Hoof rot found in Yakima herd

[slim9300]

Is there private timber companies in the blue mountains that spray?

I have seen no evidence of this.


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[BA Mongor]

Slim,

Your buddy's theory may have some merit, and it may not. It's just another WAG into what may be a possible contributing factor to the disease as a whole. We just don't know, but at least we're making strides to find a possible cure. Maybe 15-20 years late, but at least something is finally being done to solve the mystery.

But, to eliminate any possible contributing factors, such as the use of chemicals in the forest industry is ridiculous at best, even if you have a friend in the know. The fact is, the wide use of chemicals in forest management should be drastically curtailed, along with a long list of other items that we currently use in today's society. But because it's easy and quick with instant results, and proved "Safe" for use, we will continue to make and use them.

Also of note, over the past century there is an even longer list of items that were once deemed "Safe" that are no longer manufactured or used because they proved to be highly dangerous....

But hopefully, all we have to do is just eliminate the elk from interacting with cows and this will run it's course....


 
 

[slim9300]

Slim 9300 is there any idea how the cows got it? Or where it came from in the bovine world?

My understanding is that cows have always gotten it over the decades, and it’s relatively simple to treat them when they show the signs. At the same time, it’s not logistically possible to treat elk for obvious reasons.

It’s just a bacteria cows can pickup on their hooves from walking around, and just like people, I’m sure most cattle have immunity to the common bacteria they encounter. One could see how elk don’t have the same immunities.


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[slim9300]

...but it’s the timber companies and their chemicals!

Is this statement a fact Slim?

Or are you just being sarcastic? I'm assuming sarcastic. The fact that it's over on the east side is extremely saddening and the effects of this disease on the herds will be devastating for decades to come. Me personally, I've dealt with it for over 20-years now with my local herds here on the coast and have had to put down enough animals versus watching them being eaten alive or starving. Either way, it's truly heartbreaking.

Is it chemicals from the timber companies? Maybe...
Is it a disease that formed naturally? Maybe....
Is it a disease that came about because of a weakened immune system? Maybe....
Is it a combination of all of these things and other factors that we're not aware? Maybe....And in my opinion, more than likely. 

I do know that it's impossible to eradicate and as of right now, incurable! Unless we plan on randomly slaughtering herds. And they tried that, and it didn't work. The large herds that were so common here in SW WA have been decimated and unless some miracle occurs in the near future, the east herds will see the same fate. 

It was sarcasm. See my post above.

I have hunted Western WA elk for 23 years. I am well aware of the progression. 20 years ago I was chasing elk right across the river from the football field in Pe Ell that had multiple with hoof rot and bad limps. Thankfully this condition is regional on the Westside and is not evenly distributed. It must be due to the relatively tiny range of coastal elk (which supports my buddy’s theory of bovine interaction). In the very large area I have hunted for the last 15 years, I have not witnessed a single elk affected by hoof rot. My partner and I have killed a pile of them, and I have watched hundreds of elk.


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The herd in my neighborhood are all sick. 25 to 30.

Any cows in their home range?


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Yes, many.

Sorry man. Elk are my favorite animal, so I feel your pain. I live to hunt them.


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[slim9300]

Was there hoof rot before Helens blew?

How would this impact the Blue Mountains herd or the Eastern OR herds (unless your claim is that the ash somehow spread the bacteria).


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[slim9300]

Slim,

Your buddy's theory may have some merit, and it may not. It's just another WAG into what may be a possible contributing factor to the disease as a whole. We just don't know, but at least we're making strides to find a possible cure. Maybe 15-20 years late, but at least something is finally being done to solve the mystery.

But, to eliminate any possible contributing factors, such as the use of chemicals in the forest industry is ridiculous at best, even if you have a friend in the know. The fact is, the wide use of chemicals in forest management should be drastically curtailed, along with a long list of other items that we currently use in today's society. But because it's easy and quick with instant results, and proved "Safe" for use, we will continue to make and use them.

Also of note, over the past century there is an even longer list of items that were once deemed "Safe" that are no longer manufactured or used because they proved to be highly dangerous....

But hopefully, all we have to do is just eliminate the elk from interacting with cows and this will run it's course....


 

Should the farming industry be forced to stop using Round Up?


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[gonehuntin68]

Can they tranquilize an elk with hoof rot and treat it how they treat cows to see if it works? Not sure how that would help?

[Special T]

Hopefully the WSU study will figure out what the issue is with the hoof rot.

[slim9300]

Can they tranquilize an elk with hoof rot and treat it how they treat cows to see if it works? Not sure how that would help?

My understanding is they can if it’s caught early enough, but I can’t validate that. Bacteria should be easy to kill directly. But of course it’s not practical or possible for large numbers.


