Exciting Times at Agribition

[Mark H]

Can anyone that was at Agribition give a first had account of the Charolais Heifer that was plumped out using soda pop and died as a result?  I herd the barn was quarantined as well.  What if anything happened to the heifers owner?

 

[aandtcattle]

I wasnt anywhere close to agribition but this sounds like some mucho bad crap here.

 

[justintime]

It was a Charolais female that was supposedly pumped with 7-Up( several liters I have been told). She was a two year old or older female.I did not see it myself, but from what I was told it was some fitters the owner hired to fit his cattle that did the tubing. Apparently the female was in some distress after it was done as they had to use a prod to get her to move down the isle to the show ring. I am not certain if she actually was shown or not but she fell and died when she was returning to the stall.

As far as I know no sanctions have been placed on the owner yet, but I suspect that some may be coming. The Agribition crew did an excellent job of getting the cow out of sight of the public as they were very concerned if media and particularly TV crews had appeared on the scene. It is situations like this that provide PETA and like minded animal groups with abundant fuel for their cause. We as producers should be even more outraged by these actions and should make sure it never happens again.

I know that pumping show cattle is a fairly routine thing for some people, but to me, it is just more evidence of the level of stupidity some of these fitters have got to, not to mention anything about the animal abuse issues. This was a valuable animal and she was wasted, not only to the owner but the entire industry, by some fitters who thought they needed to cheat to compete.

 

[cndcattle]

The cow was shown, and the judged commented on her not looking healthy in her class. She died minutes after the class was over.

 

[klintdog]

We were stalled down in the Char barn and got to hear all the good gossip about this. I'm not sure how much of this is factual, but I've heard the same story quite a few times now from different people.

The cow was part of a cow/calf pair. The cow was pumped with 7 liters of 7-Up, and apparently the bull calf got a good dose as well. While in the ring the nose started turning blue and the tongue hanging out, the guy on the end of the halter just kept stuffing the tongue back in her mouth. Ended up 2nd or 3rd in class. On the way back to the stall the bull calf got loose and they left him and were just trying to run the cow down the aisle so she could drop in tie-outs.

My understanding is that Agribition immediately took possession of the cow carcass and shipped it to University of Saskatoon for a post-mortem.

My understand is the owner was one of them helping to tube the animal, so who knows. Bull calf supposedly nearly died as well, but on Saturday morning he was still there. They also won Champion bull with a different animal.


A person has to wonder how many times this could have been avoided. If someone across the aisle would have said something, if the judge would have excused the animal from the ring, if the owner would have used his head...luckily Agribition did a great job with it and the barn wasn't quarantined!

 

[fed_champions]

Ive seen hundreds of animals, pumped with sprite or 7-up, never 7 liters, but ive never seen them get sick or die from it. The fack that her nose turned blue make me think they got the liquid in her lungs and drowned the cow, anyone with pumping experience should have been able to avoid this. It is pretty obvious when it starts to go down the wrong pipe. Pumping is necessary in my mind, sometimes when cattle get to shows they stop eating and drinking, cattle look pretty horrible when they are rung out like this. It would be a waste of time to get stuck low in a class because of this, especially when there is a solution with a pump.

 

[thunderdownunder]

Pumping is necessary in my mind, sometimes when cattle get to shows they stop eating and drinking, cattle look pretty horrible when they are rung out like this. It would be a waste of time to get stuck low in a class because of this, especially when there is a solution with a pump.

Are you for real? Necessary? What a load of rubbish.
And if a judge places an animal undeservedly low in a class, because it is hollow... well then they're not worth a grain of salt. A good judge can see beyond the fact an animal is stressed out in a strange environment.

 

[Torch]

Pumping is a symptom of poor animal husbandry. It's no different than trying to use a forklift to get a downer cow to walk.

