Thread: Dogs eating rabbits

I always take a rabbit for the farmer's dog. The beast of an animal swallows it whole more or less like a crocodile and it's not dead yet.

Originally Posted by MB

I always take a rabbit for the farmer's dog. The beast of an animal swallows it whole more or less like a crocodile and it's not dead yet.

Yeah…. Our one Rottweiler used to do that. He was a big dog, even for a Rottweiller, over 60kg in peak form. We would go rough shooting with 20ga and 410s and this dog would hoon after wounded rabbits and catch them. Grab rabbit, shake it, couple of positioning manoeuvres then gulp gulp gone. He loved it and we thought it was funny. Certainly didn’t seem to do him any harm and he was always in very fine condition.

Then one day he damn nearly came a cropper when he got one stuck in his throat. Started making that god awful retching noise and heaving his entire body violently, so I grabbed his collar, stood over his shoulders with his spine pressed up into my bollocks, pulled his head sharply back by the upper jaw and stuffed my right hand into his throat in the hope I could grab a leg. Was a bit touch and go and my hand got a bit mangled, but I managed to pull the rabbit out.

After that he wasn’t so keen on gulping bunnies, and would drop them on command. Good dog.

My Staffies regularly eat rabbits and hares with great glee. Usual method is each dog grabs an end each, then a violent tug or war until the rabbit is pulled apart. If the male eats the guts, its a safe bet he will vomit it up on the carpet about an hour later, so that is banned. His sister disregards the guts and concentrates on eating the head.

After the Rottweiller nearly choked to death all those years ago I’ve always been very careful to stay around the dogs while they scoff rabbits - the little bitch has choked a couple of times but luckily dealt with it herself. (Her party trick is catching rats in the flaxes, and gulping them down whole.)