Hoof deformation..Dogdoc?


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Re: Hoof deformation..Dogdoc?

A little more info attached to the photo:

Whitetail deer found in Alma, Wisc. that sported unusually long hooves, I have been in contact with some folks close to this wild wildlife tale.

Jarrad Fluekiger, walleye guide and co-owner of The Main Channel Fishing Shop in Alma, e-mailed the photo of this strange-looking deer, along with some details.

Jarrard wrote that Jeff Rieck, a family friend, hit and killed the deer with his pickup one evening last week.

Folks around Alma have been seeing the long-toed wild buck for the past couple of years.

Landowner Curt Youngbauer said he's seen the buck in different areas in the past and it appeared to have some difficulty getting around. He said when he last saw the buck in the spring, only its front hooves appeared overgrown.

"When we asked the DNR about the unusual hooves they were as surprised and confused as we were," Fluekiger wrote. "They could only figure that either the deer found some high protein minerals or that the deer had some kind of bad gene."

My friend Mike Faw, prolific outdoor writer and editor of the Sports Afield Almanac, says he's only seen the malady in two other whitetail in his life.

******

Thanks to ZONER Josh for sending this photo of one of the weirdest bucks you’ll ever see. The deer was hit and killed by a truck near Alma, WI. According to a local newspaper, biologists speculated that a diet high in proteins and minerals caused the deer to grow those long, curved hooves.

We ran the photo by a couple of our resident scientists and they said that while they may be off base, they suspect the animal was from a captive herd. They say that when a deer is fed excessive starch, primarily corn, “founder lesions†like elongated hooves can occur. EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) and other diseases often cause deer hooves to crack, slough, etc., but not elongate and curve like that.

Body and rack wise, the buck was in good shape. Our biologists believe he was able to survive and prosper on those hooves because he was “on welfare.†They point out that many deer become dependant on backyard feeders and thus consume excessive corn/starch. While the animals might not be captive behind a fence or in a compound per se, they are conditioned to feed where groceries are easily accessible. You've heard it before--don't feed the deer!

BTW, the buck was reportedly placed in walk-in cooler at a bait shop for safe keeping. The owner of the shop said he planned a full-body mount.

"One case was nearly as severe and the other was less per hoof," Faw said. "When deer are afflicted, it seems to be all hooves. The deer also walk semi-normal and can run, but the hooves can make a distinct flopping noise that can be heard a considerable distance away. Neither deer that I saw had been confined or unable to walk for a time, so the excessive growth could not be explained."

....popgun

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Re: Hoof deformation..Dogdoc?

Wow...

That is unreal...

I have seen cows and horse feet do this. It's called founder (don't know if it is spelled right. But for an Okie...It's close enough... grin.gif)

I have been told that to much protien will do that. Not real sure about that though...

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