Spots on rabbit liver

private fraser

Well-Known Member
I know this has been covered before, I did a search.
I only try to shoot the 1/2 to 3/4 grown rabbits and I've noticed an awful lot of them with liver spots, more than before.
As the summer has been quite dry recently (even here) I'm surprised at this. I would have thought it would happen more in a wet Summer.
Anyone else noticed a rise in liver problems ?.
 
I know this has been covered before, I did a search.
I only try to shoot the 1/2 to 3/4 grown rabbits and I've noticed an awful lot of them with liver spots, more than before.
As the summer has been quite dry recently (even here) I'm surprised at this. I would have thought it would happen more in a wet Summer.
Anyone else noticed a rise in liver problems ?.

Could be coccidiosis. I see it every so often but not in the last couple of years. Unless it is really emaciated then it should be fine to eat the meat.
 
Yes - coccidiosis.

Young are affected as no immunity, but my impression is a low mortality rate (see plenty affected and apparently well).

The parasite is very persistent in the environment and I can't see why the weather would make much difference - it will be in the burrows where they are affected.

Personally I wouldn't eat them as there is a million other, 100% healthy, rabbits to chose from. That said you cannot catch it and it should do you no harm.
 
I thought mixi left white spots on the liver that's why during the wars the old dears wanted the livers still
in the rabbit as a cats livers are on the opposite side and a lot of the rabbits we used to catch had white spots
on the livers
 
I thought mixi left white spots on the liver that's why during the wars the old dears wanted the livers still
in the rabbit as a cats livers are on the opposite side and a lot of the rabbits we used to catch had white spots
on the livers

Why during the wars as mixi did not come to Britain until 1953 after the WW1 & WW2. It was first introduced on Barry Island in Wales and by 1957 had decimated the Rabbit population of the UK. I think you will find that it is coccidiosis.

Jimbo
 
The other evening i shot up on 10 teenage rabbits and everyone of them had spots on the liver.The picture is the worst one.all rabbits that were affected where in the same hedge row
 

Attachments

  • liver spots on rabbit 015.jpg
    liver spots on rabbit 015.jpg
    250 KB · Views: 161
A very knowledgeable vet once described this condition as "Pseudo TB",it is well known that foxes and rabbits can vector TB,just as badgers do,this is both Bovine and Avian,the Avian type does not manifest clinically in mammals as clearly as Bovine,where wood pigeons and/or corvids feed heavily cross transmission is common in warm blooded mammals including hares.and.rats.
 
I thought mixi left white spots on the liver that's why during the wars the old dears wanted the livers still
in the rabbit as a cats livers are on the opposite side and a lot of the rabbits we used to catch had white spots
on the livers
Although off thread the liver is always on the sme side in mammals I.e. The right. It was the kidneys that were left in to show it was a rabbit. The cats kidneys are slightly higher and both at the same level whilst the rabbits are staggered with the left being slightly larger and lower than the right. This is why a good butcher will still show you the carcass to prove it is not a cat.

BE
 
Just putting the TB thing in context, all mammals can be infected by TB. The badger is a true reservoir host (the disease circulates in the population) most others, including deer are accidental hosts and rarely pass it on.
 
Although off thread the liver is always on the sme side in mammals I.e. The right. It was the kidneys that were left in to show it was a rabbit. The cats kidneys are slightly higher and both at the same level whilst the rabbits are staggered with the left being slightly larger and lower than the right. This is why a good butcher will still show you the carcass to prove it is not a cat.

BE

Very informative, thanks!
 
Although off thread the liver is always on the sme side in mammals I.e. The right. It was the kidneys that were left in to show it was a rabbit. The cats kidneys are slightly higher and both at the same level whilst the rabbits are staggered with the left being slightly larger and lower than the right. This is why a good butcher will still show you the carcass to prove it is not a cat.

BE

I believe that this is spot on!
An "old country boy" during the very early 60's (When I first started snaring and ferretting rabbits to subsidisse my pocket money) told me that this dated back to the war days. During the war when times were hard and meat was rationed cats were reported to be disappearing and it was believed that many might have been passed of as rabbit after being skinned and paunched (What we nowadays would call oven ready) By leaving the kidneys in it would show that it was in deed rabbit and not a cat purely because of the position of the kidneys in the carcass.
I was also led believe that the liver was often left as white spots in the liver was thought to be a sign that the rabbit had been in contact with mixy and was not safe to eat - This belief has been disproved and medical reports show that it is in fact perfectly safe for a human to eat a rabbit that has got or has recovered from mixy - However the thought of that doesn't appeal to me, I would rather use rabbits with mixy for fox bait!
If I am wrong on this I am sure that someone will come along and both correct and educate me.
 
Last edited:
Hey folks. Thanks for the info. I got a rabbit this eve with a few white spots on... not sure which of the above ailments it might be. I assume ok to eat? It was pretty minor, not infecting much of the liver. Any thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • liver spots1.jpeg
    liver spots1.jpeg
    226.3 KB · Views: 13
  • liver spots2.jpeg
    liver spots2.jpeg
    258.3 KB · Views: 13
Back
Top