the southeast than in previous years, but it is nothing to be alarmed about. If you come across an animal acting sick your best option is calling their helpline at 866-318-2401 to obtain the name and telephone number of a licensed rehabilitator in your area.
For more information, you can head to the NCWRC website here.
