She took Lashay to see her pediatrician, who shared her concerns. Why would this nocturnal animal attack her daughter in broad daylight? A single word came to mind: rabies. Suddenly, her mother remembered the raccoon scratch. Over the next several days, the mother got better, but Lashay did not. Lashay had a headache, too, along with repeated episodes of vomiting. When Lashay and her family got home to their small suburban Utah town, both she and her mom came down with some kind of gastrointestinal problem. The raccoon attack seemed to fade into the background, but it didn’t stay there. But she was soon enjoying the rest of their vacation - swimming in the beautiful blue waters of the rivers and the Pacific, white-water rafting, ziplining down forested hills and, of course, more hiking. They cleaned the area with alcohol and turned their attention to the frightened girl. The girl’s foot wasn’t bleeding, but her skin was broken by what looked like a scratch or a scrape. She screamed, and the raccoon bolted up and took off. Suddenly, a large raccoon ran up the path and threw itself on Lashay’s foot. They were an active family and spent all their vacations engaged in sports and other activities. Lashay and her parents, along with her sister, spent the first day hiking in the beachside forest of Manuel Antonio National Park. Click here to submit your diagnosis.Įverything seemed to start just after a family vacation in Costa Rica over Thanksgiving.

New york times dr lisa sanders