How common is rabies in coon? I’m in eastern Nebraska. This evening had one of my pigs wounded up from a coon. I dispatched the coon and will put it up. But my pig was beat up pretty bad from it, all marked up. But still alive. Wondering if I should treat the pig. Or perhaps euthanize it.

I've heard as high as 30%. May depend on location and how prevalent it is in your area. My advice is talk to a veterinarian.

Kinda random because a lot of it has to do with population cycles. You have to remember that they cant test all wild animals. What the numbers you see reported are mostly specimens that are suspected of having rabies or have bitten someone or a pet/farm animal by local health departments. So thats going to lead to a number higher than out in the wild.If it was actually infection rate 30-40% instead of tested animals, it would look a zombie apocalypse out there.

Well it’s not. lol. A thriving community here of them. And I don’t understand it either cause I put up over 100 of them every year and it’s like I don’t make a difference in some of the areas I trap

Historically the rabies percentage in wild animals has been low except for pockets of animals who have been exposed and tested. 30% of the coon tested means “of the coon tested” rather than the entire population. Yet, epidemiologists have to start somewhere in reporting incidence rates, etc.

You might want to talk to a vet about rabies, pseudo-rabies, distemper and other diseases he/she is seeing in your area. The testing and vaccinations, however, might cost you more than the pig is going to be worth

If it hasn't froze, Cut and send the head to the State Health Dept. through your local vet. If you shot the coon in the head, it won't be usable to determine if it was positive. If you handled the coon or hog WITH OUT rubber or nitrile gloves, You may have been exposed,,,,,,,, always send a suspected animal to the Health Authority in your area. Not worth the risk!!!!!! My experience. ......................... the mike (in eastern NE)

Taking the head in to the vet and eventually the state lab for testing only shows an animal in the advanced stages of rabies.

Rabies travels thru nerves. When I studied it, the rate of travel was an inch a day. An animal bitten on the face had a much better chance of developing rabies in a few days than one bitten on a hind leg. The hind leg exposure was going to take weeks before the virus made it to the brain and the disease developed.

That being said, state health recommendations are to treat all coon bites as potential sources of rabies and to get the rabies shots started as soon as you can. As for the pig, well, it might be time to say good bye and send it off to rendering or whatever your vet says to do with it.

Friend of mine who caught a boatload of coon got careless thinking a big boar coon was dead. It latched onto his thumb. He washed it up and didn’t go to the doctor. Luckily he never got rabies although he foamed at the mouth occasionally. Seriously I may have got shots in case.

All over Long Island according to the to the scummy media.
The shots are not too bad. I did the series years ago.

Here's a story from Nebraska that just rolls my eyes. Approx. 3 years ago a family in Omaha adopted a stray cat and after a few days it died. they took it to the vet for local post op and sent the head to the State health lab. Head came back positive for rabies WITH A CERTAIN RABIES VIRUS KNOWN TO BE ISOLATED TO RACCOONS IN THE SE PART of the U.S. Entire family had to undergo the rabies vaccine procedure.. City of Omaha Contacted Wildlife Service in Lincoln (U.S.D.A.). Contract was written and Fed trappers were assigned to live catch as many raccoons as possible east of 48th street (I believe) within the city limits of Omaha. They tested the live caught coons, if negative, the coons were VACCINATED AND RELEASED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THEY WERE CAPTURED IN. Bleeding hearts on the city council I guess, as it was a cost-sharing contract and the entire terms were never printed. Don't know how many they caught, euthanized or released but it is not good management of resources or true use of the available science. This was a story carried in the Omaha World Herald and there was no follow-up as to the success of reducing viral contact with humans or pets. "Just a case of wildlife exhibiting a negative or potential negative VALUE to society when fur (positive) values are reduced"................................................ the mike