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Feed Additives and Contaminants |
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Intentional feed additives and unintentional contaminants sometimes cause either violative residues or disease situations in consuming animals. Antibiotics and other growth promotants sometimes, through feed mixing errors, cause violative residues in meat, milk or eggs. These residues, while not highly toxic to the consuming public, will cause a financial burden due to state/federal seizures or dumping mandates. Other feed additives such as ionophores (monensin, lasalocid, etc.) if mixed incorrectly in ruminants or inadvertently given to horses may be toxic to an animal's heart. The presence of noxious weeds in animal feeds such as cockleburs (Xanthium spp.) or Crotalaria (Crotalaria spp., a pyrrolizidine alkaloid containing legume) may induce disease in consuming animals or are regulated by state feed control agencies. Whole cotton seed or cotton seed meal are often used as protein supplements in ruminant rations. This plant material may contain excess levels of a naturally occurring chemical, gossypol, which can be toxic to non-ruminants or immature ruminants. The determination of whether an animal disease is due to feed additives or unintentional contaminants required the knowledge, training and experience of a Veterinary Toxicologist. |
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