Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Northern Raccoon

These masked bandits play an important role!

This adult raccoon came to the Center from Stafford County, VA after being found circling with blood on her face.

Photos / Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

On physical examination, this patient was exhibiting neurological signs consistent with head trauma from a vehicle collision, though we cannot rule out infectious diseases such as rabies or distemper.

In addition to head trauma, this raccoon suffered damage to her eye, leaving her with poor vision on the left side. Palpation and x-rays confirmed that there were no fractures and no significant internal bleeding.

If you ever find a raccoon (or any wild animal) that appears injured or sick, please call us before taking action. Far too often a person with the best intentions will feed, water, or handle a raccoon without the proper protection. Raccoons are considered a high-risk rabies vector species, meaning they are more likely than some other species to transmit the rabies virus to humans, though any mammal, including humans, can become infected with rabies, which is fatal. The only way to test for rabies is with brain tissue samples, which means the animal has to be euthanized, even if they are healthy. Keeping hands-off with wildlife could quite literally save their life!

Luckily this patient was contained properly, and with strong pain medications, this raccoon is looking, and surely feeling, much better. We hope to see the neurological signs improve over the next few days to weeks.

Though some people find raccoons to be a nuisance, they actually play an important role in the ecosystem!

They occasionally scavenge, which cleans up our environment, but they also help prey populations (such as insects and small mammals and other species many consider pests) from growing out of control.

When they do get into trouble with humans, it is often due to the human’s behavior. Please remember to secure your trash, patch up holes in attics & outbuildings, and make sure any animal enclosures (such as chicken coops) are secure.