Innervation and anesthesia of the antler pedicle in wapiti and fallow deer.

The heads from 6 mature male wapiti and 8 mature male fallow deer were dissected to provide a description of the nerves supplying the antler pedicles. Innervation in both species was found to resemble that of the red deer, with major contributions coming from the infratrochlear and zygomaticotemporal nerves. All heads displayed a dorsal branch from the auriculopalpebral nerve, but in only 2 wapiti and 3 fallow deer heads was this branch observed travelling to the pedicle. The dorsal branches of the 2nd cervical nerve were isolated in each head but could not be traced to the pedicles. Failure to induce anesthesia of the antler employing specific nerve blocks on the infratrochlear and zygomaticotemporal nerves can occur if the dorsal branch of the auriculopalpebral nerve is not blocked.