White Tailed Deer Disease

White-tailed deer can carry a variety of diseases, including Chronic Wasting Disease and Hemorrhagic Disease. While many of these diseases cannot spread to humans, they can spread to other wildlife species and livestock.

There are signs of disease that can be identified and safe handling of deceased deer should always be practiced, even if disease isn't suspected. Dense populations of deer can also spread disease rapidly, so population management is a valuable tool for managing disease risk.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a disease associated with a prion, which is a misfolded protein. Once contracted by deer, it is always fatal. It can be spread through saliva, blood, urine, or fecal matter. Once an area is contaminated, prions remain in the environment where it can infect other animals over time. Individuals infected by CWD are typically thinner than healthy deer. They often stumble and have a hard time maintaining coordination walking around. Drooling is observed in infected deer. Infected animals may show no fear of humans. Currently, there is no evidence of CWD spread to humans, however, experts are continuing to research the disease and evaluate potential risks.

There are two main hemorrhagic diseases that impact deer, bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). These diseases are usually associated with water and are caused by biting flies. Neither of them are a threat to humans. Signs of these diseases are a swollen head or neck that can be a blue color, labored breathing, ulcers in the mouth, and a blue colored tongue.

Cutaneous fibromas are black, white, or gray growths on the skin that resemble warts. They vary in size and are often clustered. They are not considered dangerous to the animal unless they impact their breathing, sight, or mobility. Cutaneous fibromas are not considered a threat to humans.