Lump on roe spleen

[Auroch]

I shot a roe doe today that was a bit thin compared to others in the area and had a messy back end with diarrhoea. No lesions around feet or mouth so started the gralloch. First thing I noticed was that the anal tract was very fragile, breaking apart as I was separating it from the rest of the gubbins at the back end. I then noticed black gritty deposits through the mesenteric chain. There was a large lump on the spleen - see picture. The heart hadn’t been affected by the bullet but appeared squishy and like a partially deflated balloon, with some white scarring evident. I didn’t do a full run through if the lymph nodes as I’d already decided to condemn the carcass and dispose. Clearly a poorly animal but any advice on what could have caused this?

 

[Oldstalker]

"If in doubt take it (or throw it) out" was the cry when I was learning my craft for poor looking or diseased deer.
I hope that someone like @Buchan will answer your query with a genuinely knowledgeable response.

 

[ikapdunn]

Thanks for sharing, no idea myself but looking forward to hearing from someone who does aswell.

 

[AGR]

@Buchan answered a question about a similar lump in '21, nothing to worry about.
Possibly some parasitic involvement? That is often a precursor to disease.

 

[Auroch]

@Buchan answered a question about a similar lump in '21, nothing to worry about.
Possibly some parasitic involvement? That is often a precursor to disease.

Thanks, I had a quick search but must’ve missed that thread. My gut feeling was that there were several separate things going on with the doe which led to her overall poor health. Given how little fat she had left on her I’m not sure she’d survive any prolonged harsh weather up here.

 

[Buchan]

The spleen is a great filter - it's supposed to be as part of the immune system, so you can see a variety of nodules and lumps and abscesses. without cutting in , I'd say that isn't abscess and is more like a harmless nodule, or it could be a secondary tumour. with the poor condition and the diarrhoea, it's one to bin