The dog and I were just walking around our property. I don't know how we got so close to the opossum without it running or going up a tree, but we did. Before I knew what happened, Turbo had jumped on it. He has a small hole in his gums, a few on his lips, one on his nose, and one on the top of his head.
Nothing is big enough to require stitches.
Is there anything special that needs to be done? How do I go about cleaning the wounds in his mouth?
I'm gonna start searching the internet, but wanted to have it posted here to.
Not sure the best way to clean the wounds in the mouth, maybe just rinse it well with the hose?
Is your dog up to date on rabies? That is a concern with any wild animal bite.
I would certainly take Turbo to the vet tomorrow, or at least call. Opossums carry some nasty bacteria in their mouths and you might want to discuss antibiotics with your vet. I had a cat almost die from a latent infection from a racoon bite.
I think rabies is really really rare in opossums. Small comfort but may be some. Definite checking with the vet.
Yes. I found that in some of my searches. The sites that I found that on said it could be because their body temp is lower than other mammals. 94 to 97 degrees.
Everything pretty much says to treat the wounds to prevent infections.
We are out in the woods so much I can't believe it took this long for an incident. I wish I would have been paying more attention. Live and learn.
Excellent, I learn something new every day here. That opossum that sometimes shows up at my place may have won a stay of execution. :wink: (The racoon, however, ...)
Let us know what your vet says and how it all works out. I'm rather suprised that it hasn't shown up here before with all of the people who live in rural areas.
Melissa Thom Webboard User Reg: 12-04-2007
Posts: 2781
Loc: Upper Left hand corner, USA
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Raccoons are destructive little monsters when it comes to dogs. I've more than once seen them roll over on a dog attack and chew the dogs throat. They also can form packs and hunt smaller dogs and cats which was recently documented as an issue in Olympia, WA.
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URGENT! Opossum bite!
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Re: O.K. Maybe not so URGENT!
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