Del,
I'm so sorry that happened to your Gigi Sue. Thank you for telling us
about that. It is entirely possible. I will have to look up
information on Sarcocystis Neurona.
elizabeth
In a message dated 11/6/2006 9:09:34 P.M. Central Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
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
If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the
shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with
their fellow man. ~St. Francis
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