Why Raccoons Are Dangerous to your Pets

Raccoons are the cute masked bandits that run about especially at night. They are nocturnal animals that go far foraging for food. Raccoons have adapted easily to urbanization and you may see one roaming around your neighbourhood once in a while.

Raccoons may look harmless, but don't be deceived. These bandits are actually very dangerous, especially to your pets. They carry diseases and viruses that can harm your furry friends and one of the most popular one is infecting your pets with canine distemper.

Canine distemper is caused by a virus that affects certain animal famillies including Procyonidae where raccoons belong. First signs in raccoons are a runny nose and watery eyes that further develops into conjunctivitis. At its later stages, the raccoon can develop pneumonia and some of its symptoms may actually be mistaken for rabies.

While humans are immune to this virus, dogs are not. In fact, they are prone to be affected by the virus, and it can cause serious health problems for your pet.  Dogs with this virus tend to be lethargic while their mental and motor skills deteriorate. They will also suffer from paralysis and seizures and poor eyesight. Canine distemper can be lethal to your pet's life especially since cases of degeneration of the nervous system are also linked with the canine distemper virus.

So, if you have pets at home, you may want to make sure their lives are protected and safe from these dangers. There are a lot of preventive measures you can do yourself. First, there are vaccines for puppies that can counter this virus. Second, never let your dogs out at night, especially when you don't have lights on and the area is dark. Remember, raccoons are nocturnal creatures and they would go around roaming after dusk. Most likely, this is the time when your beloved pet may encounter an infected raccoon.

The best course of action, however, is to eliminate all the possibilities of having raccoons near your pets. First is removing them from your property the soonest time possible and professional Montreal wildlife control like Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can offer a helping hand. After an efficient and humane method of removing these masked critters from your home, you can talk to your Skedaddle Montreal Wildlife Control Technician about exclusion. Exclusion is the method of securing your home by sealing away all possible entries. Do yourself a favour and don't let the threats of raccoons get inside your household. Let Skedaddle handle them for you. Without much effort and too much risk, you'll get a critter-free house and property that's safe for you and your beloved pet.