chrisc82

I took a rabbit out of my garden last night, my first one, so I was pretty excited. I started processing it, no experience here but I was surprised how easy the hide came off. Got into the abdominal cavity and started poking around and noticed a row of small white spots on the liver. Super bummed, I started looking online and most everything I read said get rid of it; however, it didn't look like any of the pictures of tainted rabbit liver I could find. So after relinquishing my prize, I figured the least I could do was ask around and see if anyone knew what this was. I've linked to some pictures below. The rest of the rabbit looked good, teeth, nose, left eye (I shot out his right eye so I couldn't verify the health of that one...). Anyway, here are the pictures. Any thoughts?

Topgun 3006

Yea, my thought is that there was no reason to put up the second picture, as I think everyone knows what a rabbit looks like! The white specks on the liver are either fat or possibly the initial stage of a parasite. Most people think that you shouldn't eat rabbits until after cold weather sets in, but I'd cook that one up and not have a problem eating it. Also, your language about getting excited and "relinquishing your prize" sound a little extremeist to me as well!!! You aren't a troll are you?

troutbum

Reading your post got me thinking. When I clean rabbits, squirrel, any game. I never check out the livers, not saying I shouldn't, but I never had. I agree with 06, i'd would have eaten that bunny. Deer liver I eat.

chrisc82

Perhaps I was being overly cautious in getting rid of the rabbit, but I'm new to hunting and the last thing I want to do is bring home a pathogen to the wife and kids. I like the advice about waiting for colder weather to set in. As far as it being fat, I don't think it was. My camera shots aren't that great but the spots were very white, while the fat on the rest of the animal (and there wasn't much) had a slight yellow tint to it. I guess if you cook your meat to 160F you really shouldn't have to worry about anything anyway.

I definitely appreciate you guys lending advise/experience.

troutbum

Chris, then you did the right thing. If you had any regrets in eating it, don't. Don't take it wrong ,I wasn't there. I have a thing with eating striped bass, when I catch them and if they have any marks or soars on the body, back they go. But your right cooking will kill germs and parasites if the heat is right. By the way , one of the old tales were don't eat squirrel, rabbits till after the first frost.Some say they have worms in there stomachs, who knows.

TXStr8shot

Should have cooked her up. Yummy

Murdy

Congrats on your first rabbit. I probably would have eaten it (but actually, I'm not that crazy about rabbit anyway). It's probably cleaner than most of the feed-lot beef we eat everyday. I used to hunt with my Uncle, who was about as old school as it gets. When we'd get a deer, we'd take the liver home, but he'd always slice it up and carefully examine it for flukes. If he found any, he wouldn't eat the liver, but we'd still keep the rest of the deer.

redgreen

I have seen lots of rabbits with livers in a lot worse shape than that. I'd have had it in a pan, spiced up with onions and enjoyed eating it.

Shellfish

Trim off the fat and eat the liver with the rabbit been doing it for 41 years guess iam still ok

DJfan

I would have eaten it, too, but I get the "err on the side of caution" thing.

Rabbits are "ber" meat - only harvest them in months that end in "ber" September, October, November or December.