Dear Walter,

My dog found the back end of a rabbit carcus on the beach which I was unable to get her to relinquish! she eat it all bar a bit of the skin and fur. If the rabbit had Mixamytosis as many of the rabbits here have, will there be any adverse affects on her. Should she go to the vets? Please advise as to the course of action to be taken if any.

Many Thanks

Hi,

Your dog will not get myxomatosis from eating the rabbit - do not worry about that.
It may get constipated however, if it ate all the bones and some of the skin with fur. A good dose of liquid paraffin will help!

W

Hi there
Where I work is on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Plymouth and the factory has a lot of land around it and of course I have seen rabbit burrows and last night I saw this lone rabbit walking around looking for scraps of food normally they just run away but this one at night with my headlights on the rabbit it just carried on as if I was not there,so I walked over to it and touched it and you could not see it's eyes and I think deaf as well,it's eyes looked like growths on them is this what "Mixamytosis"looks like!!
Should I inform the authorities. Regards David

Hi, David,

This does sound like myxomatosis.

You do not need to report this - myxomatosis is not a 'notifiable disease'. However, it would have been a kindness to have killed it.

W

My English Springer Spaniels always find dead things to eat on the rocks above our local beach and has done for the 3 years we have lived here. Usually dead rabbits, birds and bits of fish. My dog ate something yesterday during his walk and was sick as soon as he got home (which isnt unusual - looked like dead rabbit). He was off his food all night and became lythargic. This morning he was no better. He refused his breaky and struggled to get outside for a wee. He was sick again (orange coloured). I took him for a short walk thinking he might `poo` out the remains of what was making him ill. He didn`t. Poor lad looked like he might collapse. I took him to the vet who said his temp was 41.6. He is now on a drip overnight and I am desperately worried about him. If he pulls through, I guess his walks will be spoilt somewhat by him wearing a nylon muzzle from now on.

Dear Jill,

I am not quite sure what you are asking but if your dog has eaten a dead rabbit then the things you need to consider are whether some or all of the rabbit might have caused a blockage in your dog's gut (an x-ray may tell you this but not always) or whether the rabbit was 'off' and caused some sort of infection (there is no infection specifically that a rabbit might give your dog). A temperature of 41.6 C ( 107 F) is very serious and I wonder whether there might be something else going. Unfortunately you do not give me enough information to suggest further what that might be. If the temperature does not fall rapidly then your vet will want to do more tests.

My dog just trapped a baby rabbit and swallowed it in a matter of seconds as my brother was trying to get it out of her mouth. She literally ate the entire thing.

What should we do? Should we make her throw up? How so?

She is about 2 years old and a medium sized dog -- maybe 35 lbs.

Don't panic! The rabbit will not be very well off but your dog might have a bad stomach for a few days. Your dog will probably digest the rabbit and may be sick or have diarrhoea but you may notice nothing. Unless your dog is unwell everything is probably going to be ok. If your dog is unwell then take her to the vet in case the rabbit has caused a blockage.

I have a rescue 5yr old Springer whom I love dearly. He is totally bonkers and loves running in the fields and parks twice a day. The problem is he catches everything ! Crows, pigeons, rabbits, squirrels, rats, you name it....although he hasn't managed a duck...YET ! He brings them to me and then devours them, fur, bones, feathers and all. I have tried squeezing his nose to drop them, telling him to leave and drop, i have even stood on his foot so he yelps and drops them...but it is getting more frequent. I know it is in there nature and they are only doing what comes natural, when we are out in the fields i just let him eat them as no one is around. But in the park in the morning there are others around. I really dont want to muzzle him as i think this would be cruel. Do you have any tricks to get him to leave. I have tried treats but he finds the catch a lot more appealing. Help im so grossed out ! Also is there any danger to him eating these finds, should I be aware of an animal that could harm him??

Hello,
My dog was eating at 1/2 of a dead rabbit carcass left probably from a coyote. Is the heartguard plus he is taking good enough to kill the other types of worms he may get from ingesting the rabbit, or do I need to get additional wormer? I believe the heartguard has ivermectrin and pyrantal.

Laura

I expect a muzzle is what you will need but a behaviourist may be able to give you better advice - your vet will probably be able to guide you to someone. Apart from picking up parasites or getting an upset stomach, it is unlikely that the behaviour will adversely affect your dog but obviously if something gets stuck after being swallowed or if the carcass is putrid and an infection takes hold then this may be a problem.


Sorry for the delay in replying but I have been on holiday.

LM

Ivermectin and pyrantel cover most parasites.