Check Your Pets' Vaccinations: Rise In Raccoons With Distemper Throughout Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA - Santa Cruz County pet owners are advised to vaccinate their animals in response to a rise in the number of raccoons found with distemper, animal shelter officials said.

The viral disease can lead to a high mortality rate among raccoons, but doesn’t pose a threat to people, county animal shelter officials said. The illness can be passed to dogs or cats through bodily secretions or waste, according to animal shelter officials.

Symptoms of distemper include a high fever, red eyes, lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and disorientation, shelter officials said.

There have been more than 400 reports of raccoons with distemper since the start of 2015, 185 of which came in the first 10 months of the year, shelter officials said.

Of the total reports, 195 came from Santa Cruz, 100 in Aptos and 79 in Watsonville, according to shelter officials. In the past three months, there were 220 cases of raccoon distemper, shelter officials said.

In January, there were 66 reports of raccoon distemper in Santa Cruz, centered in the Seabright, downtown and West Side neighborhoods, shelter officials said.

The public is advised to seek medical attention if they are bitten or scratched by a raccoon, shelter officials said. People are also encouraged to feed their pets indoors and clean up any leftovers if food is served outdoors to avoid any ill animals from becoming attracted, according to shelter officials.

Anyone who suspects they’ve seen a raccoon with distemper is asked to call county animal services at (831) 454-7227.

--Bay City News/Morguefile image