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[1Guy]

There was a meeting on this at the Sportsman Show in Puyallup a few years ago I mentioned to the biologist what if people  from the coast where there is a lot of hoof rot cases . Elk intermingling with horse pasture and they take the horses to the Blue Mountains or Idaho , Montana ,ect. not cleaning out the horse's feet now they are transporting the disease to all these other places he had a blank look on his face like never really thought of that and did not say much about that either

[scoutdog346]

I just figured it was a fungus like we get on our toenails???

[444Marlin]

I just figured it was a fungus like we get on our toenails???

Here's a brief summary from WDFW:  https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/diseases/elk-hoof

I first saw an elk with it in Klickitat Co about 2008, but I didn't know what we were looking at, and didn't know enough to even report it.  This article makes it sound like it wasn't confirmed until 2018 in that area.

[Don_D]

Judging by the reports to WDFW it sounds like it is becoming a problem all over western WA, is spreading into areas of E WA and is no longer just limited to SW WA.
They have a map of the reports generated over the last few years that some might find interesting.
https://wdfw.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=8dce45e29c8b43b8bf93cd20c523ca31

WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine has begun their research as well which certainly sounds promising. Updates can be found on their site or you can subscribe to their mailing list also.
https://vmp.vetmed.wsu.edu/research/elk-hoof-disease/updates

My guess is that something has to be affecting the immune systems of the elk in WA. Elk have always grazed areas cattle frequent so what's changed? At any rate, I'm just glad to see some research finally being done that might provide some answers even if they are hard ones to swallow. It's pretty heart breaking seeing these animals suffer like that. Not to mention the affect it is having on hunting opportunities.

[bbarnes]

I had video of limping elk in box canyon in goldendale 2 1/2 years ago WDFW biologist didn't even call back.Just took video of limping deer in white salmon 2 weeks ago until they quit spaying there gonna keep limping.

[Don_D]

I Received a research update from the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU this morning. We really should sticky a thread on this subject. We could post some links to keep updated and sign up for updates with the WSU research study for those interested or use the thread to post them on the site. There are some refernces to maps of the areas affected are in the attached .PDF file.

Research Update #6
June 2, 2020
If you’ve been following elk hoof disease, you probably know that sporadic cases of limping elk in
southwest Washington were first reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
during the late 1990s to early 2000s. Then the disease broke out most notably in 2008, not too far from
where it was first observed.
Over the past decade, elk in the Mount St. Helen’s area have been hit hard by the disease and are the
primary concern. But recent disease surveillance indicates that there is more to the story. A second
concern is now arising, detection of elk hoof disease over a broader geographic range.
In 2018, when the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine took the lead on elk hoof disease research, the
disease was generally thought of as a very significant, yet local issue, centered in the Mount St. Helen’s
area. But the disease had also been detected in several counties in western Washington, and also by the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in northern Oregon.
As part of our investigations, we wanted to determine the distribution of the disease. Were there elk
in other areas affected by the disease that were going unreported? Was the disease spreading? These
questions are important to address to understand the disease currently, as well as gain insights into its
past and future.
We collaborated with WDFW and ODFW to collect hoof samples from elk. We also partnered with Idaho
Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to collect
hooves from normal elk to use for comparison with the diseased hooves.
To our surprise, in addition to receiving normal hooves from each of the four states, we also received
abnormal hooves that tested positive for elk hoof disease. These findings greatly expand the geographic
area in which the disease is known to occur. They also challenge some of our assumptions and raise more
questions about the disease.
One of the biggest questions is whether these detections are just sporadic cases that have been
occurring for a number of years without advancing to outbreaks, or even being noticed. Or, on the other
hand, are these new introductions of the disease that might lead to outbreaks in the future, similar to
what happened in southwest Washington? By comparing and contrasting the situation in southwest
Washington with other areas, we hope to learn more about factors that contribute to an outbreak
occurring. This information could help clarify causes that can then be addressed through management
actions.
Another question is whether these new detections represent spread from areas where the disease is
established in elk herds, or if the disease is emerging independently in each new location. Management
response could differ if the disease was spread by natural movement of elk and human movement of elk
carcasses (or other infectious material) versus if, for example, disease spillover from domestic species was repeatedly occurring.

Unfortunately, over the past two years we have learned that elk hoof disease is not only a local issue,
but also a regional issue encompassing the Pacific West. While the highest prevalence of disease still
occurs in areas of southwest Washington, it is unknown what will happen in other areas where the disease
occurs. Fortunately, we have still not detected the disease in wildlife species other than elk. But these
new detections underscore the importance of continuing to work with state management agencies to
conduct disease surveillance and monitoring.
Map of elk hoof disease cases reported on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website in April 2018. Red dots are positive cases and yellow are negative. Cases from Oregon are not shown.
Cases of elk hoof disease as of May 2020. Red dots indicate location of positive cases, and red shading indicates counties where the disease has been detected. Up-to-date maps are accessible on our website. Data presented is collected in collaboration with Washington, Oregon, and California Departments of Fish and Wildlife, and with Idaho Department of Fish and Game.