Success Story!

Thanks to all our friends on the Deerforums, Fawn Cricket is fine, just did the most amazing wonderful normal dark round cylindrical stools ever seen. Smelled like fresh cloves!! Thank you all for your help! I believe the Pumpkin, as well as the electrolyte, and the baby rice did the tricks. She is now eating lots of elm leaves, apples, strawberry yogurt, cooked carrots, small cherry tomatoes, + a decreased amount of goat's milk. Love you all. R & E Barton Farm

Love a happy ending! Thank you for my feel good moment today.

Now........from now on, limit your "treats" and feed only good feed that will promote correct rumen function and provide the necessary nutrition. It is very tempting to feed things that deer do not normally get in the wild, but you have to limit the quantity as to not upset the balance in the rumen. Roughage is a MUST and Probiotics once a week is also a good idea.

Hi Scott, at the risk of sounding like a complete numbskull, could you recommend what probiotics that you would use. Roughage: she loves elm leaves and some hackberry. As far as the feed, she is still getting water-down goat's milk (powdered). Please let me know if any of this does not sound right. Sure appreciate all of your help. Eve

Introduce some high quality, alfalfa hay, a variety of leaves, and for probiotics you can get some at your feed store. I feed my girl a good quality COB organic feed, I mix in some Deer Chow (Purina) and top it with a bit of higher protein Sweet Feed. She is happy and getting big. I also give her a bowl of veggies/fruit every morning. Grain available throughout the day, but usually I put it out later in the day. She browses on leaves throughout the day and has great pellets, never any parasites (I've had them tested a few times this year), and she seems perfect except for the hair that has fallen out around her neck which I just can't figure out?????????? any ideas?????

Lana, may I refer to an already existing thread regarding fawn hair loss.

The forum is "Breeding and Raising of Deer and Elk", and the topic is "Hair loss on Whitetail fawn". Hope you can find it has lots of good discussions on the this topic. Later, Eve

Lanasvet said:

Introduce some high quality, alfalfa hay, a variety of leaves, and for probiotics you can get some at your feed store. I feed my girl a good quality COB organic feed, I mix in some Deer Chow (Purina) and top it with a bit of higher protein Sweet Feed. She is happy and getting big. I also give her a bowl of veggies/fruit every morning. Grain available throughout the day, but usually I put it out later in the day. She browses on leaves throughout the day and has great pellets, never any parasites (I've had them tested a few times this year), and she seems perfect except for the hair that has fallen out around her neck which I just can't figure out?????????? any ideas?????

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Lana - They are now losing their summer coats, but if this hair loss is restricted to her neck, is she by chance sticking her head through the fence trying to nibble outside? The friction on the fence could cause hair loss if she is.

Mark, Bamamom- I have de-wormed her with Ivomec (twice), and gave her the shot as instructed by deer DVM right above her shoulder blade on neck. So, I have in my mind ruled out the possibility of mites.



2. She is not malnourished at all. She is a big yearling doe.



3. She is not really licking her mineral block, and is fed deer chow (Purina) with COB and sweet feed, and many fruits and veggies each day--- I doubt that she is missing some mineral.



4. I will take a pic and post so you see the hairloss. I have never seen her rub on anything. Also the hair down the middle of her back is also shedding. But I do see small soft hairs growing in (could this be a winter coat already???).



5. It has been cooler at night in IL, so maybe this has triggered the hair loss, but it is mainly concentrated on her neck and down her spine.



All of this really bugs me, b/c I have no answer for it. She has been vaccinated on schedule for EHD and Covexin-8, has been de-wormed with Ivomec and month later w/Ivomec again. Could 1.5 ml NOT be enough for her???



Her stool has no parasites. She has always been parasite-free (supposedly) according to the stool tests.



I'm stumped.

I am is sothern il and I have a 3 year old buck that has 2/3s of his winter coat. She should be getting a dark gray coat starting @ her shouldesr blades neck and moving down her back.

Eve, I don't care what brand of probiotics you use, just as long as it is a live bacteria one. Roughage should be good Alfalfa hay, light grains (wheat and oats...in moderation) and leaves and browse you have mentioned. Never give leaves from cherry trees, boxwood hedges, azalea or olliander as they are toxic.

Hi Scott, I am ordering these items today, hopefully you can look at this before I click the pay button. 1) Probios Oral Boluses; 2 Calf Manna. Already have green alfalfa and lots of leaves here. If you have time. Thanks. Eve

Lana, please tell me how long to keep Cricket on the Pumpkin, forever? I am so afraid to stop the pumpkin because I Know this is what caused her wonderful normal stools. How long? Forever Grateful to you, Eve

I read on these boards that the enzyme in pumpkin is what does the trick for them when the stool is a bit off. To be honest, I wish I could've kept Rosa on goat's milk forever b/c I know that that was what was best for her stool. Pumpkin helped too of course, but the goat's milk is unlike any other. It's actually really good for us too!

Lana, yes I will continue the Goat's Milk but in a watered-down form. But how long should I continue to give her pumpkin? I am putting a large glob (about a third of a can) in every quart of milk. How long should I continue this after her stools are perfect now? Appreciate all your help girl. Eve

I would cut the pumpkin back slowly. Maybe a teaspoon per 10 oz of milk for a day then 1/2 teaspoon per bottle for a day or so and watch the stools. I rarely have to give pumpkin for over a week if the stools are not caused by a bacteria or parasite of some kind. Rick

That's great advice. But remember too that fecal samples often come back negative...

I think that pumpkin causes no harm to his/her organism. Just as long as the fawn is eating enough browse and leaves, his/her stool should be good. My doe's gets clumpy if she eats too many apples or too much grain, and NOT ENOUGH ROUGHAGE (browse).