Deer with TB?

2428 miles

Well-Known Member
Evening all,

I went out for a run this evening and came across a Young Roe Buck (Last Years) standing on all fours shaking hyper ventilating and foaming at the mouth.
As soon as a saw it, I stalked closer to investigate, In the end I walked right up to it. He didn’t bat and eye lid, made no reaction to my presence at all.

I checked it all over, not a scratch on it, opened its mouth and put a finger in to check for obstructions, nothing that I could see.
At this point the little fellow hadn’t moved, still standing. Because I was out running I didn’t have my phone, no knife, nothing. I was a good 3 miles from home so made best speed to the nearest farm.
Explained the situation and was given the number of the neighbor, phoned him and he said he would send the keeper down.

I have never seen or heard of anything like it. Have You?

Could it be TB or blue tongue?
 
I take it you were running on the road?

reason being I was called to one 6-7weeks ago which had been hit by a car, it was stood on the side of a dual carriageway, seemed stunned similar to what you describe, that one didnt have that much damage to it apart from a graze on the side of its head.

be careful sticking your fingers in mouths without gloves, just in case I was contagious. :eek:

ATB

Swede
 
i think swede may be right about sticking your fingers in it's mouth
this clip might be of interest


ATB
 
No, I found him way out in the country. Just had a look at the map and it was a minimum of 3 ks from the nearest road and its surprisingly steep terrain round there so i think it is very unlikely it has been involved in an RTA and wandered that far.

I’m going to go back this evening and make sure it has been dealt with properly.
 
Interestingly, on a site warning about Deer Feeding (http://kwef.ca/news02.htm) I also found this:

Corn toxicity is a disease which is linked to supplemental feeding of deer. It occurs when deer rapidly change their diet to a high grain diet. Ruminants need to change their diet of roughage to grain slowly to give the bacteria in their gut a chance to adjust to changes in feed type. Otherwise, rapid exposure to a concentrated grain diet will often cause a fatal disruption of the body's acid-base balance. Symptoms include diarrhea, bloating, enteritis, frothing at the mouth, weakness, convulsions, circling and tremours. It often results in the rapid death of animals in good physical condition. This disease has occurred in Muskoka as recently as the winter of 2006.

With all the recent snow, and resulting lack of available food, I wonder if your roe had been hitting the pheasant feeders? Just a thought.

You might also want to send a PM to Morena.

willie_gunn
 
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