This dataset contains measurements of water loss as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) retroypharyngeal lymph nodes air-dried in a refrigerator for 31 days. Daily weights for lymph nodes are recorded every 24 hours, as are the variables "firmness" and "surface wetness". "Firmness" is a categorical variable measuring how much the tissue deforms to the touch (soft, medium, or hard). "Surface wetness" is the amount of visible moisture on the outside of the lymph node (all, some, or none). Lymph node weights were measured until their weights stabilized for 3 consecutive days at two decimal places (ex. 3.02, 3.02, 3.02) or until the weights fluctuated only by 0.01 (ex. 3.02, 3.03, 3.02). Lymph nodes were from northern Illinois white-tailed deer collected as part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' ongoing chronic wasting disease (CWD) management efforts.