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Mad Cow Disease Arrives

3K views 53 replies 24 participants last post by  sidepasser 
I am going to say something that is probably going to get me flamed big time. BUt it needs to be said until folks hear it.
I am not surprised and actually expected to see cases show up earlier than this.
My reasons aren't just because of the big producers but the 'homesteaders' that find it OK to feed cat & dog food to sheep, goats and also feel it's Ok to feed the entrails and meat of one animal to others on their homestead of the same species.
Especially bad is feeding dog & cat food to ruminants-don't folks realize that the renderers where the infected, diseased animals are taken;produce the 'animal byproducts' that are found in dog and cat food. Not only cattle but sheep and goats can contract versions of mad cow disease-sheep it's scrapie and goats it's wasting disease(there's a name for it but right now it escapes me).
Since there's as much as a 5 yr incubation period before the animals show symptoms how many homesteaders are eating meat that they themselves have caused to be infected by trying to save a buck by feeding dog & cat food, other animal meat and entrails?
We never feed any of our livestock from the poultry all the way to the pigs any feed that has animal byproducts in it including any scraps containing meat or garbage from our own table. Vegetables & fruits they do get but not meat or meat byproducts. To me it's just asking for problems and so far in 30 yrs we've never had the disease, parasites or illnesses so frequently discussed on all of the various homesteading type boards.
So although this infected animal was found because it came through the large processing plant where testing was done, how many of you are susceptible to the same thing by your own on farm feeding practices? It is surely something to consider when deciding if you want to eat healthy meat produced through good management and species specific feed or just want to eat the same thing that you would get from a feed lot?
The choice is yours......
 
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