bc friend Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Rocky and Katie were out in the backyard and Rocky started barking. When I went to check on them, I found Katie over the body of a what appeared to be a young adult armadillo. She had clearly bitten into it and had fresh blood from her muzzle down her bib to her feet. She had bitten into it but it was not torn up. I checked her over and can't find any sign of a wound so I'm pretty sure that it didn't bite her - we are having a lot of rabies in wildlife this year so even though Katie's vaccines are current, that was my first concern. Can anyone think of anything else I should I concerned about the armadillo giving her? And incidentally, I feel very bad about the armadillo - this is the first animal any of my dogs have ever hurt/killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 They carry samanilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Wierd but true, armadillos can carry the virus that causes leprosy, these days known as Hansen's Disease, I believe. Call your vet Monday. I believe that repeated exposure is necessary to transmit the virus, but it would bear some investigating before you call, so you have info of your own. The vet may not know anything about armadillos. Ruth n the BC3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Here's a link: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/leprosy/default.htm Also, I was mistaken, HD is caused by a bacteria. There's a ton of info on the web. I'd skip Wikipedia, and go with the CDC stuff or the HD research facililty in Baton Rouge. Ruth n the BC3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Thanks for the info. I called my vet (I have her home #) and she told me to give both dogs as warm a bath as they would tolerate and shampoo them with medicated shampoo. She wants me to bring Katie in on Monday just to double check the inside of her mouth, etc. She's more concerned about parasites than anything else but she also wants me to bring in the body so it can be turned over to animal control for testing because it is unusual for an armadillo to be caught and killed by a dog in the daytime. Yuck! Fortunately I had already bagged it and put it in the trash for disposal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Leprosy is carried by anteaters. They're the only animal in the world that can cary the virus, beside humans. My parents are scientifical resarchers and used to work with leprosy. The only way to culture the virus or try to develop a vaccine for humans is by using anteaters in their lab research. Armadilos are anteaters. The chance of contracting leprosy from an anteater is very, very slim. Dogs would not get leprosy, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 Anda that is interesting stuff. I like it when i learn something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 Leprosy And mange. You weren't afraid - you were smart to run away Foos. I have never seen an armadillo. Do they make a noise? Do they root up your yard like skunks do? Where do they go in the winter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 The do make a noise, i don't even know how to describe it. Kinda of a grunting noise. They do root up the yard in search of grubs and the like. They goto florida for the winter and work on their tans. *Meaning i have no idea where they go * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 Now I'm wondering if armadillos use sunblock. I coloured in Fargolokis nose this morning. He was wigglebutting so hard I couldn't stay within the lines so he got a moustache too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 I'm still a little freaked out about this - and that was before I found out they can carry the leprosy virus! Armadillos are nocturnal animals which normally move very fast. Since Katie is not as fast most BC and this occurred during daylight hours, I am concerned that the armadillo was sick. I live in suburban area which has a lot of wooded area near a bayou; developers have been bulldozing just beyond my back fence so I am sure the wildlife is being displaced and hopefully the armadillo was just confused. And no, I would not have confronted it had I seen it while alive as long as I could get the dogs in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 I wouldn't be so freaked out by it being out during day-light hours. I see them quite often during the day-time. As for them being fast, not really. They are faster then they look but a dog (even a slow one) can catch them. I would definately keep the vet appt. tho. Just to be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 I've never seen a live armadillo! I only see them belly up on the side of the road They look like empty cans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 I saw some armadillos while we were in Florida (getting a tan I guess ). The looked really strange - the dogs had this funny look on their faces when they saw them! But the dogs didn't try to go over to it all. Hope everything turns out OK for Katie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 My dogs use old armadillo skins (kinda hard and scaley) to chew on. Every time I take them away, they go out and find new (old) ones. I worry that they'll get a blockage from ingesting the hard parts but they don't seem to eat them, just chew on them till I take them away. I have armadillos all over here in AR. My fields are full of deep holes. I think they?re the armadillo?s dens. My plan is to take my lean-to muckings and fill the holes. I was coyote hunting last night, not really but I heard the coyotes down at the lean-to where the sheep are so I was looking to scare them away and