# Whitetail Deer and Goats



## ChrisM (Jan 13, 2014)

As I was reading a mineral thread, it occurred to me that our goats will be living where I feed deer. I put out corn and Deer Cane for the deer. Deer lick the minerals out of the ground and make a big hole as they consume the minerals. 

1. Will goats do the same?
2. Is Deer Cane an issue?
3. How many diseases can goats and deer potentially share?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

you should be careful about deerworm in the warmer months. And worm your goats against it.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Meningeal Worm can kill your goats and that comes from the deer.


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## ChrisM (Jan 13, 2014)

Wow. With most whitetail diseases, you hear about the outbreaks and have some way of knowing to look out for it. Seems the Meningeal, or deerworm, won't manifest itself in deer so there's no way to know if you have an infected herd. That sux...

*Goat producers who live in areas where whitetail deer are abundant should be concerned about Meningeal Deerworm infection in their goats. Rainfall, swampy ground, and leaf litter compound the problems but the presence of white-tail deer are the key.*
* Sometimes called deerworm or brainworm, the parasite Parelaphostrongulus tenuis uses the whitetail deer as its host and passes through the deer's body without harming it. But with goats, the deerworm seems to "get lost" and winds up in the spinal canal.*


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes M Worm really stinks. As soon as you see any type of back end weakness, you need to aggressively treat.

Prevention is Ivomec monthly by injection.


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## ChrisM (Jan 13, 2014)

We're certainly going to have to reconsider where we put our fences. The back side of our property is below the dam of our pond. It stays wet and is wooded thus completely covered in leaf litter. The perfect habitat for these stupid worms.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes, that would be. M Worm has been bad this past fall / winter.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I wonder if putting a Safeguard block out in the deer feeding area might reduce the number of worms that the deer are carrying over time.


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