# Just butchered first rabbit- But found spot on liver.



## Citychick (Mar 27, 2008)

I just butchered my first meat rabbit. I found one spot on liver that was small and white and about the size of a small grain of rice. Does this mean we shouldn't eat him? I have three others scheduled for the freezer today from the same batch. Everything else looked great. Very good looking meat. Thanks


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## Citychick (Mar 27, 2008)

Oh the liver was a good color. Didn't look pale or marble. Nice and dark.Here is a pic if the cyst in liver and after I cut it out it was very similar to a grain of rice.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

The rabbit meat will be fine, but the spot on the liver could be coccidiosis. The liver should be discarded.


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## Citychick (Mar 27, 2008)

Thanks! I posted a pic of the spot. I cut it open and it was pretty solid. No worm or pus. Just a very firm lump.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Coccidiosis is a protazoal infection. From your picture, I'd say that is likely what it is. I've only seen it in one litter of my rabbits, several years ago. They were a filthy lot, always peeing and pooping in their feed and water, so the result was not particularly surprising, although I was horrified at the time. I culled that whole line (for a number of reasons) and have had no problems since.

Just one nodule is a very slight case of it, so it is not surprising the rabbit was not sick. Watch the other three when you process them to see if they are also infected.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I've only been raising rabbits for two years. I've probably butchered 15 litters, and so far only one batch had spots on the liver. It was a batch early on, and I've never had a group with spots since. I did not do anything to treat it either. 

I never eat the livers anyway. 

Cathy


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

toss the kidneys too.


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## grumpy (Feb 17, 2009)

if you don't eat the livers from healthy stock. take the gall out--freeze the livers and give them as gifts to those that like liver and onions. they'll be back for more!!! after one free sample, i sell mine for $5.00 a pound. every little bit helps with the feed bill. i give the kidneys, heart and lungs, to "Miss Piggy" my barn cat. she becomes my best friend on processing day.

grumpy.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

I processed 3 out of a single litter with spots on the liver like that last year. The rest of the litter had been sold so don't know if they had similar spots. This particular litter had been fed a LOT of sunflower heads, seeds and all, and the rest of the meat/organs looked normal so I assumed at the time that it was fat in the liver. I have processed some since then, from the same parents, raised in the same cages, etc. that did not have those spots, but were also not fed as many sunflowers. Maybe it was cocci, like has been mentioned, maybe it wasn't -- but I find it particularly interesting that the only change was the sunflowers.


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## jil101ca (Jul 2, 2007)

I believe they are tape worm larva, the spots from Coccidiosis look different. Meat is fine but yes, discard the livers.


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