When I was young the only game meat inspection I knew was what was passed down as family knowledge- examine the liver, lungs and heart for abnormalities like colored spots, hard spots, parasites, etc.

The sticky on the CDC warning re feral hog has me thinking it would be good to get training in game meat inspection to better identify/detect disease when butchering.

Your thoughts?

Just cook what you eat. By the time Obama is gone we will have to have everything we shoot inspected by the tsa before we can eat it.

Sample a little bit first. If you don't blow out an O-ring then that batch is probably okay.

How many out there wear latex gloves when processing hogs?

Personally I never have. Just something I wonder about sometimes.

After I heard a few horror stories of plagues, lime disease and other nastiness, I try to remember to use gloves. We keep them handy at the cleaning station but they are only used about half the time.

Usually wish I had them but is not one of the items I plan on bringing.

Have not used any gloves in my 67 years and I have gutted and skinned things that would make a lot of people gag. When I used to work my old boss was always using hand sanitizers and asking if I wanted some. I told him no, I didn't want to screw up my immune system. He was the one that was usually sick.

This has been my experience... but roughly a third of that time span

I used to think the same thing until about 14 year ago, I got an infected cut. It took almost 2 years to get that cleared up. Finally went to a wound care specialist, I was prescribed intravenous antibiotics, for 12 weeks an RN came by the house every day at exactly 4PM. 7 days a week, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day included I was given the antibiotic.

If you want to gamble, go ahead, but remember some of these strains of infections can kill you.

Dog catcher is spot on, wife infectious disease doc, has treated several people each year over the past 5 years that have had serious infections from nicks and scraps they got from cleaning wild game, esp hogs, it's your choice but from pics I've seen it's something I don't want...

I do now. I work with my hands and get cuts and abrasions daily. Over the years, I have noticed they dont heal as fast as I think they should. So I started wearing gloves when cleaning game and fish. Solved my problem.

I've never used gloves in my life, but when I have an open cut or something on one of my hands I cover it with antibiotic ointment, band aids, and electrical tape before cleaning. When I'm done cleaning I wash my hands and pour with peroxide. If no cuts on my hands I just wash afterwards and use hand sanitizer if I remember to before I eat. I gut 98% of my pigs and clean more of them than anyone that I know. I am still alive. Protect cuts or open sores, sterilize your hands afterwards. You'll be fine.

I've never worn gloves before but after dogcatchers post I think that will change.

My original post was really more about assessing diseased/unfit game in general not hogs specifically and not just gloves vs no-gloves.

brucellosis, tumors, lumpy-jaw, who-knows-what bird diseases, well lumpy-jaw I could spot but there is a lot that could be wrong that I couldn't recognize as a problem.

I know the risks are comparatively small or at least there would be more talk on forums like this. Still I would like to be more knowledgable about what to look for when butchering fowl and both large and small game.

Most animals look like hell if they are sick. Look at there eyes, mouth, nose rear end and especially hide or feathers. If it doesn't look like a healthy animal or bird is supposed to look then don't mess with it. Nobody is going to fault you for discarding a non healthy animal you have taken. If you get one that is sick you will know it by looking at it.

Dont use gloves ill take that gamble. Dont look at heart for spots guess Ill take that gamble also. Life is a gamble Live it how you want to if wearing gloves makes you at ease then go for it, I just choose not to.

I just do what don k stated, look for obvious signs of a sick animal and the smell of the meat. I definitely err on the side of caution with hogs. Any doubt at all and they go to the yotes.
As far as gloves, I never wore them until about 3 years ago. I now try to remember to wear them when I field dress deer and hogs. For the cost of latex gloves, it's just not worth it to me to gamble losing limbs, debilitating disease, or losing my life.

The cost of an RN showing up everyday and the daily dose is expensive, damned expensive. I had already met my annual catastrophic amount, so I saw the statements but I really never looked. But if I remember correctly the antibiotics was in the $20,000 range. The price of rubber or latex gloves is minimal. From what I understood, if some of these infections reach the heart, you don't have to worry about the cost, your heirs will.

You can be dead, still macho, but also still dead.

I use those big dish washing gloves when cleaning game. When the animal looks and smells funky, the Coyotes eat well that night.

I use latex gloves, and if I get any nicks, I make sure and clean them with peroxide and then cover in neosporin.

As far as inspecting the game animal, years of experience have taught me what looks good vs. not. If there is any question it goes to the dump. If an animal was acting sick or injured prior to being shot, it gets a much closer inspection.

And, you can get mange, etc from fur bearing animals. I somethings wear gloves but I should be doing it all the time.

I've always seen gloves and peroxide and what not as the same thing as insurance. You may go your entire life and never need insurance and look back and say "Man I sure wasted a lot of money on insurance." but if you ever need that insurance, even once in your life, you sure are glad you had it. Like others have posted, the price of gloves and cleaning/sterilizing your hands afterwards is cheap compared to a hospital bill.

I agree with the sickly looking animals, there are usually fairly obvious signs of problems if an animal is sick, but if I question it even a little, out it goes.

I do look the animals over. If in doubt it goes to the dump.
I always wear gloves....even to clean a single rabbit. They protect you and make clean up a breeze.

To the mention of lyme disease. ...it friggin sucks big time. I've had it and most doctors laugh at you if you mention getting tested for it. BTW....it comes from a tick bite and iirc its the only way to get it.

I'll wear them if i have them which is most of the time. Makes for eaiser clean up too.

Just before the Holidays, there was a guy up in the panhandle that was diagnosed with HEP E and within a week or so, had a liver transplant. The doctors are 99% sure it came from a pig he killed and handled WITH GOLVES.

http://amarillo.com/sports/more-sports/2014-01-18/it-was-miracle

The story is not BS i can promise you that. This guy is good friends with some of our extended family, so the whole liver failure and transplant did take place.. Putting the blame on feral pigs??? who knows, but does make you think twice about protecting yourself.