What the hell is this?

[Stealth Stalker]

I was out shooting bunnys with my brother in law over the weekend, I shot a particulary big doe,

on retreiving her I was amazed at the weight, double any of the other rabbits we'd shot that night.

 

I was convinced she was pregnant as she was milky, when I opened her up, I was shocked to find this.

 

 

close up

 

 

Anyone know what it could be, it was like a clear jelly sack with lots of tiny white sperm like things in

amongst it.

First time I've come across this, not nice at all. Apart from this she looked healthy.

 

Cheers SS

[Frank]

:blink: That looks rotten.

A very bad infestation of worms prehaps??, Fluke, ect.

I have never come across anything like that before ither. .

It could also be a tuma of some sort, although you said it has things swimming in it?

Any more ideas anyone?

Frank.

[dazza]

looks nasty :blink:

[webber]

I'm no vet. but I have seen something very similar a few times before, althogh not quite as big. My enquiries led to tape worms. The worms affect dogs and foxes, who get infected by eating infected rabbits, who are carriers, they pick up the eggs whilst feeding; as do sheep, which are also carriers,but not affected.

 

I believe that the worms can affect humans, but rarely do, and that the worms are killed by thorough cooking, although who would wasnt to eat that?

 

The same can be found in other parts of a rabbit, in smaller sacks, under the skin, I've found them on back legs a few times.

 

To summarise, dont eat it, or let your dog eat it.

 

webber

[the pelt man]

Hi SS

 

If cut open the liquid is clear with little white eggs in, have seen before but never that big or in that part of the body.

It can get anywhere in the body of the Rabbit & as said before it is tape worms.

Its good that you use the latex gloves dont want them ******* in your gut.

Keep well away from the Dog & your other Rabbits.

 

I,m away tomorrow for a few Days, talk to you when i'm back.

 

PELT MAN

[Baldrick]

There is a letter about this in Shooting Times this week, responding to a virtually identical query. It's written by a vet I used to use in Norfolk.

 

 

 

As I don't have the mag to hand, all I can recall is that the diagnosis was a worm. Can check later and post the contents of the vet's letter.

[king ratcatcher]

i once shot a squirrel that had something like that, whilst gutting it, something like that poped out, not nice, looks abit like a tuma :blink:

[mel b3]

yep i'm with tape worm eggs , i've shot one or two like that but not quite as extreme.

[jonno 357]

Yuk :blink:

 

Jonno

[kip270]

Looks like tapeworm cyst to me, a big one at that.

Dispose of it cleanly, make sure you have gloves on and bin everything :blink:

[bigsam]

:blink:

[Baldrick]

Copied verbatim from Roger Bannock's letter on this matter in Shooting Times (29 June):

 

The fluid-filled cystic structure found is probbly the intermediate stage of a a tape worm, probably either Tanea pisiformis, or more worryingly, Echinococcus granulosis. The host for the adult stages of both of these worms is dogs or foxes, which rarely show any clinical signs, even with heavy infections.

 

The eggs that are passed can be eaten by sheep, rabbits or other small mammals, and develop in the liver, or less commonly, lungs, or other sites of the body. With E. granulosis infections, hyatid cysts develop. These are fluid-filled sacs containing many larval tapeworms, called protoscolices. These can be very debilitating, hence the poor condition of the rabbit concerned.

 

The eggs from dogs or foxes can pass to humans and cause hyatid cysts, usually in the livers of children, hence the importance of regular tapeworm treatment for all dogs, particularly those fed raw offal.

[Stealth Stalker]

Baldrick

 

Your synopsis sounds spot on apart from the fact that she looked in good condition as far as I could tell.

And she had recently given birth, as there was milk present.

 

Do you think she would have passed the tape worms on to the young?

 

Cheers SS

[Baldrick]

Sorry, I don't know if the tapeworms could have been physically transmitted to the young.

 

I'd be worried about livestock becoming infected though.

[stirky]

Mmmm, so thats where a haggis comes from.

[P03]

Mmmm, so thats where a haggis comes from.

I USED to like Haggis

P03