Thank you for your kind thoughts. At the stage now where jersey on/off due to sweating then cold. Started on my way to scotland j. Hence my bad decision on that road.
This animal is going back . Body condition poor,old face antlers smooth coronet drooping. Abnormal branching.
have spoken to smithp18 and the wear on the teeth is predominantly on the premolars. Should be on pm3m1. Photos of jaw have been promised when his camera fixed.
To explain antler growth which is very complex will try to simplify.
As animals grow so the long bones extend. This growth takes place at the growth plate
This is made up of cartilage on the long side of the bone supplied from that side by blood vessels and nerves.The cartilage gradually gets changed into bone as it grows ( The rough edges are to stop slippage as cartilage relatively soft )When stops growing all changes into bone. Which is always detectable on the bone.
The way antlers grow is entirely different.
All bones are covered by a membrane called a periosteom. in the region of the frontal bone this is called Antlerogenic,from whence the antlers will grow.
Growth is triggered at puberty to form pedicles , on top of which are cells which can change into various types of cells ( stem cells ). The first year of life small antlers grow. Button bucks,spikers, knobbers etc. When these are cast the skin immediately starts healing and a mass of tissue called a blastema is formed. From this the antler grows.
Now the blood nerve suply takes the long way round. They go to the top of the antler bud and supply the tissue from above. See diagram. The blood vessels grow from the velvet towards the bone through the pre cartilage,cartilage soft spongy bone and bone
The areas where the tines are formed are rich in retinoic acid ( from vitamin a ) which causes the buds to grow. This then carries on to the formation of the head ( antler shape ) for that year.
Factors influencing antler shape.
Nutrition
Genetics
Accidents. damage to the velvet and soft antlers.
Hormones Oestrogen/Testosterone balance
Growth on rising plain of testosterone. Eventually at height of testosterone production stop growing . Shed velvet. Hard antler. At declining level of testosterone separation of antler at coronet which happens very quickly. Skin heals. Start cycle again.
A lot of antler growth is influenced by oestrogen as well and if no testosterone input carries on growing.
Perrugue.
I have discussed this with research scientists and they have thought my personal view that is a type of tumour reasonable, as tissue keeps on growing. How to prove this is another matter.
Buckup mentioned an antlered doe shot in error.
This is due to an imbalance of oestrogen/testosterone activating the antlerogenic periosteom with subsequent growth
Sikamalc mentioned soft spongy bone at the tip. Velvet damage. Kept alive by little amount of blood supply to the inside of antler.
Hummel. Damage to tissue or blastema not activated.
Switch or murderer ? genetic/damage.
Multiple antlers damage to blastema splitting it.
Liver fluke. There is substance in the liver involved in antler formation but animal would be dead before the infection became significant.
Should anyone wish greater depth pm me as fascinating subject.
Morena