This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Neck Injury

H

Hollowroad Whitetails

Joined May 2010
375 Posts | 0+
Hazleton, PA
Hi Members, I had a yearling buck hit the fence two weeks ago. He was in a runway so he didn't have much speed but he panicked and hit multiple times. It was not immediately apparant that he was hurt to any significant extent. The next day however, was a different story. Since that time he has gotten worse. His neck is curved almost like a "C" with a big bulge on the outer part of the neck. I spoke with my vet and she is suggesting that it might be a large hematoma that is putting pressure on the spine and causing the "C" shape. She wants me to inject the deer with a steroid but I am hesitant because she previously recommended injecting the deer with pain releivers and I think the stress and physically exhaustive process of darting him may have aggravated the injury and made it worse. I am beginning to believe the best thing to do when you're not sure what to do is nothing. I am hoping that the injury is a hematoma that can heal but I just don't know.



Has anyone ever had a deer suffer such a significant injury after what appeared to be a minor hit to the fence? Has anyone ever had a deer with a hematoma that got better?



Thanks,

Daniel
 
Daniel can you get us pictures? This sounds like something you need to address rather than let go........but seeing pictures would help to tell.
 
I had a doe do the same thing last year only she broke her jaw also.I didnt do anything because she was heavy bred.She had two fawns and was the best mama in my pen,her neck healed but stayed bent back to the right.I think the best thing is to leave the deer alone and let it heal on it's own.
 
Dexamethasone is a steroid I have successfully used on deer with nervous system injuries. The injection needs to be Sub Q so you cannot use a dart.
 
I had a fawn do this in the fall of the year and it didn't get better....we did everything we could for two weeks and it finally passed away. Looked normal laying down looking in one direction but couldn't walk and would fall over and struggle terribly when it tried. Had the bent neck and bulge like you describe. Jim
 
I would not let this go....I would do as Scott Heinrich says as he has had quite a bit of experience and has given many on these forums great advice.
 
Never had one with the bent neck you describe but have had some with head or spinal injuries. We gave our breeder the steroids, and thiamin mostly. We gave the first doses sub Q like Scott said. (we had to tackle him) After that he wouldn't let us get close enough to hand inject anything. He was stumbling and would fall whenever he tried to stand before the shots. After that we had to dart him with the thiamin. We didn't dare put him through the shoot as it might cause more stress and could damage him more. He has never come back completely. (it's been over two years) And his rack has been messed up ever since. But he is alive and still breeding healthy babies. Good Luck, Hope everything works out for you.



Sandy Malone

Pasture Prime Farm

Rush, N.Y.
 
In order to administer the injection subQ I will have to tranq the deer. I wanted to avoid tranquilizing him because of the added stress but if there is no other alternative then I will have to do it. Are there any IM injections I can administer that would have the same affect as the Dexamethasone?



Thanks again to everyone for all of your help.
 
The label on my bottle of Dex says IV or IM, and in horses and dogs that is how it is used. However, the use of a dart and the brusing that the impact makes will affect the way anything is absorbed and therefore decrease the benefit/effectiveness of it.



Scott, if you know something about ruminants and SC administration that we don't, please fill us in.
 
Scott was very helpful. Given the fact that the deer would have to be tranquilized we decided to administer the steroid via dart. He had his first injection yesterday. I will continue as prescribed.



Thanks to everyone. I will keep you updated on the progress.
 
Robbie,

I find subQ allows the dex to absorb slowly, thus allowing for a continuous infusion over time as opposed to a burst in the muscle. On occasion, I have given an IM "loading" dose at 2x recommended dosage then followed up with sub Q boosters. I have only used Dex for 4-5 days in a row, but I have heard of usage for as long as 2 weeks. Interestingly, the prolong usage subjects became unsettled and agitated. Steriod Rage???
 
Gotcha - I have had reason for a loading dose on occassion, but usually go with a more conservative dose for 3-5 days. SQ makes sense for the application you described.



Thanks!
 

Similar threads

L
Beautiful Soul: Needing advise and help
Replies
7
Views
916
Tammy246
T
A
Reoccurring Bloat - Help
Replies
0
Views
634
Amanda41
A
A
Fallow Deer Won't Eat. Need Help !
Replies
0
Views
778
alphauby
A
B
Fawn Care
Replies
0
Views
928
Britny Mulvihill
B
S
What do you think? Fawn Question
Replies
0
Views
579
Standing Rock Farm
S