all I could find was armadillos. Their beady little eyes glow in the flashlight. I wonder if the one Katie wandered on to was already hurt or dying and made for easy prey? Kristen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinKate Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 Still laughing thinking of Fooshuman meeting the dillo in the drive! lol :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Debatable Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 Quick Google search on diller + leprosy turned up this: "Human and Armadillo Leprosy" -- An Interpretive Summary by CAPT Richard W. Truman, Ph.D. DHHS/HRSA/BPHC Division of National Hansen's Disease Programs, Baton Rouge, La. Significantly higher prevalence rates are found among armadillos in low lying poorly drained environments than in others. [...]Antibody prevalence rates in the bottom-land hardwood alluvial and coastal habitats we examined in Louisiana and Texas range between 18-25%. But they were only 5-8% in rolling woodland areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, and fewer than 1% (none detected) of the animals in drier regions of central Texas and Oklahoma appear to be infected.My Sneak killed a possum in our backyard a few weeks ago. I'd taken the dogs out one last time before bed, and after a minute, there in the beam of my flashlight was Sneak, with... some animal (eeewwwwwww) in his mouth. I screamed, he put it down, and it was a young possum. Poor thing was in bad shape, and while I was agonizing over whether I should rush it to the emergency clinic or hit it over the head with a shovel, it gave up the ghost The possum killer: Our hot weather (118 degrees F yesterday---actual temp, none of that "feels like" business and it was humid, too) seems to have driven lots of wild critters out of hiding. I saw three big raccoons last night, and there have been a few deer sightings in town. We know these animals live nearby---we just don't see them on our lawns too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted July 24, 2006 Report Share Posted July 24, 2006 Your hot weather theory makes a lot of since. Yesterday afternoon with all the sheep on one side of my pond (in the front yard) I thought I saw another sheep on the other side of the pond but instead it was a 3 point buck getting a drink in our pond. The dogs were right there on the porch. Go figure Kristen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Katie saw the vet who couldn't find any signs of scratches or bites so that is good. We have to just wait and see about any bacterial infections - such as salmonella but I know the signs to look for. All of my dogs and cats are on "house quarantine" until animal control gets the rabies test results so no walks or playing in the field with other dogs for a week or so - they'll drive me nuts! My vet is not concerned about it since my pets have been vaccinated - the old cat we may do a titer on if the results are positive since she hasn't been vaccinated in a couple of years. Leprosy - no one was worried about it since I never touched the armadillo and I didn't come in direct contact with its blood - I washed Katie off with a hose and then gave her 2 baths! I also hosed off the area in the yard where the blood was as well. Thanks for all the support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 You might find this website useful for future reference: Armadillo Recipes Well, someone had to say it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitch Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 He was wigglebutting so hard I couldn't stay within the lines so he got a moustache too.ROFLOL! Glad to hear Katie is okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiezboyz Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 We used to see dillos all the time when we lived in TX. My dogs never chased them but my husband did.....good boy!! They are the funniest looking animals. We live in WA now and have alot of possums. Hopefully the hubby won't go chasing them?? ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnKaRa Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 Armadillos do carry the leprosy bacteria. I know this is a few years out. But I cam across it searching for what to do since my dogs killed one and apparently ate it.... They were chewing on the scales. I touched the scales and was worried first what I could contract and then was worried what my dog could contract. I kind of doubt my dog can contract leprosy but it is a bacteria and it is better to find out! One article said they could only contract it by eating the raw meat. I'm sure they did that..... Free food!!!! But I need to make sure. It is not uncommon during the summer months to see them during the day. It is mating season. Otherwise they keep to the night. So, if anyone has any info about dogs contracting leprosy, please let me know! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 It might be wise to make a call to your vet. I'm sure she or he will have the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I believe the OP said s/he had talked to her vet, that there was no sign of a bite or wound on the dog, and that the dogs' rabies vax were up to date. I did some research on this recently, and while I am generally of the "less vax is better" school of thought, there was a lot of info saying that if a vaccinated animal was bitten by a rabid animal, that it was a good idea to get a booster, even if it wasn't "due." [i'm not a vet, nor do I play one on TV....just reporting what I found.] Keep us posted! diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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