Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: huntingbug712 on January 06, 2009, 08:14:02 PM
-
is hoof-rot contagious in deer heards or just elk heards??
-
Hoof rot or deer hair loss? Your topic is deer hair loss but you ask about hoof rot. I dont think hoof rot is contagious at all, hair loss in caused by louse and is transmitted from deer to deer contact. I dont think its found in elk though, but i may be wrong.
-
Hoof rot is caused by a bacteria in the soil and is not transmissable from one individual to the next, but can effect both deer and elk. Generally their immune system can fight it off.
Hair-loss is caused by an invasive species of lice thought to have been brought in by exotic deer at deer farms. Until a year or 2 ago the lice and hair loss were only seen in black-tails but now it looks like some mule deer in eastern WA have been affected.
-
I would like to hear more about hoof - rot. I have seen a big problem with it in some private ground I hunt in Western Washington mainly with Elk. If it is bacteria - is there a way to get rid of the bacteria or treat the animal with natural methods. Such as: nutrition they get from the natural feed, other measures like this?
I know very little about the subject and looking for anyone that can shed some light on the issue.
It seems to be getting worse each year.
-
I haven't since many references to a natural treatment for wild animals. For livestock, treatment usually includes oral and injectible meds/antibiotics, foot care and topical treatments. Nutrition probably plays a key role for wild animals. As their condition declines, so does their immune system making them more susceptible to disease or infection. Density can be a factor too; higher densities concentrated on any one place for too long might increase the infection rate. An infected animal could transfer it from 1 site to the next and if other elk are around they may pick it up. I'll keep looking around and if I come across some more info I'll pass it along.
There was also a thread from a few months ago in the General Discussion area on this same issue.