EHD Prevention

I know their has been a lot discussed already regarding this issue......however I thought if we started a thread concerning just this issue .........it will be helpful to a lot of us with EHD looming in our areas........please list what has worked best for you in preventing this awful disease! I know Spraying is about the only line of defense as well as a Healthy herd.......but let's get more specific in this thread if we can........thanks in advance to those who can help!!.........I am not excited for winter to come.....But bring on that first FROST!!

We are getting way to specific here guys..........

We have a Mist System and Spray as well by hand sprayer. Mist at night is of utmost importance as that is when they come out and do their damage. We keep grass cut low around pens. We check our deer 3 or more times a day and any sign of EHD we treat with Exceed and Dex...a steroid. We kept all muddy areas sprayed with the chemical. We have doubled our dose in our Mist Systems once EHD season began. We treated our fawns with Exceed and Dex as preventive and hit them again 3 days later. They get probiotic in their milk and every pen is clean and dry as possible or sprayed with chemical or Clorox so no midge can survive anywhere.We are waiting to vaccinate due to the extreme conditions. We use Shock Effect with Bucks and give the Does Shock Effect Conditioner. We use the best Purina deer feed that is only sold in Texas right now so their nutrition is high quality. Being in the pens daily and watching for any signs of ANY symptom is most important. We use binoculars to sit and watch all parts of each deer/fawn. We also bought the med from Dr. Joe Able from Texas and if any of our big bucks get any symptoms at all we will use that med. It is high but losing a buck that is your lively hood is worth the cost. Read,study and understand the disease and know what you are looking for. It hits anyone, small or large farm. Also pray to the good Lord above for protection from this bad little fly.

We have lost one to Blue Tongue and that was due to nozzles being clogged and we had been watering for some grass to grow back when we had the 100+ temps for 2 weeks and a mud pile accumulated and that is where the deer would lay. So we feel responsible for the one loss that we had and not being diligent. Since that awful death, and it is awful to watch them suffer we will not let it happen again. Yes we are tired but we will keep the fight up and pray that all deer farmers get relief soon. You all are in our prayers.

Dennis, here are the high points on what I do & watch for. I fog three to four times a week starting in early summer when the insects start to show up. Once summer heats up & as it gets closer to EHD season we intensify the fogging to every day, 2 to 3 times a day. The mix I use is 4% permethrin & 8% PBO. I also have diesel & permethrin rubs in front of my water troughs. We establish a no fly zone in & around our pens. The biggest problem that I see is most people dilute their spray to the point that it is very weak an inefficient. I think this is the most common mistake that is made with people using misting systems. Let's do the math and say you put a gallon of Sector (10% permethrin & 10% PBO) to a gallon of water, now your at 5% strength for 2 gallons of mix. Mix that with 2 gallons of water & you have 4 gallons of 2 1/2% strength mix. You keep extrapolating that out to reach 100 gallons and your strength is down to about 1/10 of 1% that is 0.10% that's like big game hunting with a BB gun compared to the 4.0% I use. There's a lot of misunderstanding and people are all over the board with the strength of their chemical application.

We have EHD here Every Year. What I have found that helps to make or break you is early detection. The FIRST sign of isolation, tender feet, licking of lips, then you better hit the deer with medication. I give 8 to 12 MG of Dexamethasone not CC's but MG depending on its concentration, 2 cc Draxxin, 1 cc of Banamine . Wait & watch for three to four days & repeat if needed. We don't put any of them down, that will kill them sometimes, it is hard on them, but to each his own idea,on that. My deer handle very good so medicating them is not a problem. Good Luck & Good Health to everybody, it is one horrible death they suffer.

Wyane, with the amounts of medication you are talking about and you say you do not put the deer down (which I think makes good sense).......I guess someone would need a chute system as darting them with that amount f meds would be impossible correct?........thanks so much everyone so far for this life saving information........it is so appreciated!

Your welcome Dennis, covered up with work all day. I'll take some time later & post more of my thoughts & ideas.

I just sprayed tonight.........every pen.....wish I could say I felt all warm an fuzzy cause i sprayed......but I don't....kind of feel like I just sprayed my money away....but I have faith in these guys that have been through the pain...and that keeps me going!!

Dennis - If you ''prayed'' as you ''sprayed'', you've done all you can!

