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Hi, My name is Leacy and I work at a state park in AL we rehab animals, such as snakes, owls, squirrels and our opossum Lorretta. I'm writing because our girl Lorretta seems to have an abscess at the base of her tail. We have had her seen by our vet several times but it doesn't seem to be healing and our vet has no prior experience with opossum so he doesn't have an answer for us. She's been through 3 rounds of antibiotics and nothing has worked. Is this common for these guys and do you have any tips for us? Thank you for any help you can provide! - Leacy
My question to the vet would be: has he cultured this abscess to see what is in it? Possums are notorious for harboring things like paturella etc. which you would generally see in a lagamorph or squirrel.
So he/she needs to get this cultured before you do anything else. He can call the local zoos as well and they are usually happy to chat with the vets about exotic animal health.
Marsupials are not mammals and he is probably treating this one as such. Have him/her talk to the vet that handles the marsupials at the zoo.
All of the possums I have raised and released have never had an abscess so I can't be of much help that way myself. I would not call this a common occurrence either.
Some facts of interest:
Antibiotics - Due to their reliance on intestinal micro-organisms to digest their food, marsupials should NEVER be given antibiotics by mouth, only by injection.
Calling the zoo is your best bet.
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Answers by Expert:
Jana Connell RVT, CVT
Expertise
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!
Experience
I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina.
I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.
Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.
Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT.
Certified Veterinary Dental Technician
Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).
Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.
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