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Mad
Cow Disease
“Mad Cow
Disease” (technically known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or
SCE) is a nervous system disorders in which nerve cells of the brain
die, causing the brain to assume a sponge-like appearance. BSE is the
term applied to this malady as it affects cows and was first recognized
in November 1986. Affected cows show clinical signs such as
belligerence, confusion and poor coordination. A brain biopsy is
presently the only way to confirm a BSE diagnosis.
The disease
believed to be caused by a "self-replicating" protein (a
prion) rather than a bacterium or virus. This is similar to “Scrapie” and "Chronic
Wasting Disease." Scrapie
a common prion disease found in sheep and chronic
wasting disease has been diagnosed sporadically in wild mule deer,
white-tailed deer and elk in north-central Colorado since 1981. To date
mad cow disease has been confined primarily to Europe with one
additional case in Canada.
Epidemiological
data suggests that feeding cattle rendered protein produceds from the
carcasses of scrapie-infected sheep caused the disease in Britain. The
practice of using products such as meat and bone meal in cattle
rations, as a source of protein has been common for several decades. The
prion appears to be little affected by conventional stylization methods
such as heat. This is why cooked meat and meat byproducts can still pose
a potential health hazard to humans and livestock.
What are public health authorities
doing in the US?
At a meeting
in Washington with people from the American agricultural sector,
veterinary medicine, USDA, and cattlemen groups, ruminant (cattle and
sheep) -based feeds are already excluded in the US on a voluntary basis,
but this will soon become an FDA regulation.
To safeguard
the United States the FDA Proposed rules to limit the use of ruminant
derived meat and bone meal in ruminant feeds (similar to the
British SBO) were published in the January 3, 1997 Federal Register
(Volume 62, Number 2, Page 551-583). Such rules would limit potential
spread of prion disease in US cattle from any spontaneous cases or from
species in the US, which are known to have prion diseases (deer, elk,
mink).
Could “Mad Cow Disease” be
Transmitted to Lamas?
The evidence
points to animal byproducts being feed to ruminant livestock as the
source of the disease. The protein (prion) is found in the brain and
spinal column of infected animals. Bone Meal from an infected
animal could transmitted this disease and for that reason Stillwater
Minerals dropped bone meal from its Lama-Min product line over seven
years ago on the advice of their consulting livestock nationalist. Other
respected Lama nutritionist agreed over five years ago that bone meal
should not be used in mineral supplements as a precaution because of the
potential of transmitting mad cow disease. The FDA proposed banning the
use of ruminant derived bone meal in ruminant’s feed four years ago.
Yet
to this day some llama and alpaca minerals supplements
The
following is a list of ingredients taken from a leading manufacturer of
llama and alpaca mineral supplements own web site showing all three
contain “bone meal.”
Supplement
# 1 Ingredients:
Dried molasses, salt, steamed bone
meal, zinc
methionine complex, limestone, Vitamin E supplement, roughage products,
mineral oil, magnesium oxide, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous
sulfate, sodium selenite, manganese proteinate, Vitamin A supplement,
copper sulfate, copper proteinate, Vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt
sulfate, calcium iodate.
Supplement
# 2 Ingredients:
Dried molasses, salt, mono-sodium phosphate, steamed bone
meal, zinc
methionine complex, limestone, Vitamin E supplement, mineral oil,
magnesium oxide, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate,
sodium selenite, manganese proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, copper
sulfate, copper proteinate, Vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt sulfate,
calcium iodate
Supplement
# 3 Ingredients:
Dried molasses, salt, mono-sodium phosphate, steamed bone
meal, zinc
methionine complex, limestone, Vitamin E supplement, mineral oil,
magnesium oxide, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate,
sodium selenite, manganese proteinate, Vitamin A supplement, copper
sulfate, copper proteinate, Vitamin D3 supplement, cobalt sulfate,
calcium iodate.
Check
your llama and alpaca feed and vitamin and mineral supplements for the
presents of bone meal.
Stillwater
Minerals continues to lead the way in llama and alpaca nutrition by
being the first to increase the levels of Vitamin D to combat rickets.
The first to offer electrolytes and Vitamin B’s to help combat stress.
Added addition levels of the mineral zinc to combat chronic skin and
fiber problems. Stillwater Minerals continues to support llama and
alpaca research and as that research points the way to better nutrition
you can rest assured that Stillwater will continue to improve our
products for the animals we all love.
The
above press release has been provided by
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