# My Dog had a fight with a Possum (Opossum?) what now?



## Rob98

I need advice on what to do on this. The short version is my 20-25 lbs dog got into a fight with a possum, that I later killed. I'm taking her to the vet shortly, but I'd like to know whatever anyone knows about these sorts of things.

So what do I need to know? I have the (dead) possum, but it's pretty grizzly. Should I bring that to the vet too? If so how do you handle a possum that's been dead 11 hours? (I  think using a shovel to put it in an old cooler with a ton of ice and using duct tape to seal up the, would but I don't really know what to do.)


Not sure if it  any of this matters but the details are:

The dog is fine, and seems normal, which for her means mostly sleeping all day. We looked her over really closely and didn't see a scratch on her. The only blood we saw was around her mouth, and I don't think it was hers. 

My dog isn't normally aggressive, but I've seen her go after other dogs a few times, and she's always gotten the best of them before we pulled her away. 
I've seen her chase squirrels, but I've never seen her catch or fight anything wild before. 

The possum was about her size and without being there I don't know which one started it, although I can say the possum was losing by the them I got there. 

Since the possum might have been the aggressor and we have other pets in our neighborhood, I put the thing down, and it's still lying near where it fell. I didn't want to clean up the mess that late at night, and right now it can wait until after I see a vet, unless I need to bring it with me.


----------



## Meat Dog Mafia

I would not think you need to bring the possum to the vet. If the dogs shots are up to date you should be fine, if you dont think she was bit. Im lovin that dog a real possum killer ehh!!


----------



## Nearlw

Doubt that the Opposum had rabies they are very resistant to catching the virus. Wouldn't sweat it much.


----------



## dawg2

Your dog would have a better chance of getting rabies from a squirrel than a possum....that was a big possum...any pics?


----------



## Tuffdawg

The only thing you would have to worry about is that if the possum DID bite your dog, then infection could set up. A possums mouth is pretty gnarly when it comes to bacteria. If your dog didnt get bitten, You should be fine. Bout the only thing the vet will do is depending on the dogs age, maybe give it a booster shot and some antibiotics.


----------



## Cadcom

Make sure the possum is dead! 
I "killed" one once that crawled out of the bucket one time after about an hour of being "dead".


----------



## JuliaH

Take the possum with you to the vet. They may want to send it off. And they will want to be sure you are up to date on Rabies shot for your dog...

Julia



Rob98 said:


> Since the possum might have been the aggressor and we have other pets in our neighborhood, I put the thing down, and it's still lying near where it fell. I didn't want to clean up the mess that late at night, and right now it can wait until after I see a vet, unless I need to bring it with me.


----------



## mlandrum

Cadcom, wow!  i never heard of that before???  You mean that possom RESURRECTED from the DEAD!!!!!!! Man you should've kept him and you would've been a $$$$$$$$$$$


----------



## Rob98

Another question for everyone:

Today when I went to go put the corpse out by the curb. When picking it up  I noticed there was a hairless patch of skin on it's back that I didn't see last night. There was a yellowish crumbly substance there and other places that still had fur. It was almost like damp sand. 

What was this stuff?  

If it matters I doused the thing in gasoline to get rid of the flies on the body before picking it up, and it was close to 100 degrees in-town today. 

I have pics, but I'm not sure how to upload them here. If that would help, let me know. 

So what was this?


----------



## Rob98

Ok, figured it out here are pics:


----------



## Nicodemus

That was where flies had 'blown" it. Those are fly eggs.


----------



## crackerdave

Nicodemus said:


> That was where flies had 'blown" it. Those are fly eggs.



Yep - them flies don't waste no time!


----------



## Henpecked

Body temperature of the possum is not high enough to grow the rabies virus.  Possums can carry plenty of other illness, but rabies is not one of them.


----------



## JuliaH

They can get rabies, though it is rare because of the low body temperature. There is a documented case of it in Arkansas from an oppossum that bit a child and was actually tested positive, so the child had to take shots...

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/apr/26/boy-bitten-opossum-rabies/


So, while it is not likely, it is possible...

Julia



Henpecked said:


> Body temperature of the possum is not high enough to grow the rabies virus. Possums can carry plenty of other illness, but rabies is not one of them.


----------

