Preputial obstruction and urine-induced cellulitis due to nonnutritive suckling in a male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn.

A 73-d-old white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn was diagnosed at necropsy with a ventral abdominal cellulitis secondary to urine after preputial swelling, urethral obstruction and hemorrhage, and focal urethral rupture. During the acute antemortem disease phase, the urinary obstruction tentatively was attributed to potential urethral uroliths, but after euthanasia, extensive gross and microscopic examinations of the urogenital tract revealed no uroliths. This fawn had been copenned with another male fawn, both of which exhibited nonnutritive suckling of the penmate's genitalia before and after periodic milk replacer feedings. We attribute this uncommon presentation of urine-induced cellulitis to urethritis and urethral rupture secondary to repeated, nursing-induced, physical trauma to the prepuce. We examine the husbandry implications of this disease with regard to management of deer fawns in a laboratory setting.