Steriods in show steers

[renegade]

I havent been showing steers long and i was wondering if people use steriods on their show steers or if it's even legal/ethical as far as showing is concerned.

 

[afhm]

That is basically what implants and optiflexx are.

 

[renegade]

I don't really know anything about those but i am ready to learn !

 

[DL]

What you need to know is that there are strict legal FDA type laws and rules about what you can and cannot use (drug wise) in food animals including cattle.

Anything that says on it "for use in cattle" and you follow the label exactly is within the law. For example if it says give x amount for 3 days in the muscle and you do that and follow the withdrawal time listed then there is no issue. If however, you give 5 times x dose for 30 days that is not within the law and a sticky wicket we can deal with at another time ;D

If by steroids you mean giving testosterone as an injection that is a no no.

However, the implants have a variety of compounds in them and most (I think) are some kind of broadly defined by the public "steroid". As long as you follow label directions you are OK. Somebody out there - chambero, DLD knows more about implants than I do.

OPTAFLEXX - is not a steroid - it is a beta adrenergic agonist (ie it stimulates beta receptors). It is the same compound as paylene (sp?) for pigs, ie ractopamine hydrochloride
Optaflexx is approved for use in cattle fed the last 28 to 42 days prior to marketing. If you feed outside of this window, it is illegal. Optaflexx can be screened for in feed, urine, or tissues. http://www.elancous.com/products/pdfs/optaflexx/opta_label.pdf

 

[renegade]

(pop) i could sit and learn about this stuff all day. Thanks for the info, i will look into it more. Have you ever used any of these products? Relacor S was suggested to me.

 

[red]

You mean Revalor S. here is a website for more information.

www.revalor.com/revalor-S

 

[renegade]

Yep, mispell. Thanks for suggesting it.

 

[renegade]

I found Revlor S on the internet for $27.50 and a free implant gun with needles.  Am i correct in reading there is no withdrawl period.  Should it only be implanted once in the next 30 days?  I didnt see any info on that

 

[Ag Man]

PLEASE to the livestock producers....use the correct terms (and of course label directions) when discussing animal pharmaceuticals (sp...yes I know I am a teacher but missing my dictionary and can't locate spell check)....steriods is a horrible term to use to describe most implants now on the market...with the WWE dude going crazy we do not need the public having anymore mistrust in the food supply.  DES still haunts us from the 60's.

It also ticks me off when different segments of the food industry go after each other.  Only when you have solid scientific proof should you knowingly bash another segment of the food industry...other than that you just put more fear into the buying public.

EXAMPLE:  The Hebrew hot dogs ad...I have NOTHING against those of the Jewish faith...one of my best friends was Jewish (he passed away)...but to imply that cuts from the rear quarter are some how bad or unhealthy is not doing justice.  I know what the book of Leviticus says....I talk about this book when discussing the meat industry and use it as an example of early food safety laws in my ag classes BUT scientifically speaking eating these cuts is not harmful.


"The other white meat" was also another marketing attempt that implied something that was not true....red meat bad...white meat good...while effective as a catchy phrase not a truthful one.

Well enough ranting....

 

[austin]

We have several grammar/spelling nazis here so you should fine, Ag Man. 

 

[renegade]

:-\Sorry i said steriods; i just kinda generalized the implants. I am just kinda getting into this and learning about it.

 

[DL]

OK guys - while calling things by their "proper names" is important - lets not intimidate people from asking questions - in essance steroids take in a whole group of lipids that contain a certain structure - yup including progesterone, adrenocortical hormones, gonadal hormones etc as well as a bunch of other things including toad poisons (one of my personal favorites) ;D - so technically you were correct renegade - but we in the US of A have started equating steroids with testosterone that athletes take...so in my book no need to apologize

My personal pet peeve is as Ag Man says - not reading and following directions - but my[size=10pt] REALLY BIG PET PEEVE [/size]is the illegal use of drugs in food animals and then making excuses for it...

stepping off soap box, for now....remember we are producing food....

 

[renegade]

Thanks, it's not something i would normally have considered but this steer isn't wanting to eat and if he doesn't make weight then i will lose a lot of money, making it hard for me to purchase another steer and a heifer and if he doesn't make weight i will just have to stick with just a steer; but i would never do anything illegal or unethical it goes against my morals - i rescue horses so i am used to giving things like penicillin and things like that but i have never used implants and i was just looking into it as an option. You guys are very helpful and i appreciate it .

 

[red]

Really a good point though. Too many times we us the wrong teminology when asking a question or explaining. I'm always open to learning the correct terms.
Thanks both DL & Ag Man for good points of views.
Main thing is to make it an environment where people like Renegade can ask questions & not feel dumb in doing so.

Red

 

[farmboy]

ABOUT THE KOSHER HOT DOGS CUTS THING, THEY CLAIM THAT THE ROUND WAS A BAD CUT AND HALF THE TOP LINE WAS A BAD CUT AND THE RIBS , YET THE GOOD CUTS SEEM TO BE AREAS LESS PREFERRED AND WHERE BEEF PRODUCERS TEND TO GIVE SHOTS,i.e. THE NECK

http://www.hebrewnational.com/pages/fans/commercials.jsp

 

[DLD]

Renegade, I'll try to help with your implant and Optiflexx questions in your other thread (HELP). If and how they can help you is intertwined with exactly where your steer is and what you're feeding, so let's do this all in one place.

David