2,539. A Needle in the Liver

Hilchos Shechita 6:7

Let’s say that a pit is found in an animal’s gall bladder. If it’s rounded like a date pit, the animal remains permitted, but if it’s pointed like an olive pit, it's prohibited. This is because we assume that it made a hole upon entering, which can’t be seen because a scab formed over the injury.

Hilchos Shechita 6:8

If there’s a hole of even the smallest size in one of the liver’s arteries where the blood is processed, the animal is a treifa. Therefore, if a needle is found in one of the lobes of the liver, the following rules apply: if a large needle is found pointing inward, we assume that it perforated the liver upon entering; if the rounded part faces inward, we assume that it entered via the blood vessels and the animal remains permitted.