@GrammaChar, maybe you were thinking of leptospirosis instead leprosy since they sound similar. I think opossums and raccoons are common carriers around here of strains that can pass to humans and our pets. The topic came up a few times over the years at the vets when we had dogs with impaired kidney function.
http://www.peteducation.com/ar...
We get some raccoons, opossums, and skunks here in the burbs. For the most part they don't cause too many problems for me and I am glad to have them. I bring bird feeders in at night, and try to wash our garden produce very well. When we had dogs and they had to go out after dark I would loudly bang on the door first and then wait a minute before taking them out on leash to do their business. Having to bathe skunked dogs a handful of times has made me overly cautious. Once we called a wildlife trapper to come trap and euthanize an obviously sick skunk that was wandering the yard all day having seizures and spraying. The trapper said it most likely had distemper. Thankfully our dogs were vaccinated for that.
I have also heard about burying the strong hardware cloth all around the base of sheds and other buildings you don't want them tunneling under.
