Treponeme-Associated Hoof Disease (TAHD) in Elk

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Disease Overview

Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) causes limping and lameness in elk due to abnormal hoof growth, lesions, and, in severe cases, sloughing of the hoof capsule. TAHD is a form of digital dermatitis, a disease strongly associated with a group of bacteria known as treponemes. Although digital dermatitis has affected the livestock industry for decades, TAHD is the first known instance of digital dermatitis in a wild ungulate.

This unprecedented disease presents a significant challenge to elk management in Washington State. Once hoof disease infects a population it is extremely difficult to eradicate, particularly because there are no vaccines or practical treatments for managing TAHD in free ranging elk. Scientists are still learning about this disease and WDFW is partnered with Washington State University to research the disease's causes, transmission, and potential solutions.

Elk hoof disease is most prevalent in southwest Washington but is currently confirmed in 17 counties.

You can help WDFW track TAHD by reporting sightings of affected or unaffected elk using the WDFW online reporting form. For more information about this disease, visit the WDFW elk hoof disease page.

TAHD Incentive Program

WDFW has an incentive program to encourage west-side (400, 500, 600 series GMUs) hunters to harvest elk with hoof disease (TAHD) and reduce the number of diseased elk on the landscape. The program has two related but independent components:

General Season or Special Permit hunters can participate in the program by submitting the hooves from their elk harvest at one of many drop-off locations. Hunters that submit hooves with signs of TAHD (i.e., abnormal hooves) will be entered into a drawing for a Special Permit incentive for the following year. These Special Permit incentives allow the harvest of any bull elk in western Washington GMUs from Sept. 1-Dec. 31. The permit draw will be held prior to the typical special permit application deadline.
WDFW is also offering special permits that are intended to target diseased elk under the Master Hunter permit category. These permits are offered as an opportunity for antlerless elk and are not restricted to private land. Master Hunters must submit all four hooves from their harvest to WDFW for inspection. Only one elk may be harvested under these permits (a change from previous years), and because a Master Hunter permit is itself a special opportunity, elk harvested under these permits are not eligible for the General Season or Special Permit incentive permit described above.

Participation in this incentive program is voluntary, and harvest of an elk with hoof disease is optional or part of the Master Hunter permit conditions. No evidence to date suggests that meat from elk with hoof disease is unsuitable for human consumption. WDFW does not provide replacement transport tags to hunters who harvest an elk with TAHD.

For more information and a list of drop-off locations, visit the WDFW elk hoof disease incentive permits page.

Hoof Disease Reporting

If you harvest an elk in Washington, carefully inspect all four hooves from the elk you harvested and note if, in your opinion, the hooves appear to be deformed or exhibit any abnormalities. WDFW will request this information in your annual hunter report, and your answer will help WDFW understand the distribution and prevalence of treponeme-associated hoof disease of elk in Washington.

If you harvest an elk in western Washington (400, 500, 600 series GMUs), consider participating in WDFW’s pilot incentive program described below. If you harvest an elk in eastern Washington (100, 200, and 300 series GMUs) with deformed or abnormal hooves, please retain the hooves and immediately report your observation through WDFW's online reporting form (link below) or by contacting your regional WDFW office.

Advanced stages of TAHD appear as obviously deformed, elongated, broken or missing hooves. Early stages are more difficult to detect and may appear as eroded skin and infection between the two claws of the hoof, areas of separation between the skin and the hoof, or large cavities on the underside of the hooves. See illustration for an example of diseased hooves. For more information on treponeme-associated hoof disease, visit the WDFW elk hoof disease page and report any sightings of limping elk or elk with abnormal hooves.

Common Signs and Appearance of Treponeme-Associated Hoof Disease

Illustration showing elk hooves with signs of TAHD, including overgrown claws, cracked tissue, and infected skin between hoof claws. — Illustration of elk hooves showing common signs of treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD), including overgrown claws, cracks, and infection.