The Truth about the Possum

Today I came home to a Possum in my barn. Summer and I walked in and he was just cruising around the barn. I couldn't coax him out of the barn, he really didn't seem that scared of my actually which is a bit troubling. So I picked him up with the pitch fork and put him outside on a tree.

I sent my riding coach a picture of him and she sent me quite a startling message back. That Possums actually carry a neurological disease that affect horses. The clinical name is  Equine Protozoal  Myeloencephalitis. The disease affects the brain, spinal cord or brainstem. Horses can not pass it from one horse to another but they contract it from the feces of the possum, the most common areas to come into contact would be if the possum is getting into your feed, water or bedding.

We are definitely going to have to keep an eye on this possum and make sure that it isn't getting into the barn. I had left the door open to let some light in but unfortunately I won't be able to do that anymore since this guy is running around.

Here are some pictures of this cute but deadly little guy.