Thoughts on mange / lice in roe

[HonestJohn]

Please provide your thoughts on this, excuse the poor quality pictures. Deer in good condition health wise (lymph, lungs, liver etc), good weight and acting normally. Old buck, so should not be molting heavily in early April, and does not look like molting compared to the many hundreds April bucks I’ve shot. Not come across one in this condition in 25 years, and you think you’ve seen it all.

I doubt it’s mange, personally I suspect lice infestation, but keen to hear views and thoughts.

He was probably going to start going back next year, but given condition he was culled this year.

Thanks for input

As ps, the blood stain is due to him being in the roe sack only

 

[pob]

Watching this thread with interest. It seems to me that this was a very good one to cull. Well done.

(Is mange not caused by a lice infestation? I'm more than happy to be schooled on this.)

Are you going to be eating this one? I know the accepted wisdom is that it's safe, but.............

 

[HonestJohn]

Watching this thread with interest. It seems to me that this was a very good one to cull. Well done.

(Is mange not caused by a lice infestation? I'm more than happy to be schooled on this.)

Are you going to be eating this one? I know the accepted wisdom is that it's safe, but.............

I’m not sure, never dealt with lice or mange in 25 years of stalking, luck probably!

It’s not going into the game dealer, that’s for sure. Whether going into home consumption will depend on what responses I get from this post. He was a big lad, could make silver and fully clean of velvet, also big sloping coronets so I knew when I culled him he was close to going back. I suspect weighing in larder weight near 20kg! When I saw the skin condition I knew he was not to be left to see next year if he was starting going back! I would say he’s around 8 years old approx. That’s hard to ascertain I know, but based on a lot of experience, I think I’m close!

Interestingly, also culled a young buck (likely 2 this spring) with huge alladins slippers from nearby same evening. Unrelated of course, but interesting as never seen alladins slippers in that area before.

Feel silly asking this question having an enormous amount inexperience managing roe, but sometimes something you haven’t seen before comes up!

 

[VSS]

(Is mange not caused by a lice infestation? I'm more than happy to be schooled on this.)

No.
Mange is caused by mites, not lice.

 

[VSS]

Please provide your thoughts on this, excuse the poor quality pictures. Deer in good condition health wise (lymph, lungs, liver etc), good weight and acting normally. Old buck, so should not be molting heavily in early April, and does not look like molting compared to the many hundreds April bucks I’ve shot. Not come across one in this condition in 25 years, and you think you’ve seen it all.

I doubt it’s mange, personally I suspect lice infestation, but keen to hear views and thoughts.

He was probably going to start going back next year, but given condition he was culled this year.

Thanks for input

As ps, the blood stain is due to him being in the roe sack only

Lice will be visible with the naked eye. Mites won't be.
Check for lice particularly behind the ears, in the groin and in the armpit region.

 

[HonestJohn]

Lice will be visible with the naked eye. Mites won't be.
Check for lice particularly behind the ears, in the groin and in the armpit region.

No sign of visible lice in those areas

 

[HonestJohn]

Reading up from @Buchan this seems potentially to be demodex mite related, although the deer was in good condition otherwise. The patches are not ‘bare skin’ but almost stubble, there’s no scalding or tissue damage as such

 

[devon deer stalker]

I had one with mange recently, worst one I have ever shot, its back lower leg had no fur and was like black leather.
But, other than that it was healthy, and tasted fine!

 

[Buchan]

Could be demodex and if in good body condition, LN normal, will be edible.
Lice are only an issue in rundown animals, or overstocked animals

 

[NickJ]

I have had two with Demodex as per Demodex in Roe and the least worst one looked not dissimilar to yours

 

[Nickb]

Just looks normal to me , shot plenty looking like that.
I think there pelage is moulting quicker with all this warm weather.

 

[Brad93]

Older animal, could be endocrine (hormone) related, possibly something like Cushings - although in other four legged animals that usually results in a thick coat that doesn't shed properly.

 

[HonestJohn]

Older animal, could be endocrine (hormone) related, possibly something like Cushings - although in other four legged animals that usually results in a thick coat that doesn't shed properly.

That’s very interesting, thank you for sharing.

 

[Mungo]

I’ve had 4-5 ‘mangy’ looking ones in the last 3 weeks. I usually expect to see one or two each spring, usually kids or yearlings who didn’t thrive through the winter.

But this year it’s otherwise healthy looking mature animals. They’ve all looked similar to you pictures or worse, with several heaving with visible fleas and even some ticks (which seems bizarrely early).

My wife (a vet) has looked at pictures, and says the pattern is consistent with demodex, and ‘keep the f*cking dog away from them!!’

All from areas with high densities or roe, no sheep and very damp.

 

[Buchan]

I’ve had 4-5 ‘mangy’ looking ones in the last 3 weeks. I usually expect to see one or two each spring, usually kids or yearlings who didn’t thrive through the winter.

But this year it’s otherwise healthy looking mature animals. They’ve all looked similar to you pictures or worse, with several heaving with visible fleas and even some ticks (which seems bizarrely early).

My wife (a vet) has looked at pictures, and says the pattern is consistent with demodex, and ‘keep the f*cking dog away from them!!’

All from areas with high densities or roe, no sheep and very damp.

Your good lady should know demodex are very host specific!

Fleas though - are you sure as I've not heard of them on deer before.

 

[Mungo]

Your good lady should know demodex are very host specific!

Oh! That’s useful to know. I’ll check back.

Fleas though - are you sure as I've not heard of them on deer before.

This is a good question. Small insects running around on the carcass, primarily in armpits and groin. I did not look very closely, so just assumed. I did not want to get close. Lice then?

 

[VSS]

Oh! That’s useful to know. I’ll check back.



This is a good question. Small insects running around on the carcass, primarily in armpits and groin. I did not look very closely, so just assumed. I did not want to get close. Lice then?

Sounds like lice.

 

[Mungo]

Sounds like lice.

This conversation is making me itch

 

[Buchan]

Oh! That’s useful to know. I’ll check back.



This is a good question. Small insects running around on the carcass, primarily in armpits and groin. I did not look very closely, so just assumed. I did not want to get close. Lice then?

keds more likely. Fleas, especially cat flea, bite most mammals, so it's possible if the deer lay where a cat had been. Just unusual

 

[Mungo]

keds more likely. Fleas, especially cat flea, bite most mammals, so it's possible if the deer lay where a cat had been. Just unusual

Too small to be keds, I think. 1-2mm long. I assumed keds were mainly larger, 4-6mm or bigger?

The deer were out of a complex of gorse thickets where there are active fox dens, and I’ve seen deer lying up in the same sunny spots used by the foxes?