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Hookworms in Deer - Help!

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    Hookworms in Deer - Help!

    Backstory - short version

    We high fenced about 400 acres in Leon County in 2011. We killed off most the natives and brought in pen raised deer starting in 2012. Our first year we had a great fawn survival rate as we kept the deer in about a 5 acre pen. We released the deer shortly afterward.

    Fast forward, the last several years our fawn crop has been minimal. A few here, a few there. Each summer some of our deer start losing weight and we lose a few adult deer every year around August/September/October.

    We finally got a confirmation that our fecal sample contained Hookworms. The only info I can find out on the internet is related to hookworms in dogs.

    Does anyone have any experience with hookworms or does anyone have a good resource to contact?

    Most likely we'll be looking for a dewormer that doesn't impact pregnancy or nursing mothers.

    We have done some positive changes this year by feeding cotton seed and spreading out the deer by using more smaller feeding stations rather than fewer larger stations to reduce the amount of fecal matter in a single area. We are also going to put down crushed concrete under our feeders so the fecal matter isn't falling on the soil where the deer potentially will lay down.

    Overall our deer look fantastic outside of a few does that are skinny and without fawns - this is the sample that revealed hookworms but we're trying to keep them from spreading. We typically deworm in May and again in September. Thanks in advance!!

    I attached a picture of one of our five year old that is coming along nicely.
    Attached Files

    #2
    I would worm them once and then 2 1/2 weeks later. Do that 2 times a year.
    Give them enough where they will eat in for about 4 days, then back to your regular pellets.
    If you can find a wormer pellet with pyrantel in it, all the better.

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      #3
      Tagged

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        #4
        This is a picture of a deer I know is infected.
        Attached Files

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          #5
          This is one that I’m not sure about. She’s definitely pregnant but to me she looks skinny and could be infected




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            #6
            Not "hookworms". Could be ostertagia or Hemoncus. Did you take the sample to a small animal vet? Need to get sample to large animal vet. Also, some dewormers cannot be used on pregnant animals. Would think that most deer in Leon county would have fawned by now.

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              #7
              How old are the does?
              How many skinny ones?
              How wild are they/how close can you get to them?

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                #8
                Contact a private Bioligist.


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                  #9
                  Lyssel and Echols will mix you a batch of feed with wormer Maybe something else.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by Ag 89 View Post
                    Not "hookworms". Could be ostertagia or Hemoncus. Did you take the sample to a small animal vet? Need to get sample to large animal vet. Also, some dewormers cannot be used on pregnant animals. Would think that most deer in Leon county would have fawned by now.
                    Great point about large animal vet vs small animal vet. We've been taking them to I guess a small animal vet here in town which deals with mostly dogs, cats, etc. I had a conversation with them this morning and now they are saying stomach worm eggs in the stool, not hookworms.

                    He recommended fendbendazole as the active ingredient that is safe for nursing mothers and fawns.

                    Our native Leon county deer would rut earlier than these imported deer. Most of the born dates for the deer we have are June and July according to the pedigree, and we've noticed they tend to rut a little later. Also, our buck to doe ratio is 1:3 right now (which we have a goal of 1.5 to 1 or 2 to 1) which might explain some does getting bred later with fewer bucks

                    Thanks for your input!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by bukkskin View Post
                      How old are the does?
                      How many skinny ones?
                      How wild are they/how close can you get to them?
                      We have 5 two year old does just brought in this year which 2 or 3 of them are skinny
                      9 3 year olds which only 1 appears skinny
                      1 10 year old that might be barren
                      The rest are 4-7 that have been there for several years or born on the property that all look good - my guess it they have adapted somewhat and have a better immune system

                      Overall my best guess is 25 -30 does and 12 bucks, of which 3 does I'm concerned about now. The problem is, almost every year the deer look good and pregnant this time of year. Its by August that half the herd is looking really thin and the fawns that dropped are nowhere to be seen. We feel like we have a good control on predators as we have predator fencing along the entire 4.1 miles of perimeter. I call fairly regularly and don't hear anything remotely close.

                      I'm determined to get ahead of our worm problems and praying its not too late. We really need fawn survival before we can justify harvesting anything.

                      Two that are sick are probably tame enough where we could get close enough to dart them if we had any clue what to do from there...

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                        #12
                        If anyone knows of a private biologist near Leon County we would be happy to contact them. We had a bad experience with one that was about 3 hours away. Nice guy just not helpful. He had us spend tons of money on high energy feed without even considering any parasite infection. Given how many deer we had in a concentrated area at that point in time, looking back, it seems so obvious that we had some kind of parasite infection.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by BU_pigslayer View Post
                          We have 5 two year old does just brought in this year which 2 or 3 of them are skinny
                          9 3 year olds which only 1 appears skinny
                          1 10 year old that might be barren
                          The rest are 4-7 that have been there for several years or born on the property that all look good - my guess it they have adapted somewhat and have a better immune system

                          Overall my best guess is 25 -30 does and 12 bucks, of which 3 does I'm concerned about now. The problem is, almost every year the deer look good and pregnant this time of year. Its by August that half the herd is looking really thin and the fawns that dropped are nowhere to be seen. We feel like we have a good control on predators as we have predator fencing along the entire 4.1 miles of perimeter. I call fairly regularly and don't hear anything remotely close.

                          I'm determined to get ahead of our worm problems and praying its not too late. We really need fawn survival before we can justify harvesting anything.


                          Two that are sick are probably tame enough where we could get close enough to dart them if we had any clue what to do from there...
                          So just say 45 deer, 3 pounds per day X 4 days = 540lbs of wormer pellets.
                          Let your regular pellets run out and be empty for 2 days. Put out the 540 lbs of wormer pellets and don't give them anything else until it is all gone.
                          Switch wormers constantly, with different active ingredients(medicine).
                          You can use wazine in their water too, if you have troughs.
                          Injectable cydectin on the tame ones.
                          Hit them once and again a few weeks later.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by bukkskin View Post
                            So just say 45 deer, 3 pounds per day X 4 days = 540lbs of wormer pellets.
                            Let your regular pellets run out and be empty for 2 days. Put out the 540 lbs of wormer pellets and don't give them anything else until it is all gone.
                            Switch wormers constantly, with different active ingredients(medicine).
                            You can use wazine in their water too, if you have troughs.
                            Injectable cydectin on the tame ones.
                            Hit them once and again a few weeks later.
                            Follow this concerning the dewormer feed. Purina makes a good medicated dewormer feed.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Thanks everyone! Hope to report back with good results at the end of the Summer


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