shootingduckdog
Well-Known Member
Shot a young (this years) Roe doe today. It was behaving normally but I knew it to be orphaned. Body weight and external appearance all fine. On commencing the gralloch I noticed that half of the intestines were very small. 2 sections of intestine about 10 inches long were full of air and about 3 inch in diameter. The normal intestine had dark liquid in it and some grain and the normal green mush. The stomach was about empty. The mesenteric chain seemed enlarged and one of the lymph nodes was about the size of a golf ball. The heart, lungs, kidneys and spleen were all very healthy looking, I could tell this as I had hit the animal a little far back so they had very little bullet damage. The rectum had normal looking pellets in it.
I feel sure that it is not a serious illness as no other lymph nodes were enlarged and the animal was in very good nick. Could it be grain from pheasant feeders that was causing the problem? Would the very hard weather we have had for the last few weeks cause a problem? Is the carcase safe to eat?
Sorry there are no photos but had no camera along and was a long way from it at the time.
I feel sure that it is not a serious illness as no other lymph nodes were enlarged and the animal was in very good nick. Could it be grain from pheasant feeders that was causing the problem? Would the very hard weather we have had for the last few weeks cause a problem? Is the carcase safe to eat?
Sorry there are no photos but had no camera along and was a long way from it at the time.