I've never seen this before. It's like a foundered horse and the way I understand it, foundering is caused from a diet that's too rich, like from a lot of sweet feed or something, but this is a free ranging deer. I have no idea what the neighbors are feeding, or how much, but it was hanging around our place for some reason and we don't spend a whole lot on feed, mostly just greens and pine needles. I haven't even seen this in areas where the feeds flow like a river year round. The land around where this deer was killed is fairly rocky also.

That’s the doe they get to leave tracks down in the powerline patch to make all of us think a big buck is hanging out there.

I got a pony that never has ever ate sweet feed at my place and she foundered like that. Just old

I think EHD has something to do with foot abnormalities if I'm remembering correctly.

I'm not certain that one is EHD related but could be a possibility.

Bingo. I don't know why I didn't think of that. LOL. Dangit, I could have kept the feet to make tracks all over the areas I DONT want to hunt.

blue tongue

yeap

Ehd causes them to break and peel.

Its not ehd that causes this - its the other disease that not life threatening to deer. I hav killed those. Will think of name and repost

No it may be ehd

Should I call the processor and tell him to toss the meat and scrub his shop, or is it safe? (Serious question for someone that actually knows)

I ate mine

Not EHD. EHD causes them to crack, split, break, and slough off.

I would get expert answer on eating

I did eat one with jacked up feet

https://deerassociation.com/why-did-this-deer-have-super-long-hooves/

Founder

Good find. Based on reading this and the OP’s comment about pine needles, I’d say the lack of adequate browse and ruffage fiber paired with a corn diet caused it. Another condemnation of all the darn corn piles everywhere.

If corn caused that all the deer I hunt would have flippers for hooves.

I had no idea a deer could be foundered like a penned up pony but I guess they sometimes do get that way. I'd a never thunk it. The article made perfect sense in this case.