Should fawns be vaccinated at birth or given any vitamin shots? If so, what
should be given and in what doses?


Answer: Fawns that have received colostrum at birth are protected by momıs
antibodies. They arenıt very good at making their own just yet, so
challenging them with a vaccination wouldnıt do any good. It is better to
make sure mom is vaccinated prior to the fawnsı birth so that her colostrum
contains immunity against whatever diseases that farm is dealing with. Same
with vitamins. The cattle producers used to give A,D, and E.
Probably doesnıt hurt, but the best way to do it is to make sure mom has
good nutrition so that she has lots of milk with the correct nutrients in
it. That way the fawn gets what it needs from a teat rather than from the
end of a needle. Antibiotics are not a substitute for good surgical
techniques and vitamins are not a substitute for good doe nutrition.

-Murray Woodbury DVM, MSc
Western College of Veterinary Medicine,
www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/specialstock


Weıve lost a few doe-raised fawns due to navel infections and saved a few
bottlefeds that would otherwise have been lost. Is disinfecting navels at
birth a recommended practice? If so, what kind of disinfectants should be
used? Will does abandon these treated fawns?

Answer:
Any opportunity to disinfect the naval of a newborn is taken in both large
and small animal medicine. Considering the infectious environment that your
fawns are born into, with fecal coliforms and hordes of soil bacteria
present even in a clean area, the bacteria in the does mouth that is spread
around the fawn and directly onto the fresh wound of the umbilicus must also
be considered a potential contaminant. The freshly broken umbilicus is a
direct communication route to the urinary bladder (so potentially the
kidneys), the peritoneum (the space surrounding all of the abdominal
organs), and most importantly the blood stream. For the first few days,
until the dried and clotted tissue of the umbilical stump begins to heal it
will be prone to infection. Prevention is the key, so with the history of
thousands of domestic cases behind us, I would recommend disinfecting the
umbilicus any chance you might have that will not cause excessive stress to
the doe. The presence of betadine or chlorhexidine solutions (I would
recommend either of these) should not break the neonatal-maternal bond
(especially if you allow the fawn to suckle first), however, the stress to
the doe of you handling the fawn could be a problem. I would again
recommend the disinfection if you can do this easily with minimal
disturbance and handling of the fawn, use latex gloves, and be quick about
it.

-Steve Timm, DVM
Wildlife Veterinarian for
Wildlife Capture Services