Stampede champion steer disqualified

[Charguy]

The rules are not online - they are visible when you register online and are mailed out if you go the paper route.

Im not saying the other kids didnt work hard - that is not the point. The kids did everything right and are being punished for doing what they were told was acceptable. Thats not fair. The vet screwed up why punish the kids? They had the best steer and won. They asked the vet for clarification. Vet said it was ok.

Be careful who you call a cheater.

 

[OH Breeder]

BANAMINE (flunixin meglumine) injection
Schering Corporation

RESIDUE WARNINGS
Cattle must not be slaughtered for human consumption within 4 days of the last treatment. Milk that has been taken during treatment and for 36 hours after the last treatment must not be used for food. Not for use in dry dairy cows. A withdrawal period has not been established for this product in preruminating calves. Do not use in calves to be processed for veal. Not for use in horses intended for food. Approved only for intravenous administration in cattle. Intramuscular administration has resulted in violative residues in the edible tissues of cattle sent to slaughter

 

[ploughshare]

My guess is that soundness is the reason.  If the drug was given to the steer so he wouldn't limp, then that may be their position.  Frankly, I think it is a bit harsh.  Its not like clenbuterol and it is a drug that is routinely used in production.

According to the Stampede list of exhibitor rules: “Any products/solutions/liquids administered internally to alter the conformation or weight of the animal is prohibited.”

If that's the rule I don't see where they can disqualify the calf.  Banamine doesn't alter conformation or weight. 

This stinks to high heaven of something crooked going on.  Hope the vet at least stands up and admits he said it was OK and doesn't squirm out of his responsibility in all of this.

 

[jd438]

I don't understand why there is any discussion.  The winners of this market steer show are terminal.  When a carcass is tested for drug residue and excedes allowable limits by law the carcass is tanked.  I don't know the law in Canada, but knowingly presenting something to slaughter without following withdrawl is a crime in the US. 
I would also say the vet at this should have known this.  I would suspect that a vet not at the show sold the banamine.
Follow the drug withdawl times people the livestock industry cannot afford a black eye.

 

[justintime]

I understand the desire to win and can slightly grasp the idea of winning at any cost, even if it means bending the rules ... just a little. If they allow this steer that has been hyped up on Banamine, what would everyone think if they allowed every steer to be shot up with Banamine for a few days prior to the show. At least the playing field may be a bit more level. I have my doubts about parts of this story and would certainly like to hear the show vet's version. I don't know what they were told by the vet, but the fact still remains that this was a terminal show, and even if the Banamine was sanctioned by the show officials, there is still something called common sense that should have kicked in. I'm sorry, I have little sympathy for the steer's owners, and I truly hope that at least some one learned a valuable life lesson.

I wonder if this steer only received the Banamine on this occasion or had his owners treating him with it for a few weeks up to the show? I do not want to speculate on this, but I do wonder about it. Many years ago we purchased a bull in Ireland and between when he was purchased and when he arrived here, he had been foundered. The came off the truck lame and it never really got better. He was placed on Banamine daily but after a few days we found that we could get by just giving it every second day. After a few weeks we were giving it to him twice a week and he walked fine. This indicates to me that this drug may build up residuals in the animal's tissues to some degree. I have no idea if this is actually the case, however that was my experience with it.
I have had animals turn up lame on occasion on show day. They have just had to stay in the barn. My best heifer calf came in lame from tie outs last year on show day at Agribition. She did not show.
As BTDT has stated, unfortunate things happen from time to time to even the hardest working people. It is a fact of life, and each of us has the option of deciding how we will handle it when it happens to us.

I remember a young showman showing the Grand Champion steer at a major show in these parts, and the steer was sick on show day. The sale was the following day and he was pretty well guaranteed his steer would sell for over $5/ lb ( which was huge money at that time). He went to the show committee and told them that he was considering withdrawing his Champion steer from the sale, because of his illness, and the show committee suggested he sell the steer and announce that he was deliver him to the buyer once he was back healthy. This young exhibitor made the decision to withdraw his steer and he was taken home the night prior to the sale. He gained much respect by most everyone in this community that day.... more than any amount of money could buy.

 

[Tallcool1]

I do not know the rules in Canada. And it would be helpful if the FULL rule book was read and not just one line. That being said:
Banamine is under scrutiny in the US due to its abuse and misuse.  Withdrawl time, regardless of country, has not been established if the drug is given IM, or Sub Q. Only IV use is approved with a withdrawl time. 
Banamine definitely gives an animal an advantage, that is the purpose of the drug.
Even if a vet prescribe the product, it is no excuse, as the exhibitor is responsible for knowing the rules and following them.

