After photographs of the injured deer went viral last week, conservation officers initially advised against removing the carbon fibre arrow, out of concern it could cause infection.
But staff from Ontario’s ministry of natural resources and forestry decided that the risk of further injury meant they had to go ahead with the delicate procedure.
An initial attempt on Wednesday failed after Carrot continued to move after being sedated, but on Thursday, wildlife officials tranquilized him again and began to extract the arrow.
None of the team in the remote community of Kenora had ever undertaken such an operation, so a veterinarian 2,000km away in Ottawa gave detailed instructions over the telephone.