All elk hoof disease topics

Report to Legislature | 2022

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.

Cow elk in the wild, looking right at the camera.

WSU leading the efforts against elk hoof disease

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.   The legislation provided funding to address elk hoof […]

Elk hoof being evaluated by researchers.

Report to Legislature | 2021

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.

Frequently asked questions about elk hoof disease

What is elk hoof disease? Elk hoof disease is a debilitating disease that causes sores on the feet of elk, in addition to deformed, overgrown, broken, or sloughed hooves. Affected elk are often observed limping or holding up a foot. Sporadic cases of the disease may have occurred in southwestern Washington earlier but the number of […]

Bull elk laying in field with cow elk behind him.