Nuisance wildlife spread a wide variety of diseases that can be very harmful to you, your family, and your pets. Wild animals can spread these diseases if they bite or scratch you, if you contact their feces or urine, or if they contaminate your food supplies or water. Continue reading to learn more about the common diseases caused by wildlife.
Rabies
If you were to ask anyone what type of disease wild animals spread, one of the most likely answers would be rabies. Rabies is one of the most common diseases that is carried by a wide variety of animals. Raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes, foxes, bats, and many other nuisance animals can spread this disease to you and your pets.
While rabies is a very serious disease, luckily it can be treated with a series of shots after likely exposure to the disease. For pets, vaccination can prevent them from ever getting the disease at all. Rabies is a viral infection that attacks the nervous system of humans and pets. If left untreated, it can lead to some nasty side effects, eventually culminating in likely death.
Some of the side effects are hysteria, nausea, excessive saliva production, fear of water, hallucinations, and eventually comas. If you or your family has potentially been exposed to rabies, it is important to seek medical care immediately.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a nasty disease that many wild animals are found to be carrying. Raccoons, opossums, skunks, squirrels, and many more animals are able to carry this bacterial infection. Leptospirosis has some serious health issues that come with it, particularly if left untreated. Since it is a bacterial infection, a course of antibiotics is usually able to clear this disease up quickly.
Tularemia
Tularemia is a bacterial infection that can be spread in many different ways. Rodents, squirrels, rabbits, and other small critters are commonly carrying this disease and can spread this disease to humans and their pets by contaminating food or water with their saliva or by biting. While it is commonly carried by animals, there are not very many cases of illness in the United States per year.
That is a good thing because tularemia can lead to throat pain, mouth ulcers, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and eventually can lead to death if left untreated. If you or your pets have come into contact with an animal, it is important to be checked out immediately by a healthcare professional.
Rat Bite Fever
Rat bite fever is a deadly bacterial infection that is commonly found in mice and rats. This disease is spread by, as you guessed it, a rat or mouse biting or scratching you or your pet. If left untreated, rat bite fever features some nasty symptoms before it eventually causes death.
One of the issues with this disease is that it causes similar symptoms to the common cold and other illnesses, so you may not know you have something serious like rat bite fever. When in doubt, visit a healthcare professional, as a dose of antibiotics can clean this illness right up.
Salmonellosis
While salmonella is more commonly known for being one of the leading contributors to food poisoning, this disease is also commonly spread by nuisance animals. Salmonella causes symptoms like vomiting, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fevers. In some cases, it can even lead to death.
This disease is spread by animals leaving their urine and droppings, as well as their saliva on different surfaces and items. Often, different food items and food preparation areas are contaminated, then causing the disease to be spread to the humans who eat the food. Since this disease is especially harmful to small children and weakened immune systems, it is important to be on guard for it.
How to Prevent These Diseases
As the severity of these diseases is apparent, it can be a great idea to think about preventing animals from being around you and your family. One of the best ways to keep your family safe from diseases is by contacting a nuisance wildlife removal company, such as A+ Animal Solutions. These wildlife removal companies not only remove critters, but they are able to figure out ways to keep critters out of your home and property for good!