Isn't it the Show Veterinarian's duty to know the rules......and have the AUTHORITY to override the rules in the name of animal humanity as well?  Wouldn't one think that the Official Show Veterinarian would know little "inside secrets" such as the number of days that it will ACTUALLY be until the exhibited livestock goes to slaughter which in turn would give that Show Veterinarian the necessary freedom to treat an injured animal?

Listing the forbidden drugs would be fruitless. Because there would always be a drug someone would find or come up with and use it, then use the excuse "but it is not on the list". Heck, it would be human drugs, PED's, equine drugs, etc.  Maybe they should do the opposite, and list the drug(s) that ARE allowed, which would be a very short list indeed, especially if it is a terminal show.

I vote for a list of ALLOWED drugs.  Pretty simple. 


The excuse of "everyone is doing it" about makes me ill. The problem with this country is there are too many FOLLOWERS and not enough LEADERS. I would like to think that people would not do something just because someone told them to: Would you hit a baby because someone told you to? Would you jump in front of a semi if someone told you to? Would you steal someone's show equipment if someone told you to? 

I really don't follow your thought process here...AT ALL.  Are you saying that this family's calf came up lame, so they did (in my mind) the right thing and approached the Show Veterinarian for advice...and the Show Veterinarian "told them" to administer Banamine.  They SHOULD have been LEADERS and given him a big old shot of Bute.....rather than be a FOLLOWER and listen to a Licensed Veterinarian that also COINCIDENTALLY was the Show Veterinarian?  Congratulations to you for being the perfect livestock exhibitor, but you really lost me on this one.

Please be your own person and do whatever you want to do because YOU feel it is best for you. And then make sure you take full credit, regardless of it is good or bad. 

Also, please keep in mind that cheaters generally hang around other cheaters. I have recently heard of two families that have totally went of the deep in (IMO) and now people are avoiding them because they do not want to be associated with them. One family has a very successful business in the cattle industry and it is in serious jeopardy. Honest people do not want to be caught hanging around and being friends with liars, cheaters, and rule breakers. Remember, its YOUR decision, YOUR life, and YOU will be the one that has to deal with the consequences. Make sure you're willing to pay the price.

Now THIS is very good advice......I have seen what you are talking about here.  I just do not see this family in the same category based upon the news article that I read.

 

[frostback]

Unless it has changed The Stampede is not a terminal show. When the champions are picked they then become property of the Stampede. No truck taking them or any other steer to slaughter from the grounds. That is why he probably went to a close by farm after the show and not right to a abattoir.

 

[rmbcows]

Unless it has changed The Stampede is not a terminal show. When the champions are picked they then become property of the Stampede. No truck taking them or any other steer to slaughter from the grounds. That is why he probably went to a close by farm after the show and not right to a abattoir.

And so the plot thickens. 

If there is a rule against using Banamine then the rule was broken and the steer should have been DQ'd.  So I guess until someone shows me the rule, I'm still thinking something fishy is going on here.  If they had found residue from a drug illegal in cattle, I would support the DQ.  The steer ending up at a competitors house, AND the fact that they'd NEVER pulled blood before is what has me suspicious.  I'd like to know if blood was pulled on the Res.Champ as well? 

If they had been treating the steer with Banamine "for a few weeks leading up to the show?"  Why would they have gone to the show vet and asked about treatment for the steer?  They would've just treated him on the down low and been done with it if they were trying to cheat. 

 

[Limiman12]

If he is dqed, can they go get there steer back?    Kick their butts again with him.

 

[ColdWthr]

Since when did Banamine become a miracle drug to fix all lameness issues and give you that "competitive edge"?

 

[Tallcool1]

Since when did Banamine become a miracle drug to fix all lameness issues and give you that "competitive edge"?

THANK YOU!!!!

The fact of the matter is......this whole thing stinks.  It reeks.  It smells of corruption from above.  It is emitting a green glow...green with envy or jealousy.

I can't help but wonder exactly who's di*k got stepped on by this family, but they did NOT like it.  Whom ever they upset, their reach is long, and their wrath is NASTY!

 

[justintime]

At most major Canadian steer shows, the Champions are routinely tested, regardless if it is a terminal show or not. Frostback is correct in that the Champions at Calgary become the property of the Calgary Stampede. The Champion steer did end up at another competitors farm, however, he is also a vet and a member of the Calgary steer committee. I am assuming he was housing the Champions for the Stampede until the test results were obtained.
I don't care if this was a terminal show or not, I do not feel that the use of Banamine or any other drug on show day is ever justified.... ever!  You can post another 25 pages on this thread and I will not change my mind. IMO, if you allow one exhibitor to use it, you might as well provide it to all exhibitors. I just love the way steer jocks can twist simple ethics to justify what they do.

