Blue tongue

[HornHoarder]

We seem to be getting hit hard here in Spokane county, and surrounding areas. I've found 4 dead deer around our property already. Both whitetail and mulies. Makes it hard to get exited about hunting this year for me. How's it affecting others. What are you seeing in the deer woods?

[elkboy]

Finally slowed down here in Whitman.  The last couple of rain storms got our creeks flowing, and we've had some colder nights that hopefully cut down on some of the gnats that transmit the virus...  Hope you guys get some relief up there!

[James E]

Hunted muzzy for deer in GMU 145. Blue Tongue, was horrible.

[dwils233]

Any updates on cheney/ med lake area? I only got out this las weekend for my last scouting. Didn't find any dead from it but also didn't see any wandering sicl

[Britt-dog]

Haven't seen any around my place in Cheney, but there are far less healthy fawns this year than most.

Found three dead does within 100 yards of each other, in Springdale a week ago

[pd]

I was just warned about this tonight (I spoke with a landowner in Whitman county, whose property I planned to hunt next week).  He is really worried about the deer population, as he has several dead deer on his wheat fields.

What is going on with this?  Is there a thread somewhere about this??

[pd]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/sep1815a/

Bluetongue virus confirmed in white-tailed deer in eastern Washington


SPOKANE – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed an outbreak of bluetongue disease in white-tailed deer in the state’s drought-stricken eastern region, but wildlife managers say this year’s hunting seasons will not be affected.

WDFW veterinarian Kristin Mansfield said today that bluetongue is a common virus transmitted by biting gnats at water sources where deer congregate during dry conditions. Every year in late summer and early fall, some white-tailed deer are lost to bluetongue and a similar virus known as EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease).

She said the department does not know precisely how many deer have been affected, but reports are more widespread and numerous than in the past, probably because of the severe drought across the region.
As of Sept. 17, WDFW had received reports of suspected deaths from bluetongue or EHD in several portions of the department’s eastern region, which includes Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman counties.

WDFW wildlife managers said the emergence of the disease will not affect this year’s hunting seasons.  Archery deer hunting season is under way now, and muzzleloader and modern firearm seasons start next month.
WDFW will continue to monitor effects of the disease until it subsides. Mansfield said outbreaks usually end with the arrival of colder, wetter weather, when deer move away from gnat-infested areas, or by the first hard frost, which kills the disease-carrying gnats.

The department urges people who observe suspected bluetongue or EHD in white-tailed deer to call WDFW’s eastern regional office in Spokane at 509-892-1001 or the department’s dead wildlife hotline at 1-800-606-8768.
Bluetongue and EHD are spread by biting gnats, not from deer to deer, and are not transmissible to humans.  Nonetheless, WDFW discourages hunters from shooting and consuming animals that are obviously sick. Other wildlife species, including mule deer, are rarely affected.

Symptoms in the early stages include lethargy, disorientation, lameness, or unresponsiveness to the presence of humans. Later signs include excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth and a swollen tongue.

Mansfield said the disease often kills deer so quickly – within a day or two – that their bodies remain in good condition, but others may not die immediately but stop eating and become emaciated. She said the incubation period for these diseases is five to 10 days, so afflicted deer may be observed for a couple of weeks after the first hard frost of fall.

[pd]

https://news.wsu.edu/2015/09/30/wsu-lab-confirms-bluetongue-virus-killing-deer-livestock/#.Vh8orNa-9TI

September 30, 2015
By Charlie Powell, College of Veterinary Medicine
PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory located in the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine has confirmed bluetongue virus (BTV) in 42 animals submitted from Washington and Idaho this fall.
All samples tested negative for epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHD).
The distinction between BTV and EHD is important: While both can cause similar signs in the same species, bluetongue can affect international trade while EHD is uncommon in cattle.
WADDL routinely tests for both viruses simultaneously when samples are submitted requesting testing for one or the other disease.
Most of the samples submitted to WADDL were from white-tailed deer. Other affected species included cows, domestic sheep, bighorn sheep, mule deer and a yak.
The laboratory detected BTV in animals from Whitman, Spokane, Asotin, Garfield, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties in Washington, as well as Latah, Clearwater, Canyon and Nez Perce counties in Idaho. Samples from cattle and bighorn sheep submitted from Churchill and Mineral counties in Nevada were also confirmed to have BTV.
The virus was typically detected in samples of blood or blood-rich organs including lung, spleen or bone marrow.
Several identical samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa for subtyping.
Bluetongue is an infectious, insect-borne, viral disease primarily of domestic and wild ruminants – animals with multi-chambered stomachs. Infection does not spread directly from animal to animal. In addition to deer and elk, the virus can infect cattle, domestic and wild sheep, goats, camels, antelope, bison and yaks.
The signs of BTV infection may include high fever, profuse salivation, nasal discharge, facial swelling and breathing difficulty. In severe cases, lung damage results in poor blood oxygenation, which may make the tongues and lips of animals appear bluer than normal – a sign called cyanosis.
Bluetongue infections can both sicken and kill large numbers of animals depending on the species. Not all animals develop symptoms, but those that do may decline rapidly and death may follow in less than a week.
Animals that do not die may recover slowly or may require euthanasia due to welfare considerations.