I recently started wildlife rehab and needless to say right after I finished my class the calls started rolling in. I have one that was fed goats milk then the people fed it baby formula. The fawn was very weak when I got him. I finally got him stronger and no diarrhea but he was still on the weak side . Today he is very weak, so weak he doesn't want to stand but for short periods of time. He will also not drink his milk but I have been able to give him electrolytes. I'm trying to find a vet in morning that can get him in but I would like to know what I can do for tonight. I used my ringer on the dwarf I got in so that's out. I'm kinda stuck on this one because he has already been through so much from who I rescued him from
It sounds to me like it may need to urinate. That is a lot of time where problems start, they become toxic and are in pain so they wont eat making them weaker and weaker. Get a warm rag and rub its back side and if its a buck, you'll have to rub his little package to get him to go. It might dribble off and on for 15 minutes but it will feel so much better. If you get it to go pee, try and feed it about an hour later, by then it should be feeling better and have its appetite back. I've been feeding red cap whole milk this year and they all have started real easy on it and are doing well. Good luck
MissyB, one of the things you will learn in rehabbing is the amazing array of stuff folks will feed a baby deer....and how bad and long lasting those mistakes are to the fawn. I have seen a fawn that was fed orange soda and cheese puffs for two weeks before I got it. I told the wife it was a dead deer walking. It lived a week. It seems once an idiot screws up the digestive tract of a fawn it is VERY hard to undo the damage.
All you can do is try. Give it water, red cap milk, electrolytes, anything it can/will take. Sub Q fluids can help.
good luck
All you can do is try. Give it water, red cap milk, electrolytes, anything it can/will take. Sub Q fluids can help.
good luck
Thank for the help but he passed away this morning . He was. urinating and had bowel movements on his own. That is always the first thing I worked on as well as rehydration. What I have seen these last few weeks with what people do amazes me for sure. As a hunters wife I see why there is a huge decline in the deer population. I'm so happy I ran across this website I have learned so much already from all y'all
the other thing about rehabbing, and deer farming too, is that if ya can't stand seeing a dead fawn ya better find something else to do. I know you will do well at rehabbing, feel free to ask questions here. These gentlemen here have seen literally thousands of fawns with all kinds of injuries and health issues.
I'm a farmer so death doesn't bother me. My first rehab call I had to put one down . This particular fawn had me stumped and I was determined to get him better to release on my property . But no again death in animals doesn't phase me anymore.
MissyB I am a permitted rehab specialist in Texas. This season of fawns has been crazy for us. We have lost more than saved but our job isn't always easy. It breaks my heart when I loose one because so much time goes into trying to save them. I am battling this swollen jaw problem and steroids and antibiotics don't seem to be helping. We changed milk brand and this is when the problem came up. We have never in the 8 years I have been doing rehab have we seen swollen jaws. We first thought it was molar issues but then it would go away and then come back. Now everyone of my fawns have swollen jaws except one. I now have him isolated. I lanced one of them today and there was no puss just blood. I am wondering if it isn't the bottle jar. We have not found out a good worming med. to use on deer yet.
Good luck with your journey in rehabbing.
TK
Good luck with your journey in rehabbing.
TK
Bell we went that route with the suggestion from another post and no response. We lanced one of the swollen jaws today and no puss. Our vet is having to put one of the girls down this evening for me and then we are going to open her up and hope we learn something. We are thinking now possible worms or some other infection. They have been on both antibiotics and steroids and no response. It just keeps getting worse until it eats away their jaw and they loose their teeth.
Any suggestion on treating baby fawns for worms?
Any suggestion on treating baby fawns for worms?
If the teeth are falling out it is more than likely fuso. There isn't always puss present with fuso. It can be in the gums, tongue and bone. Nuflor and draxxin has worked well for me, if you catch it soon enough. Also have had good luck with penicillin. It is very hard to clean up if you don't catch it right away.
Missy I too am a rehabber & have stalked this forum for years. You won't find a smarter group of people - from my own experience, if someone here doesn't have the answer, you're doomed.
And yes, be prepared for the insane, stupid things that people think is ok to feed a fawn.
Good luck to you.
And yes, be prepared for the insane, stupid things that people think is ok to feed a fawn.
Good luck to you.
For deworming I've been using Safeguard cattle alfalfa pellets or Zimecterin Gold horse wormer paste. Had bought a ewe several years ago that came down with bottle jaw, worked for her. Deer take the pellets nicely, but ALL my animals HATE Zimecterin Gold, but that gets more parasites, so I have to trick them. Fawns would be easy to simply smear a tiny amount on their tongue.