alex got a possum!

[joycenalex]

and he seems so proud of himself. i, on the other hand are pretty grossed out. i took the snow shovel and tossed the body in the trash can (thank heavens it's winter) . can possums transmit any diseases to alex? alex didn't have any bites on his body, and he will be getting a bath soon. thanks, joyce

[KYS]

I am so sorry to hear that Alex killed a possum.
I live in Southern Calif, and ROcky
unfortunately kills squirrels and possums too.
I was concerned about diseases also, but when
I called my Vet he said don't worry, since my dogs
are up to date on their shots and Rabies is rare in our area.
(I also have them on flea medication and I periodcally
turn in a stool sample for worms)

I would call your vet to make shure their are
no problems in your area. My vet never charges for
a phone call.

[sabies]

As long as your dog is up to date on shots and stuff he should be fine. My Sadie has caught a couple of small wild animals (despite not being a great hunter) and unfortunately I just found out she has round worm. Not sure what it's from but I did miss 2 months of heart worm medicine around the same time she caught a rat . Just be sure to have a stool sample tested regularly as KYS mentioned. Dogs will be dogs.

[oodlesofpoodles]

possums don't carry rabies, never do squirrels or chipmunks. I knwo this because my son got bite by a chipmunk and i called animal control, the doctor and the emerceny room at the hospital, my poor son, I did more to him than the chipmunk could do, scrubbed his bite with soap and then poured alcohol on him, i think screamed more on that than the bite. Just check him over good for any bite wounds and make sure you clean them good, but not the way i did my son.

[luckies4me]

First off are you sure it was dead? They play dead, hardly move at all and it's really hard to tell if they are alive or not. They are VERY still. I would look in the trash and see if it is alive. If it is, just tip over the trashcan and let him go....he won't attack or anything, he'll just walk away or run lol.


I have had many possums as pets and they are wonderful. I have never been bit by a wild possum before, they are relatively tame creatures...unless they have been really spooked.


My dog Tess used to bring us baby possums all the time. It is pretty grose but unfortunately there isn't muchyou can do besides keep them inside. My cat drags in birds and snakes and other critters. That is how I got Fred, my wild house mouse, cuz Cheetah brought him to me. She's brought dormice and voles before too. I let them go...but it was really hard when she brought the cute little snakey.


Possums rarely ever bite dogs, they just play possum.

[lovemyshiba]

I cannot wait until my dogs can catch animals
I will be disgusted--my old roommates cat used to bring us moles and mice and leave them on the front doorstep for us (thanks a lot)

[KYS]

posted by luckies4me:First off are you sure it was dead? They play dead, hardly move at all and it's really hard to tell if they are alive or not. They are VERY still. I would look in the trash and see if it is alive. If it is, just tip over the trashcan and let him go....he won't attack or anything, he'll just walk away or run lol. >>>>

Very good suggestion, I know with Rocky, If I catch him
in the act, I can save the possum's life.
Usually with-in 20 minutes the Possum will get up and
walk away.
One time I called Animal controll (late at night)
because the possum was hurt .
I was crying on the phone, because I hate for animals
to suffer.
When the officer came to pick up the possum
He told me they would check him over, than put him to sleep.
I was devestated, that they do not re-locate the
possums.

[joycenalex]

based on your recommendations, i slightly opened the lid of the trash can and this morning, there was no possum in the trash! i'm not going to tell alex tho , he keeps checking the spot where he was tossing it around. the weather has been very snowy for 2 months, and i suspect the possum was heading back to shelter under a corner of the shed in the yard. both dogs have been very interested in that corner the last week. this weekend, i'll have to block any openings. thanks for the advice!

[Logan]

My fear with possums and racoons is that they can get pretty vicious when attacked and I have always worried that Honey and Lilly would be hurt trying to "play". I'm glad Alex wasn't hurt. I have heard of smaller dogs being killed by a vicious raccoon!

We have only had one encounter like you experienced and it was a couple of years ago. I came home around 9:30 one evening and found the dogs rolling a possum around in the backyard. I finally got them inside and went out to put the possum in a garbage bag, thinking it was dead, and I realized it was still breathing! I picked it up with the shovel and threw it over the fence, and the next morning, it was gone! I was glad it didn't die, but was gladder that it didn't come back!! All of our possum sitings since then have been with them way up in a tree. They drive the dogs nuts!!!!

[oodlesofpoodles]

Raccoons can be very vicous and they do carry rabies, possums on the other hand do not pose a threat as they do not carry rabies.

[Ann]

I'm so glad to hear the possum survived!

I'm surprised that everyone's saying they can't carry rabies, I remember learning in school that all animals can

[Jessica12345]

Originally posted by Ann
I'm so glad to hear the possum survived!

I'm surprised that everyone's saying they can't carry rabies, I remember learning in school that all animals can

me2??

glad its ok

[Kfamr]

squirrels!?!?!?! CATCH An kill DEM THINGS?!?!? Howz come i cants to that!?!? I can nebber get em but ohh do i want to!!!!!!!

Derez was a possum in my yard once my dadd t0ok carez of him cuz he was in da cylinder block n i almost gotz my head stuck in dere trynuh get him. Daddyz sed dey was evil thingz
All i can get is dem little lizzardz. -SimbUh

[KYS]

posted by Ann:I'm surprised that everyone's saying they can't carry rabies, I remember learning in school that all animals can >>>>>>

Anna, you are correct.
Any mammal can get rabies.
But Thanks to medical advancement/percaution
rabies is very rare in "some" areas.
When I was bitten by a strange dog, The Dr.
wasn't concerned about rabies, because
where I live, rabies is extrememly rare.
(I did have to get a tetnus shot)

I found this on the web sight:
Small rodents (such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, and chipmunks, ) and lagomorphs (such as rabbits and hares) are "almost" never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among "humans" in the United States.

Here is a government web site where you can
find information all about rabies, and
"what" can get rabies.
Just use the search tool on the bottom.
It will even lead you to a web sight that tells what
areas rabies are more prevelent.

National Center for Infectious Diseases
www.cdc.gov/

(shorten the search for you at the NCID sight.)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/

[oodlesofpoodles]

Possums have a natural immunity to rabies, same as squirrels and chipmunks, a good place to look is possumrescue.com. I was also told by animal control and veternarians and the doctors at the hospital the same thing. It would take a 100,000 times the virus to give a possum, squirrell or chipmunk the disease that it takes a fox, raccoon or bat. It is very rare that a possum will get rabies in any area. I live in a high rabies area, and the last 3 rabid raccoons were found on my land.