The first cases of chronic wasting disease ( CWD ) to be found in an Edwards County deer breeding facility were confirmed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ( TPWD ) and the Texas Animal Health Commission ( TAHC).
A pair of two-year-olds who had undergone histopathological tests successfully met the CWD surveillance requirements for deer. Initial results from the testing were done by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory ( TVMDL). Three more CWD cases were discovered after the strategic removal of the deer paired with the good deer and additional testing.
Because CWD can last for many years, the earliest sign of the disease in a herd can often be determined by monitoring tests rather than clinical signs. Early detection and strategic monitoring significantly shorten the state’s response to CWD detection and significantly reduce the chance of additional disease spread. Deer breeders are urged to document mortalities within seven days of recognition and post CWD check samples within seven days of collection by TAHC and TPWD.
Deer, elk, deer, and other members of the animal family are among the dangerous neurological diseases that are found in some species. This delayed, progressing disease may not show symptoms in exposed species for several years following infection. As the disease process continues, creatures with CWD does exhibit changes in behavior and look. Clinical signs may include democratic weight loss, stumbling or tremors with a lack of coordination, loss of appetite, teeth grinding, excessive nose position and/or drooping ears, and excessive thirst, saliva or urine.
The disease was first discovered in Texas in 2012 in a rural area of the Hueco Mountains near the Texas-New Mexico borders in a free-ranging mule deer. CWD has since been detected in Texas prisoner and costless- ranging cervids, including whitened- tailed deer, mule deer, red deer and elk.
For more information on past sightings in Texas and CWD best management practices for hunting and landowners, attend TPWD’s CWD section or the TAHC’s CWD website.
