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I've never heard of this before today. My step-son has a blue heeler that had a minor run-in with a racoon. Several days later he started limping and one of his rear paws seemed swollen and painful. The next day the heeler was dragging his rear end around and appeared to be partially paralyzed. Unfortunately, the pup didn't make it.
I started searching around trying to figure out what happened and came upon this: coonhound paralysis.
I've never heard of this before and had no idea, short of a racoon having rabies, that their saliva could be so toxic to other animals.
I started searching around trying to figure out what happened and came upon this: coonhound paralysis.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-...ibes a sudden,have not encountered a raccoon.
Coonhound paralysis describes a sudden inflammation of multiple nerve roots and peripheral nerves in dogs, and occasionally cats. It can be caused by an immune reaction to raccoon saliva. However, it can also occur in dogs who have not encountered a raccoon. In this case it is called acute idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis and its cause is unknown.
I've never heard of this before and had no idea, short of a racoon having rabies, that their saliva could be so toxic to other animals.