Buck concerns

[fuzzy9]

I'm a bit concerned about my NZB buck, and unsure what to think or do at this point. We did body checks on everyone, and weighed them all, and he's lost quite a bit of muscle on his top line. I can feel quite a bit of bone all the way down the back, and hips. You wouldn't know it just to look at him. We weighed him, and he still weighs 11.25 lbs which is what's confusing, he's the same weight as when we bought him.

He eats well, except this spring he decided he didn't like the Pen Pal feed, so he has been back on Nutrena. The only thing I notice is that he tends to wait for hay, eats on that first, and then sometime during the day eats pellets. All my others dive into the pellets right away first. He used to eat a few of his pellets first while he waited for hay.

I don't know what to think.......any ideas? He's 3 years old. I was maybe thinking tooth issue, but why is he still the same weight while losing alot of topline? We checked him over for an abscess, but there's nothing that we can see.

 

[MaggieJ]

Our buck, Pudge, has also seemed to lose a lot of weight since he has been in the colony full time.. He is about a year and a half. I'm not worried about him, but I do notice that he is leaner than he used to be. Not sure this is any help to you... but if your buck has not lost weight overall, then it may be just a normal redistribution of fat vs. muscle.

 

[fuzzy9]

Thanks Maggie, that is a bit more reassuring. This buck is important to us, he's done great things for our herd the short time he's been with us. The other thing I had worried about was possibly a tumor somewhere we can't see it, but I felt his belly, and it's nice and soft, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary.