Haemorrhagic Enteropathies in Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus)

Sir, — I would like to draw your readers’ attention to the occurrence of post-stress haemorrhagic enteropathies in red deer (Cervus elaphus). Haemorrhagic enteropathy has been observed in approximately 75 percent of red deer necropsied at the Invermay Animal Health Laboratory and has also been seen in wapiti (Cervus canadensis). Deer dying with post-stress haemorrhagic enteropathy commonly have splash haemorrhages on the serosal surfaces of the abomasum and intestine and to a lesser extent on the rumen and omasum. The intestinal mucosa is heavily congested and haemorrhagic with blood present in the lumen. In many cases mucosal haemorrhage may be so severe the intestinal contents appear similar to blood. The degree of severity of the condition varies from slight to very severe and the length of intestine involved also varies from a few centimetres to the entire gastro-intestinal tract from the rumen to the rectum.