Thin yearling doe

We have a yearling doe that will not eat any grain. She will eat grasses and peanuts, and a bite of apple now and then, but that is about it. She was in with a few other does, so we didn't realize she wasn't eating the feed, until she started getting really thin. We have pulled her now. Going to give shot of B Complex tonight. Also taking a fecal sample down today. Does anyone else have any other suggestions.

Thanks!

Ask your Vet or a drug that will increase appetite in large animals. In canines, there exists such a drug and it is used very successfully. I bet there's something they give to goats that will work to increase appetite.



Have you tried acorn-smelling golden nuggets to top dress your feed? How about molasses-flavored feed? Deer like sweet flavors.

If her appetite is off enough that she is losing weight because of it, she needs treatment of some kind or other. Taking a fecal sample in was a great first idea. If she has worms or coccidia, the fecal exam will show that and you'll treat accordingly. If the fecal exam shows nothing, I would treat her with an antibiotic right away and back it up 3to 5 days later with another antibiotic treatment.

Wish you the best!

Pneumonia or infections can cause animals to stop eating. I don't know of any other illnesses that can cause them to not want to eat. I would consult a DVM, but I would also try to entice my yearling doe to eat grain by top dressing with a high-protein, sweet feed. This will put weight back on her well, once she is recovering from whatever it is that it is affecting her appetite.



Obviously, the fecal sample submission is where we all usually start. Unfortunately, quite often, if the deer has a bacterial infection, it will not appear on a fecal test.



I have seen deer with parasitic overload, and even Ecoli infection, and they maintain great appetites.



How do her pellets look? Anything unusual? Any blood? mucus?



Is she panting at all? After running a lot, does she cough at all?



All things to consider and to tell your Vet.

Thank you all for you advise. The fecal sample showed hook worms. So atleast we know what we are dealing with. Gave her shot of ivomec and the vitamin B complex. Hopefully we caught it in time and this will help. She seems to be feeling ok otherwise. We have tried giving her feed with molasses and she wouldn't touch it. We did get her to eat peanuts with Revive probiotics sprinkled on them. Maybe that will help too. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Icw - Glad you found the problem. I would advise that you continue to keep a close eye on her, she might have other problems other than hook worms. Don't get me wrong, hook worm is problem enough, and left untreated would kill an animal. It's just sometimes, especially in the raising and care of deer, we are thrown curve balls, things that can get us to drop our guard, things that if we miss, will cost us dearly. Kinda like a ''Murphy's Law'' thing(Murphy must have raised deer ) Not trying to be a pessimist here, just a realist.

A bacterial infection will not show up on your normal fecal exam done by your vet when they are checking for parasites. That takes a different testing using the stool sample, ie culturing.

If she hasn't responded with an increased appetite within a few days, I would look into giving her an antibiotic...can't hurt...and could save her life!

Wishing you the best!

Thanks so much Mark, we will definitely keep that in mind. She seems to be eating a little better, and she runs up to greet us everytime we go out there. So that is a good sign. We will be keeping a close eye on her.