Becky Laing was walking a trail in Guelph when she saw a baby raccoon stumbling around.
“It fell over and started having a seizure,” she said. “I knew there was no way I could just leave it there. It wasn’t healthy. Something was wrong.”
A man was on the trail near Victoria and York streets telling people to get their dogs on leashes.
Laing took photos and a video of the animal before calling the humane society.
“I just wanted to scoop it up in my arms and take it home,” she said. “I’m a huge animal lover, but all I could do was just stand back and watch. It was heartbreaking.”
Upon arrival, the humane society caged the animal and told Laing it was most likely suffering from distemper.
“It’s a very serious virus,” said Renee Flemming of Guelph Animal Hospital. “If it progress to the neurological form, the prognosis is poor. It can affect the respiratory system, the digestive system , and the neurological system.”
Flemming adds that raccoons carry the extremely contagious canine form of distemper, but humans are not susceptible.
Laing says she posted the video online as a warning to people.
