If your living area is greeny, then you might have a few wild guests to visit you. These little animals are cute, and most of them don’t cause any harm. They just come to your house in search of food. But if you set your dog free during the nighttime, they might hunt them down for protecting your house from unknown threats. Well, that’s the most useful instinct of dogs, until they attack a possum. Possums bear rabies. If your dog has been bitten by a possum, then you need to visit Animal Control and ask them my dog attacked a possum what should I do?
First of all, you need to check for bites or scratch marks. Even some of them bear rabies, and they are more dangerous for open wounds. So, if you have found any open wounds, you need to pay proper attention to treat them without wasting any time. It’s a health concern of your four-legged feline, and you will definitely not risk it, will you? In this article, I am going to discuss all those essential things that will help you to act quickly with accurate methods. So, without any delay, let’s dive in!
My Dog Attacked a Possum What Should I Do?
If your dog has caught a possum, you have to first get rid of it. So, command your dog to leave it or the way you command to drop it.
In 2015 George Wilson had faced something like this. His dog was not an aggressive one, but one day he saw that his dog rushed into the woods and came out with a possum in his mouth. It astounds him, and he quickly commanded his dog to leave it. Soon the dog gave up his hunting instinct and left the prey.
George then flung the possum into a trash bag, and he took his dog for a refreshing bath. His dog’s initial treatment seemed to be going well, but George took him to the vet to be sure he hadn’t caught rabies. “He is so cute! You should keep him,” the vet said.
Thankfully, the possum tested negative for rabies, and that little adventure found a happy ending. Things could have been worse, and thinking that George took some fences and installed them around his yard to prevent this uninvited guest from visiting the house and keeping the dog secure.
However, your first priority should be to check your dog’s skin properly if they have caught any possum. The possum will try to get out of the dog’s mouth before getting killed; this can end up with some scratches or bites. Some possums can fight back against the larger dog breeds.
If you find blood in your dog’s mouth, it’s likely that your dog has bitten a possum and that the blood isn’t your dog’s. If this happens, wear gloves before touching your dog or the possum.
In case if your dog has got wounds, they need to be taken care of as early as possible. For this, you can use warm water to wash the affected area. Hydrogen peroxide is also a good item to prevent further infection. So, you can also use them while cleaning. Once you clean the area, use some antibiotics and wrap them up.
Even if you do all these things, I will always recommend visiting a veterinarian to treat the areas properly. This is because you are not an expert, and you can miss some spots. In fact, some wounds require alternative therapy or any special medications.
Last of all, if your dog has eaten a possum, then it is a must to test them up. This because possums are like those stay animals that contains various diseases in their body. These diseases can easily transmit to the human body. So, keep this in mind before moving forward.
What Should I Do If My Dog Killed a Possum That Has Rabies?
As I have said before, possum doesn’t carry rabies because they are not capable of surviving any predatory attack. In fact, the temperature of their body is also low, which is not suitable for rabies to live.
But in some rare cases, possum does carry rabies and if you have found scratch marks or bites on your dog, find out when you have given last given them the rabies shot. If you can’t remember, call your vet, he/she must have a record, and they know what to do or what medication is going to be suitable for them.
If the rabies shot is up to date, you won’t have to worry about anything. The chances of catching the rabies virus are extremely low if your dog hadn’t killed a possum or contacted an adult possum.
But if you are still worried about rabies, you can test the possum whether it is negative or positive. It will give you peace of mind.
By the way, make sure to acquire all the precautions before touching the possum. If you touch the bare possum hands, it will be at the same risk as your dog. So, make sure to use a glove or something like that. Always wrap the possum inside of a bag. Don’t waste time, and don’t put it inside of your freezer. Even if the possum contains rabies, the evidence will be wiped out completely.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have understood the above facts and won’t have to ask anyone my dog attacked a possum what should I do. You can also call your local animal control and follow their instructions for further help. But if you wish to get any help from me, inform me through the comment section below.
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