Roe parasite?

Henry Straker

Well-Known Member
I am seeing black grains embedded in the rumen wall of roe but not reds. They are small and hard and maybe half the size of normal grains of rice. What are these?
 
Thanks for the pictures. Some of these I'd explain as bleeds - they are at the end of blood vessels and some have a hazy read ring around them. These "petechiae" bleeds are common post mortem findings. However, others look isolated and more solid. There's no parasite I know of that affects the outer surface of the rumen. I'd suggest cutting into them and also seeing if the extend the whole way through the rumen wall. If it's a young animal they may also be haemic nodes.
 
I'm intrigued. Have you found them in a few animals from the same area? Would be worth cutting open to see the inner wall. Could be heavy fluke burden but don't usually do that much damage once in the rumen. Going with the fluke theme, are the roe generally found in wetter areas than your reds?
 
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