Hoof Rot

[Little Fish]

The elk I saw killed over the weekend had hoof rot on one of his front legs. I also heard several people mention this problem while kicking around SW Washington. Does anyone know if hoof rot presents any danger to a hunter who harvests and consumes a diseased animal?

[NW-Eric]

OUR GOATS GET IT AND WE STILL BUTCHER THEM WITH OUT ANY PROBLEMS TO US... ITS KINDA LIKE ATHLETES FOOT FOR THE ANIMAL... THEY SPEND TO MUCH TIME IN WET MUSHY AREAS WITHOUT DRYING OUT.

[WDFW-SUX]

No problems, I killed one with it several years ago.  Its ugly and is mostly do to the swamps that they stand in all day

[Slenk]

Thousands of cattle are butchered out of feedlots every day with foot rot. Not a problem.
Slenk

[Little Fish]

Thanks guys.

[HntnFsh]

You guys may want to do a little more research.
There was an article in the Longview Daily news 2 or 3 weeks ago.They were addressing hoof rot.Whicj is pretty common in this area.

Apparently there are different types of hoof rot.The article suggested you dont eat elk with hoof rot because some types cause the animal to be unfit for human consumption.

A friend of mine got a a letter from a game warden giving him the ok to keep hunting after killing a cow with hoof rot.The gamie took the cow.I presume for tests.

Call your regional office of WDFW and talk to 1 of their Bios.

No way I would eat an elk with hoof rot after reading that article.

[ICEMAN]

Any way you can get us a link to the article you read? Scary.....

[HntnFsh]

I looked a little bit last night.But couldnt find it.I'll try again when I get a chance.
They have a web site.  www.tdn.com
I'm not very good at that stuff so somebody else may have better luck.

I believe it was in the article about the elk that were in Longview city limits causing damage.

[HntnFsh]

They also said it was spread when they walk through mud and water leaving the bacteria or whatever it is behind.

[shag]

The first bull I ever shot had a bad foot(hoof)   I could smell the damn thing at ten yards.   I thought he'd got hurt during the rut.  Ate just fine.  whole family consumed it.  Might have been hoof rot I'm not sure.

[Little Fish]

Hoof rot seems to be plaguing many Longview elk

By Tom Paulu
Longview Mayor Kurt Anagnostou said about half the elk he spots in his yard appear to be limping.

They're likely suffering from hoof rot, a condition with many causes that appears to be becoming more common.

Sandra Jonker, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's regional wildlife manager, said her agency recently has been getting more reports about limping elk. Most of the calls are from around Longview and Chehalis.

Elk with hoof rot typically limp with their hind legs. "People might see bizarre growths on the hooves," Jonker said. "It looks like a club foot."

There are over 40 types of hoof rot, Jonker said. Some are caused by bacteria, others by nutritional deficiencies.

DFW biologists need to do more research to find out what variety of rot is plaguing local elk.

If it's a nutritional deficiency, it might be possible to help afflicted animals. If not, "it would be very hard to treat wild elk," she said.

Without knowing the type of hoof rot, the DFW can't say whether it's safe to eat meat from an elk with hoof rot or whether the condition can be passed to farm animals.

DFW biologist Pat Miller said hoof rot has afflicted Columbian white-tailed deer on the Julia Butler Hansen refuge near Cathlamet for decades. It's likely a leading cause of death for adult bucks there, he said.

[chester]

this was the hoof on the elk my friend got in early archery...... sorry cell phone pic