Mad Cow

Genevieve M. · #1 08/27/07, 01:41 PM

A lady at scouts said that you can not feed goat's milk (she actually said protein) to cows because that is what causes mad cow disease.

I think that is just ignorant.

I'll be seeing her tonight, how should I answer her if she brings it up again?

BlueHeronFarm · #2 08/27/07, 02:13 PM

Feeding cows other cows is what causes BSE (Mad Cow) ... but I suppose there is no point in correcting her unless you are in the business of selling goat milk.

susieM · #3 08/27/07, 02:13 PM

Mad cow seems to have been caused by feeding the meat of animals (protien) to animals which don't normally eat meat.

Ask her what kind of protien she meant.

jerzeygurl · #4 08/27/07, 02:20 PM

specifically protiens from infected animals spines and brains....

susieM · #5 08/27/07, 03:04 PM

Or maybe even human bones collected in India in the Ganges River and sold to feed companies.

Jcran · #6 08/27/07, 04:06 PM

If I were you, I'd start twitching and circling and foaming at the mouth a bit..might shut her up

ksfarmer · #7 08/27/07, 04:24 PM

There are many kinds and sources of protein added to livestock feed, and most pose no problems. The suspected connection to mad cow came from meat scraps, or other products from cattle which might include nerve tissue from already infected cattle, being rendered and used for this protein.

5webbkids · #8 08/28/07, 09:17 AM

OR you could just let her go on and on....yes her to death and keep on doing what you are doing, but if she is spouting this miss-information TO the scouts, I might get a bit of research material from the 'net together and rebut her.....it's so hard to know if you should let people mill around in their own little world or drag them into the light....

sycamore · #9 08/28/07, 10:36 AM

There is a huge difference between milk and animal protein. Ask her to clarify her comments, since she is so knowledgeable. You play the non-knowledgeable and ask the good questions.

If she sticks to the milk claim than ask "So we'll get Mad Cow from milk, any milk, real milk, pasturized milk, ect....????"
(vegans will jump on that fast)

ksfarmer · #10 08/28/07, 12:49 PM

To quote someone else, "Sometimes you just can't fix stupid". However , I would try my darndest to make sure others realized the information was incorrect. Especially a bunch of young people who might be suseptable to believing it.

wr · #11 08/28/07, 01:44 PM

I think she's confused in the sense that there was a time, prior to the current feed regulations, when blood products were added to milk replacer but that has absolutely nothing to do with her statement or train of thought. I'd love to hear if you changed her mind but more often than not, uninformed people with goofy ideas, prefer to consider themselves experts.

tinknal · #12 08/28/07, 03:17 PM

Some form of this condition occurs in most ruminant species. I wouldn't discount the theory that goat tissue could spread the disease to cattle but I have seen no proof of it. As for milk, no way.

Ken Scharabok · #13 08/28/07, 04:09 PM

Far as I know there is still no 100% conclusive link between BSE/MCD and the consumption by cattle of protein byproducts from other cattle or other animal species. Leading theory, but...

Meat and Bone Meal was fed to cattle for perhaps the last 100 years. Why no outbreaks before the one in England?

IMHO something else was going on.

tinknal · #14 08/28/07, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

Far as I know there is still no 100% conclusive link between BSE/MCD and the consumption by cattle of protein byproducts from other cattle or other animal species. Leading theory, but...

Meat and Bone Meal was fed to cattle for perhaps the last 100 years. Why no outbreaks before the one in England?

IMHO something else was going on.

Ken, could be it just wasn't identified, or that the prion recently entered the food chain.

wr · #15 08/28/07, 05:15 PM

Ken, you're very right, the whole concept is actually based on one flawed research program, from what I've read.

Genevieve M. · #16 08/28/07, 07:39 PM

Fortunately, she didn't bring it up to me last night. She asked my Dh what we were going to do with our extra goat's milk.

He said that we might make cheese or soap. If worse came to worse, we could give it to the cattle rancher next door for his calves.

That's when she said that giving calves goat's milk could cause MCD. I don't think any scouts overheard the conversation.

Thanks for all of the information. I really appreciate it.