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WTH??? Thoughts on this "tumor".....

buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
I was skinning out my deer tonight and noticed 2 brownish/black tumors that were encased in the fat, both on the shoulders. The center is really soft and jello-like and it is surrounded by a ring of pea sized transparent balls??? Fibroma?? Safe to eat??

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1354317828.700540.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1354317841.639767.jpg

I did some looking an not sure if it is fibromatosis? Most of what I saw is that its a skin disease an is on outside of the skin. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
It's up in the air as to whether or not people eat the meat. I have found a few informational sites but..... Gonna keep looking and asking. If its like a Warble in a squirrel that's fine, I have never saw this though and kinda creeped me out!
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
Looks like a lymph node..seen a bunch of them...they are no issue as they aro not on the meat
 

buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
Thanks milo, I also found where someone said they were a gland??

"It's not a tumor. It's a gland all deer have them, 1 is under the scapula called a Prescapular Gland, It must be removed or will cause a bad odor to the meat. It cannot be seen unless you cut into the fat. The other is called the Popliteal Gland and is from the fore part of the hind leg. One of the butchers should have chimed in."
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
Yeah if you cut them make sure you wash your knife before using it again. Your good to go bud. They are nasty looking when you first see them.
 

buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
Ok, so back at it after dinner. There are a shit load of those tumors around its neck/esophagus...... Hard as a rock and look like kidney beans!
 

lung buster

Senior Member
2,666
106
hocking county
The deer i posted has fibromatosis i believe. They say the growths are on the hide only and don't show up on the meat. I would still not eat it. Had her at 10 yds the other night and she looks worse in person than the pics.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,859
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That's a lymph node. Every mammal has them. Typically they are about the size of a pea or a marble and almost always located in fatty areas. Their job is to collect infection, viruses, cancers, or toxins they're like little tiny livers. The clear fluid is lymphatic fluid that runs from node to node and is filtered by the liver. You actually have more lymphatic fluid than you do blood. Except the lymphatic system doesn't have anything to circulate the fluid like a heart does blood except body motion.

This is why I don't eat deer necks. It's waste meat to me. Deer have 30+ lymph nodes in their neck alone. And for you guys taking deer to a butcher. I'd bet my paycheck those are ground in to your burger.
 
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buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
Jack, this is just an observation not an argument but I have eaten neck roasts for 25 years, aside from belly straps, back straps and the heart, the neck is about as good as it gets, that's why I can't understand how I've never seen them before. The biggest was under the shoulder blade, the brisket was polluted with them, and the neck closest to the esophagus was lined with them.

Do you think some other health issue
caused them to blow up like that? The smaller ones were maroon, while the bigger were the brownish booger looking stuff. If it hasn't effected me in the past I am not too worried about it, just caught me off guard when I started stripping the shoulders off.

These are the biggest off what I call the Doolap, front of the neck, and they were in the membrane between the muscle and the esophagus.
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Front of the brisket
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1354333577.213385.jpg
 

buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
If for nothin else it has peaked my interest, found some more on the lymph nodes and it definitely is enlarged and abnormal. The ones on the throat are normal and all vary in size, but what I did find is that if you find more than one lymph node that is enlarged the deer most likely is fighting and infection of some sort an opinions vary on eating the meat.

So what I gathered is the liver colored nodes are normal, and the big brown ones are enlarged and abnormal?
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,859
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If for nothin else it has peaked my interest, found some more on the lymph nodes and it definitely is enlarged and abnormal. The ones on the throat are normal and all vary in size, but what I did find is that if you find more than one lymph node that is enlarged the deer most likely is fighting and infection of some sort an opinions vary on eating the meat.

So what I gathered is the liver colored nodes are normal, and the big brown ones are enlarged and abnormal?

Oh I'm not arguing buddy. Lol. I'm just saying butchers don't take the time to remove them and there are like 30+ of them in the neck. The neck head area has the highest concentration of them. Their job is to filter toxins. So I kind of see it as eating ground up little toxin sacks. Lol. Might not bother some but I can't get past it. I think of how much roundup those deer eat and it's that glands job to filter it out. They're like little Monsanto milk duds. Lol.

Lots of things cause them to become enlarged. Like you said infection etc. also things like cancer, lymphoma, or even a cold causes ours to swell. The glands under your chin most people think are tonsils that doctors feel for. Those are nodes and swell when we gw sick because they're filtering the virus.

Depending on what cause them to swell would decide if the meat is safe. I say as long as you don't find areas of major infection you should be ok. But I would still not eat a lymph node. Healthy or not. Lol. Guess its no diferent than eating a liver though. Same job. Diferent organ. Lol. It just freaks me out.
 

buckstar25

Junior Member
691
81
T-county
Just clarifying it on my end Jack, I am the same way and just seeing the damn things makes me not want to eat it but I found no signs of infection in any of the muscle or organs. It did have what looked to be an eye infection, had the neon green dried nasty around eyes but I have seen that before. Everything is normal as far as the color and smell of the meat.

Milo suggested cleaning the knife after cutting into them, I did after common sense kicked in but I did cut the other shoulder off before cleaning the knife.

I think it's more paranoia than anything, I just don't want my wife and kids eating it if it could be a risk.

Would it be worth contacting my vet and seeing if they can test one of them? If for nothing else, just piece of mind an knowing what actually caused it. Regardless of keeping the meat, I am just curious now.
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,687
234
Licking Co. Ohio
I never knew what they were called actually. We were taught to just cut them out if it appeared and continue on.

I use the neck meat also. But it is cut into small pieces and inspected. Anything that doesn't look right is discarded.

Joe is correct about the processors. Where I worked, necks were stripped and ground. It's all about the money instead of doing it thoroughly.