A case of Chronic Wasting Disease was found in a deer at a Medina County breeding facility.
It’s the fifth facility where CWD has been detected in the county.
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The disease was found during postmortem testing of a white-tailed deer.
Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory initially analyzed the samples and the CWD detection was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa.
“CWD has an incubation period that can span years, so the first indication of the disease in a herd is often found through routine surveillance testing rather than observed clinical signs. Proactive monitoring improves the state’s response time to the detection of CWD and can greatly reduce the risk of further disease spread. TPWD reminds all deer breeders of requirements to report mortalities within seven days of detection and submit CWD test samples within seven days of collection,” a TPWD press release stated.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease found in certain deer and other members of the deer family. It is a slow and progressive disease that may not produce visible signs for years after infection. The department adds that animals with CWD may show signs of progressive weight loss, stumbling, tremors, a lack of coordination, dropping ears and excessive thirst. Texas Parks and Wildlife said that early detection and proactive monitoring can reduce the spread of the disease.
Texas Parks and Wildlife said that the first case of CWD was discovered in a free-range mule deer in the Hueco mountains near the Texas-New Mexico border in 2012. The disease has since been detected in captive and free-range deer and elk in Texas.
For information on previous detections of CWD in Texas and best practices for hunters and landowners, visit the TPWD’s CWD page.