A 3-month-old female white tailed deer presented with a history of a non-productive cough, a fever of 103.6 degrees F, tachypnea and difficulty breathing. The fawn was obtained from a breeding farm and was initially bottle fed. The fawn lived indoors with her owners, both of whom were smokers. On physical examination, the fawn was anxious. Crackles and wheezes were ausculted in the craniodorsal and caudodorsal lung fields. The fawn was sedated for intravenous catheter placement, nasal oxygen tube placement, thoracic radiographs and ultrasound. Radiograph revealed a mixed airway/airspace pattern in the cranioventral thorax and ultrasound revealed bilateral cranioventral atelectasis, both suggesting pneumonia. Blood work revealed mildly elevated lactate, neutropenia and hyperglobulinemia.
The fawn was treated with continuous oxygen, intravenous antibiotics, nebulization with a mucolytic and bronchodilator, a gastroprotectant and fluid therapy. She improved with therapy and was discharged with long acting subcutaneous oxytetracycline antibiotic.