We have found 2 dead raccoons in our area in the last 2 weeks. I believe the first was an adult and the one we found today is a juvenile. Wondering if someone would want to test for disease. Could be the mother died and the young wasn't old enough to forage yet. The juvenile was in our back yard. Thanks for any input. I have the young raccoon in a bucket at this time if you would like to test it. Lela Summers

Thank you for sending in the information. You can dispose of the raccoon. Typically wildlife aren't tested unless there are large numbers of dead animals in an area. Did the adult show signs of trauma? Maybe hit by a vehicle?

I don't know how old the previous two posts are, but we found two dead juvenile raccoons this week (on separate days about 3 days apart). Both carcasses were free of trauma, but both bodies appeared to be very thin. We have a dog and a cat that spend their days outside. Although both are up to date on vaccinations, I worry about disease.

Depending on how big the raccoons were, it may have been that they were separated from their mother prior to weaning and hadn't yet learned to forage on their own. Disease would be another possibility. The raccoons should be double-bagged and placed in the trash for pick-up. Wearing disposable gloves is recommended. Make sure to wash hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water. As long as the cat and dog did not come into contact with the raccoons, they should be fine.