Crabapple deer damage--is it dead?

[ephiemarie]

I planted a crab apple tree (the weeping kind with white flowers--not sure what it's called) two years ago about 10 feet from the house. Unfortunately, the deer have been nibbling on the bark, and now I'm not sure if it's even alive. The bark is not damaged all the way around, but a good length (about 1-2 feet) of the trunk/bark on one side has been eaten. The tree is not budding at all, and many of the branches are brittle. However, some branches still have a little "spring" to them, and when I scratched the bottom part of the trunk, it was still very green. The part of the trunk above the level of damage is green, too, although not as green as below.

Questions:

1. Should I assume that it is dead or dying at this point?
2. Should I prune all of the branches that appear to be dead?
3. Can I "bandage" the exposed areas of the trunk?
4. Any good advice on repelling those persistent WI deer?

Thanks!