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Haven't heard of opossums being a vector
for FeLV ... they are hosts for Sarcocystis Neurona (sp) ... and however
unlikely, my Gigi Sue picked it up. She was one years old when I trapped
her in my back yard where she shared area and food dishes with the
opossums. Three years later a stressful situation brought out the disease
that had been dormant ... lost her to brain abscesses brought on by the
disease. Totally unlikely, but happened to her. Don't worry about
your opossums giving it to your cats ... Gigi Sue's case was highly unlikely but
we could not find any other possibility of contagion.
Del
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 8:44
PM
Subject: Opossums a vector for
FeVL?
People tease me about my "pet possums"...they like to climb one of the
big climbing roses, hang out on the front porch and eat cat food. I
give them bananas and cheese and they are so tame that I can pet
them. I have three generations - including this years babies.
(I've probably told the story of contacting the National Opossum Society to
make sure they weren't sick or something...sent pics...talked over an
hour...etc).
I regularly email one of my vet tech's - and I sent her a picture of
one of the possums. She totally grossed out LOL They are really
very sweet creatures though - truly. The vet tech has 12
horses though and is very 'anti-possum'. She's a first rate vet-tech
though and I very much value her skill and opinion. Today she told me -
"you DO know don't you that possums are a vector for leukemia?". No - I
did not know that...and as much as I respect and admire her...I'm not sure I
believe it. Anyone else heard of such a thing? It just doesn't
make sense to me...isn't this strictly a feline disease? She said they
were a major vector for rabies too - and while that may be true..the people at
the National Opossum society would beg to differ with her.
I totally don't know -- but thankfully, ignorance is curable.
I do like this vet tech though...she overheard my conversation with the
receptionist this morning when I called about Antonio. The receptionist
said it was "probably nothing"...but this vet tech said, "If Miss Trent says
there's something wrong with one of her cats --- then there is something wrong
with one of her cats". That made me feel good. She said I was very
intuitive about my babies but I'm not so sure because if I were then I would
have gotten Antonio to the vet sooner.
elizabeth
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