Performance enhancing drugs-cattle

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aj

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I watched a show called Icarus and athletes doping. I got to wondering about show cattle. Is there a list of illegal drugs? Is testosterone illegal in cattle shows? I see it advertised for humans all the time. Does your herdsman need to be a bio chemist in order to complete? I see all these new products for sale in show cattle. What the heck is in this stuff? Is it approved for cattle.  I got to thinking about the "display" bulls out at Denver. I assume they aren't tested for steroids or anything. Not wanting cause problems or anything. Hyper oxygen chambers (instead of) coolers for cattle?
 

aj

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Anti-depressants? Melatonin? What about athletes today? Like a high school football player? Would they take say testosterone?
 

shortybreeder

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Feb 23, 2015
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Trenbolone Acetate is the real 'Big Bad Wolf' out there.. Test wouldn't do much for those show bulls because the amount they naturally produce is much higher than what's in the bottle. Tren, on the other hand, would make them change. It is legal in cattle (market heifers only on-label), but is rarely used because it is not economical. Athletes/biochemists figured out how to extract the tren from the capsules and then demand drove the prices out of reach for livestock producers. Now it requires a prescription, and from what I've heard, quantities are pretty closely monitored kinda like Sudafed.
The issue is, Tren usually comes with some nasty side effects like shrunken testes, attitude problems, and (most importantly to semen-sales) lowered semen production/quality.

It is hard to test for these things because they mirror natural Test. So you'd have to create a baseline of what is naturally possible, and anything above that gets disqualified. Which could end up ruling out a really good, naturally very masculine bull in favor of a bull that was Low-T, put on Tren, then pulled off the dope 2-3 weeks before the show (when T levels would crash because the body can no longer naturally produce Testosterone without the help of the drug).

Professional bodybuilders all use Tren. And they all test clean at The Arnold because they figure out when to stop taking the drug to pass the tests, but at that point they've had the benefits for 3 or 4 full cycles and will outshine any true Natural on the day of the Show (all other factors held constant).
 

aj

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Interesting. I always hear about about athletes testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. I guess if you get paid 3 million bucks a year.........I don't know it might be worth it.
 

knabe

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Maybe measure testicles before someone starts to bulk up and maybe take lejaculate measurements as well.

Any decrease and lifetime ban.

Then test for testicle enlargement surgery

Never mind. Nothing will ever work.
 

Tallcool1

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Jun 21, 2012
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This is an interesting topic.  I don't know on the bull side, but this is what I am seeing with steers.

Before I go into the context of my post, I am saying right up front that I am absolutely not pointing a finger at anyone.  My post may encourage people to look back at pictures and see what I am seeing. 

These major shows aren't mouthing these steers anymore.  Age of the steer just doesn't matter.  When we look at some of these steers (haired shows), these things are mature and plenty masculine.  They are fairly cresty necked and bold, but those characteristics are concealed with hair.

I believe that some of these producers are cutting these things as yearlings so they get started with a massive dose of testosterone.  Then I believe they are supplementing testosterone AFTER they have been cut.  They grow out of some of the masculinity over time, but they are still "turbo charged" pretty good.

My son's last year showing, we bought one of his steers really late.  He was an Italian Stallion that was cut really late when he didn't do well on his semen test.  He was course and cresty with a nasty attitude and a great big ass.  The first time we showed him, we had our hands full.  He mellowed over time and ended up being a darn nice steer.  We did not supplement him with any male enhancement products.

Watch the candid photos on these photography pages and take note of the number of these major steers that are bopping around with nose rings.  It is far more than I remember seeing.  Why?  Because these steers are pecker heads to deal with, and it takes about all an experiences showman has to get them showed. 

Illegal, I don't know.  Dangerous, depending upon the handler...probably. 

AJ, it is probably more common than we would casually imagine.
 

knabe

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are any judges bypassing this or can they just not tell.


i guess to me, it seems that every year that goes by, the less fun it is for the kids.


they have to hook up with mysterious experts and/or techniques and it seems to get further and further from a youth project of raising and showing a steer and learning about the production business.


it didn't seem possible that it would keep morphing further and further away from commercial influence all these years later.


maybe it hasn't, and like any topic (goodwin effect), only the extreme bad just keeps getting portrayed as common.
 

Tallcool1

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knabe said:
are any judges bypassing this or can they just not tell.


i guess to me, it seems that every year that goes by, the less fun it is for the kids.


they have to hook up with mysterious experts and/or techniques and it seems to get further and further from a youth project of raising and showing a steer and learning about the production business.


it didn't seem possible that it would keep morphing further and further away from commercial influence all these years later.


maybe it hasn't, and like any topic (goodwin effect), only the extreme bad just keeps getting portrayed as common.

I don't know how you could tell if you were a judge, especially a haired show.  The showring rewards "extreme", and it is just more of the same and more and more and more!

Side note:  if you want to find the steer that the judged doesn't believe passes the smell test...look in the 3 hole.  That is where the 50 footers get parked.  From 50 feet away, they will make your eyes pop out of your head.  When you get closer, they make you shake your head in disbelief of a god made creature being "that good".  It's because they aren't god made, or at least the judge doesn't believe they are!
 
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