Finding abnormal lumps during the gralloch

I’ve found a lump on the lung of a deer I was gralloching, what is it? Mike Allison replies…

Q: When out stalking the other day I head shot a roe buck, but when I did the gralloch, I found a lump on his lung. He had looked healthy and well, and was feeding the whole time as I stalked in.

Because of the head shot, the chest cavity was clean, making examination easier than usual. Everything looked fine apart from the lungs. Its coat, eyes and overall condition looked good.

I estimated him to be middle-aged or perhaps slightly older by the thickness of the coronets and the white fur around his eyes. I couldn’t see any ticks or keds.

The carcass is in my fridge so I have a few days yet to decide what to do.

MIKE ALLISON replies: In my non-veterinary opinion, it doesn’t look like anything to be worried about. I would confidently say that it doesn’t appear to be anything like a TB lesion judging by the visual appearance.

If you are worried, it might be worth taking the carcass to your local VI (Veterinary Investigation) centre, where they would be able to offer a more detailed, professional veterinary opinion.

If I had found something like that I wouldn’t be unduly worried. It may be some localised lung tissue damage caused by a bullet/bone fragment, as it certainly looks like some form of bruising, suggesting that the damage occurred ante-mortem.