 

[CAB]

Ive seen hundreds of animals, pumped with sprite or 7-up, never 7 liters, but ive never seen them get sick or die from it. The fack that her nose turned blue make me think they got the liquid in her lungs and drowned the cow, anyone with pumping experience should have been able to avoid this. It is pretty obvious when it starts to go down the wrong pipe. Pumping is necessary in my mind, sometimes when cattle get to shows they stop eating and drinking, cattle look pretty horrible when they are rung out like this. It would be a waste of time to get stuck low in a class because of this, especially when there is a solution with a pump.

Her nose turned blue because she was suffocating form the inability to breath because of the pressure  her stomach was imposing on her lungs.

 

[Shorthorns4us]

Wow-- I know that the show industry competition is tough, but taking that chance on your valuable animal seems nuts to me.
That is why I stay away from shows and when I do show-- I show my way-- they come straight from their working environment.  Yes they can get stressed and not eat or drink as well, but that goes with the territory.  I also believe in not over-fitting.
Good or bad, right or wrong-- that is how I choose to present my stock when I do go to a show.
I know there are folks that think-- why bother, but then I know there are folks that can appreciate Keeping It Simple!
Just had to get on a comment on this one. 

 

[knabe]

He nose turned blue because she was suffocating form the inability to breath because of the pressure  her stomach was imposing on her lungs.

is there a gene for smaller lungs so we can fill them up more, or a drain plug at the bottom of the lungs with a button on the nose when it gets blue that it lights up?

 

[CAB]

He nose turned blue because she was suffocating form the inability to breath because of the pressure  her stomach was imposing on her lungs.

is there a gene for smaller lungs so we can fill them up more, or a drain plug at the bottom of the lungs with a button on the nose when it gets blue that it lights up?

Not yet, but I'll work on it. Better yet and much quicker, how about you work on this Knabe!!

 

[SWMO]

Some people will do anything to win.  This just one of many instances that prove it.

It will be more interesting to see if the show will punish the offender and what that punishment will be.  Esp if that same group also had the Grand Champion Bull.

 

[Okotoks]

Some people will do anything to win.  This just one of many instances that prove it.

It will be more interesting to see if the show will punish the offender and what that punishment will be.  Esp if that same group also had the Grand Champion Bull.

I would expect that the exhibitor could be banned from showing at Agribition once the investigation is complete. There could be animal cruelty charges under Saskactchewan legislation as well.
I strongly believe there should be serious penalties for abusing your stock just to win. It's an art to take an animal; feed it, train it, make it's natural hair look it's best and exhibit it to it's best advantage. It's also a responsibility to look out for that animal's welfare. To me it's pretty simple, once you start doing things to animal that could not be replicated by well planned matings, example -cosmetic surgery, injections,pumping air, tubing etc. you are crossing the line.(if you are in the seed stock business why would you want the animal to be anything but what it is -how would your buyer ever be happy?) Anytime you make the animal suffer unduly to win you are crossing the line.
Some people will do anything to win even if it's cheating.   This is pretty black and white!

 

[ds]

On another note, I know these type of things always seem to overshadow the positives in conversations but there was a tremendous set of cattle exhibited at Agribition by many breeders of all the breeds that will no doubt go on and move their owners breeding programs and their breeds in a positive direction. I am sure Agribition will handle this matter in a professional manner so let's not let it overshadow all the great cattle and breeders that exhibited such tremendous quality at this great event.

 

[knabe]

From some people who witnessed this she was not pumped. They poured the Sprite down her throat from the bottle, hence it getting in her lungs. Terrible & sad situation for the animal.

i always see cattle drinking like hamsters, what's the problem?

 

[advocate]

Maybe it was bad 7up the owner should sue

 

[knabe]

maybe HSUS actually did it to strongarm pepsi?

 

[advocate]

Its a d@!n conspiracy.

 

[snowbunny]

Can anyone that was at Agribition give a first had account of the Charolais Heifer that was plumped out using soda pop and died as a result?  I herd the barn was quarantined as well.  What if anything happened to the heifers owner
Has anyone heard the outcome of what happened? It has been a week now - the Post should have been done and the results should be available...
I think all exhibitors have the right to know what happened to that cow - if it wasn't human error that caused her to die, was it a virus that we should be concerned we took home with us?? Just saying...