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Fawn - leg splints- urgent

H

Hollowroad Whitetails

Joined May 2010
375 Posts | 0+
Hazleton, PA
Hello Everyone:



I had a fawn born yesterday whose front hooves are turned under causing it to walk on the knuckle where the leg meets the hoof. I spoke to my vet and she indicated that it is a common tendon problem most likely caused by the way the fawn was laying in the womb. She said to make splints out of pvc pipe cut in half and duct taped to the fawns legs.



Has anyone had this problem and used this method to attempt to correct it? If so, do you have photos of the splints you made, seems simple but I want to make sure it is done right and having a visual will help tremendously. If there are any other methods that have worked, I am all ears!



Time is of the essence so that the fawn can get around to eat etc. Please let me know. Thank you for your help!
 
Had the same problem last year with a buck fawn end up bottle feeding it cause the mom didnt want to take care of him his straightened out in 3 days on their own i would give it a couple days to see if they fix them selves before putting splints on it just my opinion
 
I agree with Daywood. We've had this same problem a couple of times and never splinted, just gave them time to straighten out on their own. We have never had good luck with splints or casts on fawns. Too easy to end up with open sores and infection.
 
Ask Dr. Joe Ables or Scott Heinrich for their advice.



The big problem with splints near the hoof is that, when you tape the splint, you have to be careful that you do not cut off circulation to the hoof very easily.



Would any supplement (i.e., BoSe or Thiamine) help this?



lana



Send an email to: [email protected]
 
We had this twice last year. We used pop cycle sticks and vet wrap, to make a splent. Vet wrap or horse shin wrap is available at tractor supply. Leave on for about one day then check. Ours took between 1 to 2 day and they stayed on there own. Call if you need help. 937-605-0883
 
The problem is called contracted tendons. It can be common in horses, and deer because of their long legs and little room in the womb. The best thing for them is physical therapy. Stretch the legs several times a day to loosen the tendons. Oxytetraclyine (LA 200, Biomiosin, Tetradure) will help as well because they are calcium binders. If you use LA 200-give about 1/2 cc daily for 3 days. If you use Tetradure you should be able to give 1 dose. Splints will help stretch the tendons as well but should be removed daily to keep from wearing raw spots and causing more problems. A few days of medicine and stretching and I usually have great luck in a few days.

Scott
 
Thank you to everyone. Physical therapy worked very well, she is straightening out. Mom is taking good care of her. Thanks again for all of your help!
 
We have a buck fawn with all 4 legs with contracted tendons. They seem to be locked solid in that 90 degree position. We noticed that the mother has rejected it so we pulled and started bottle feeding. I gave it 1cc of Bo-Se and .75cc of vitamin e. We have been trying to strech the tendon but are only able to move it about 1/4 of an inch. What dosage of tetradure would you try? We have had fawns with this condition before but were always able to move the leg out for an inch or so at a time and usually have them walking on at least their toes in a few days. This one appears to be making little progress in two days. Is this condition sometimes ireversable? Thanks Rick
 
Why don't you call up Dr. Shipley at UofI? He's such a great man- so full of good advice. Knows deer better than anyone I've met in this state or next door... I will send you his phone number via private message.



Best,

lana



ps- I just ordered my vaccines from Dr. Shipley down in Champaign-Urbana.
 
Rick, instead of Tedradure, try 1cc SQ of Neomycin. I find it works better on contracted tendons and does not burn like Tedradure can.
 
We used a combination of LA 200 and selenium in an IV to release the tendon. Put a splint on for 12 hrs on and 12 hrs off for two days. She is 100% now. For the splint we used a 1 inch PVC pipe cut in half. Worked well. Good luck
 
It seems that the BoSe really does help, as Scott Heinrich suggested.

Bucksin, please let us know how your fawn is progressing- thanks.



It also seems to be a good idea to have access to simple orthopedic supplies to aid in straightening the tendon. When my fawn had a fractured tibia, the DVM used a plastic dog-leg mold to provide support for her injured leg, lots of cotton padding and vet tape. Within 2 wks she got really bad pressure sores, b/c that splint should have been changed every 3 days or so. The sores can develop really fast unfortunately. If you do splint, don't keep it on for too long. Remove it and re-splint every 3-4 days at the longest.



Good luck. I hope you got a chance to talk with Dr. Shipley yesterday.

Best,

lana
 

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