Moose Measles

[Dakota]

Anybody ever heard of Moose Measles, My buddy shot a moose and the butcher said it had Moose Measles. Looks like little white balls in the meat. He said it is safe to eat and non transferable to humans. Wondering if anybody has seen this before?

[rocksteady]

Did you google it??? May just be a slang name for something else...

http://www.srd.alberta.ca/fishwildlife/WildlifeDiseases/documents/WDTkrabbei.pdf

[jml11]

I've seen it to some degree in pretty much every moose I have dealt with, with the exception of calves. Most I have only noticed a couple of the cysts. They are the cyst form of a tapeworm that matures in predators that feed on moose....reasons for not feeding raw organs and meat to your dog!

They are harmless to people and typically can't be found after freezeing/cooking.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/wldhealth/diseases/specificdiseases/moose_measles.htm

[The Dawg]

Saw a few cysts in the liver of a moose I was in on killing this year

Seen it before.

Eaten the meat


Im still alive

[rocksteady]

Cysts in a liver are usually liver flukes.. they gross me out, even though I don't eat liver...

http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/liver_flukes.htm

[604redneck]

Seen it in 5 bulls this year

[mbway]

Every moose ive shot has had them. Found 10 this weekend in the moose i cut. No harm to people. Just dont tell your wife.

[Caribou_lou]

I've seen it to some degree in pretty much every moose I have dealt with, with the exception of calves. Most I have only noticed a couple of the cysts. They are the cyst form of a tapeworm that matures in predators that feed on moose....reasons for not feeding raw organs and meat to your dog!

They are harmless to people and typically can't be found after freezeing/cooking.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/wldhealth/diseases/specificdiseases/moose_measles.htm


You are right on the Money Jml11. Seen them in every moose we have dealt with over the last few years. More prominent in the older bulls we find. We make every attempt to take them out still.

[Dakota]

Thanks for the info guys, thought it was safe aswell, nice to here the same.

[dime]

We have found them in most moose as well. They are tapeworm larvae that are only transmittable to dogs, they can not infect humans. If you hunt moose in an area that holds wolves you will almost certainly have moose measles in your meat. Although they can not infect people, they can infect the family dog so you should not feed raw moose meat to your dogs or you will be going to the vet for de-worming medicine. If your wife finds them in the meat tell her they are fatty deposits and should be removed as they can taste bad, but no worries if she misses a few- it is all protein.

[Jagermeister]

If you are seeing lots, it might be connected to the high wolf population. I only saw it once in a moose that I shot and that was an old moose. All the other moose were devoid of any sign of worms.

[Asco]

I'm finding them in the heart meat of the moose we got this year.
Old bull. Looks like fatty globs about 3mm; found 3 so far.
Outdoors Canada has a page on game animal parasites these appear to not be a problem at all.
As previously stated the official party line is "look the moose was so well fed he had fatty deposits in his muscles"
Chow down.
There's way more disgusting stuff in a can of soup.
Don't look into it.
You don't want to know.

[walks with deer]

Umm I shot a moose with those researched it and ate it anyway.

I was hungry ever since and have worms In my pooh and sometimes at work one slides out the biggest one so far was only 3/8round and 42 inches long nothing to worry about...

[Cat catcher]

The moose up here in Atlin have lots, every moose I got had them, some way more than others.

[Drillbit]

Umm I shot a moose with those researched it and ate it anyway.

I was hungry ever since and have worms In my pooh and sometimes at work one slides out the biggest one so far was only 3/8round and 42 inches long nothing to worry about...

Haha! Calling BS, but if you're serious

You might want to take a de-worming pill.

Every kid and dog on a farm/ranch gets one annually, adults too. Pretty simple solution.

[Backwoods]

Yup found in 5 bulls this year as well, from wolf poop! Cycle of life haha

[Backwoods]

It's more common in high wolf populated areas says the COs

[MB_Boy]

If anybody has stuff like this pop up again....take a pic of it with something like a quarter or a loonie as a size reference and I'll send it to my Dad. He is now a retired well known moose biologist/dork and parasitoligist; if he has something to do he'll stop sending me somewhat pointless emails 20 times a day :roll:

If it's something that shows up in a moose or elk/caribou/deer I can pretty much guarantee he's seen it, will tell you what it is and if the meat or organ is edible. :wink:

[Backwoods]

If anybody has stuff like this pop up again....take a pic of it with something like a quarter or a loonie as a size reference and I'll send it to my Dad. He is now a retired well known moose biologist/dork and parasitoligist; if he has something to do he'll stop sending me somewhat pointless emails 20 times a day :roll:

If it's something that shows up in a moose or elk/caribou/deer, I can pretty much guarantee he's seen it, will tell you what it is and if the meat or organ is edible. :wink:
I took pics for the COs but I'll look for them and post if I still have

[Backwoods]

Yup I have pics and video !!! Give me some time

[Backwoods]

Shoot I don't have my laptop, can I email to video and pic to someone with photo bucket handy!? Or text message if easiest

[Backwoods]

From what I was told it's tap worm larva from wolf poop from them eating raw moose, then the moose eats the grass that grew from the poop sorta thing, the worm eggs incubate in the muscle groups in moose. But cannot fully develop

[MB_Boy]

From what I was told it's tap worm larva from wolf poop from them eating raw moose, then the moose eats the grass that grew from the poop sorta thing, the worm eggs incubate in the muscle groups in moose. But cannot fully develop

Knowing what I have grown up and listened to....and seen.....I am pretty sure you're right. I have a "recreational doctorate due to family association" in parasitology. :wink:


Here are Backwoods pic and video....when my Dad send a 'diagnosis' I'll post up. Bit better size reference in the video. (sorry, P-Bucket and this vid are proving to be a pain in the ass; just loaded it to YouTube...let me know if you guys can see it)?)

