Steer owners claim no wrongdoing | Prize steer received pain medication on vet’s approval
Owners of the winning steer disqualified for drug use from the Calgary Stampede Steer Classic competition plan to appeal.
Riley Chalack and Royden Anderson said they followed the rules and a Calgary Stampede accredited veterinarian’s recommendations to use the painkiller Banamine on their show steer and shouldn’t be penalized.
“If the vet said it’s OK to use, we assume it’s OK to use. That’s why we went and asked him,” said Riley Chalack of Carstairs, Alta.
When the show steer became lame the day before the prestigious steer show, a group associated with the steer asked a Calgary Stampede veterinarian if it was OK to use the painkiller Anafen, which has a 24-hour withdrawal period and wouldn’t show up in blood tests.
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Instead, the veterinarian suggested they use Banamine, with a six-day pre-slaughter withdrawal period.
“We asked to use Anafen. He said ‘No, it’s OK to use Banamine,’ ” said Chalack.
Raymond Gonnet, a cattle fitter with Trausch Farms, in Iowa, said the veterinarian said Anafen would last only a few hours and recommended Banamine as a better painkiller.
He said there was a circle of witnesses who heard the recommendation, including Chris Wilson, manager of Trausch Farms, the former owners of the prize steer.
“I did witness the vets backing the use of the drug Banamine and then to hear about the disqualification, I was disappointed in the Stampede backing their vets as hearsay,” wrote Wilson in a statement to Stampede officials.
Gonnet, who was helping the steer’s owners, said it was clear everyone was discussing a show animal in the steer competition.
“This whole mess wouldn’t have happened if they said we couldn’t do anything. We were just trying to look after the animal’s well being,” said Gonnet.
“This whole thing stinks. He gave us the OK to use it. There’s nothing shady about this. We played by the rules. We contacted the vet. They’re now trying to cover up this mess,” said Gonnet.
Stampede rules state: “The exhibitor acknowledges and agrees that any animal requiring care by a veterinarian must consult a Stampede accredited veterinarian and that Stampede accredited veterinarians are required to bring to the attention of Stampede officials any concerns or issues that may arise.”
Bonnie Clark, communications adviser with the Calgary Stampede, said last week that no one on the Stampede committee was available for comment and emailed the following statement:
“We are open to having these discussions with those directly impacted and continue to invite those individuals to engage with Stampede officials directly.
“At this time, we are not in a position to speculate on what may or may not come from any review, or comment on aspects related to the situation. The Calgary Stampede will continue to evaluate the facts of this situation. This will take time, as we are committed to being as thorough and complete as possible to ensure all relevant information is encompassed,” she wrote.
Anderson said he and Chalack have hired a lawyer to obtain a copy of the blood test from the Calgary Stampede.
Veterinarian Roy Lewis said while he doesn’t know the rules for Calgary Stampede veterinarians, he is hired by Farmfair International, an Edmonton cattle show, to look after the health of the animals at that event.
“They’re encouraged to come see me,” said Lewis.
“We know what’s going on in the barn. If there’s a problem, we’ll catch it,” he said.
Lewis said he draws on his experience as a veterinarian, the animal’s health, common sense and discussions with owners to decide the action needed if an animal is sick during a show.
Lewis said he won’t drain a “puffy joint” at a show because that would be altering an animal, but he will offer an alternative medication, especially if the animal is in pain.
“It’s our judgment,” said Lewis.
At cattle shows, owners are concerned about administering high amounts of antibiotics that may leave “lumps and bumps” on a show animal. Instead Lewis and the owners discuss alternative injection locations that won’t be obvious and downgrade the animal in the show ring.
Administering painkillers to animals, as is the case with the disqualified Calgary Stampede show calf, gets into “grey areas,” he said.
If an animal is lame because it hurt itself at the show and is not generally like that, Lewis said he wouldn’t consider a painkiller to be altering, but rather it masks the pain for the animal’s welfare and health.
Anderson and Chalack also take issue with the decision by the Calgary Stampede to remove the steer committee from decisions regarding disqualification.
“They (Stampede officials) are making the committee look powerless and pointless,” said Anderson.
Veterinarian Don Miller, chair of the steer committee, said Calgary Stampede officials ruled on the disqualification, not the volunteer committee.
“As a committee chair, I had no direction over blood being taken. It was a Calgary Stampede sanction. They have the right to do it. I was not aware of it until they took the blood,” said Miller.
He said because many exhibitors are clients of steer committee members, no one on the committee wants to be involved in any disqualification.
