Please help with foot rot??

Hi. I made a post earlier about a fawn with a swollen foot/hoof and got some replies saying that it sounded like foot rot. I went to look at the fawn tonight and it is swollen really bad now. Should I give penicillin and dex? If so, what doses? She is approx 35 lbs. Also, if I can't catch her....is it ok to use a dart gun on her? Thanks in advance. Please email below and I can send a pic of her foot....just can't figure out how to post pics on here.



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I have had to use a dart gun on fawns many times. Just use the shortest needle you have on a dart. I would consider tranquilizing just so you can get a good look at it and make sure they didnt get hurt.

Stuff in the ground can cause foot rot. I usually try to keep lime an inch or so deep around the food and water pans and other areas they stand a lot. I also try to spread some in the pens every year or two. Helps keep the PH down. Not sure where you are or if you have access to a dump truck or tailer, but around here bulk lime is only $15 a ton

Thanks so much Ben. I have read up on foot rot on the web and it says that the ground can be the culprit...as you mention. It usually says that it's from muddy, wet ground. It's weird though, my pens are literally pretty much all sand and as dry as a bone. We've barely had a drop of rain all summer either. I have a trailer, backhoe etc, so I will try to find some lime for sure. I know that the ph is high to begin with in my pens, as I've tried to grow food plots in the past for hunting etc. It's really sandy soil with mostly pine trees and soft maples. What would you recommend for tranquilizing a fawn? Also how much would you use? I think it would be a good idea to get a look at her hoof as you mentioned, in case she got poked with a stick or something and it's just infection or whatever....and not foot rot at all. Of course she is the only fawn that we didn't bottle feed! Thanks for your help

Derek, whether it is foot rot or an injury, she needs the same treatment. I give my fawns about a 1/4cc to tranq them. Short needle darts work fine.



Try to gently squeeze as much of the infection from the wound as you can. I also take a diluted iodine solution and inject directly into the wound and flush it out. Sqeeze out the solution after you inject it in. Repeat this a few times if necessary. If you don't have iodine, you can use distilled water or boiled water (cooled to room temp of course) with a slight bit of salt added. I would then give her 1 1/2cc of antibiotic in the hip and another injection of antibiotic directly into the wound.



You may need to do all this more than once. I had an adult doe with a foot injury shortly after fawning in June. I had to dart her 3 times over the summer. The beginning of September she finally started walking without a limp. She walks fine now. She does have a place on her hoof where the wound is growing out. Looks like after it grows out she will be 100%



Good Luck

Thanks a bunch Jack! I am definitely a newbie and you spelled it out perfectly. I now have a game plan. I will put this into action today, as my tranq gun should be arriving. I live in a very small town and my vet doesn't have access to one. I have a question...when I asked him for rompun, he said that there is no way on earth that he would give me that, because whether it's a fawn or adult deer, it will kill them within 30 seconds if you miss your mark. I am having a lot of difficulties getting any help from them. He even said that he won't give me any tranq drugs until I bring the gun in to show him first. I know that I should get another vet, but they are few and far between around here. I was given the name of one yesterday though....so we are making the call today. Also sucks that in the beginning, when we found this vet, they said we had to pay for them to come for a farm visit...which would then allow us access to any drugs we may need. Every time we ask for any, it's literally like pulling teeth. Guess we will have to suck it up and pay another vet for another farm visit