On a side note......HOLY MOOSE MEASLES is Photobucket a load of slow garbage website these days!!! I think the first ever dial up connection performed faster than that site.


http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee248/scrichton/Forum%20Pics/Measles_zpshlispdye.jpg (http://s234.photobucket.com/user/scrichton/media/Forum%20Pics/Measles_zpshlispdye.jpg.html)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVkUJ7w2ivo&feature=youtu.be

[Backwoods]

Thanks for posting!!! They call it the YUK factor lol!!

[MB_Boy]

Thanks for posting!!! They call it the YUK factor lol!!

You can see the YouTube video okay?

[MB_Boy]

Okay....will try and shorten up the essay that was sent. :-P



Anyone who has eaten moose which come from areas where there are wolves will have eaten them. They are a tapeworm larvae and the scientific name is Taenia krabbei ormore commonly known as muscle measles. I have found the larvae in the tongue, heart and muscle and in some cases as many as 4 per square inch.

Once cooked no issue other than one is eating a parasite- more protein!!!! No evidence if meat eaten raw that they will develop in humans.

Now remember that gov't only gives one licence to hunt and take an animal (this is in MB - :wink: ), they do not guarantee that it will be disease/parasite free. I have told literally dozens of people if they do not want it to give to me as I will eat it.Not nice to cook a steak and have these little guys looking up at you but they will do you no harm!!! **my edit...this is coming from a guy who is squeamish about eating sushi but has no issue with jellied moose nose.

When a wolf kills a moose and consumes these larvae they develop into adult tapeworms in the wolf and the adult worms will start passing eggs that the wolves will pass, which get on vegetation and when moose pick up eggs they hatch in the gut and migrate to all the tissues. So, no issue with cooking them and eating.

DO NOT FEED UNCOOKED MEAT OR BONES TO YOUR DOG AS DOGS ACT THESAME WAY IN THE LIFE CYCLE AS WOLVES. ONE WILL THE HAVE TO TAKETHE DOG TO THE VET FORANITHELMINTHICS SUCH AS IVERMECTIN TO CLEAN THEM OUT ANDTHIS COSTS $$$$. You have heard me say this hundreds of times!!

I have found these larvae in elk and caribou but not deer as most deer taken in MB come from wolf free areas generally speaking and I have not searched deer for them.

[Caribou_lou]

I just noticed that last post saying they haven't found them in Deer. I shot a buck near Lilloet this year and had these in the meat. Only the one deer out of the two we shot had them.

[MB_Boy]

I just noticed that last post saying they haven't found them in Deer. I shot a buck near Lilloet this year and had these in the meat. Only the one deer out of the two we shot had them.

Deer in Manitoba and as noted largely as he hasn't looked for them as part of a study. Dispersal of ungulate populations differ somewhat from BC but I can tell you in MB with MANY whitetails harvested we've never seen them but have in moose.

[Asco]

Thanks for posting the photo. Looks exactly same colour/ size found in my moose heart. I ate it all anyway so no pics.

[Gone_Fishin_]

Does freezing the meat do anything to them? I feed my dog part raw diet and have a wack load of small frozen packages for her from my moose this year which had these throughout the meat, picked out everyone I could find. This makes sense why she got worms a month back, noticed it in her stool. Quick vet trip and problem solved but not something I want to her to get again.

Rather then cooking it (which I will if needed for her) does freezing for a certain timeframe kill these buggers or should I be cooking it from now on, I also have a Rubbermaid full of frozen moose bones that I cut into small pcs. Should these be tossed or...

Thanks for help,

[ajr5406]

If these cysts are deep in the muscle and you cut a steak and cook it medium-rare or rare - is that going to be enough? Im sure cooking well-done would kill anything, but who wants to eat a game steak cooked to well-done?

[MB_Boy]

If these cysts are deep in the muscle and you cut a steak and cook it medium-rare or rare - is that going to be enough? Im sure cooking well-done would kill anything, but who wants to eat a game steak cooked to well-done?

Have always eaten rare/medium rare....my Dad prefers a bit more medium but ya, no problem if a human ingests them. As noted in his reply...."if you don't want the meat, give it to him and he'll eat it".

Gone Fishin....have asked about freezing. Will post up when he gets back to me.

Well that was quick...he's obviously sitting at his computer. I guess you can take his reply for what it is.....basically they've never really tested it. May not be too bad for the bones as I imagine they'll be picked pretty clean. May just want to roast them in the oven so they keep the flavour for your pooch instead of boiling which kind of takes a lot out of them?


we do not know for sure - likely it will but some may not. It might depend on length of timeit is frozen.Frankly, I would not takea
chance - why take the risk is the simplequestion.

[guest]

Measles ........ Really ?

Next thing we'll know, Big Buckys got the clap.

[Asco]

Outdoor Canada says:

"The good news is these larvae cannot infect humans, even if eaten raw. While unsightly, they’re killed by freezing or cooking the meat, and have no discernible impact on the flavour. Grinding infected meat into hamburger or sausages is a common method for dealing with aesthetic concerns."

[MB_Boy]

Outdoor Canada says:

"The good news is these larvae cannot infect humans, even if eaten raw. While unsightly, they’re killed by freezing or cooking the meat, and have no discernible impact on the flavour. Grinding infected meat into hamburger or sausages is a common method for dealing with aesthetic concerns."




As noted they won't do anything to humans, just dogs you want to be concerned about. I don't doubt that a good lengthy COLD freezing will kill them but for the time it takes to cook some scraps for the dogs, I'd just as soon be safe. :wink: