Updated May 14, 2020
Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD), aka elk hoof disease, is a debilitating and progressive condition that causes deformed and overgrown hooves. The causative infectious agent is believed to be associated with Treponema spirochetes, but other pathogens may play a role. TAHD shares similarities to bovine digital dermatitis and contagious ovine digital dermatitis.
The disease was first discovered in elk in Washington state in the 1990s and has since been documented in elk in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and now California. Recent detections in Oregon’s Douglas County were previously the closest to California.
TAHD is an emerging disease in wild elk. The number of elk with abnormal hooves and lameness has increased dramatically in the western region in the past decade. The impact of TAHD on elk populations and is unclear. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reports that 20-90% of elk are limping in various herds in southwestern Washington. Preliminary results from WDFW research suggest that diseased elk have lower survival than their healthy counterparts, but additional study is needed.
There is currently no treatment for the disease in wild elk, so as with most diseases in wildlife, prevention of spread is key.
In January 2020, construction of the elk research facility on the WSU, Pullman campus was completed. The facility includes 10 individual pens where studies will be conducted, a handling facility, and two 1.5 acre holding pastures. The objective of the initial study is to determine whether elk hoof disease is infectious and transmissible to otherwise healthy elk through natural routes of transmission in captivity.
Further Reading:
Washington State University Elk Hoof Disease Information Site