 

[DLD]

Several years ago, we had a steer get his head stuck in the tie rails overnight, at a major show with a terminal premium sale.  Don't know how long he was stuck there, he was out when we got there early that morning (he'd been in there long enough to dig a big hole), but one side of his neck had a basketball sized swelling, the other about softball sized, and he couldn't hold his head up to even a normal relaxed level..  The show vet came and looked at him and promptly prescribed banamine, dexamethasone and naxcel.  I told him we didn't expect to show him at this point, we could take him home and wait out any necessary withdrawals, but he said wait and let's see how he gets along, maybe you can still show him - if he makes the sale he won't be slaughtered for at least 5 days - that gets you past withdrawal on all of those.  Since I couldn't see him even being able to show, I went ahead and fed and watered him all he wanted,  'cause I just wanted him to feel better.  He was much better by weigh in, so we went ahead and entered him, but he weighed 1440.  By show day, if you knew what you were looking for he held his neck a bit funny, but otherwise looked fine - he got pulled 3rd, and when the judge walked his top 5 and checked weights, we dropped to 5th, missed the premium sale by 1 hole.  The point of all this is that something very similar happened to us, and we showed, and did not then nor now feel guilty about it.
The official show vet prescribed it - if it's wrong, it's on the vet, not the exhibitor.

Now, all that said, in our case the official show vet was a horse vet - he wasn't used to treating meat animals.  I have no idea if he knew banamine and dex are two of the biggest no-no's in the livestock show world.  I knew, but as I said, when he prescribed them I didn't think we'd get to show him, and was fully prepared not to, but he assured us over and over that there was nothing to worry about...  Without knowing any more than we do about the Calgary situation, it sounds to me like this one's on the vet too.

I fully agree that the safety of the food chain needs to be one of our greatest concerns.  But if an official show vet prescribes a substance that's going to get the exhibitor kicked out and still let them show, then the vet and the show need to take responsibility for their own actions in the matter.

 

[vcsf]

I am going to start out by saying that I have no knowledge of this situation outside of the information in the original post and reading the rules that are shown on the Stampede website nor do I personally know the people involved other than Dr. Don Miller who is the steer show chairman and whose home the steer initially went to after the show.

First of all I am willing to believe that it is possible that the exhibitors believed that they had permission from the show vet when it is quite possible that in the vet's mind he never actually gave permission for the steer to be given banamine and show.  Hypothetically I could see things going something like the exhibitor approaches the vet and says the steer is lame and they believe it should be given a shot of banamine and the vet could reply that that was one possible course of action and the exhibitor walks away believing they have permission to give the shot and the vet thinks they will come back to him before they do anything or if banamine is given that the steer will be withdrawn from the show.  The facts are only the exhibitor and vet know how their conversation went and they no doubt have slightly or greatly different memories of it.

When one reads some of the rules there is a great deal of emphasis placed on drug residues and the possibility of disqualification and on the entry form the exhibitor even has to specifically initial a clause stating that the animal will be free of excessive drug residues.  Also, on the website under rules it brings up the IAFE Code of Show Ring Ethics which in this version actually states that once an animal is on the show grounds any and all drugs or medications are to be given by a licensed veterinarian.  This is something that I am willing to bet most of us have violated at some point at least I know that I have in the past by administering antibiotics myself at a show.  The possibility of drug testing is also mentioned several times in the listed rules so it seems irrelevant if steers were tested in the past or not as it is clearly a possibility.  I will say that the rules could be made more clear in some ways but I am willing to bet that 95 percent of exhibitors at any show never read all of the rules for the show.

To me it seems clear that the Stampede had the right to test the steer and if he showed excessive drug levels they had the right to disqualify the steer with the only question being what role the vet played in approving medication but it seems fairly clear it was not the vet that actually administered the medication.

For the Americans commenting on this and bringing up hard working kids I would like to clarify that this in not a junior show it is in fact open to all ages.  There is a junior section but according to the rules  those steers no longer compete for the overall championship so the  one exhibitor's comment about it being a kids game is not really valid.

With regards to the steer going to Dr. Miller's after the show I am sure that there was no ulterior motives here but in hindsight it was probably not the best move and probably would not and should not be repeated.  I will point out that Dr. Miller himself was not a competitor in the show.  Dr. Miller's son did take part in the show however, by looking at the class results it appears that he only had a steer entered in the junior section so was not in direct competition with the steer in question.

The suggestion that these exhibitors got done in by politics is kind of funny.  I would suggest that the truth is that in some ways the exhibitor in question had the political connections that gave the Stampede no choice but to come down hard or else face severe questions of favoritism.  The one exhibitor's father is a sitting member of the steer show committee and as such should be fully aware of the rules and rightly or wrongly expect himself and his immediate family to be held to the highest standards.  Also, this exhibitor's uncle is a recent past president of the Stampede and a veterinarian of some note which also unfortunately leaves the Stampede open to more accusations if they do not act harshly.  It might not be totally fair but that is the way the world tends to work.

