Unhealthy Deer

macnas

Has anyone here ever come across a deer infected with TB?, I shot a fallow doe this week, I'd say about 18mths old that had what I hope was some form of lymphatic cancer. I've never seen these symptoms in a deer before and I'm not sure what it was. These symptoms included tumours in the udders, in and on the intestines, on the spine and around the kidneys, varying from marble sized lesions to snooker ball tumours. The lungs also felt lumpy but did not have lesions on the outside or inside the ribcage. Has anyone come across this before?
Apologies to anyone reading this, whose just about to have their tea.

Clare gunner

Pulled my old German hunting course notes on TB.
There are three types of TB Typus Humanus [human TB] Typus Bovinius[ Bovine TB] and Typus Gallinanaceus[Avian TB].It is uncommon for wild animals to be TB affected This is not to say that wild animals cannot be infected with it either,or that it cannot cross infect between species.
IE avian TB can show up in wild pigs and that human TB can be infective in deer .
Checked Blacks Vetinary directory for TB.
There have been cases of avian TB in deer in the UK,but as to wether it is farmed or wild there is nothing.TB seems to occur more in housed domestic cattle than open living in the field beasts.
From what you describe of the tumours it could be either TB or limphatic cancer.Was the animal in any type of distress when you shot it?IE coughing,emaciated looking,not eating,suffering from scour etc?Only way to find out is to have the carcass properly tested in a lab,especially the lungs.
Best bet would be if you still have the carcass,would be to get a vet to do a diagonis on it.But it deffo wont be fit for human consumption.So next job is;dig a large hole,get some quicklime[not slacked lime as sold for cement] in to the hole with the carcass ,plenty of quicklime,onto it and bury it.
Needless to say do not do near wells or somones drinking water supply.

Keelan

Please Inform The Dept. Of Agriculture Of Your Find, Tell Them The Area You Shot The Deer At.
T.b Is Taken Very Seriously.
Thank You.

red vex

TB is rampant among the deer population

Clare gunner

red vex wrote:

TB is rampant among the deer population

Whereabouts?The local cattle herds must be full of it too then?

red vex

Deer mixing with cattle is a major problem for farmers.
Deer are a major cause in the spread of TB to livestock.

AFAIK certain strains/levels of TB in meat do not affect the meat from a human consumption point of view.

Clare gunner

red vex wrote:

Deer mixing with cattle is a major problem for farmers.
Deer are a major cause in the spread of TB to livestock.

AFAIK certain strains/levels of TB in meat do not affect the meat from a human consumption point of view.

Hmmm that one was said about badgers as well.Jury is still out on that one.

Nope ,TB cattle are a big problem.Your farm herd is quarintined,you cant move or sell cattle,your milk is not saleable,until cleared by the dept of Ag inspectors.You must take out the "reactors"and have them slaughterd at a regd abbitaor.Where you will not get market value for them.And those cattle are NOT supposed under any circumstances go into the food chain.The carcasses are supposed to be burnt or renderd to bone meal.Well,thats the theory.

red vex

Clare gunner wrote:

Nope ,TB cattle are a big problem.Your farm herd is quarintined,you cant move or sell cattle,your milk is not saleable,until cleared by the dept of Ag inspectors.You must take out the "reactors"and have them slaughterd at a regd abbitaor.Where you will not get market value for them.And those cattle are NOT supposed under any circumstances go into the food chain.The carcasses are supposed to be burnt or renderd to bone meal.Well,thats the theory.

For certain strains/levels. Cattle reacting to TB isnt as straightforeward as yes the have it/ no they dont.
Its calculated by measuring the difference in size of the lumps caused by a reaction to the vets injection.

The injection causes a slight reaction in most stock which indicates traces of TB in its system.

macnas

Needless to say, the deer is not hanging up in my shed. I buried(as best I could) the gralloch and carcass and reported my find to P&W. The animal is nowhere near livestock(nowhere near anything really). I am aware that TB is a notifiable disease, I'm just not sure if it was TB or not.
CG, the animal didn't seem distressed or emaciated, and was happily eating at the time of its expiration. I'm not convinced that TB is rampant in the deer population as this is the first time I've ever found these symptoms and I have shot more than one deer in more than one location around the country. I have noticed that Liver Fluke is becoming very common though.

red vex wrote:

Deer mixing with cattle is a major problem for farmers

So the deer must be catching it from the cattle, hmmmmm,
The Dept of Ag will have to find some bigger snares.

Keelan

It is your duty to report this to the Dept of Agriculture.
Please report this and show them where you buried the deer, as they will examine it in a lab and confirm if its TB or not.
30% of badgers have TB and yes it is confirmed that they do spread it.

macnas

I will report it to the Dept of Ag., duty bound or not. Although, I'm sure they are as concerned about TB in Parks and Wildlife as they are in Agriculture.