tularemia

[rkr]

I harvested some snowshoe rabbit the other day and while looking online for a slow cooker recipe I've found that rabbits can be sometimes infected with tularemia. How are cooking your game in order to avoid getting sick? I imagine you can get sick from consuming any animal, not just rabbit.

 

[Jay]

Look at the rabbit's liver when you clean it. A rabbit infected with tularaemia will have white spots on the liver.

And, you can eat a rabbit that is infected, but you should be careful about handling the raw meat & cook it well.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Uplandguy]

Always check the liver. Have killed hundreds of hares and haven't yet found one diseased.

 

[rkr]

Always check the liver. Have killed hundreds of hares and haven't yet found one diseased.

too late. I field dressed the rabbit a week ago without checking the liver. Lesson learned.
What's the proper temp to kill any bacteria?

 

[coyoteking]

too late. I field dressed the rabbit a week ago without checking the liver. Lesson learned.
What's the proper temp to kill any bacteria?

Not sure if there's a proper temp specifically for rabbits but most poultry recipes recommend an internal temp of 82* Celsius be reached before consuming. That's probably a pretty good guideline.

 

['Boo]

Tularaemia is spread by direct contact with the skin and fur. The bacteria can also become airborne when skinning an animal and can be inhaled.

To protect yourself wear gloves when skinning and handling and if you are very cautious wear a mask.