I'm a little desperate for ideas.... We've lost 4 fawns. Separate moms, separate pens, separate dads so not genetic. Each fawn displays the same symptoms of being alert, eating, vocal, and then starts to have seizures or convulsions. In between seizures their heads are up and they are responsive and act fine. The seizures progress. They flop onto their sides, legs stiffen and their whole body jerks while the head rolls back to one side. They become more and more frequent and the fawns cry and start to have trouble breathing and quickly die. We've never had this happen in any other fawning season. It has been exceptionally rainy but not every fawn afflicted was born in rain. We did move our entire herd but that was supposedly during a point in pregnancy when it was safe to tranquilize. I'm considering a mineral or vitamin deficiency and we're attempting to have the vet that we work with do an autopsy to try to find answers but that will take some time and we are losing babies! Our adults do not seem affected by whatever this is. Any help we could give our vet would be appreciated. He is open to any ideas.we've given BoSe and B complex at the onset of symptoms and dex in one case. The fawns are dying withing 24 -48 hours of birth. I need ideas!
We are trying to have an autopsy done bUT I'm losing too many to wait on results.
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
Seems to me there was a thread on these forums once about this type of thing. Not sure what it was or if they ever found the problem. Do a search.
Joined Feb 2011
912 Posts | 0+
Blair County, PA
We just found out our results same issue we thought spinal meningitis but ended up being cocsidia. The remaining two in the pen with them we gave 5cc of c&d anti toxin under the skin those two have survived and doing well
The ones who died were fine one hour in the next hour seizureing to death
The ones who died were fine one hour in the next hour seizureing to death
Joined Feb 2013
780 Posts | 1+
Markleville IN
Message Miranda Taylor on Facebook she had several fawns die last year and as I recall it was a copper toxicity in the feed did not affect the adults that killed the fawns
I had one w very similar symptoms the year before last. She was about 3mo old though. She was beating herself to death flopping like a fish out of water and I spent the entire night holding her in a blanket keeping her from hurting herself worse. 24 hours into it out vet running out of ideas drew spinal fluid and she tested positive for spinal meningitis. Nothing we gave her helped her and she died in about 36 hours. Not a single deer has acted this way since.