My Raccoon Tanooki

[miss moxie]

Thanks for the kind words. I'm just at a loss. It's hard enough losing a pet when he or she has had a long journey, but his had barely begun.

Are you sure it was distemper? Perhaps it was a genetic problem. I'm not doubting you or the vet know what you're talking about, but that is so crazy to pick it up out of the blue. I don't know much about raccoons as pets, but given how uncommon a pet they are I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of available stock was inbred.

I dunno, I'm spitballing ideas that don't involve your skunk being exposed to such an awful disease.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Not 100% certain, but it was the vet's best opinion. We decided against a necropsy, as we felt, in case it was distemper, it was better to test the skunk rather than wait for the necropsy results. Distemper wasn't even something i considered, as it came on so quick and he is an indoor pet. But the vet said that itt can go neurological very quickly and skip the normal symptoms, and you can carry it on your clothing. I had no idea.

I'm hoping the age difference (the skunk is three years old vs the racoon being around 11 months) will mean a better immune response.

 

[miss moxie]

Not 100% certain, but it was the vet's best opinion. We decided against a necropsy, as we felt, in case it was distemper, it was better to test the skunk rather than wait for the necropsy results. Distemper wasn't even something i considered, as it came on so quick and he is an indoor pet. But the vet said that itt can go neurological very quickly and skip the normal symptoms, and you can carry it on your clothing. I had no idea.

I'm hoping the age difference (the skunk is three years old vs the racoon being around 11 months) will mean a better immune response.

Welp, I'm hoping so too for you and the skunk. Keep us updated.

Not sure if this will lighten the mood a bit, but when I was a child I was convinced distemper shots were to keep animals friendly... Then again, I also believed my father when he told me there was a little gnome who turned the light on in the fridge.

Oh the time I spent, opening and closing the fridge door to catch him in the act. Yahootie, I believe the name was.

 

[Aviara]

I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I just wanted to add my two cents here. I acquired a raccoon for a bit years ago, and the first thing we did (literally the second day we owned him) was acquire a killed distemper vaccine and vaccinate him. If you read up on raccoon care even very briefly on the internet, you will find that these vaccines are necessary and distemper is extremely dangerous for captive raccoons. You track diseases like distemper, parvovirus, etc. in on your shoes from the soil where pets defecate, and no matter how carefully you quarantine an animal there is always a risk of exposure to diseases.

In addition, and I mean no offense, planning to keep a raccoon in your home is never a good idea. Skunks do fairly well in home environments, but raccoons are extremely destructive and can even work their way OUT of the structure. A safe, large outdoor enclosure made of metal with a concrete bottom should always be used as a raccoon's home. These animals don't make good pets, they are wildlife. Last, I hope you had a quality vet and had your baby neutered. Normally I am against neutering for most species, but raccoons can be downright dangerous during mating season when left intact. The raccoon I owned was an intact male, a rescue the previous owner thought was cute as a baby and then got overwhelmed by, and he was nothing like a sweet young raccoon, and nothing like the neutered raccoon in my current town's nature center. I'm pointing this out because, as someone who volunteers for wildlife rehabilitators, I see and hear too many stories of the "cute baby raccoon" kept as a pet turning into an uncontrolled adult who is neither fit for captivity nor for release into the wild. I highly recommend you do a LOT of research before getting another wild mammal. I hate to say it, because I am sure you loved your raccoon dearly and had the best intentions, but if it truly was distemper (and it's a pretty high likelihood over a random neurological issue) it never would have happened with proper husbandry techniques.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

I have a number of animals many people have deemed "never a good idea" to bring in your home. I'm not a person who gets a "cute baby" then abandons it.

 

[Tivia]

I am sorry for your loss, freedumbdclxvi. No matter how or why you acquired it, losing something you cared for is always difficult.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

I am sorry for your loss, freedumbdclxvi. No matter how or why you acquired it, losing something you cared for is always difficult.

Thank you.

 

[The Snark]

Not 100% certain, but it was the vet's best opinion. We decided against a necropsy, as we felt, in case it was distemper, it was better to test the skunk rather than wait for the necropsy results. Distemper wasn't even something i considered, as it came on so quick and he is an indoor pet. But the vet said that itt can go neurological very quickly and skip the normal symptoms, and you can carry it on your clothing. I had no idea.

I'm hoping the age difference (the skunk is three years old vs the racoon being around 11 months) will mean a better immune response.

Heartfelt sympathy for the loss.

Pardon me for going technical here but in this day of vaccinations as standard it is far too easy to overlook deadly viruses. All vertebrate animal keepers need to be constantly aware of the threat of distemper, Paramyxoviruses. To be more emphatic and precise, a form of measles. This is why there is such a panic right now to get children vaccinated. Distemper is measles. Sometimes called canine measles. Not a threat to humans but they are very closely related in the same family.
Vets are advised to not perform necropsy on suspected animals as it is all but impossible to avoid becoming a carrier. Surgical sterile protocols are not enough to prevent the vet and the animal hospital from becoming a transmission station. In hospitals it is assumed the virus is always present and our infection control protocols reflect this. To make a long story short, if Tanooki had it, you are a carrier and the skunk has caught it. All that can be done now is hope the skunks immune system is up to snuff. Full quarantine duration is 28 days.

How did the animal catch it? The safe assumption is most animals have it and are resistant. Transmission is as easy as petting a friends healthy dog and bang. You are a carrier. This is why the entire health community is going facepalm over the silly rumors of measles vaccinations causing this or that problem. Measles is a deadly disease and vaccinations are just emulating what mom nature does to prevent massive die offs.

Worth giving a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramyxoviridae

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Thanks, Snark. I will give that a read. I'm hoping the skunk's age will factor in to a stronger immune system.