Executive summary In 2008, cases of limping elk exhibiting characteristic hoof lesions reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) increased markedly in Southwestern Washington. By 2017, and in response to stakeholder concern regarding the intensity and spread of the disease, the Washington State Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 5474 to designate Washington […]
In 2017 the Washington State Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 5474 to designate WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine as the state lead in developing a program to monitor and assess causes of, and potential solutions for, elk hoof disease. Read the 2022 report to the Legislature providing the most recent developments with the disease.
Mineral supplementation is not a clear answer to elk hoof disease.
While we don’t have ways to treat or cure elk with hoof disease in the wild, there are ways to help researchers and managers.
Dr. Margaret Wild joined the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine in 2018 to lead Washington’s elk hoof disease research efforts.
The Spokesman-Review
A disease in elk that causes deformed hooves and eventually leads to lameness and death is also associated with abnormal, asymmetrical antlers, a WSU‑led study of hunter reports found.
Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has been leading the effort to identify the cause of elk hoof disease and to provide critical information to wildlife agencies to better manage the disease in the wild since the Washington state Legislature passed SB 5474 in 2017. Read on the Washington State Legislature database. The […]
In 2017 the Washington State Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 5474 to designate WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine as the state lead in developing a program to monitor and assess causes of, and potential solutions for, elk hoof disease. Read the 2021 report to the Legislature providing the most recent developments with the disease.
