coyote came hobbling up and I put it out of it's misery

[greybeard]

Dunno if it had been shot before or snake bit, but it was scrawny and looked like it had been a long time since it had eaten. Leg was as big as it's head. I put him down with a .22 hoolow pt then buried him deep.

 

[Isomade]

That's one of those things you would like to know exactly what caused it but will never know. Interesting photos. I'm going to say that must be the one I caught, put to sleep and planted a cantaloupe seed in his leg to see what happened. If I could get you to dig him back up and see what coyote cantaloupe tastes like I would be grateful. Don't want my research going to waste.

 

[Kingfisher]

ThAts weirder than the Bobcat I saw hung today....really?!?!

 

[greybeard]

That's one of those things you would like to know exactly what caused it but will never know. Interesting photos. I'm going to say that must be the one I caught, put to sleep and planted a cantaloupe seed in his leg to see what happened. If I could get you to dig him back up and see what coyote cantaloupe tastes like I would be grateful. Don't want my research going to waste.

Early in the growing season yet--ya sure it wasn't a pumpkin seed?
And N0, I ain't diggin your nasty coyalope up.

 

[wbvs58]

Looks like an osteosarcoma (bone cancer). From memory the are more common in the distal humerus but still possible just above the carpus.
Ken

 

[Caustic Burno]

Like Isom we will never know you might talk or email it to the TPWD biologist, I bet they would be interrested.

 

[Alan]

That's one ugly looking leg. Did you examine the legs much, just curious if it was a infection or what. My guess is a snake bite.

 

[greybeard]

No, I did not examine it very closely, but the other side was very red and "oozing" something. If I had to guess, I would say it was an old bullet wound, but could also be a snakebite. The picture doesn't do justice to the coyote's terrible over all condition. Most of it's coat was gone, either from malnutrition or mange, and it's ribs and hips were showing badly. Since my dog had found it in some brush and run it out toward me ("run" giving it more credit than deserved) I wanted to get it gone and underground as soon as I could because I didn't want the dog around it at all.
I have seen a lot of coyotes this year, but have not seen sign of them running calves, tho we did lose a calf to an unknown predator about a month ago but we decided that was from a cougar. I saw one just a few nights ago as well in the same area where we found the half eaten week old calf--about 200 yards from my house. Their numbers seem to be increasing here in spite of what the wildlife dept may say.
I generally do not hunt (for personal reasons) tho I have nothing at all against hunting or those who do hunt, but I will kill predators and feral hogs, but consider this a mercy killing, and took no real satisfaction in the short range shot--the thing was definitely starving and in bad health.

 

[dun]

Instead of the dog whisperer you're the canine Kevorkian

 

[Bigfoot]

Knarly injury. Hes better off. I wonder if he got in a trap?

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

We had one hobble up last year...

Had the front left leg sheared off and it was starting to heal over... someone around us has an illegal trap for sure.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Shot a deer a couple years ago with something real close to this, and it had been shot in the leg.

 

[BRYANT]

This is one of them things we will never know what happened to him , my guess was snake bite ???

I trapped a coon last year that was very large and extra fat but had no tail ,not even a stub, looked liked he was borned like that, will never know,I haved treed and killed hundreds of coons and never saw one like it .

 

[Commercialfarmer]

In my mind 99% chance of a snake bite- location and appearance of the wound (bit just above the wrist with most of the swelling there, and then progression of inflammation up the limb), also considering your geographic location. But I think it was the ear infection that got him. You can tell it was a bad one with all the bloody discharge.

wbvs58, I doubt an osteosarcoma will progress that far before a wild dog succumbs to starvation from not being nibble enough to secure food (they are normally half starved anyway), but I would agree that it would be high on the list for the same lesion in a domestic animal.