Do Badgers get TB

adharc

We have a badger who feds from the cat bowls. Do they have TB and should we be worried. Also the cat bowls gointo the dishwasher which should sterilise them. Any comments. PS the badger(s) have been coming to our garden for 10 years.

fits

yes, and act as carriers of Bovine Tuberculosis. I dont think you need to worrry about your cat though in that respect... I think its a different strain to what we get.. ( do cats even get tb?)

Alun

fits wrote:

yes, and act as carriers of Bovine Tuberculosis. I dont think you need to worrry about your cat though in that respect... I think its a different strain to what we get.. ( do cats even get tb?)

Yes, they do !!!!!

We had a cat a few years back that got bitten (not sure by what) and developed an abscess which refused to respond to the usual treatments. The skin around the wound just sloughed away and in the end he had a hole probably an inch and a half in diameter, very upsetting. In consultation with our vet we tried all kinds of other treatments, thinking it might be a fungal, or a mycobacterial infection, but to no avail. Eventually we managed to get him referred to the UCD Vet Clinic (they were in the process of moving from the old facility in Ballasbridge to Belfield at the time and were unable to take him in any earlier) and after a bit of puzzling discovered that he had TB. I'm not sure of the details but it would appear that the infection had somehow got into the wound, and had travelled to the lungs from there. I had always thought that TB was only transmitted by the air, but it would appear there are other channels. Anyway, it was so far gone at that stage that he had to be put down unfortunately

Anyway, they took some samples for culturing and eventually discovered it was actually a common strain of bovine TB. Me, my wife and all the vet clinic staff that had come into contact with him had to be tested, and I had to have two chest X-rays done (all clear!).

The exact mechanism by which he contracted the disease remains a mystery, but given my experience I'd be wary if I were you.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I can tell you definately you have nothing to worry about. Of course Badgers can get and carry Bovine TB, so do Cows. There is no risk to you or your cats. I work in this field and I can assure you it's ok.