Are there parasites on the liver?

At DWHC, we regularly receive photos from hunters who discover unusual abnormalities during gutting. Often, these are organs with unusual spots and/or lumps. It’s almost never possible to determine the nature of the disease based solely on a photo. However, in certain cases, it’s not an “abnormality” but a normal organ (or part of an organ) that the hunter doesn’t recognize as such. This usually involves the gallbladder.

The gallbladder is a small sac attached to the liver. Most animals have a gallbladder, but deer and roe deer do not. Bile is stored in the gallbladder. Bile is a liquid produced by the liver. It’s a bitter juice. The gallbladder is usually yellow-green in color, but can also be very dark to almost black. During gutting, it’s important to prevent the bitter bile from contaminating the carcass and the meat. If you want to prepare the liver for yourself or your dog, it’s important to remove the gallbladder first.

If an animal is not gutted within a few hours, a gallbladder imprint may be visible on another organ.