Virginia woman sees injured raccoon on the road. Then she puts it in a towel—and into her car: ‘I have gotten myself into quite the predicament’

If you're an animal lover, odds are seeing one in need tugs your heartstrings. Perhaps you feed your local strays, or maybe you adopt orphaned animals at the shelter. But for this woman, her love for animals led her to save a sick raccoon.

Virginia-based TikToker Suzanna (@_flsuz) posts content about “Foster Dogs to BookTok and everything else in between.” This instance probably falls under the latter.

While driving, she says, “I have gotten myself into quite the predicament this morning because I don't want to watch an animal suffer.”

As proof, she flips the camera to reveal a raccoon bundled in a towel on her passenger seat. “Now, I need to go find a wildlife rehab center this morning cause this little guy got injured on the road,” she says. 

The content creator elaborates in the caption that she has a huge soft spot for animals. “When it comes to the little animals that require help, I have zero self control – time to find him a safe place,” she writes.

‘Thank you for going out of your way'

Suzanna's rescue mission garnered 7,800 views, capturing viewers' hearts. Many applauded her for going above and beyond to save the raccoon.

“You are amazing for this,” one viewer complimented.

“Love people who love animalssssss,” another stated.

“Thank you for going out of your way to save that sweet baby,” a third thanked.

Like the creator, other animal enthusiasts couldn't resist the little critter either.

“He would automatically be my son,” one commenter said.

“Oh I would just have a pet raccoon after this,” a second agreed.

How did the raccoon adventure go?

In two follow-up videos, Suzanna documents how this transpired in one day. The first clip seemed promising as she intended to seek care for it.

“So, the good news is, we found a vet that can provide local care for him and assess his injuries,” she says, the bundled raccoon on her lap. “Then, if he gets cleared or has to get medical care work done, we will be able to then take him to a lady who does rehabilitation who is licensed, a few counties over.”

The next step is to take her new furry friend to the vet. “Hopefully, we will have a happy update.”

However, the second update proved depressing as the content creator shared in a series of on-screen texts. “We did make it to a wonderful vet today who volunteers medical attention to any wildlife for no charge,” she shared.

After the vet performed an X-ray and a test on the female raccoon, the results went from bad to worse. “She had not been hit by a car,” Suzanna explained. “But had a neurological condition and her body was shutting down.”  

After speaking with the Wildlife Rehab Center, the most merciful way to help the raccoon was to put her to sleep.

“Her condition would worsen and she would not recover but suffer more as it went on,” she said. “We knew it was time to let her go with dignity and peace.”

Despite the tragic chapter, the content creator stayed with her during the critter's final moments. “I was able to stay with her to the end,” she said. “I am forever thankful for the chance to help her.”

A Deeper Dive

During an interview with Subplot, Suzanna recalled how she discovered the raccoon.

“I found the raccoon on the road to my house. I was leaving my house. When I saw it, she lifted her head, so I couldn't just leave her there. When I got out of my car, I got a blanket to avoid getting anything she could be carrying (disease, parasites, etc),” she recounted via email. “When I realized she had no visible injuries, I spent the whole morning finding a local (licensed) rehabilitation center to advise me on what to do. They helped me find a local vet that will offer medical services for injured wildlife free of charge.”

She continued, “I must say picking animals off the road IS NOT my standard procedure- but I am a foster for my local shelter (I have had up to 8 foster dogs at once) and I am just not able to leave any creature alone to suffer.”

While the content creator didn't reveal what the diagnosis was, it was likely a birth defect.

“I was able to bring her to a local vet where they said she was most likely in the beginning stages of paralysis due to a deformation that may have happened at birth,” she said. “With advice from the vet and the rehabilitation center, we made the choice that it was best to put her down. The vet let me stay with her as they put her down and treated her with as much care as they would a family pet to ensure it was a peaceful end for her.”

How is she feeling about the raccoon now?

Suzanna is still heartbroken, but she did find a silver lining.

“I am sad she wasn't able to make it but this is what I have to say. I feel like it was an absolute gift from the earth that she happened to collapse on my road,” she said. “I had the privilege to help her in her final hours and keep her from another animal making her suffer more or her actually getting hit by a car. I think kindness goes a long way and the world needs a lot more of it – to people and animals.”

However, she does have some advice for those who want to help animals.

“The one thing (if I have the opportunity to add it) I don't recommend is just picking up wildlife on the road unless you use extreme caution. Please work directly with a LICENSED rehab center,” she advised. “BUT where you can help is at your local shelter and those animals deserve so much love and affection. Please volunteer, foster, or adopt. And show compassion whenever the world gives you a chance.”

@_flsuz

What neurological conditions can raccoons contract at birth?

In July, a raccoon the locals named Jimothy won people online over due to his round appearance. His condition raised awareness of a rare birth defect in raccoons and other animals called short spine syndrome.

This occurs when the bones in the vertebrae don't develop properly and fuse, according to USA Today. This gives the appearance of a hunched body without a neck. As the outlet notes, this hasn't been studied in raccoons, but in dogs. They may live happily without any problems or may suffer from nerve compression and pain.

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