Question about rabies?

Question

I dont think I actually ask my question the right way. I am not worried about my pet raccoon he is very much a pet and doesnt bite. I was just saying Ive had them since I was a little a girl and have been bitten numerous times. I have been reading on the internet about rabies and it classifies a skunk raccoon fox and bat as carriers of rabies. But every website I go to says something different about a carrier. Like for instance my raccoon has been in the house all his life he has never had any contact with a wild animal so that means he has no way to contact it from another animal. So Im asking if an animal can just be a carrier and transmit it to you without actually having the disease its self. If they can possibly carry the disease and transmit it without being infected or sick with it.

Answer 1

i dont think you have anything to worry about if as you say hes never been near any wild animals.racoons are comedians,they do the funniest things.to be on the safe side ,keep him as youre doing now safe and healthy.

Answer 2

I work as a state microbiologist and my main responsibility is rabies testing of animals. I have never heard of an animal transmitting it without suffering from it and eventually dying also. In order to transmit rabies, it must be shed in the saliva, which means it has reached the central nervous system and should cause signs. For pets (dogs, cats, ferrets) there is a quarantine period of 10 days. If they are still alive for 10 days after having bitten someone, then it is believed that the virus was not being shed in the saliva at the time of the bite and the human victim is safe. Of course, this may not be true for wild animals and you do not want to wait 10 days to begin shots if you really suspect rabies.

I would personally not be worried in your situation if you have had the raccoon since it was little. Yes, there is a possibility he could have acquired it from his mother or another wild animal but if you have had him for more than 2 years, the possibility is remote that he would incubate it that long.

To specifically answer your question, no, i do not believe it is possible to transmit rabies without suffering from it. You can not always tell that an animal is rabid, however, and wild animals may be able to live longer than 10 days while suffering from rabies.

When an animal, such as skunks, bats, foxes, etc. is talked of as being a carrier, it simply means that they are a reservoir species for the virus. There are different rabies variants that are adapted to replicate in certain host species.

What you want to be concerned about is that it is probably illegal to keep a raccoon as a pet. In our state, if the game commission discovers a pet raccoon, it will confiscate the animal and have it tested for rabies.

Answer 3

You say that your raccoon has been in your house all his life. Was he born there? Did you also have his mother as a pet?

If this is a raccoon that you found as a baby, even a very young baby, he has had contact with other wild raccoons. He could carry rabies, though it is very doubtful.

However, there is another thing to think about. If you are in the US, it is illegal to keep any native wild species unless you have the proper permits. Also, I'm quite sure your insurance agent will tell you that if your raccoon happens to bite anyone (and unless you are a hermit, there is always a chance he could bite a visitor), your insurance will not cover any damages or medical expenses, because you have an unlicensed exotic (which translates into "dangerous") animal. You could be sued, and the animal will be confiscated and destroyed in order to test it for rabies.

The best thing to do for the raccoon (even if you do not think it is the best thing for you, because you love your pet and you will miss him) is to surrender him to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

Answer 4

You can never be sure with an animal, and unless your animal is deceased, they can't be tested to find out if they have or are a carrier of rabies. If your pet has been in the house all along and if you've been bitten before and never gotten it, that's a good sign BUT if you want to be REALLY safe, I would get a rabies vax just in case, you never know what could happen.

Answer 5

Rabies can lie dormant in mammals for a long, long time before becoming symptomatic, and animals can transmit it during this time. This is why you should always get treatment if bitten by any animal whether it appears rabid or not.

As your animal has never had contact with any other, there is no chance he has rabies. It can only be caught by contact with another infected animal.

Chalice