EFFECTS OF FLUORIDE INGESTION ON WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS)

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Abstract
The effects of addition of 25 or 50 ppm fluoride (F), as NaF, to the rations of 5-mo.-old male white-tilled deer were similar to those observed in domestic cattle fed similar amounts of F. The ingestion of 50 ppm F for 2 yr resulted in the accumulation of > 7,000 ppm F in bone ash. Accumulation of F in antlers was extensive and occurred more rapidly than in skeletal tissue. F ingestion resulted in lesions on the developing incisors that were similar, but not identical, to those seen in other species. Increased molar wear in the deer fed 50 ppm F was minimal, and no gross pathology of the mandible was observed. Only mild hyperostosis of the long bones was evident.