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THE first known case in the United States of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") in December
has given
rise to considerable anxiety among many consumers of beef. There
are
concerns about the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD),
a brain-wasting disease that occurs in humans. Similar to BSE,
vCJD
is probably transmitted by the consumption of tainted meat. At
the
same time, there also is unease about the safety of the pet food
supply.
Federal regulators and experts are reassuring consumers that
there
is no reason to worry about pets getting sick from pet food.
Although there have been about 100 cases in the U.K. of cats
contracting the feline equivalent of the disease, feline spongiform
encephalopathy (FSE), from BSE tainted pet food, there has been
no
reported case in the United States of a cat contracting the disease.
And there has never been a reported case of a dog being infected.
BSE is a "transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative,
fatal
disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle,"
according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. The disease
has
caused concern since the 1980s, when it was detected in cattle
in
the United Kingdom. This outbreak is believed to have followed
the
feeding of scrapie-contaminated sheep meat-and-bone-meal to cattle.
Scrapie is a sheep disease related to BSE. The outbreak of BSE
was
magnified by the practice of also feeding rendered bovine
meat-and-bone meal to cattle.
It is believed that BSE is spread when cattle eat feed that contains
mutant mammalian protein from rendered infected animals. The mutant
proteins, or prions, that transmit the disease are in the animal's
nervous system, basically the brain, spinal cord and lower part
of
the small intestine. These mutant prion proteins are not alive
and
thus are resistant to elimination treatments such as sterilization,
chemicals and heat.
The FDA considers that milk and milk products from cows do not
carry
any risk of transmitting BSE. However, while studies have yet
to
find prions in the muscle tissue (most meat eaten by consumers
is
muscle tissue) of infected cattle, some scientific studies have
found them in the muscles of laboratory infected rodents.
In the United States, the FDA has prohibited the use of most
mammalian protein in the manufacture of animal feeds given to
ruminants (cud-chewing animals) since 1997, and there are reports
that it plans to extend that ban to food for dogs, cats, pigs
and
poultry. Currently, however, pet food still legally contains meat
and bone meal.
In early 2003, following a single confirmed case of "mad
cow"
disease in Canada, the Canadian government reported that while
the
BSE positive cow had not been processed for human food, it may
have
been used in the manufacture of pet food, specifically dry dog
food,
and that some of this pet food had been shipped to the United
States. This pet food was not available for sale from retail outlets
and was quickly recalled. The FDA announced at the time that there
is no scientific evidence that dogs can contract BSE or any similar
disease, and that there is no evidence that they can transmit
the
disease to humans.
Following the case of the cow that tested positive for BSE in
the
United States, the Department of Agriculture has now banned the
use
of meat from sick or lame cattle -- so-called "downer"
animals --
like this cow. This move should further safeguard the food supply
for humans and animals alike.
To ease fears that pet owner/guardians may have about the safety
of
pet food, you should read ingredient labels carefully. Avoid
products containing beef tallow (the substance from rendered
cattle), or switch to a chicken, fish, grain and vegetable diet
for
the time being. If you cook beef for your pet, use good cuts of
muscle meat.
The chances of your cat or dog being infected with BSE are
negligible. However, caution is always a good idea when your pet's
well-being is at stake.
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