Strange looking fawn

[BIGDOG253]

Anyone know whats going on with this deer? Piebald? Disease? Losing the winter coat? 

Never seen a deer like this, what are your thoughts?

[nalley112]

looks to me like a hair loss disease?

[724wd]

 

[birddogdad]

just startin to grow back after the last fire there...

[huntintherain]

Might be part albino.

[Blacktail Sniper]

Looks like a young one, so going to say hair slip...pretty bad case too.


http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/hair_loss/

[BIGDOG253]

Looks like a young one, so going to say hair slip...pretty bad case too.


http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/hair_loss/

Good info. Yeah it looks like this fawn has a pretty bad case compared to those in the article.

Trail camera was set up near Mt. Adams.

[fishnfur]

I agree with the DHS based on the pattern of hair loss - areas where the deer has the ability to lick itself until it's hair falls out.  It's getting close to that time of the year though when they start to loose their winter coats - probably still a month early, but the recent mild weather may have them shedding early.  They often develop very similar patterns of splotchy appearing hair in early spring as they shed their winter coat, so it can be tough to tell from a photo.  I think DHS is starting to decline in Western WA (if I remember correctly).

Keep watching for changes as the year progresses.  It looks like this fawn will probably survive the winter and may develop a normal summer coat.  I saw several on cam last winter that I thought were affected but ended up with a normal appearance by late April.  You'll loose track of them once the mother drops her new fawns and the yearlings move out to find new home territories.

[HntnFsh]

I agree with the DHS based on the pattern of hair loss - areas where the deer has the ability to lick itself until it's hair falls out.  It's getting close to that time of the year though when they start to loose their winter coats - probably still a month early, but the recent mild weather may have them shedding early.  They often develop very similar patterns of splotchy appearing hair in early spring as they shed their winter coat, so it can be tough to tell from a photo.  I think DHS is starting to decline in Western WA (if I remember correctly).

Keep watching for changes as the year progresses.  It looks like this fawn will probably survive the winter and may develop a normal summer coat.  I saw several on cam last winter that I thought were affected but ended up with a normal appearance by late April.  You'll loose track of them once the mother drops her new fawns and the yearlings move out to find new home territories.

Not so sure. How would you explain the marks on the upper neck?

[buckfvr]

Looks like a young one, so going to say hair slip...pretty bad case too.

Ill second that....................

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/hair_loss/

[buckfvr]

I agree with the DHS based on the pattern of hair loss - areas where the deer has the ability to lick itself until it's hair falls out.  It's getting close to that time of the year though when they start to loose their winter coats - probably still a month early, but the recent mild weather may have them shedding early.  They often develop very similar patterns of splotchy appearing hair in early spring as they shed their winter coat, so it can be tough to tell from a photo.  I think DHS is starting to decline in Western WA (if I remember correctly).

Keep watching for changes as the year progresses.  It looks like this fawn will probably survive the winter and may develop a normal summer coat.  I saw several on cam last winter that I thought were affected but ended up with a normal appearance by late April.  You'll loose track of them once the mother drops her new fawns and the yearlings move out to find new home territories.

Not so sure. How would you explain the marks on the upper neck?

Scratching with hind foot..............Ive seen them stick their hooves into an ear to get an itch.

[The Gobble-stopper]

Definitely hair loss syndrome! Seen it a l million times in Lewis county. The scratch themselves bald sometimes.

[fishnfur]

I agree with the DHS based on the pattern of hair loss - areas where the deer has the ability to lick itself until it's hair falls out.  It's getting close to that time of the year though when they start to loose their winter coats - probably still a month early, but the recent mild weather may have them shedding early.  They often develop very similar patterns of splotchy appearing hair in early spring as they shed their winter coat, so it can be tough to tell from a photo.  I think DHS is starting to decline in Western WA (if I remember correctly).

Keep watching for changes as the year progresses.  It looks like this fawn will probably survive the winter and may develop a normal summer coat.  I saw several on cam last winter that I thought were affected but ended up with a normal appearance by late April.  You'll loose track of them once the mother drops her new fawns and the yearlings move out to find new home territories.

Not so sure. How would you explain the marks on the upper neck?

Scratching with hind foot..............Ive seen them stick their hooves into an ear to get an itch.

I like that answer.  It is also a very similar pattern to what I saw last year.  I originally thought they had a piebald gene that wasn't fully expressed - that they had white splotches and streaks here and there, but no big white spots.  It was especially noticeable on the mature does.  I thought that I had a foolproof way to identify each doe, but the white streaks and spots disappeared along with the ragged tufted hair etc.  The hoof scratching makes perfect sense.

I attached a screen shot from a vid.  I have many similar vids of different deer with similar streaks and spots.

[fishnfur]

After a second look at the fawn, it's pretty skinny.  He may not make it through the winter if forage doesn't start greening up pretty soon.  Sucks!