Distemper in raccoons likely to rise

DNR: Distemper is not the same disease as rabies

By Amie Johansen

amie@charlescitypress.com

In every county across the state, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources conducts their spotlight survey.

“It is similar to (the August roadside pheasant survey), but you do it after dark and with a spotlight and you count every deer and fur bearing animal,” DNR Furbearers Technician Dave Hoffman said.

Just as with the August roadside survey, the same route is driven every year and DNR technicians are encouraged to conduct the survey in similar conditions.

According to Hoffman, the raccoon population in Floyd County has nearly doubled since last year. Last year’s survey counted 24 racoons, this year Hoffman recorded 43. With a larger population and concentration of raccoons, the probability of distemper is increased.

“It seems like we get a few cases and some years we get larger outbreaks (of distemper),” Hoffman said. “We have just a got few reports here and there, it does appear to be up just a little bit this spring, slightly.”

“Distemper is not the same disease as rabies, although some symptoms are similar,” a DNR published list of general guidelines read. “Symptoms of distemper may include discharge from the nose and eyes, a rough coat of hair, emaciated appearance, and unusual behavior such as disorientation or wandering aimlessly. The animals’ symptoms become progressively worse and the disease is usually fatal.”

According to the DNR, distemper is transmitted “when animals have direct contact with body fluids or droppings from an infected animal.” Because distemper is always present in the environment, distemper outbreaks are more frequent when the raccoon population is greater.

“Each year we take a few sick coon and send them to Iowa State and have them tested for distemper and rabies,” Hoffman said. “(Distemper) is pretty difficult to track in some ways.”  

The DNR relies, in part, on the public to help keep track of the number of the animals infected with distemper, he said.

“It is kind of nice to get a general idea of the disease out there,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman recommends contacting a DNR officer before finishing an animal suspected to be infected with distemper.

“It’s best to give the DNR a heads up and relay that information about the disease too,” he said. Contacting the DNR will also decrease the likelihood of poaching accusations.

Once an animal has been put down, Hoffman recommends discarding it to keep it from infecting other animals. One way to discard infected animal remains is to bury it deep enough to keep other animals from digging it up.

An infected raccoon can pass distemper to foxes, coyotes, skunks even dogs if they are not vaccinated.

“Just follow some of those general guidelines, make sure pets are vaccinated,” Hoffman said.

The DNR guidelines also suggested people remove raccoon attractants from their yards, such as:

• Keep children and pets away from sick raccoons.
• Feed pets indoors. If feeding pets outdoors, bring in feeding bowls right after pets have eaten.
• Make sure garbage cans are secure and can’t be knocked over or their lids removed. Put garbage cans in a closed garage or storage shed. Secure them by tying them to a stable object or by putting a long stake through the handle and driving it into the ground.
• If you have a compost pile with fruit and vegetable scraps, make sure compost is securely covered in bins that raccoons can’t access.

If a raccoon is spotted and suspected to be sick, contact the Clear Lake DNR office 641-357-3517 for further instruction.