Abomasal ulcers in captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Abomasal ulceration was noted in 32 of 200 white-tailed deer. Ulceration wa s most common in the abomasal pylorus and at the abomasal-duodenal junction . Abomasal ulceration was characterized by focal to multifocal, sharply dem arcated areas of coagulation necrosis and haemorrhage extending through the mucosa, with fibrin thrombi in mucosal blood vessels of small diameter. Ul cerated areas were often covered by a mixture of mucus, debris and neutroph ils. Visible bacteria were not associated with ulcerative lesions, A l deer with abomasal ulceration had intercurrent disease, including bacterial pne umonia, enterocolitis, intussusception, chronic diarrhoea, capture myopathy , or experimentally induced tuberculosis. The anatomical distribution of ab omasal ulcers in this population of captive white-tailed deer resembled tha t seen in veal calves. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.