Passport to Texas

A healthy deer Morgans Point, Texas

Parasites and Skinny Deer Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If spring rains made food plentiful for wildlife—and it did—then what’s up with all the skinny deer?

10—We had a lot of reports this year of thin deer, and some of our initial testing showed that a lot of these deer have a very high load of quote/unquote—stomach worms.

Dr. Bob Dittmar, a veterinarian with Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the wet, warm spring and humid summer created ideal conditions for a parasitic worm-a-palooza that’s affecting white-tails.

15—Most of the ones that have been reported to me have been in more suburban type settings. The habitat may not be really good because there are lots of deer there. And there are lots of eyes on those particular animals and they’re observed much more frequently and closely.

I asked Dr. Dittmar if suburban homeowners should be concerned for their family pets if skinny deer roam their neighborhoods.

18— These parasites are for the most part, pretty host specific. So, there’s not a great danger of passing anything from deer to dogs or other domestic pets. One of the things I always caution people: dogs like to eat deer poop. And there can be other things in deer poop besides parasites that could cause some illness in those pets.

Dr. Bob Dittmar says the agency wants to know about these deer, so if you see skinny deer, contact your regional office of Texas Parks and Wildlife or your local biologist. Find information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Whitetail deer in snow.

Rain was Good and Bad for Deer Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Spring rains improved habitat in Texas. This is good, of course, except for the resulting population explosion of…

02—Worms. Stomach worms…

Moisture and high humidity create an ideal environment for the worm’s survival, which is bad news for white-tailed deer. Dr. Bob Dittmar, a veterinarian with Texas Parks and Wildlife, says initial testing indicates a high level of worm infestation within the deer population.

07— A lot of these deer were eating close to the ground, and were picking up these parasites which were out there in very high numbers this year.

There are several types of the parasite on the landscape; weight loss in deer is one potential sign of infestation.

14— The really bad ones are bloodsuckers. So, they debilitate the animal by sucking blood, making them become anemic, week, and eventually maybe predisposing them to other things. But they’re just debilitating, and that accounts for the weight loss we’re seeing.

Where are these deer showing up, and what to do if you see one. That’s tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series, and through your purchases of hunting and fishing equipment, and motorboat fuels, funds more than 40 million dollars in conservation efforts in Texas annually.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.