By Scott Weese on Posted in Parasites,Rabies1) Pick up baby raccoons and take them away Rarely does this end well. It’s illegal in many areas (including Ontario). Raccoons don’t do well long-term in households for various reasons (their curious and destructive nature being a big one). And, they are potential sources of a number of zoonotic diseases (rabies being a big one but not… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesThe US Geological Service isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think about publishers of zoonotic disease information (but what do I know?). If you’re looking for some holiday reading, the USGS has published a comprehensive overview of Baylisascaris larva migrans, a serious disease caused by Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. This parasite… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesThe August edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases has an interesting case report of Baylisascaris procyonis infection in a California man (Langelier et al. 2016). Baylisascaris procyonis, commonly known as the raccoon roundworm, is a parasite that is very commonly found in the intestinal tracts of raccoons. Massive numbers of parasite eggs can be found in… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ParasitesI had a question the other day about roundworms in feral cats. Specifically, how do you deworm a group of cats that you don’t handle and may not be able to catch? There are a few possible approaches, from trapping and treating (oral or topical) to trying to get a dewormer into them via food.… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ParasitesAn article by Dr. Ann Britton of British Columbia’s Animal Health Centre (AHC) on the blog site healthywildlife.ca is another reminder of the perils of raccoon poop. Over a 2 year period, 17 raccoons were submitted to the AHC for necropsy, and 12 (71%) of them were infected with Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. The… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsHere’s a recent question I received: "My problem is that the raccoon broke a window, came into my house, ate the cat food and then defecated on the kitchen floor. Since they went a day without food, the cats may have eaten the few bits of food that were left behind. How can I tell… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsAn article in the May/June edition of Canadian Vet Newsmagazine (a magazine, not to be confused with Canadian Veterinary Journal, a scientific journal), described an interesting case of an indoor pet bird acquiring an infection from a wild raccoon, despite no direct contact. The bird was an African Grey Parrot that was admitted to the… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsKinkajous are strange little mammals from the Procyonidae family – the same family to which raccoons belong. Kinkajous are native to Central and South America and are occasionally kept as pets, but they don’t make great pets because they are strictly nocturnal, can be cranky when woken during the day, and can sometimes be aggressive.… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsAn interesting paper in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases (Page et al. 2011) describes an impressively large effort to study the effect of anthelmintic (dewormer) baiting on parasite contamination at raccoon latrines sites in Indiana. Raccoon latrines can be highly contaminated with various parasites, because raccoons congregate at these sites and use them as "communal… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsRecently, I was speaking with a physician who mentioned that a colleague has recommended that people with raccoons in their yard get rid of their dogs because of the risk of Baylisascaris procyonis. This parasite, also known as the raccoon roundworm, can cause severe neurological disease in people that ingest infective parasite eggs from the environment.… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in ParasitesThere was another paper published in the August issue of the Canadian Veterinary Journal about Baylisascaris procyonis (roundworms) in raccoons, this time in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Sexsmith et al 2009). The study was actually undertaken after infection with B. procyonis larvae was identifed as the cause of death of several animals in the collection at the… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesWe’ve written various posts about raccoons, raccoon latrines and concerns about the raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis). I received a question today about how to keep raccoons from coming back after a latrine has been identified and cleaned. It’s a good question, and one without a simple answer. I’ve looked through various sources and have found… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesIf you live in the suburbs of Chicago (or probably many other cities as well), chances are pretty good that you live close to a raccoon latrine. Raccoons like to defecate in specific areas (raccoon latrines) which can become highly contaminated with eggs of Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm. Human disease caused by this parasite… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Deworming,Other diseases,ParasitesA reader posed this question, with respect to having raccoons living around the house: "One thing that causes me concern with the raccoon roundworm is the possible danger of infection to my pets and myself through the feces left behind from the raccoons in the yard and possibly in my vegetable garden. Can I acquire… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Cats,Dogs,Other animals,ParasitesSpring appears to have finally sprung in earnest in Southern Ontario (although we may still get one more frost on the weekend, so I hear) and people are getting back out into the garden. An increasingly popular trend in recent years, particularly this year now that the Obama’s are doing it too, is vegetable gardening. … Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesProMed mail has a report about 2 cases of Baylisascaris procyonis infection in people in Brooklyn, New York. Baylisascaris is the raccoon roundworm and is very commonly found in the intestinal tract of healthy raccoons. Raccoons shed this parasite in their stool, and after a short period of time, the parasite larvae become infective to… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesRaccoon latrines are a major source of eggs of the raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis. Accidental ingestion of large numbers of eggs from these latrines can lead to a disease known as visceral larval migrans. The most severe forms of this condition are known as ocular or neural larval migrans, which are damage to the eyes… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Other animals,ParasitesThis post has been updated with new information as of October 2, 2008. An article was published on Sunday in a local Guelph newspaper about a 14-month-old child who has been battling infection with Baylisascaris larvae in a Hamilton (Ontario) hospital for the last two weeks. This comes on the heals of a very recent… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Cats,Deworming,Dogs,Other animals,ParasitesThis post has been updated with new information as of October 2, 2008. Raccoons, just like dogs and cats, can have roundworms in their intestine. Dogs are typically infected by the species Toxocara canis, and cats are infected by Toxocara cati. Raccoons are infected by a type of roundworm from a different genus, called Baylisascaris… Continue Reading
