Diarrhea on Deer

[TundB]

Hi all,

I have shot an old CWD buck in the morning which had some serious diarrhea going. I’ve shot animals with soft drops on bottom but this is a different level which was tricky to gralloch. Thanks to the napkins in the stalking bag, I managed to keep it clean.
Anyway no issue with the glands, the deer is healthy and no weight loss at all.

Should I worry about before consuming it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[deerstalker.308]

Flush of grazing after the cold weather probably caused a change in the richness of its diet? I wouldn’t worry unduly if everything else was in order, you see it often in roe when there is a flush of new growth.

 

[T.eddie]

I've heard it said it could be down to the food they are eating as called out above. Also could it be following the rut he has been eating more of it?

 

[Floribanne]

To many Curry Leaves

 

[jacre1993]

See this a lot with roe does this time of year on newly planted grass.

 

[timbrayford]

Hi all,

I have shot an old CWD buck in the morning which had some serious diarrhea going. I’ve shot animals with soft drops on bottom but this is a different level which was tricky to gralloch. Thanks to the napkins in the stalking bag, I managed to keep it clean.
Anyway no issue with the glands, the deer is healthy and no weight loss at all.

Should I worry about before consuming it?

Thanks in advance.

Looks to be a dietary issue, if all else is normal I wouldn't have a problem eating the venison

 

[ashray]

the deer around this area get it when they have been feeding a oil seed rape crops.

 

[Rory]

Seen this before with Roe, experienced stalkers told me it was dietary - probably eating rape or 'rich' grass.
If the general condition of the animal and glands look good, then it shouldn't be a problem, just messy.

 

[jsimpson]

Hi all,

I have shot an old CWD buck in the morning which had some serious diarrhea going. I’ve shot animals with soft drops on bottom but this is a different level which was tricky to gralloch. Thanks to the napkins in the stalking bag, I managed to keep it clean.
Anyway no issue with the glands, the deer is healthy and no weight loss at all.

Should I worry about before consuming it?

Thanks in advance.

Hi

Diarrhoea in deer is not that uncommon in my experience. It can as other suggest be due to diet. Up here wild seed rape in particular and a fresh growth of grass/ winter wheat can do the same. However it is really important to ensure there is no infection present. ie Salmonella, E coli etc. Seen serious diarrhoea with TB and Johnes disease as well although not in CWD. If all the lymph nodes are normal and the gut looks normal then probably ok.

 

[Firefly]

It’s known as ‘scouring‘ and is fairly common more so in Roe I think.

 

[@theroedeerguy]

As above if the diarrhoea is accompanied with poor body condition and/or enlarged lymph nodes consideration should be given to more serious causes than “rich grazing”

A Disease Resembling Paratuberculosis (Johne’S Disease) in Roe Deer (Capreolus Capreolus L.) an Aetiological and Patho-Anatomical Study

A disease in wild living roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) caused by acid-fast bacteria is described.The morphological and cultural properties of these bacteria agree closely with corresponding properties of Mycobact. johnei.Enlarged lymph nodes, especially ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Notifiable diseases | Best Practice Guidance

bestpracticeguides.org.uk

Johne's disease: how to spot and report the disease

Advice on what to do if you suspect there is an outbreak of this infectious disease.

www.gov.scot

 

[Heym SR20]

If you have worked with cattle or sheep you will know that a change in feed will often be reflected in lots of slurry. Put cows out onto grass in the spring - slurry, but soon firms up, bring them back in onto silage - ditto.

It’s even noticeable when any if us change our diet drastically - its why a curry causes the runs or you often get the runs when you go on holiday.

Deer, like cattle and sheep are ruminants. Their nutrition doesn’t come from what they eat. Instead they fill up the rumen which is full of bacteria and fungi. These ferment and grow on whatever comes into the rumen, and animal actually then digests the soup of microbes that slop over from the rumen.

Unfermented woody type material also passes through, and thats the roughage in their droppings.

It doesn’t take much to upset the balance of microbes as dairyman will know. Too much or too little protein can have a big effect, ditto sugar content. And the biomass going in is never constant.

As an aside, use of biomass as fuel in anaerobic digesters has been fraught with challenges on feedstock. They have been designed by engineers who have had little understanding of the variability’s that occur annually, monthly or even day to day in maize, grass or whatever is being used to feed them. Dairymen are often now employed to run thrm as they have innate ability to adjust feed mixes to maximise output.

 

[sh1kar]

It’s known as ‘scouring‘ and is fairly common more so in Roe I think.

yep, as the deer come out of winter inappetence and stomach takes a while to get used to richer food, rape particularly causing it

S

 

[TundB]

Thanks all for the responses. I’ve got this animal with me and managed to do post-mortem today in the morning.

It looks like the deer is stabbed multiple times during the rut and all neck and chest area is covered by wounds and some of them are infected with puss.
Hence it’s not worth the risk and the carcasse is binned.

 

[Andyquadra]

@TundB what does the inside of the carcass look like?

 

[TundB]

@TundB what does the inside of the carcass look like?

Spotless.

Liver, spleen and kidneys are good. No anomalies in intestines and stomach. Hard to say anything for livers and heart as they were mashed with the bullet.
The main nodes(on intestines, liver, and throat) are also good but while skinning and doing post-mortem checks I saw some other nodes around chest/front legs are slightly enlargened.

 

[Andyquadra]

Spotless.

Liver, spleen and kidneys are good. No anomalies in intestines and stomach. Hard to say anything for livers and heart as they were mashed with the bullet.
The main nodes(on intestines, liver, and throat) are also good but while skinning and doing post-mortem checks I saw some other nodes around chest/front legs are slightly enlargened.

Sorry, meant more the ribcage/inside damage

 

[TundB]

Sorry, meant more the ribcage/inside damage

Nothing inside ribcage. All wounds are on skin side.