How do you know if a raccoon has rabies?

Answer 1

You can suspect rabies, if the raccoon seems unafraid of humans, seems to walking with an uneven gait, it may be falling over, or going in circles. The raccoon may also be falling over and having seizures. They may also be frothing at the mouth, this happens because their saliva glands become paralyzed. Always report an animal you suspect is rabid to your local animal control, or call a police station. Never approach the animal, or try to kill it yourself. The body needs to be properly disposed of.

Answer 2

Kill and dissect them, then examine their brains.

Seriously, that's how you detect rabies: direct brain examination. And you need to know what you're looking for, so you personally aren't going to be able to do it.

Option B is to confine them (isolated from one another and from other animals) and see if they develop symptoms of rabies. If they've bitten someone, though, this isn't an option. Rabies is almost invariably fatal once symptoms develop even with the best medical treatment available, so your choice are either kill and examine the raccoon, start prophylactic treatment just in case they did have rabies, or let the person they bit play raccoon roulette and hope they don't have rabies, because if they do, he gon' die.

Answer 3

There is no way to tell is a raccoon has rabies by looking at it. Diseases such as parvo and distemper can mimic the symptoms of rabies. The only definitive test is to examine the brain of the animal by a trained technician.

Answer 4

Foam starts coming out of his mouth or around his mouth

Answer 5

squirrels can only have rabies when they are from the wild

Answer 6

Any wild raccoon that is acting abnormally must be considered suspect. The only way to definitively determine if a raccoon has rabies is to have its brain examined by a trained technician.

Answer 7

The only way to tell definitively is the animal will need to be euthanized and its brain examined under a microscope for the rabies virus.

Answer 8

The only definitive test for rabies is to kill the animal and examine its brain. This would have to be done by a trained technician.

Answer 9

The only definitive test for rabies is to kill the raccoon and examine the brain tissue. This is usually done by a technician trained in the process.

Answer 10

The only way to tell with certainty is to kill the animal and examine the brain under a microscope.