Not sure what is going on here... any advice...

One of our one year old bucks was laying down tonight, kinda didn't think much of it then realized he wasn't coming over to us which is not normal when its snack time... anyway... approached him and he couldn't get up and when we gave him a good nudge, he actually rolled over on the other side... we gave him a moment, then another nudge and got him to his feet. He is very uneasy on his feet... got him walking around a bit and he ate a carrot... seemed kinda lethargic, his body felt cool, cooler than it should be, even his antlers felt cool which usually seem so warm. Also, he lost his summer coat two weeks ago, which we thought was very strange... he's almost completely in his thick coat already. So we stayed with him... he drank some water, and then had a real nasty loose movement and then urinated. He walked away slowly. He looks very sad. We did give him about 2cc of antibiotic. Any suggestions???

If you are from a EHD /Blue tongue state. Thats what it sounds like. If you can get Draxxin in him do it 5 or 6 cc.

Where are you located? I have several deer all shed out. Can you take his temperature.

I wouldnt worry about his coat its normal for the deer to start putting there winter coat already. But yeah that sounds like possible EHD/Bluetongue to me if he's walking soft and showing signs of being sore.

We're in PA... going over to check on him now... I am going to try getting the Draxxin today. Thank you so much for the advice. Thanks again... I will update later today... just praying he's okay this morning.

went to tractor supply looking for draxxin... where would I find it... they did not have it. he seems about the same tonight, mabye alittle better. I gave him another 2cc of the antibiotic for now.

what about the other bucks, do I need to seperate him? He's in with a 2 year old and his brother.

we're located about 2 hours northwest of Phila.



THANK AGAIN!!!!

DUH!!!!! You said he had a loose bowel movement. Did you collect a sample to do a fecal float? I wouldn't just jump on the EHD wagon without some more symptoms.

Hmmm... I wasn't... but was going to have draxxin on hand... sorry if you thought i was a duh!! Just looking for advice, but I take all the info with a grain of salt.

I didn't mean anything demeaning by my comment, but sometimes we forget the basics when trying to diagnose problems.

SnyderDeer - how is your buck doing this evening? I will be praying for him - good luck. I don't think Tractor Supply carries Draxxin - at least the one near me doesn't - I had to get it from my vet. Do you have a large animal vet that you can contact?



Gail

Yeah Scott is right......We had an extremely cool summer in PA which usually means we should not have a threat of EHD .......now i know there is no guarantees but I think you really need to have the deers stool analized before you jump on the EHD diagnosis.......good Luck!!

Well he will be dead if you don't jump on the wagon very quick. Hey Snyder, guess what the best treatment would be for the loose stool. Oh yes, DRAXXIN. Guess what for pneumonia, DRAXXIN. Everybody acts like you can tell if you are going to have EHD/Blue Tongue by the weather. The only time the weather stops it is at about 28 degree's. The only factor cool weather assists with is keeping the stress level low on your deer. Low stress on deer helps with their immune system. You will have to get Draxxin from your vet. It is a miracle drug. By the way Snyder, it is very smart to give the shot and hope it isn't EHD/Bluetongue than to let the animal die while you are finding out what it is. The Draxxin will not hurt a thing.

Oh and one other thing. Last time there was EHD/Bluetongue up there I helped some farmers save deer while everyone else was saying they don't get it in Pa.

Synderdeer you can on get draxxin from your vet and is very expensive about $8 a cc.

I keep small bottle on hand for emergencies. I have had very good luck using la300 or tetradore in treated most things. I myself have not had as positive result with draxxin as everyone on here says it is miricle drug. My vet does not recommned because of high cost and he feels la300 or tetradore does just as good job at fraction of the cost. In my very limited use and my friends limited use we both found that to be true. I am only goingby what I have seen at my farm. I wouldtreat with draxxin and la300. Could be coccidia too with the loose stoole that is why you should tak to vet and get poop tested. I hope it is not ehd but this is time of year to start.

I spent some time on the phone today with the vet and others with deer... the draxxin was $340 a 50ml bottle... as of this afternoon, he seems to be stable and not getting any worse, I have decided to continue with the antibiotic shots for the next couple days and see what the outcome is. I am leaning toward a belly or intestinal issues, so just praying all 'comes out' in the end okay!!! He is the sweetest buck, and I do want to do what is best for him...

thank again folks...

Tim you don't need to jump down another persons throat because they gave a different opinion than you ......EHD is bad and should not be ignored....but everytime a deer gets sick doesn't mean you should immediately start screaming EHD EHD!! There are hundreds and hundreds of things a deer can come down with.........Could it be EHD it's always a possiblity but I highly doubt it....we have had EHD twice here in PA and both times the farmers here were on top of it communicating it's progress as it came across the state.......and both times we did get the EHD we had extremely hot summers....so the weather and the way the jet stream is flowing definitly has an effect on if we get EHD or not. The one thing that i will agree about is using Draxin is a good idea as it will treat a number of different things.......so you start treating with draxin but have a stool sample analyized so you can narrow down what the problem actually is!!Snyder I hope all is going good with your buck!!

Tim,

I understand your want to act quickly, but a little data is very valuable in a situation that is full of unknowns. The original post referred to a bad BM.....not "usually" a symptom of EHD. Also the deer was on his side then rolled over to the other side. If he were down from EHD, one would have expected to see the signs of hemmoraging under the skin on the side that the deer was laying on. Since the deer is "handlable" why not take a temp and collect a stool sample. No elevated temp? Then maybe not EHD or bacterial. Draxxin is a wonderful drug, but I have not seen the cure-all effects you talk about using it. Additionally, if you have the #6 strain of EHD then there are no drugs that can save a deer inflicted with it. I am curious about something. EHD is a viral infection. Since viruses are not affected by anti-biotics, why does Draxxin (or any other antibiotic) seem to help? I know there are secondary infections that the antibiotics help with, but the virus will not be killed by a drug. I too give Draxxin and Tetradure and anything else I think will help in real EHD situations and with fair success. I always wonder what fixed the problem since I know the virus can only be combatted with time and/or a vaccine. Any ideas?

Hello... my guy is doing great... got his fifth day of antibiotics and looks almost back to normal. Think he may have just had a bad intestinal problem. This is only our third year with whitetails, so we are still learning alot. I am going to try to locate a vet that is more knowledgeable with deer and that can make housecalls... unfortunately where we are there is no one local, but I need to find someone and create a relationship so I can call on them for these situations. Happily this time... all seems to have worked out!!! I will post a picture of this guy later today!!! I'm still confused to his low temperature... thought that was the strangest part.... how cool he was all over, even his antlers, almost cold. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions and concerns. No matter what is said... this is still a great resource and there is always instant feedback!!! You guys that have been doing this for a long time and provide insight are appreciated. Thanks!!!!!!!!

Great news.... that is awesome!



Ironically enough, when the ears are cold it is usually indicative of a fever.



This site is a great resource. I KNOW I would have been LOST without it when I started out. I have learned so much here and made a lot of great friends.

I agree with Tim,well an the rest of you also...If you got a deer down or in a situation like that you should treat it very quickly with the best antibiotic you have.then get the stool sample to your vet. for his opinion and treatment.Nine times out of ten your vet will give antibiotics,some times a different family of them but with deer you better get something in them fast because they could die while your trying to figure out what to treat for.A shot of Draxxin or Nuflor 2 to 4 cc's will not hurt a healthy deer but giving them nothing when there down and ill from what ever may kill them if you don't act first....just my opinion.