second bald deer

shootingduckdog

Well-Known Member
I was fortunate enough to get another buck this morning. He was only about 200m from the spot where I shot the previous one that was suffering hair loss. This ones much worse. The hairs been missing for at least a month as my stalking oppo saw him on the first. Also the skin has gone dark where the hair is missing, interestingly it is still white where the few bits of hair are left. Nodes were normal this time and he seemed fit otherwise.
IMG00011-20100502-0716.jpgIMG00012-20100502-0716.jpg

I am beginning to suspect mange but the skin looks healthy enough.

As an aside the farmer suggests that badgers have very "thin" coats, hair not very dense. I didnt ask how he knew but it surprised me, made me wonder if there is a problem in the area, there is a huge badger population, also a lot of horses. Anyone know if badgers have thin coats? Do you reckon it could be a horse/badger complaint passing to the deer or vice versa.

The first one I tended to think could be moulting but surely the new coat would have appeared after a month?
 
Can't help with the answer, but I am curious...

What County/Town/City are you? I'll understand if you don't wish to disclose that info, but others in that area might have come accross the same....

TJ
 
hi,

I am no expert but that really loooks like bad mange. Worse i ever seen on a deer though. may i ask 1, did you take to vet to get some advice 2, what happened to the meat 3, where there any leasons under the skin at all.
how was his eyes i.e skin cut with blisters and or bleeding....

cheers f.
 
TJ - its around the York area. There are a lot of deer around but I have never seen this before

CBS - 1) not taken to a vet as no issues with gralloch to suggest that was necessary
2) the carcase is still in my fridge
3) skin still on him so dont know about lesions but the skin externally seems fine. Dry, clean and not at all flakey.
4) Eyes, face and neck all completely normal, including hair. He seems to be an old boy though

The first deer was discussed in the thread below

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?10659-deer-health-issue
 
That deer has the look of one going into summer coat looking at his neck. It is possible that the bald patches could be lice as they tend to cause irritation. This in turn causes them to scratch and thus causes bald patches. Was this animal on its own? It could be that others dont want to be near it due to the lie infestation.
 
On closer inspection it just looks like natural shedding of the winter coat. You can see the chesnut summer coat coming through on the bit where the hair has come away. I see alot of bucks like this in different areas and i find it's more prevelant at this time of year also as the bucks are prone to the odd tussle as the more mature bucks are trying to 'kick out' the younger bucks. You'll often see alot of shed hair under fences that deer have passed through at this time of year.

I'm in the York area myself....PM me if you get chance, and we could maybe meet up for a pint!

regards

steve
 
He was on his own but the previous one was not. I had a pretty good look at the few remaining tufts of hair and could see no insects. There was definite evidence of the summer coat. One thing I did notice was that some of the winter coat hairs were short as if cut/snapped off, would that suggest mange??
 
Stephen

There is absolutely no hair on any of the grey areas you can see. The only summer coat is around the neck, also I would have expected the new coat to have come through in a month??
 
they rub there backends on trees and posts like sheep do....that might account for cut like appearance.
 
My son shot one just south of York about two weeks ago and it had bald patches each side of the withers. It was a mature animal. I shot one six days ago near Doncaster and both sides behind the front legs are bald and the inside of both back legs are bald. This is an old buck. No sign of scratching or lesions on either beast and the one from York butchered up fine. Never seen any like this before. Could be something in the area? FM.
 
Central

Can you try again please I would be interested to see the pic

cheers

Interestingly a mate of mine shot an old buck yesterday about 50 miles away thats pretty similar
 
sorry i cant find where i got it from however, i found it by googling mange in deer... lots of pics similar to that.


Central

Can you try again please I would be interested to see the pic

cheers

Interestingly a mate of mine shot an old buck yesterday about 50 miles away thats pretty similar
 
Shot a buck yesterday morning - pretty poor condition and very light, with lots of bald patches - large clumps of Winter hair falling out. But not a lot of new summer coat coming through. Would expect to see summer coat coming through the enter coat. Can't say it was a pleasant job skinning it with hair falling out all over the place, but carcas underneath seems perfectly Ok. Roe at this time of year always look scruffy, but they have had a real hammering this winter. The grass up here near Edinburgh has just started growing and still hard frosts.

Heym
 
Cheers Heym

I wonder if the month or so of below freezing weather had something to do with it. Will find out though as I took it to my vet and they have sent samples off to the labs, answers due weds. In meantime have been advised its fine to eat.
 
bald deer

i had the very same thing yesterday i was stalking a
friends land ,there was 3 bucks one was very light ,and
he wanted me to take that one ,on examining it was
bald down either side after the gralloch i found
the lungs were mottled but everything else looked
fine ,forgot to say this was in the perth area
 
AND THE ANSWER IS................................................. skin mites, demodex. A .3mm long mite that lives down in the hair follicles. They are a naturally occuring parasite that normally cannot prevail over the healthy immune system of a fit deer. If the immune system becomes suppressed (long period of cold and an old deer, or another illness?) then the parasite wins out and becomes too numerous causing the hair loss. No risk to human health and according to wikipedia it is a different species that lives on dogs, so they should be ok too. To be fair to all you guys trying to help there has only been one other documented case in deer (according to the local vet lab people) so they are quite excited and going to publish!!! The other case was in Denmark, for what thats worth!!

Mystery solved and conscience clear, (as i gave the meat to my mum!!!)(following the all clear, honest)
 
Mystery solved and conscience clear, (as i gave the meat to my mum!!!)(following the all clear, honest)[/QUOTE]

HA HA I BET TUT TUT.. :evil:

Glad to hear its sorted.. well done getting it published too... your famous.

f.
 
Back
Top