Opossums become dangerous with their ability to transmit diseases to pets and people. Known to carry leptospirosis, tuberculosis, coccidiosis, spotted fever, tularemia, and other diseases, the pesky creatures pose serious health threats when they invade urban environments.

Possums often select one tree and systematically strip it. They feed on new shoots, making it harder for trees to recover from weather and insect damage, and slowing their growth. By eating flowers, possums stop seeds forming. Many plants fail to regenerate under possum assault.

Possums have a significant impact on many of New Zealand’s natural ecosystems. Leaves are the main part of their diet, but possums are opportunistic omnivores. They eat buds, flowers, fruit/berries and nectar, which means they compete with native birds and reptiles for food sources.

But far from being a nuisance, opossums can be beneficial for your garden, eating snails, slugs, insects and sometimes even small rodents. They’ll even clean up spilled garbage and fruit that has fallen off trees.

Like all marsupials, possums have pouches and give birth to live young. These newborns are no bigger than honeybees and are typically blind and deaf. To complete their development, young possums must crawl from the birth canal into their mother’s pouch, where they will compete for a teat.

The opossum has an average lifespan of 1 to 2 years. This short lifespan is due in part to the presence of many predators including dogs, cats and people. The opossum does not hang upside down by the tail, a common misconception. The opossum also has opposable thumbs on its hind feet for holding onto branches.

Do Opossums Die Easily? Opossums are also prey to many other predators, including dogs, coyotes, birds of prey, and large snakes. However, they are immune to viper venom as well as several diseases, including Lyme disease. The greatest risk to the life of an opossum is humans.

When an opossum “plays dead”, it is actually an involuntary reaction to stress. The opossum has no control over it, and will not remember how long it was in the comatose state for.

Virginia opossum: 4 years

Its body goes limp, its breathing appears to stop, it discharges its bowels, its tongue sticks out, and it drools. And if you poke it, the possum will not respond. By all indications, it appears to be dead.

Opossums do not prey on cats or other larger mammals but will attack them if cornered, or if competing for food. Opossums cause loss to home gardens by eating nuts, berries, fruits, and grapes. They eat pet food left outside and may raid compost bins.

Contact a local wildlife rehabilitator and surrender the young possums. Wear a pair of disposable plastic or rubber gloves to prevent direct skin contact with the dead possum. The possum may carry a disease and the gloves serve as a protective barrier.

For all other dead animal removal, please call the LASAN Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489.

Unfortunately it may take three weeks or more to completely decompose. A professional may be contacted to break through and rebuild affected walls. This can be costly and not a viable option.

Opossums carry diseases such as leptospirosis, tuberculosis, relapsing fever, tularemia, spotted fever, toxoplasmosis, coccidiosis, trichomoniasis, and Chagas disease. They may also be infested with fleas, ticks, mites, and lice.

While most of their foraging happens at night, opossums can occasionally be seen in the daylight. If food is scarce, they will spend as much time as necessary to locate it, scavenging at all hours.

Are opossums dangerous? Yes, opossums are considered to be dangerous because of the large variety of diseases that they carry and can transmit. According to the CDC, opossums, while rare, do have the ability to carry some diseases.

Dogs, horses and sometimes cattle can get Lyme disease. White-tailed deer, mice, chipmunks, gray squirrels, opossums and raccoons can also be infected.

The humble Virginia opossum, America’s only marsupial, kills nearly 95% of ticks that cross their path. It is estimated that a single opossum is capable of eating an estimated 5,000 ticks every season!

What are the symptoms of Lyme Disease in Dogs?

• Fever.
• Loss of appetite.
• Reduced energy.
• Lameness (can be shifting, intermittent, and recurring)
• Generalized stiffness, discomfort, or pain.
• Swelling of joints.

Because of increased building and development into areas that were previously rural, pets may be exposed to more wildlife, such as raccoons, skunks, squirrels, opossums, or deer that are infected with leptospirosis. Dogs also may pass the disease to each other, but this happens very rarely.

If left untreated, leptospirosis will cause kidney damage, menigitis, liver failure, and respiratory complications. The disease is transmitted through the urine and feces. It infects other mammals including cats, dogs, and humans.

Signs of leptospirosis may include fever, shivering, muscle tenderness, reluctance to move, increased thirst, changes in the frequency or amount of urination, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes), or painful inflammation within the eyes.

Wildlife species that can be infected with parvoviruses include coyotes, wolves, foxes, raccoons, minks, and bobcats. Parvoviruses can also infect domestic cats and dogs.

Since parvovirus B19 only infects humans, a person cannot get the virus from a dog or cat. Also, dogs and cats cannot get parvovirus B19 from an infected person.

Puppies should receive a dose of canine parvovirus vaccine between 14 and 16 weeks of age, regardless of how many doses they received earlier, to develop adequate protection. To protect their adult dogs, pet owners should be sure that their dog’s parvovirus vaccination is up-to-date.

When the virus infects the villi and the crypt epithelia they become blunted and cannot absorb nutrients as the microvilli are destroyed. The sloughing of the intestinal cells into the diarrhea causes a distinct sickly-sweet smell that is indicative of parvo.

The incubation period for parvo is typically three to five days for most dogs; however, it is possible (though uncommon) that the incubation period could be up to 14 days (Greene, Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat). Dogs can begin to shed the virus as early as three to four days prior to showing clinical signs.

Generally, the first sign of CPV is lethargy. Secondary signs are loss of weight and appetite or diarrhea followed by vomiting. Diarrhea and vomiting result in dehydration that upsets the electrolyte balance and this may affect the dog critically. Secondary infections occur as a result of the weakened immune system.