 

[DL]

Here we go again - deja vu - people who claim foul bc an animal was disqualified for breaking the rules in regards to use of drugs in the animals we raise for food - really? you only have go back to the beginning of SP to realize that some people apparently never learn and are as uninformed as they were way back when

Each country makes their own rules re drug use in animals we raise for food. Canada has an extra label drug use (ELDU) policy similar to that in the US
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/vet/
https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/.../ELDU-and-AMDUCA-FAQs.aspx

Each event can determine their on policies re use of drugs in animal we raise for food and therefor test and DQ animals - in the US some states also drug test random animals at fairs and shows

Banamine (flunixin meglamine) is a prescription drug - the label directions state it is to only be given IV - the withdrawal period for IV Banamine is 4 days (in the US) - any other use (IM or SQ) is technically illegal and the 4 day withdrawal does NOT apply

To those who don't think the use of Banamine can improve movement, decrease inflammation, decrease temperature, and/ or improve general overall well being - you have no understanding of the pharmacology of the drug - why do you take NSAIDs? think about it

To those who say "everybody does it",  you are attempting to create an excuse for your bad or illegal behavior bc not everybody does it

If you are raising cattle - one steer or a herd - you are (by legal definition in both the US and Canada) raising animals for food - therefore it would behoove you to understand the rules and regulations regarding drug use in the animals we raise for food and to know about violative residues

 

[bart]

Thanks DL well said! I agree!

 

[aj]

If one of the excuses.......for having cattle shows........is to judge structural correctness.........seems like 50% of the cattle on banimine kinda counter acts the deal.

 

[renegadelivestock]

there seems to be one major point that is being left out. the steer did not go lame right before the show! It clearly states in the article
"At its first show in Ohio, the calf stepped on a show fluffing comb and seven teeth broke off in its foot. After removing the teeth, Ryan spent months icing the foot and caring for the animal between cattle shows.

With only a water hose, a fan, a three-sided shed and a “great big heart,” Ryan nursed the animal back to health, said Jackson.

The family’s move from Vermont to Kansas meant the calf was no longer eligible for steer shows in either area and it was sent to Trausch Farms in Iowa for resale. It’s there Anderson bought the steer for Riley Chalack, with himself as co-owner.

Jackson said his son’s log book estimated the steer travelled 11,000 kilometres to shows, including its trip to Calgary.

The steer became lame at the Stampede, the same foot with the original injuries."

this would lead me to believe that the steer had a history of lameness. This would also lead me to believe that the steer had been treated for this lameness several times in the past and the exhibitors thought that this show would be no different. perhaps an over site of the rule allowing the stampede to test winners.


on a second note. The drug related rules in horse racing are very clear ( I recognize this is not horse racing, just bear with me). if a horse test positive for any drug, administered by the vet or not, the onus of responsibility falls on the listed trainer. it is his/her responsibility to be aware of all substances being administered to the horse and to know about withdrawal times. It is not the vets job to be aware of the rules of competition. it is the vets job to treat the animals symptoms to the best of his/her abilities. The exhibitor is responsible for what goes in their own animal. For lack of a better way of saying it, no one held a gun to their head and made them ask for banamine, they chose to, albeit in the best interest of a lame animal, however, knowing that this is a possible testing violation, again,no one held a gun to their head and made the show the steer. they could have scratched. The post completion protocol followed by them stampede certainly leaves some room for improvement, however this does not negate the fact that the exhibitor admitted to giving the steer banamine, if they denied giving the steer the drug, the perhaps they have grounds to claim tampering.

 

[knabe]

i guess i would just have to say that it should be clear that the VET should have clearly communicated that the drug would cause the steer to fail a drug test and that a process to tag the steer somehow should have been done.  yes, people are supposed to know, but the organizations should have a little more rigorous infrastructure themselves.  i hold both responsible, but to me, the vet and the board should be more clear and that should be communicated by the board and or the vet for their contribution to the controversy.  since there is so much difference of opinion, to me, it's up to the boards to be MORE clear, not just leave things as they are.  they should do MORE testing of animals to slaughter, not random or not at all and definitely not at the request of someone who saw what was going on.  based on my experience with show cattle, bute was regularly used by people who shouldn't have been using it and knew better.  looking back, i was naive about it and because it was someone in authority, i thought it was ok and there was definitely NO posted information regarding it's use so those in a subordinate role could question their advisors.  i'm sure similar things are going on today.  it's still a wink wink industry too full of clique's and could be more welcoming of outsiders.  more shows should allow non-ffa,4h kids to show.  some don't have the time or interest to participate in that and some parents don't either.  we should be making it easier to participate, not harder.

 

[cattlecountry]

I put a new subject on this called the facts and real problem. Sorry i think some of you have missed the point here.