One for the scientists...

[jimmy-big_shoes 0]

Hi folks,

 

Not sure where to put this, so I thought I'd try the professionals first.

 

I was shooting rabbits this morning and when I got home and gutted them I found one had an unusual growth inside it. It was a sac about the size of a tennis ball which has quite resilliant skin (like an orange segment) and inside that were a number of smaller fluid filled sacs, some the size of marbles, others the size of golf balls. The growth was attached to the liver, kidneys and stomach. I also noticed that the liver had some real nasty looking black lesions on the back of it and it had a rough texture like leather. Further down the intestine I saw what I can only describe as a spongy surface on the intestine.

 

Has anyone ever come across this before and can anyone tell me what it is? The rabbit appeared otherwise reasonably healthy. Its lungs and heart were in good shape. It was a buck rabbit and fortunately I'd managed to head shoot it, so the whole inside was intact. the rabbit was shot on pasture and I noticed that a lot of the others had quite a tape worm burden, although I couldnt see that with this one. Also a lot of the others had the little white spots on the liver (can anyone tell me what they are too??).

 

I have pictures but theyre too big to put on here apparently if anyone can tell me how to minimise them I would be grateful.

 

I would be interested to know what it is and whether I am likely to find more of the same in the same area.

 

I binned the carcass rather than feed it to the ferrets as I didnt know what it was.

 

Cheers.

 

Jim.

[martin 332]

If you open a photobucket account and upload the pics onto there then they will be resized for you.........Martin.

 

The white lesions on the liver is 'Coccidiosis'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidia

 

Look forward to the pics mate

[me1 99]

sounds terminal no hope for that rabbit mate lol

[Outofnowhere 93]

Might be a tape worm cyst. Piccy's would help loads.

 

OON

[jimmy-big_shoes 0]

http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/ji...mview=slideshow

 

I think that should let you see the pics.

 

Jim

[Guest Countryboyo]

Cancer of the ovaries is very common in doe's

[bedrock 16]

The translucent bag of fluid with the white spots in it is a tapeworm cyst and the spots are the eggs. The black lump on the liver looks like the gallbladder which looks abnormally large and infected it could be the tape worms or some other parasites/disease. I don’t know about the intestines but its probably something to do with the infection. I think you done the right thing and binned it atb bedrock