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Proper management is the single most important thing in preventing disease problems in farmed reindeer. Good husbandry practices must include adequate nutrition, minimal stress and a preventative health plan. Reindeer can be successfully farmed with relative ease if these factors are considered.
Specific medical problems of reindeer should be handled much the same as in other ruminants, but proper thermoregulation and stress avoidance must also be considered. Reindeer, like other cervids, do their best to hide signs of symptoms of disease often until they are very ill. Sick or diseased deer are the usual targets for predators and some species, such as elk, will viciously drive sick herd mates away from the herd to avoid attracting predators. It is not in a deer’s best interest to show signs of sickness.
Keeping up to date on your animals’ health is very important not only to the animal, but to yourself as well. It is sometimes easy to overlook something when everything is going well. It seems that only when something looks wrong or is wrong do we do something about it. A preventative health plan and getting to know your animals is always the best action.
Establish a good working relationship with your veterinarian. Together, you can work out a program tailored to your farm. The objective is to control disease and to maximize the health and productivity of your animals. Reindeer suffer the same diseases as other livestock. Reindeer are affected by parasites such as intestinal nematodes, cestodes, lungworms, abdominal worms and warble and nasal bot flies.
Besnoitia is a parasite that has been found in reindeer, mule deer and caribou. The most widespread infectious diseases in free ranging northern reindeer herds include brucellosis, rabies, foot rot, pneumonia and abscesses.
The normal body temperature for reindeer is 101 – 102 Fahrenheit.
Usually you can pick out a deer that is not feeling “up to snuff” by their actions. Here are a few signs that let you know “I’m not feeling well.”
- grinding teeth
- head and ears hung low
- standing “scrunched up”, with all fours centered under their belly and the back slightly arched
- staying separate from other deer
- slow to shed their winter coats as compared to the rest of the herd
- drooling a lot
- weight loss
- excessively bad breath
- lagging behind the other deer, moving slowly
- diarrhea
- not eating
- drinking excessively
Individual producers all have their own schedule and protocol they use for herd maintenance.
The following are some of the possible things that can happen. We are not saying that everything listed will happen, but if something does arise, you’ll be more prepared for it.
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