IS IT SAFE TO EAT? PART VI EMACIATION, WOUNDS AND BRUISES

EMACIATION

Now that we’ve gotten pathology and organs out of the way, it’s time to start discussing some diseases and defects that we may find in deer while we’re hunting.

I’ll start this off with emaciation, as by the time you read this there’s a good chance you may have encountered this or think you may have encountered it. Emaciation can occur after the roar when stags have depleted their fat and energy reserves. You may also find it in animals in the winter months when food is scarce or even non-existent in some areas. Alpine environments are good examples of this as lots of vegetation that deer live on may not have the same energy as lowland fodder and may also be covered in snow for long periods, preventing deer from feeding.

SO WHAT IS EMACIATION?

It’s a state reached when an animal has depleted all its fat reserves and has started to use the protein structure of its organs and muscles for its nutritional requirements. This is sometimes categorised as having lost over 20% of its body mass.

Fat fills spaces between tissues and organs and gives them protection from trauma. It is stored in