Town on NC’s Outer Banks warns of virus spreading among raccoons that can kill dogs

One of the best-known tourist towns on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has issued a warning for residents to keep their kids and pets away from raccoons.

A highly contagious virus is spreading among the omnivores and it’s potentially fatal for dogs, Nags Head police wrote in a Nov. 4 Facebook post.

“In the last few weeks we have had a higher call volume for sick raccoons in the area,” police officials said.

“We have been in contact with a biologist with NC Wildlife Resources Commission regarding this matter. They have confirmed positive cases of distemper in the Dare County area.”

Humans are not susceptible to canine distemper, but can be victimized when the infected animals become aggressive, experts say.

The disease is caused by a virus that “attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems of dogs,” according to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. It spreads via direct contact with bodily fluids and infected animals may be seen walking in circles, twitching, gnashing their jaws and drooling, the foundation says.

It is often fatal to dogs, and those that survive often end up with “permanent, irreparable nervous system damage,” the American Kennel Club says.

“Keep children and pets away from sick raccoons. As the disease progresses, the animal may appear calm, but can become aggressive if approached too closely,” Nags Head police said.

This is not the first time Nags Head has had to contend with a distemper outbreak. It appears to run in cycles of five to seven years and often occurs “when raccoon populations are large or concentrated,” officials said.

Pet owners are warned to feed dogs indoors, secure lids atop garbage cans, and remove anything from the yard that might attract a raccoon.

“Sick raccoons may pass through your yard and move on. If a raccoon dies in your yard, bury it deep enough so pets won’t dig it up,” officials said.

Nags Head has a population of 3,153 and is a 195-mile drive east from Raleigh. Among its tourist attractions is “the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast,” at adjacent Jockey’s Ridge State Park.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Town on NC’s Outer Banks warns of virus spreading among raccoons that can kill dogs."