Hey dennis i have had ehd every year for 28 yrs .this year i have used 50 gallons of permetherin that is not counting what i mix with it.i am on my 20th 2 liter bottle of ivimec pour on .i have used 200 doses of ehd vacine.i can shoot dart gun with my eyes closed not a good thing.waynes info is very very good never never never tranquilize a deer never that is sick with fever.dart it in him .

Jerry & I take the same approach. It helps if you can build your herd toward calmness when it comes to medicating them. It is a time consuming job to stay on full alert and watch for the symptoms daily. A lot of people just don't have that much free time given their job & family commitments. Again Good Luck to All

Awesome Mark.....you are sooooo correct......and i appreciate all the advice guys.......it could mean the life or death of many animals......you guys are awesome!! I must say i sprayed last night for the first time in my farming history......you hsaw what i posted....i was very negative about my feelings......well today i went out and checked my deer and to my surprise the bugs were WAY down......almost non exisitent.......i could not believe it........i will from this point forward spray my pens not only to pevent for EHD...but to make my whitetails much happier animals as they were today.............

Good deal Dennis & Good Luck

I am beginning to believe the deer that survive ehd would have regardless of our efforts and those that succumb could not be saved by any medical efforts.

Scott what do you think makes one deer survive over another one? health? immune system? There has to be something otherwise there would be no deer left down South......I am not disagreeing with you just curious on your thoughts...

Scott, I agree with you 100%!

At the first sign of MCF ( another hemorraghic disease) I try to destroy & remove the animals.I check the airways to find signs of hemorraghing just to confirm.

Its me preventing the suffering I know the animals will endure,as MCF is fatal once contracted by my tropicals, (fallow are "bullet proof" to steal a phrase,reds & sambar appear very resistent yet not completly "bullet proof").

This also may prevent further infection,however the animal will have been infected for several days at this stage. It is a reportable disease down here,but isn't. Instead its called "winter death syndrome" not MCF to protect the sheep industry.



My major preventative measure is keeping maggot taxi's at least a mile away from the enclosures with antelope,chital,rusa & any tropical species.I also dont kill dingos any more as they deter my neighbours from running sheep.This last statement may seem hard but if sheep were tested & managed for the many viruses they carry,deer & no doubt a host of other native species of animals would not have to endure regular diebacks.



Cheers Sharkey

I have seen first hand that early detection has saved some lives & being a little slow to react has cost some, their life. But at the same time I know Charles Black in La has lost some regardless & Charles is on top of his deer. You just never know for sure, but I don't want to look back and wonder "what if"

Good Luck & Good Health to all!

I just read something that was interesting if true. The midge fly was not a native bug but brought here to kill mosquitoes . It was a native bug of Asia. You would have to wonder what jerk thought this was a good idea. I’ll guess, it was a DNR guy with a degree in bugs. LOL What a shame if this is true because of all the suffering it has caused our deer herds from one stupid act.

I have raised deer for 6 years and lost my first deer to ehd last year. 6 got sick 5 died. It just so happened, last summer my neighbor leased his ground to a cattle farmer and i had cattle within 30 yards of my pen. Coincidence??

This year was the same, 60 cattle 30 yards from my pen. I was prepared! I bought a sprayer and fogger and had all the meds and darts on hand. I spray and fog everything everynight.

Ehd hit my farm 3 weeks ago. I lost 6 bucks in 2 days and saved 1.(still alive) i have 5 pens with deer in them and the first 6 that died were in the pen with last years ehd survivor. Coincidence??

It has now killed deer in all my pens. I treat with the great advice i get from this site and i have save 2 so far. I use dex,excede and b complex. I look in the eyes of all my deer at least 4 times a day and treat at first signs. I treated a 202" perfect 10 point 2yr old and a 350" 4 yr old that showed no signs and i lost them both a week later! I have also found over 40 dead deer in the wild and i know of alot more that friends and neighbors found.

I started with 68 deer and have around 30 left.

WHAT ARE THE FACTS? Are cattle the hosts that introduced this disease and did last years survivor act as a host also? Do we want survivors? Can cattle be tested for ehd?

I have done all i can do! This disease comes directly from hell? I heard horror stories but never thought it would happen to me! I am all done!

My advice, build a building to put all your deer in in August and September.

Good luck, do all you can and leave the rest to the man upstairs.

man Chris I feel your pain.......I agree......do your best and to God we must leave the rest.....this disease is awful and unfortunately until it wipes out most of the whitetail population I do not feel anything will be sone about it. Except I am waiting for them to blame deer farming for the disease....I am sure that's coming in the future......