Sick Coon

Qball

Qball

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It walked up our driveway around 4:30 today. Very lethargic and kept stumbling. It started to walk down into our yard toward our bird feeders and then collapsed forward with the top of its head resting on the ground. After five minutes or so, it got back up and stumbled over to the feed box, climbed in and collapsed again.

My son was up on the deck with his .17 HMR and waited until it raised its head. It raised up once when my son wasn't ready. After about twenty minutes it raised its head again and he took the shot putting the poor animal out of its misery. He was about 25 yards out when he took the shot.

It had distemper. I know it wasn't rabies because I've seen this coon before on our street struggling several weeks ago. Rabies would have been much quicker.

He's been disposed of properly on our property.

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Bummer. Beautiful critters & hate I had to put down one earlier this year.

Was surprised to see another during the day while out for a walk a couple weeks ago. This one was bookin' from the woods on one side of the road, to the woods on the other. Only about the size of a 10lb or so dog, so I'm guessing a young mother on the hunt to feed her kits.
 
Coons, which can get to be a nuisance, are just really cool and intelligent animals. I would rather have them around than a damn semi-feral cat (which get shot on site). I love watching a momma coon lead her kits around the creek from the tree stand.

Hate y'all had to kill the fella, but glad ya did.
 
Qball said:
I know it wasn't rabies because I've seen this coon before on our street struggling several weeks ago
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How sure are you it's the same one? They all look the same to me....
 
BBD280 said:
How sure are you it's the same one? They all look the same to me....
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I'm very observant and know the wild animals that frequent my property. This coon had a distinct motion when it walked and kept its nose to the ground and it's back hunched in an unusual position.

They may look the same when standing still, but its really not difficult to differentiate between different coons when you're used to seeing them every single day for more than a decade.
 
Qball said:
its really not difficult to differentiate between different coons when you're used to seeing them every single day for more than a decade.
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I'm really not trying to pick a fight, please don't take it that way ....... just hoping there's not a rabies outbreak in your area...... and coons in the wild have a life expectancy of 2-3 yrs.
 
BBD280 said:
I'm really not trying to pick a fight, please don't take it that way ....... just hoping there's not a rabies outbreak in your area...... and coons in the wild have a life expectancy of 2-3 yrs.
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Trust me. I don't take your post as a "pick a fight" deal.

The "when you're used to seeing them every single day for more than a decade" comment wasn't referring to a Raccoon's life expectancy.

I have been watching the wildlife on my property for 15 years. We have had generations of Raccoon families, Gray Fox families, Deer, Wild Turkeys, Woodchucks, and everything in between.

This Coon that my son put down Friday evening was suffering and was the same animal I have been watching off and on the past several weeks.

Rabies is a disease that will kill an animal within a few days. However, it doesn't matter regardless. This Raccoon was suffering so we elected to put it down to end its suffering.
 
Good on y'all for humanely taking a sick critter out when you needed to.
 
In a place whether it be a city or a larger area were animals are aloud to produce unfettered there will always be a larger concentration of sickness and diseases.
We as humans must do our part to help prevent this.

I for one can be trusted to without complaints give my best effort in this struggle for balance.
 
Was reading this thread and had a question about raccoons. Not trying to derail the thread.


We’ve had a few getting in the corn, pushing the stalks over and eating the ears. I set out 3 box type traps and have caught 2 in the past 2 nights. Each day when I check the traps each raccoon has been dead. Is this normal? They weren’t left in the cage more than 6-8 hours I wouldn’t think.
 
Pbj ak said:
Was reading this thread and had a question about raccoons. Not trying to derail the thread.


We’ve had a few getting in the corn, pushing the stalks over and eating the ears. I set out 3 box type traps and have caught 2 in the past 2 nights. Each day when I check the traps each raccoon has been dead. Is this normal? They weren’t left in the cage more than 6-8 hours I wouldn’t think.
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That is strange. You may consider contacting your local Animal Control and see if they would be interested in having them tested for rabies since you found two dead back to back.

The one we put down was taken out with a head shot therefore no testing that one. It looked young and had all of the symptoms of distemper. However, rabies can't be completely ruled out.
 
Good job !! One it was sick and Two no one wants to see an animal suffer a slow painful death. You did the right thing.
 
The state lab no longer tests for rabies unless there is direct contact with a human being. It is assumed that rabies is a naturally occurring disease. Generally you have more issues with distemper outbreaks than with rabies. We have raccoons on our place too. They forage 24 hours a day much like the opossums (which by the way, do not carry rabies and are great for controlling ticks) and this time of year the deer are out and about all day too. Disturbance has a lot to do with the activity cycles. In the suburbs and urban hell holes animals have to forage at night or some moron will call in the National Guard if they see a fox in the daytime. :rolleyes:

Good work in shooting the animal. Since it was a head shot they couldn't have tested anyway. They use brain tissue for the rabies test.
 
Downeast said:
In the suburbs and urban hell holes animals have to forage at night or some moron will call in the National Guard if they see a fox in the daytime. :rolleyes:
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Yep. Just a few years ago, people in Kernersville were calling the police and animal control because they were seeing gray foxes acting strangely. It was right after mating season when the kits and the adult males were getting booted from the den by the female.

They killed around sixteen animals and not a single one was sick. Stupid and ignorant is what that is.
 
Just a point to clarify... If anyone has been bitten or scratched by an animal, NO head shots or you're getting the rabies treatment. Biting animals get body shots if circumstances allow.
 
Ive had to kill a few here on the farm during the day. Clearly sick. One of them ran me up and over the four wheeler when I got to close looking at it.
 
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