# Sick Deer



## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Look at these pictures, one of these deer looks to have mange or something, its fur is all patchy, and on the other looks really skinny, you can see its hip bones. What do you think are these guys sick?


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## coyote sniper (Apr 15, 2009)

The one with the "patchy fur" looks like it is already loosing its summer hair and getting winter hair and the other one that looks super skinny looks like a typical doe that has been nursing fawns all summer. IMO


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I agree with coyote sniper, the skinny deer perhaps has three parasites sucking the life out of her. The other deer I can't see well enough to tell if she has lost hair, has some white hair from freezing skin in winter, or what's going on.


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## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

The skinny one normally shows up with a fawn, a much smaller fawn than the other does, maybe it was a late birth so she is still showing some of those signs.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

No healthy deer feeding fawns would look that unhealthy. There has been no reason this year for deer to be short on feed so a healthy doe would not look that skimpy from raising fawns. It is sick with something no doubt. Just my opinion.


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## kpgoose (Aug 5, 2013)

She gonna have pneumonia with the temp 49 one day and ninety four a few days apart.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

kpgoose said:


> She gonna have pneumonia with the temp 49 one day and ninety four a few days apart.


No kiddin'


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Maybe she is just old like me and doesn't have enough teeth left to chew anything.


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## kpgoose (Aug 5, 2013)

Down here alot of does are skinny like that this time of yr. It is nearly like a desert down here and by this time of summer very little natural browse has not burned up. Couple that with fawns suckin em down and alot look sickly like that. By oct 1 they usually have added ten lbs as long as we get sept rain


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## HUNTNFISHND (Mar 16, 2004)

I agree with coyote sniper. The one in the top looks to be shedding some of it's summer coat. The bottom one looks like a typical lactating doe. They are pretty skinny during the summer with the heat, ticks, probably some worms and she's feeding a little one. She'll start fattening up a bit once the temps start falling.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

I still think she's sick with something. Deer are all looking pretty healthy this year, and I have seen a lot of them, running around with two fawns and the mammas haven't been looking that slender... But who knows for sure.


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## kpgoose (Aug 5, 2013)

Just thought bout this. He said she has one fawn with her alot of the time. Again our deer may be different than yals but our does almost always have twins or trips. A single fawn on mature doe almost always means she struggled thru winter. There is quite a bit of green browse there in those pics. She prolly should be a touch heavier. May be as simple as wormy. There is a deer feed that u can mix with cmere deer corn coat that she will eat and get rid of worms if thats the problem. When are most of yals fawns born. Ours vary a great deal. Most of the state they are born late may early june. A small portion of the state in the deep south they dont rut til jan or feb so they will be a few weeks old now.


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

coyote sniper said:


> The one with the "patchy fur" looks like it is already loosing its summer hair and getting winter hair and the other one that looks super skinny looks like a typical doe that has been nursing fawns all summer. IMO


THIS is the correct answer...

Consider how run down a lab ***** looks when the pups are 6 weeks old... and the Lab has all the food she can eat and great meds... the deer should be so lucky. It is a wonder they look as good as the do in the pics.


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## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks guys, I also contacted the DNR as well they just got back to me, my main concern was if there was something contagious going on since this one was licking the same blocks as all the large bucks.



> Thanks for sending the photos of this deer. Yes, I agree that the doe with the fawn appears very thin. However, she also looks alert and has a nice summer coat. Many things can cause a deer to be skinny, including internal parasites, malnutrition, bacterial or viral infections. Does with fawns will be at their very thinnest condition in June/July as they are nursing and this is the most energetically costly activity for them the entire year. Typically, does will regain condition beginning in August and spend the rest of fall getting fat for winter. I'm not sure why this deer is so thin now, but to really understand her condition, we'd need to dispatch her and perform a full necropsy. Given that her only "symptom" is thin, I think she is best left alone. If you continue to get pictures of her and she looks even worse (not alert; head down, drooping ears; coat becoming dull/gray, losing hair); then it may be more important to investigate her condition further.


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## fieldgeneral (Feb 12, 2013)

Thanks for the report that is some good research! Makes a lot of sense.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Warm weather stresses animals out too just like us. Some of our cows that calved late (middle of march for us) have gotten pretty skinny the last two weeks due to the heat, even though they have plenty of fresh water to drink, nice grass, and water to wade in.


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