How do you tell if a deer's neck in broken?

My yearling buck was being chased by a dog and hit the fence and went down. We think his neck may be broken since he is not getting up. We don't want to put him down if there is any other option. Any suggestions would be helpful as we are desparate for information as soon as possible! Thank you!

I can't tell if its broken or not. All I can feel is a slight lump on one side. He seems alert but can't lift his head or get up.

if you think it may be only a severe strain, spinal shock or a concussion .... wait 48 hours but if you see him in severe distress....... hopefully he can be left alone and not bothered

If he can move his legs at all, his neck is likely not broken. If this is the case, you need to get a large dose of dexamethazone into him immediately to reduce the swelling and possibly get him back up on his feet. If he is approachable, you can supply feed and water for him to give him a few days to see if he is going to recover. We once had one that took 3 weeks to regain the ability to walk. Getting the dex into him is vital.

Where do we get it? I'm not familiar with that.

Hunter its a steroid/ anti inflammatory and can be picked up at your vet !!! Very cheap to keep on hand for the uses !!!

Mitch, He is still alive this morning. Doing about the same as last night. Im going to the vet this morning. I was wondering how much of a dose to give him. Any other advice on caring for him if I cant get him on his feet? Thanks

I gave our buck 20cc's 3 days in a row (10 in the muscle and 10 under the skin). If he can't at least sit upright in a few days there probably isn't much hope. Ours was able to push himself around some with his hind legs. I should add that we also lost a buck that hit the fence and survived for about a week but never improved. Reducing the swelling around his spine is very important. Keep feed and water near him, if he doesn't eat and drink, he won't last long.

Steves right hunter if he is down on his side you need to upright him in some way !! He will develope pneumonia very quickly !! Water is a must and if you can hand feed him some greens try. I haven`t been lucky enough to save mine that hit the fence with this kind of injury !! It`s an uphill battle but never stop trying because guys have saved them !! Good luck hunter and i hope he turns around for ya !!

In addition to the dex, give a good dose (5cc) of Banamine

I have gave him 20 ccs of dex yesterday. This morning I gave him 5ccs of banamine and 3cc antibiotics. Ive been able to get him some water and a little apple.He is kicking his back legs preety hard and moving his head some now, but still not getting up yet. I guess Ill try to prop him up today too.Ive got him in a shelter and keeping him warm and dry. Any other suggestions? Thank everyone for your help.

Hunter1997:



Give him time and try to keep the stress level at a minimum. Now that you tried the recommended treatments, only time will tell. Any additional stress can result in further injury, especially if the lump you feel is severe swelling as opposed to a broken bone. The additional stress could complicate things. This same thing happened to me last year. I wish you the best of luck.

Hunter1997:



If you felt the injured area and are unsure if it is broken perhaps you can have your vet come out and feel. My vet knew instantly that my buck had broken his neck. He/she may also tell you what, if anything, else you can do for him. Hope this helps.

Daniel, you mentioned that the same thing happened to you. Did your buck survive or not? If not how long did he last?

Im having trouble getting him to eat now. His neck looks bad. When I was giving him his banamine this morning he kicked so hard that he broke the needle. but he still cannot get up.Ive also made a splint for his neck to try to keep him from damaging it any further. Im wondering if Im fighting a losing battle here. Anyone know if there is any kind of liquid which I can give him instead of trying to get him to eat. He seem to be having a lot of trouble swallowing.



No vets that know anything about deer in my area. You guy here are my only source of information on what I can do. Thanks again everyone.

Thanks everyone again for your help. Just checked on him again and he didnt make it

Thats sucks but its gunna happen to us all sooner or later.You can rest well knowing you did the best for that animal while he was healthy and you did everything in your power to get him healthy again after he was hurt!!!!

now you need to focus on that dog to make sure it doesnt happen again.

Hunter1997:



This actually happened to two of my deer last year and both were caused by domestic dogs. The first was a yearling buck. After he hit the fence, he had a large bulge/curvature in his neck and we weren't sure if it was a break or just massive swelling because he was still able to walk. I made every attempt to help him including everything you've been trying. Unfortunately, one day I found him on the ground unable to get up. By that time he lost alot of weight and was isolated from the rest of the herd. I put him down on the spot. If I could do it again I would have ended his pain and suffering much earlier on. As you know, deer are sensitive and easily stressed the way it is, compound that with a severe injury while still in a pen and it is a very hard on the animal.



The second was a doe. She had a broken back but was in a similar situation as your deer. She was unable to walk, stand or even sit up right. I tried the hand feeding and watering for a day or so until the vet could come in. She couldn't even move her right side legs and had no sensitivity in them. I knew there was no hope for this one and I decided to have the vet put her down on the spot. I lost her and the two fawns she was carrying at the time.



You really need to look at your deer's progress in deciding what to do. If there was a chance for improvement then I think by now he would be showing at least some signs of that improvement. If not, you have a tough decision to make. Just trust your gut and do what is right for the animal. If your deer is in with other deer they will sense the injury and pick on him. During rut time, if he is still compromised, the other buck will take advantage of this and he will not be able to defend himself.



As for a solution. Domestic dogs are a real problem. Unfortunately, none of us can be there every second of every day and night to watch your deer. It only takes seconds for a domestic dog to cause a disaster inside your deer pens. After these incidents, I decided to do something to make a safer enviornment for my deer. My farm is made up of six seperate pens inside of one large fenced-in enclosure. One thing I did was I ordered commercial grade black landscape material and I cut it four foot wide and placed it around the outer perimeter at the bottom of the fence. This at least prevents my deer from seeing dogs and wild animals. It helped me tremendously. It helps to give my herd a stronger feeling of security. They may be able to hear the dogs but they can't see them. Believe it or not this has worked for me.



Hope this helps. Good luck.

Hunter1997:



Im really sorry to hear about your deer, I didn't see your second posting until after I posted the above.

SSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!