Raccoons and Rabies

SO to end the week on an especially memorable moment, Bryan had to have a new adventure :)

As we were just getting ready to lay down, we hear a noise outside. Nothing new, a raccoon had found some chick feed on the back stoop outside the family room. Bryan went and watched for a minute or so, then came on to bed. Then, just as we are falling asleep, we hear noises outside our sliding glass door that opens onto our lanai. Sure enough, a different raccoon had gotten onto the porch and found the chick feed bag. This is a first! We turn the lights on and try to get it out. We open the door wide, but the poor thing is frightned and instead keeps rushing back and forth across the porch, slamming into the screens and scaling them. Bryan tries a few methods to no avail. Finally, he is putting on his leather work glove and thinks he will just pick it up and put it out....BAD idea! He yells and sure enough, the bite cuts through the gloves into a deep puncture wound and blood. We wash it for a long time while I look up details...yep...ER. 

Sidenote, Bryan has had a rough weekend. He has felt badly since Friday night, taking multiple naps, upset stomach, leg aches, etc. He had just finished packing his bags for his trip to Puerto Rico on Monday morning. We had just calculated that he needed to leave the house at 6:30. The raccoon decided to visit at midnight :).

Back to our adventure. I call Moffitt Cancer Center to find out about the vaccines and his medicines. Normally, we have been advised to avoid vaccines, but the Dr. on call says the risk is too great. Bryan heads out the door around 12:45am. He comes back home at almost 5am with hilarious BRuss stories of huge syringes, a handful of vials and multiple shot-givers. All in all he says he received 10 shots and antibiotics, plus he has to get more shots in Puerto Rico and when he returns.

Moral of the story....LEAVE THE DANG WILD ANIMALS ALONE!!!!!!!

:) Really, he really wishes he had been more patient:)

PS 1/31/12 Collier County Animal Control comes knocking on the door today and I have to explain the whole situation, hopefully nothing comes of it. Mainly they wanted to know he had been treated.