Re: Opossums a vector for FeVL?

[Jennifer Phaewryn O'Gwynn]

No, she's dead wrong. She's a HORSE person, and that explains her instant dread of possums and her thinking of them as vectors of disease, BUT, that's because possums are THE MAIN CAUSE of EPM, a very insidious disease in horses that affects their spinal cord, eventually leading to uncontrollable nervous systems, causing horses to fall over, trip, and have general uncontrollable coordination. http://www.bact.wisc.edu/Microtextbook/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=167&allpages=1&theme=Printer  http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/drfenger/  http://horsedoc_org.tripod.com/epm.htm   However, I did find a good webpage, with info you could share with her, so that she can FIX the problem and not just be a crazy knee-jerking idiot next time:   Question:  I heard horses could get EPM from opossums. True?       Answer:  Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a neurological disorder caused by a parasite. The opossum and a parasite called Sarcocystis neurona have been implicated although current research suggests other hosts and other parasites may be involved in disease transmission. The infective form of the parasite is passed in the feces. If a horse eats contaminated feces then it could develop neurological signs. It should be noted that the majority of opossums are probably not shedding the infective parasite and that of the horses exposed to the parasite, very few will develop EPM. There are steps you can take to reduce the risk of EPM. Keeping all animals away from horses is advised. Do not kill or trap opossums. This will not work. Unless you remove what is attracting opossums and other animals to your yard then more animals will come. The best thing to do is to encourage animals to leave the area on their own by removing the attractants. This is usually food. Do not leave food outside. Do not leave food for the barn cats at night. Feed cats during the day. Cover garbage cans. Pick up fallen fruit. Cover horse’s feed and grain bins. Do not allow horse to feed off the ground. Place feed in troughs above the ground. Change water frequently. Remove animal hiding places such as dense shrubs and woodpiles. Phaewryn Please adopt a cat from Little Cheetah Cat Rescue!!! http://ucat.us/adopt.html Low cost Spay&Neuter services in VT, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners: http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html The Sofa Poem: http://ucat.us/sofapoem.html Find us on PETFINDER! http://petfinder.com/shelters/VT44.html ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 9:44 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     No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.13.28/518 - Release Date: 11/4/2006

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