Don't know if you can help me on this one?
A friend who has one of my Bernese has a problem with her. She has started to catch a lot of rabbits on her walks. Now that in itself is not a great problem ( she is good friends with the farmer who owns the land and he is moore than pleased to see his rabbit population reduced) although my friend is not happy with her antics (she herself is a vegetarian animal lover!!!)  but the death toll is up to about 30 now and although up until today Amber has always brought them back to her owner and dropped them the last couple of days she has begun to keep her distance and chomp them up. (BARF or what?) But and here is the rub, she is an average Bernese and they are not well known for speed and agility, she seems to catch them with little problem and I am a little concerned they may have myxomatosis?sp if so could she be in any danger health wise if she eats the odd one?
Now I know it is not the best for her to chase and kill wildlife, and her owner does try to discourage her and has now reverted to lead walks for the time being, but she will no doubt be back on loose walks one day and could still catch and eat the occasional one, so we are a little concerned.
Apart from this indiscretion Amber is a lovely dog happy, friendly, good with cat's, chickens, ducks, children, horses and sheep...her owner has all!
Any ideas on if they may be doing her harm.

She'll be fine. Myxomatosis doesn't affect dogs, and she's certainly doing the poor rabbits a favour, because if they have it they're doomed to a slow, painful death.

The myxomatosis will not harm her but she should keep her regularly wormed.

Thanks for the quick replies guy's, we can breath a sigh of relief now and concentrate on trying to put a stop to her antics before her Vegetarian Mother has a fit!! Anyone know how to stop mass rabbit murder?

Tell her how many carrots lives its saving :)

:D

To be honest the dog is getting some very nice dinners and as long as her worming is up to date she should benefit from the fresh complete meals.

A Friend now deceased had a litter of pups and they were practically reared on Myxi rabbit that Mum caught for them.

Wish she lived near me I would swap her dog food for Rabbits.

OH's parents live on a farm and their dog has been regularly supplementing his own diet with myxi rabbits for almost all of his 13/14 years.  He's always been too lazy to go after the healthy ones ;)  It hasn't done him any harm and he is exceptionally fit and well for a dog of his age :)

I thought you may all condemn her as a vicious killer? glad you seem to feel like me that she is doing what nature intended her to do, just wish her Mum was not quite so squeamish about it all!!

No, she's doing a great job. :)

I agree.....wish ours would help the poor things along instead of sniffing them and walking away :rolleyes: Leaving me to take them home to my dad or to the vets to send them on their ways :(

Nothing wrong with it at all, she's doing them a good service - far better a quick death than a myxi death.  Perhaps she could teach Remy her technique?  He likes to catch them (myxi buns are the only ones he can catch :D), but he's never killed one - he runs around with them while they scream.  If your friend thought instant death was squeam-able, try watching that happen and not be able to get near to stop it!

Merlot is Ambers sister and the only rabbits she has caught (3) :rolleyes: she has brought back to me and deposited them at my feet, they have all looked dazed for a couple of seconds:rolleyes: and then rushed off down the nearest hole. They seemed very fit so I can only surmize that she caught them unawares

The bunnies are probably just playing farn (or dead).....a ruse to lull the predator into a false sense of security, so that they drop their guard and said bunnies can then leg it and live to see another day!

Mine have eaten the odd myxi bunny too, never done them any harm. My main concern about them eating rabbits when we're out is the time one of them takes. Toto can eat a whole bunny in about 5 minutes but Tchi takes about 30/40 mins to gingerly disembowel it, skin it then chew every bone 17 times :rolleyes:

I suspect the only ways to stop her doing this if it's really upsetting her owner is either to muzzle her or keep her on a long line.

I have relayed your thoughts to her and she now thinks that if it's doin' the bunnies a favour maybe she will turn a blind eye I darent now ever mention the bunnies she catches who don't have myxi!!!

Well she is removing the slow and dumb genes from the gene pool for the latter :D

Well she is removing the slow and dumb genes from the gene pool for the latter 

:D  :D  :D