My axis had a Mysterious death.

Had 2 axis die that were pen axis. 1 male 1 female, both were 3 years old. Im in brazoria county, so we have had a lot of rain last several days. So i am guessing parasite. Anyhow when gutted open to inspect about 3+ gallons of fluid, which i believe was water spilled out. They were both filled from lungs to tail. What was strange was there was very little blood left in the animals and large areas internally had turned black. Ill try to think of more details but very puzzled. They were the only animals in the pen. Pics to follow.

Pneumonia related?

Stranger Things is real. End of story.

Anthrax? Time of year and lots of rain made me think it's a possibility.

"Animals with anthrax, a septicemic disease, may develop edema, hemorrhage, and necrotic lesions
(de Vos, 2003). Sero-sanguinous fluid may be observed exuding from the nostrils and copious amounts
of fluid may be present in the body cavity (Kellogg et aI., 1970; Mackintosh et aI., 2002). The blood is
generally thick and dark, clots poorly, and flows freely from cut surfaces of infected carcasses (Cormack"

Scroll down...

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2386&context=icwdm_usdanwrc

Might consider having a vet perform a necropsy.

Could be lepto, or anthrax, or other bacteria with the rains we've had. I wouldn't handle the carcasses unless I knew.

Do you have livestock or have kept livestock in that pen? goats? Horses? Cattle?

There are quite a few variations of worms that have gotten out of control the last few years. The general application dewormer otc from feed-store or medicated feed will not kill. It has been used in such abundance without proper dosage or follow through that there are many resistant strands of worms in the ground that come up with warmth and moisture. From my experience they are fast killers.

DEFINITELY call a vet

After seeing the pics this was my first thought.

The time table was over 2-4 days. Ill reach out to vet, but on a pretty tight budget.

Whether you can afford a necropsy or not, please read up on handling and disposal of animals infected with Anthrax. That stuff can kill you, too. Good luck, sir.

Fortunately, i never handled them. I let him know They are at a friends place. 3 years and not a problem till now smh. gonna bite the bullet after reading up on anthrax, scary stuff.

No goats, cattle, sheep, etc. Only had axis for last year and previously a few other exotics.

Anthrax doesn't typically show up on the eastern half of the state but it's such a dangerous disease you shouldn't take any chances.

If I was betting with what information you provided I'd say it was more likely EHD. Episodic hemohragic disease.

Or worms.

With lack of red blood, in a pen and wet conditions I would think worms. Get a stool sample and take it to the vet. Just cost a few bucks to get an opinion.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19800920&id=lKIfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8tUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2368,3093016&hl=en

Might want to PM Cowdoc on here I believe he is a Vet and may be able to assist you.

I hope Cowdoc sees this and joins the thread.

I would bet worms. What size is the pen? is the grass pretty bare? I would get some heavy duty dewormer on hand if you have other animals around and some red cell iron supplement like for horses and drench them. Anemia sets in because the worms won't let nutrients be absorbed in the gut. Bloat sets it. Look at other animals eyelids and gums if they are white they are infected.

that's nasty, I would rather handle a rattle snake

My first thought was pneumonia with the fluids in the cavity area. Very wet weather as of late, heat and cold rain don't mix well with animals in confinement. That fluid could be sign of very high fever also. After seeing the pics I hope you or they wore rubber gloves when doing the necropsy. I would have contacted a Vet right away.

Same here.....

You might think about a prophylactic antibiotic for yourself. If this is something other than parasites, you could be exposed

Looks like classic sign of Black leg/overeating/bloat hemorrhaging, were the fresh dead bloated? It's hard to tell if the carcass has been dead a while. I have seen Axis like that from cold stunned from days of cold and wet conditions.

Acidosis?