Sick Squirrel?

[VTME13]

I harvested my second squirrel after work this evening.  She seemed a bit heavy when I picked her up... also noticed her belly was firm. 

I was getting her dressed when I noticed a large tumor.  Bigger than any other organ and puss filled (I dissected it, couldn't help myself).

I didn't keep her.  We have a fox in the stand behind the house that loves to clean up.

Has anyone see anything like this before?

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

I harvested my second squirrel after work this evening.  She seemed a bit heavy when I picked her up... also noticed her belly was firm. 

I was getting her dressed when I noticed a large tumor.  Bigger than any other organ and puss filled (I dissected it, couldn't help myself).

I didn't keep her.  We have a fox in the stand behind the house that loves to clean up.

Has anyone see anything like this before?

Interesting Steve.   No I have not seen this before but I'll keep on the Look-Out.       Best Wishes - Tom

[Xraycer]

Unfortunately, animals gets cancer, just like us humans. I believe I've heard that the only complex animal that doesn't get cancer are sharks.

[squirrel_hunter]

 pictures would have helped to determine the cause...

[dk1677]

I had one last week with 2 on the skin, it went in the garbage can.

[Hunt4dinner]

Cancer doesn't discriminate.

[VTME13]

pictures would have helped to determine the cause...

I definitely should have taken a picture... will next time.

[anti-squirrel]

Of the 73 squirrels I shot last year, 12 had cancerous tumors.

This year, only 3, and I've taken over 30.  Maybe I'm helping clean out the gene pool.  On the other hand, I've run across a few squirrel this year with so many hard- and soft-body ticks it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.  The one I got yesterday didn't have any ticks, but it did have parasites coming out the back end.  It went into the trash triple bagged, tied off, then bagged again.

[VTME13]

Wow.  I never would have guessed the "bad" rate would be so high. 

Told my wife the same thing about strengthening the gene pool.  Also reminded her that there aren't as many natural predators in our urban environment as would be in a rural setting... good to thin down the population sometimes.

Figured you'd get a few with some nasty parasites or fly larve or something, but never expected to find internal tumors/ cancers.

Even more reason to throughly examine the organs before keeping the harvest.

[only1harry]

I 've shot 3 or 4 squirrels with small tumors and 1 had a good size one  (out of ~200 total squirrels).  I never ate them and always throw them out if I suspect they are sick.

[Wayne52]

I got a red squirrel this year that had a big tumor in it, it seemed awefully fat for a red squirrel and it was a female, thinking for some odd reason maybe she's pregnent til I opened her up.

[Tater]

Wow.  I never would have guessed the "bad" rate would be so high. 

Told my wife the same thing about strengthening the gene pool.  Also reminded her that there aren't as many natural predators in our urban environment as would be in a rural setting... good to thin down the population sometimes.

Figured you'd get a few with some nasty parasites or fly larve or something, but never expected to find internal tumors/ cancers.

Even more reason to throughly examine the organs before keeping the harvest.

Surprised to hear this as well.

[VTME13]

I got a red squirrel this year that had a big tumor in it, it seemed awefully fat for a red squirrel and it was a female, thinking for some odd reason maybe she's pregnent til I opened her up.

Exactly my initial thoughts on this one....

[VTME13]

Deleted.