George on the Mend

Last week George was having trouble with his front left leg, limping and not making it to feeding time which, as you might guess, is a sure sign that all is not well.Wendy contacted Dr. Willows at Thousand Island Vets and Don drove to Gananoque to discuss the limp with the vet. He felt it was likely a sprain, not a break or dislocation and it probably occurred when George slipped on ice or was butted by another deer. An anti-inflammatory medication was prescribed for at least once a day for 10 days.

This is the first time we have tried to give one of the bucks any medicine and it has been an "adventure". We mix the powder with juice in a hollowed out portion of a small apple.

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It then takes at least 3 of us and much experimentation to figure out how to get the meds just to George without re-injuring him. We have to practise patience to wait for George to come to us rather than going towards him. The rest of the herd seems to get easily spooked to see so many of us at once, and they will all head back to the trees at the far end of the reserve which is a long journey for a deer with a bum leg.

One person feeds apples and carrots to the herd trying to direct them away from George as he limps in. Another person concentrates on feeding EGee who sometimes likes to butt George if he thinks that he's getting the lion's share of the goodies. The third person sees to it that George gets his special medicated apples and is able to keep clear of the other bucks. Each person has a medicated apple just in case George comes close by.

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Some days George doesn't show up and can't be seen. One day George and Buddy were "lost" so Allan and Wendy trekked through deep snow to the outer edges to try to find him. When they came back to the barn, exhausted, both deer were hanging out near the barn as if they had been there forever!

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Yesterday was day 6 and we hope to finish up the medication drill on Sunday. Happily George's condition is improving daily, he is moving with a slight limp now despite the deep and drifting snow and very cold temperatures. He asked me to thank Dr. Willows and all the people who have helped in the somewhat crazy "get-the-meds-into-George" dance including Allan, Wendy, Don, Jane, Bruce, Miesje and Melody.