MORGANTOWN – In light of the ongoing drought, two WVU Extension experts have offered some insight and advice on how drought can affect livestock and wildlife.
Darin Matlick, a veterinarian and Potomac State College professor, talked about the effects on cattle. Sheldon Owen, Extension wildlife specialist, shared insights on deer.
Normal environmental stresses coupled with drought-related stresses – such as heat and inadequate nutrition – increase the risk of disease in cattle, he said. The diseases can include respiratory and digestive diseases, and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) spread by biting midges.
Midges can spread EHD any time, but they make their way from the southern part of the country to the northern especially during milder winters or, in this case, prolonged drought periods. The midges spread EHD – a viral disease not communicable between cattle – that is typically not fatal but can cause mouth lesions, appetite loss and lameness.
Drought can make cattle immune-suppressed, he said, which lead to diseases. “That can happen at any time. The drought just makes it a little more challenging.”
Because drought leads to a lack of grass for cattle grazing, he said, farmers need to supplement their diet with such things as corn or other grains or hay. Matlick lives in the Eastern Panhandle and noted that because of drought in the Keyser area, a lot of farmers were feeding their hay because they were out of grass.
Matlick advised farmers to call their veterinarian if their livestock display EHD symptoms. And the West Virginia Conservation Agency and National Resources Conservation Service can offer aid and advice for drought-related issues for water and feed.
The National Integrated Drought Information System shows that 17.4% of West Virginia is currently experiencing severe drought, including northern Monongalia and Preston counties; 59% is suffering extreme drought, including southern Mon and Preston and all of Marion and Wetzel.
EHD is more prevalent in deer than in cattle, Matlick said.
Owen said EHD outbreaks can cause sickness and death in deer. Outbreaks occur periodically – normally in August and September.
He emphasized that EHD and chronic wasting disease are different diseases. EHD can occur anywhere in the state while CWD has been reported in only six Eastern Panhandle counties.
Owen said that whitetail deer typically experience a stress period in late summer when the quality and availability of edible vegetation like buds, leaves, twigs, herbaceous plants, etc., decreases because of high temperatures and lack of rain. Drought can sometimes amplify and prolong this normal stress period.
The reduced browse quality and availability means their nutritional requirements may not be met, leading to reduced antler development, reduced milk production and overall reduced health.
“Deer may have to travel farther to find enough browse to meet their nutritional needs resulting in increased risk of predation, deer vehicle collisions and interactions with other deer,” he said. Deer may move into more urban areas where landowners water their landscaping, thus increasing deer damage and landowner-deer conflicts.
Summer environmental stresses and increased lactation demands on does will reduce their body weight and make them look thinner. And as deer shed their summer coats, they develop a ragged appearance that some may mistake for illness.
Landowners can help offset late summer environmental stresses – which are exacerbated by drought – with better habitat management, he said. Promote native early successional vegetation – annuals and perennials that quickly fill in sites, according to America’s Longleaf – along with warm season food plots and forest stand improvements to increase ground cover and vegetation.
And reducing deer population through hunting can balance deer numbers with available habitat, he said.
He concluded that if you see an animal that appears sick or to be acting abnormally, contact the Division of Natural Resources.
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
