I have a sick year old buck that I just noticed yesterday. His symptoms: out of character, ears back but not down, lathargic, has the fuzzies(hair standing more than it should), and his tail wags way more than it should. Don't know if he ate grain yesterday, but he did take a piece or 2 of bread from me. He is dog tame, so I gave him 1.5cc of draxxin yesterday in his hip. Today he walked to the grain with the rest of the deer as I fed, smelled the grain and walked away. I again offered him bread and he ate a couple 3 pieces, but all his symptoms remain the same. What should/can I give him to bring him back to good health. He has never been sick a day in his life. And...he is OF COURSE the best year old buck we have ever produced in 11 years of selective breeding...imagine that!!! Appreciate your advice! Thanks in advance - Mark
Please Help! Sick 1 year old buck!
- Thread starter Sandridge Whitetails
- Start date
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
Mark has he shed out yet?? Just wondering if it could be the start of antler infection??Spoke to a guy today that lost a great 250in plus to infection this week and he had the same kind of report as you on the deers actions!!!
Can you run him through a facility and get your hands on him, temperature, listen to lungs, pull blood for bloodwork at vet. I would start sooner than later but I don't like to sedate to examine. Diarrhea??? Also, try draxxin SQ if you can. It will work better and not cause the abscessing
Four Seasons Whitetails said:
No Mike he hasn't. And about a week ago he peeled the tip of his beam prematurely back, and broke the very tip as well. Tonight I grabbed that tip momentarily before he pulled back, and when I smelled my fingers they stunk. But then I didn't think that should be to unusual for it to stink beings it was prematurely disturbed velvet, especially since we are so close to complete shedding and it happened only a week or so ago. I'm talkin the very last inch and a half of his beam at the most. I was not aware that infection was possible when horns are so hard and so close to completely shedding...but that's why I ask questions. Thanks for your input Mike. What did this guy do if anything to treat his buck??
drjoe said:
No drjoe I don't have a chute. He is extremely tame...I'm able to walk up to him while he is laying down and he won;t get up, that's how tame. Vets offices around here are now closed till Tuesday so getting a fecal examined is not possible until then(yet I will press that envelope). Thank you. Any more ideas I am all ears.
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
Mark i would get him down asap.I was at this guys farm a week ago and i told him he better keep an eye on him because i noticed the rip on the tip and it was darker than the rest of the beam. He waited to long to get him down and when he did die there were only maggots on the tip of the point.If it was me he would be down in the mornin and they would come off.He might have got the infection before he started to harden up.You got some draxin in him tonight so atleast you got something in him.I would be proactive and get the rack off and load him up with more draxin or another good antibiotic.Better safe than sorry and you can get some blood for test if need be or get temp but i would bet he has infection...Good luck with him mark!!!!
Knocked him down today and cut that side off...it actually stunk as he walked by. I gave him Ivomec plus, C&D antitoxin, B12, Banamine, and Draxxin, I didn't have any LA 300 Wayne...we shall wait and see. Boarded him in the shed for the night. Will let him out in am with the others. Thank you to all who advised. People helping people is much of what life is all about!!!
One of the best treatments for poss antler infection is penicillin and gentamycin. Gentamicin at 3.3 mg per kg im once a day for 3-5 days with penicillin- depending on pen you use- read the label. We have cultured these with our state lab and the vast majority treat well with pen + gen. Good luck and God bless!!
Update on sick yearling buck - Knocked him down on Sunday and sawed off the antler that could have been infected and been his problem. He has been treated with Draxxin 3 times since last Friday. His current symptoms are: tail still wagging way too often, weight loss, loss of appetite(has not eaten grain that I've witnessed, only fresh leaves and some hay) walking in circles, and tonight I noticed his eye on the side of the antler I sawed off is red and bulging. Its been a bit bloodshot, but now bulging. Does his bulging eye confirm or deny antler infection, or neither??? Any ideas/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
I would try what Dr. Joe prescribes and would also see if a topical gentamycin spray would be beneficial. I know it is working on my dog's terrible subQ abcess caused by the subQ fluid injections she received post surgery. Talk to a DVM.
Here's a related mssg perhaps... http://www.deerforums.com/vbforums/showthread.php?t=5135&highlight=antler+infection
Yes, I had a buck whose eye bulged way out within a days time. We put him down & cut off his antlers----he did have antler infection (puss under the velvet). I believe the infection went down into his sinus cavity. I gave him all kinds of meds but lost him a day and a half later. Hope you have better luck!
after an antler is cut, you may still have a possible antler infection, the best treatment we have discovered from culture and sensitivity testing on these is penacillin at 5 cc per 100 lbs IM(depending on type of pen you choose) and gentocin(100 mg/ml) at 1.5 cc per 100 lbs IM once a day for 5-7 days.. My disclaimer- "There have been no documented studies of dosages for antibiotics in deer, these are not from a book not any approved for WTD but from experience in my own deer."
drjoe said:
Thank you drjoe. I will look into acquiring those meds. I do believe the buck will allow me to give him 2 shots a day w/o having to knock him down. He came up tonight to eat off the fresh cut branches with the rest of the deer(gave him another shot of Draxxin), and he doesn't seem to be spiraling downward...seems to be in a ''holding pattern''. Again - thank you!
