Dirty Rabbit! (graphic picture!)

Yup, looks like tapeworm cycts. Clean the rabbit & cook as per normal. Personally, when I am cleaning rabbits, I use gloves & look for white spots on the liver, that's the sign of Tulermia & I discard the carcass if it's infected. And, like another poster said, worm your dog after the hunting season!

I have also seen rabbits so loaded with ticks that there was not a square inch of the body without ticks... GROSS & an obvious sign the rabbit was unhealthy... Again, discarded the carcass...

Cheers
Jay
 
Sorta looks like Tapioca....and I "used to" like tapioca pudding till seeing those jelly filled sacks. I hate it when I visually compare stuff to food. Like when I was a kid and seen a dead bird full of maggots: My mom wondered why I quit eating her cabbage rolls with rice in the meat. I never did tell her why.
 
Rabbits like everything else goes in cycles in population ..7-10 years if I remember right

...when we used to shoot rabbits(snowshoe hare) we always checked for Blisters in the ears ...if they had them, They were almost all the time riddled with other parasites and we tossed them…..

......off of the peak years you rarely see the blisters in the ears
 
Interesting, I have cleaned alot of bunnies over the years and never seen those types of nodules. They appear to be external of the muscle tissue and attached to the intestinal tract. The tape worm theory may be viable. But I would have thought the worms and or eggs would be "in" the intestines as opposed to being on the outside, and in general in the body cavity.

Since the nodules aere separate from the muscle tissue the rabbit would probably be okay for consumption if well cooked. However I can fully understand your reluctance.

As a suggestion I would show your pictures to your Vet. If anyone would know a vet would know what the nodules are. If you do find out the specifics please let us all know.
 
mrgoat said:
Interesting, I have cleaned alot of bunnies over the years and never seen those types of nodules. They appear to be external of the muscle tissue and attached to the intestinal tract. The tape worm theory may be viable. But I would have thought the worms and or eggs would be "in" the intestines as opposed to being on the outside, and in general in the body cavity.

Since the nodules aere separate from the muscle tissue the rabbit would probably be okay for consumption if well cooked. However I can fully understand your reluctance.

As a suggestion I would show your pictures to your Vet. If anyone would know a vet would know what the nodules are. If you do find out the specifics please let us all know.
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Appreciate your advice. If anyone personally knows me, they know that I'm very often found rabbit hunting in the off season.
I more often asscoiate this kind of illness more often than not, to warmer weather rabbit hunting. For example I've seen these same type of symptoms sometimes (and degree of infection) in the past in Southern Saskatchewan in jackrabbits on the open prairies, in late March or April. The odd time I'd get one or two bumps here and there up here with these snowshoehares, but nothing like this one unlucky fella.

I have a few people that request wild rabbits for home cooking and the odd one for myself. So I am extremely reluctant to pass on ones with this curious infection.
 
What are the cycles for the jackrabbits? In SE Sask, I remember 25-26yrs ago, at night you could drive in any direction out of the city and point your headlights out in the field and you would literally see hundreds of them. Now in one year, you are lucky to come across a couple dozen.
 
Varmit said:
I think they are tapeworms cysts. My Golden retrievers eat baby rabbits every spring around the farm and I have to get tapeworm drug from the vet once a year. You have to assume all wild hares have tapeworms. I'll stick to eating deer and moose, although they can have them too but not as often in my experience.
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I don't think I have ever seen one in a deer, but just about every single moose has them.
 
Deerdr said:
If you send me your Email address I can forward photos and details of the condition you describe. bigjipad@silomail.com I am unable to send pictures from my IPad to CGN. A technical issue with me, Im a senior and new on Computer. Respectfully Jim
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Thank you for the further information Jim. This confirms officially what others have already pointed out as the source of the infection. Reading the info you provided from The Blueberry Doctor webpage, & I feel even more comfortable with my decision to not take the carcass home. I would have personally described it as a heavy infestation as per the details provided.

More pics from this rabbit point out the webpages written description of tapeworm cysts gone 'cheesy' and appear to detached themselves from the spinal area and 'fallen' in amongst the intestines. The Blueberry Doctor recommends not salvaging this meat for consumption. For niether human use and certainly not canine, who are very vulnerable to this infestation.
Apparently the same info provided says these tapeworms mature in canines and stay unhatched and dormant inside the rabbit/carrier. Most concerned hunting dog owners are well aware of the possible risk and ensure thier puppies get thier shots from the vet. I'm just repeating what others said here already on this matter.

Again, much thanks for your trouble Jim.
 
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Brutus said:
Okay. In the interest of informing others:

badbunny002.jpg
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Well, if my appetite for rabbit stew didn't just go right out the window. :)
 
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