medicated calf grower

[Anonymous]

The calf grower feed I bought is 18%, it is also medicated with a coccidiostat, (deccox?). The label says not to feed it to animals of breeding age, do you figure that's because they would get too fat on it, or because the coccidiostat inteferes with pregnancy somehow? I can't find any information online that helps me. A bred heifer got into it ( guess she's not that much bigger then the february/ March calves I'm trying to creep feed) Thanks ! Page on Vancouver Island, Canada

 

[dun]

I was hoping that someone with REAL knowledge of the subject would respond but no such luck. So I was asked to try to respond.
Here goes.......The best idea that I can come up with is to either A) check with a vet, or B) get in touch with the manufacturer and ask them. There has to be a reason that it's included on the label and I would think that "the horses mouth" would be the best source
Sorry I can't be of more/any help

dun

 

[dun]

I talked with a vet this afternoon and asked her about it. She thinks it may be just one of those things that isn't cleared for that particular class of livestock. She says there are things that aren't cleared to feed to calves but but are to older animals. Others that are cleared for beef but not dairy etc. There is one supplement, can't remember what, that is ok for beef in the US but not dairy, but is ok for dairy in europe.
Best answer I can come up

dun

 

[eric]

Along the same lines...sort of....is with chemicals used in the lawn care business. I had an extension agent tell me awhile back that, because of the additional expense involved with testing a product to get gov't clearance, most weedkillers can be used in vegetable gardens safely, but are not labeled as such because the company doesnt want to spend the $$'s to do the additional testing necessary.
So maybe rather then test the product on breeding age animals, it was just easier to label it as not approved for them.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Well, it may be something as simple as what Eric suggested --- if not, then here's a real wilda$$ guess, based on some old reading and now a very quick google search: Coccidiosis is most commonly an affliction of young animals and needs to be treated aggressively and promptly. One common drug used for a "cure" is Amprolium, sold under the name Corrid. (maybe the feed with "deccox" that the original poster asked about essentially has Amprolium or something that acts similarly). Amprolium is a thiamine inhibiter/blocker (I think thiamine is B1 vitamin, not certain, but it is one of the "B"s) -- anyway it would seem clear that you would not want to feed something that contains a thiamine blocker/inhibiter once you have cured the coccidiosis problem. That's all I could quickly find and/or surmise. I'd guess that it is certainly possible that some other aspect of the feed or coccidiosis medicine in some way hampers the reproductive processes, as the poster guessed.

 

[dun]

Deccoxx, a coccidiostat. That means it will help to prevent coccidiosis but can't really cure a flare-up.
That's all I could find about the product

dun

 

[dun]

OK, here's the deal. Talked to our regular vet today and asked him about deccoxx.
Since coccidiosis is primarily considerd a disease of calves and younger animals it most likely hasn't been tested on older animals. Although older animals can get it, it's generally subclinical and not readily detected. He also said that the level for it to be toxic his very high and the odds of one animal eating enough to have a problem are pretty slim.
Also, it won;t affect the bred heifer or her calf.

dun