WA Department of Fish and Wildlife sees uptick in calls about lumps on deer

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Eastern Region said it is seeing an increased number of calls about lumps, bumps, abscesses and warts on deer.

We’re receiving calls about growths on deer and concern it could be related to chronic wasting disease (CWD). Two common causes of growths are Caseous Lymphdenitis (CL) and Papillomas (warts), not CWD. Info on both is at https://t.co/0vnQTpNl9Q. Photo by Matt Harbin. pic.twitter.com/L2weGTgVyx

— Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (@WDFW) September 9, 2024

Staci Lehman with WDFW Eastern Washington Region 1 told MyNorthwest in an email Monday she spoke with a wildlife veterinarian about the reports.

“Neither of us are sure if there is an increased number of cases of these kinds of growths or if people are just noticing and reporting them more often because chronic wasting disease in the Spokane area has been in the news so much lately and people think these growths might be related,” Lehman wrote.

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Chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a deadly disease seen in animals such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer.

In August, the first detected case of CWD was found in a deer in Washington, as reported by KIRO 7.

“The hunting season will be key to collecting samples to understand (what the) extent of this outbreak is,” Dr. Meilia DeVivo told KIRO 7.

Earlier this month, The Spokesman-Review reported the Washington Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman ordered new equipment to ramp up for CWD testing. The lab, according to the newspaper, is seeing an increase in samples coming in.

The symptoms of CWD, according to the CDC, include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling, listlessness, excessive thirst or peeing, drooping ears and lack of fear of people.

Deer lumps reported are not harmful to the animals

However, Lehman said the growths seen on deer are not a symptom of CWD and do not impact a deer’s health.

“They’re similar to warts, cysts, moles, etc. that we get as humans in that they are externally visible but not generally a health threat,” she explained.

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According to the WDFW, two common causes of lumps, growths and abscesses are conditions called Caseous Lymphdenitis and Papillomas (warts). For more information about these conditions, head to the WDFW’s website.

Lehman said there is no evidence the lumps can transfer to humans but WDFW urges people to use standard precautions any time they are processing wildlife that could potentially have a disease.

Editors note: This story was originally published on September 10, it has been republished since then.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.