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[–] abattoirdaydream 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

How? Fence? Leg trap(s)? Fungal infection of the feet?

[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

[Deleted]

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[–] abattoirdaydream 0 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago  (edited ago)

I looked through the comments. The points worth noting were, the lack of wear on the bone ends, HOOF ROT!!!! (lol), and some inflammatory disease.

I personally am trained in equine hoof care. I didn't think of this sooner, but... This deer was taken in the regular hunting season, autumn. The bones have little wear, so the hooves came off recently. It's possible that the deer foundered, resulting in sloughing of the hoof. That can be caused by high fever/gut flora die off releasing toxins and restricting blood flow to the foot, sometimes the result of consuming excess of certain foods (like apples and corn in the autumn).

It is also possible that the bone ends were protected by the deer walking on the other bones of the foot over the summer, until they eventually fell off. That would explain why one leg bone end looks rather more worn than the other. It's foot bones were walked on first. This could be the case if a trauma occured in spring/summer (by the healed tissue, I'd guess early summerish June/July) or if there was a food caused founder due to clovers/berries/sweet corn.

However in equines and in every other hooved animal I've seen founder in, it presents in the front feet primarily, only sometimes appearing in hind feet, secondarily. This is because the front feet are under greater stress, as they bear more of the animals weight. It has been recorded appearing in hind feet only/first before, but rarely, and usually trauma induced.

That guy in the comments went ON about hoof rot. He means thrush. It's a fungal or fungal/bacterial infection. It CAN cause the total loss of a hoof, and it does present more 'strongly' if not quite more often in hind feet. But the total loss of feet isn't even approaching common even in the worst of living conditions (wet, hot, restricted movement). It almost never causes unilateral sloughing of the hoof, much less bilateral.

So I think it was a trauma. But Both legs? Not likely a leg trap. It wouldn't easily catch both. Fence? Tangled that badly, and didn't die of suffocation? Hmmm. I don't know about that. Although the tissue on the leg does look like it drew back and healed from a laceration...but so much time had passed from the injury and we only have a couple pics.

My final guesses. Tangled in loose wire/bailing twine/fishing line, cut off blood until hoof walls dropped off. Could take a long time, could hurt one foot faster than the other, explaining the disparity in the wear of the bones. Was then able to slip out of the tangle. Healed like the laceration it was. Or, was very unfortunate in a fence tangle that was short in duration but cut the ever loving fuck out of it's lower leg, basically "ringing" both limbs in the struggle, to the point that all blood flow was lost to both feet.

And yes. I know.

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[–] xenoPsychologist 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

its like having built in stilts, but you dont gain any extra height. in fact you lose a few inches.

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[–] JohnGoodman 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Zombie deer confirmed