I HAVE RE-BUILT MY WEBSITE AT ANOTHER LOCATION.
I LOST ACCESS TO 1/2 OF THIS WEBSITE DUE TO A MISPLACED PASSWORD AND
THEREFORE I CANNOT PERFORM ANY UPDATES.
FOR MY NEWEST AND UPDATED WEBSITE, PLEASE GO TO:
VIRGINIA OPOSSUM CARE

Copyright © 2005 - Laura Ledet - All Rights Reserved


URINARY TRACT HEALTH


(This page is under construction)


It is crucial to test your opossum's urine monthly as they are very prone to UTI'S (urinary tract infections).
The easiest way I have found to collect a urine sample is by placing the possum immediately
after waking, into a clean plastic container. If your lucky, he/she will soon urinate for you.
Be careful not to let the urine become contaminated with feces, as this will produce false test readings.

Getting a sample can sometimes prove difficult and frustrating, but sometimes you can stimulate them
to "go" by rubbing their privates with a warm damp cloth, or by even turning on a faucet nearby. I did a
lot of experimenting, and these methods were what worked best for me.

After you have collected a clean urine sample, dip a Multistix stick into the urine, remove and turn sideways to shake off any excess. (Holding it sideways will help prevent the chemicals from each individual test pad to run into those around it).

You will note that each test takes a different amount of time before you can read the results accurately.
The back of the bottle will tell you how long to wait for each result and has a color chart
for you to hold the strip up to for reading each result.

Multistix's come in various sizes, with each strip having a number of tests per stick. I use the ones that have 10 tests per strip.
**** DO NOT allow the test pads to come into contact with your skin or
anything else, except the urine sample itself, or else it can cause inaccurate readings.****



WHERE TO BUY URINARY TEST STRIPS:

You can purchase these from most pharmacy's and
medical supply stores, from your vet, or online.

Here are a couple online resources I found:

Multistix
The best prices I have found yet!
Click on "Urinalysis"

Multistix




PARASITES