Pakistan- Dangerous Milk? Steroid Injections for Cows Could Endanger Human Lives

Dear Dr. T.K mohanthy, Thanks for your informative things. really need to think about use of crude extract oxytocin in long term. It may cause some side effects of ST. Thanks and regards Dr.Thirumeignanam

Oxytocin is used universally in the livestock industry to increase letdown and expulsion of retained placentas after delivery.The half-life of oxytocin in blood is 0.55 to 3.6 minutes and it does not appear to be eliminated in the milk. The reports on the harmful effects of milk produced by oxytocin treated cows are quite misleading and not based on scientific facts. Whether secreted endogenously or administered exogenously, oxytocin produces the desired effect within minutes and gets metabolized rapidly leaving inactive products. However, the milch animals are treated like milk-producing machines and are given large doses of hormones that cause them to produce unnaturally large quantities of milk. Thus oxytocin is widely used, even though its use is illegal. In a survey, it is observed that 82% cattle breeders were using oxytocin injection in Delhi, 62-68% in the adjoining areas of Delhi like Sonipat, Rohtak, Faridabad, Gohana, Bahadurgarh, Loni, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Buland Shahr etc. and 23-32% from remote areas of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. City milkmen who used the hormonal injection to induce the cow to give more milk are largely ignorant of its subsequent effects on the body reserve and reproductive system of the cow. Usually after 5 to 6 months of conceiving, animals stop giving milk but cattle breeders continue milking the cattle 3-4 mo more by injecting oxytocin. The drug makes cows suffer severe stomach cramps that feel like labour pain. Its use in pregnant animals may cause abortion and is also unscientific, since oxytocin receptors remain absent throughout pregnancy and appear only towards the end of the gestation period. On the other hand, there is draining of body reserves and farmers fails to meet nutritional adequacy to make the cow recover for the next reproductive and/or productive life cycle. This indiscriminate misuse of oxytocin is one of the primary contributory factors in drastically reducing the economic span of a cow/buffalo. Based on past record of milk production, most often the livestock owner sales it to another farmer who became at the receiving end of production failure and hasty economic burden to meet even the cost of buying a cow or buffalo.

Dear Sir, Mr. Ramachandran Balagopal I beg to state that I have not mentioned about the "Seepage of Oxytocin" out of any research paper; or my own experience. Ihave told that these are the extracts of "Animal Welfare Board of India's Official Website" I would express my apologies if any one has felt that these are either documented researches; or my own experiences. I am also thankful to Dr. T K Mohanty for his insight into the manufacturing process of Veterinary Oxytocin in India

Let us get the facts in order. Good udder stimulation results in high levels of Oxyocin being released from the pituitaty gland of the cow. Oxytocin is blocked by adrenalin as a result of rough treatment of the cow. Oxytocin has a very short half life (aprox.) six minutes. There will be no milk let- down unless Oxytocin is released into the blood stream during the milking process. There is no Oxytocin in marketed milk and Oxytocin is not a health problem. From my little knowledge of buffalo milking (I only work with one herd) Oxytocin release is not the same as in cows. The farmer is injecting some of his buffalo in order to stimulate milk let-down.

It is important to have a good knowledge of the literature before making any scientific comments. Oxytocin has not yet been shown to be associated with side effects in human. This is secreted in nursing women. A Woman who nurses her child frequently, as happens in many tribal communities while carrying the child almost during the working days, secrete a large amount of oxytocin. If oxytocin were to to harm her, this would be against the nature way of successful propagation of the species. Besides, oxytocing consumed in the milk, being a peptide, is broken down in the digestive tract by the action of proteases. Therefore, the consumption of such milk, if contains any oxytocin, is unlikely to be harmful to humans. Dr. MJ Zamiri, Shiraz University, Iran (Physiologist)

The press & media release are not weighed in many instances before publication. Availability of easy Scientific Information saves one from altering the belief/confidence. Logic expressed so far here in this forum is straight forward and true. Thanks COmmunity.

Good paper. We should not forget the suffering of cow/buffaloe like severe stomach cramps ,abortion and draining of body reserves. Before administering oxytocine we shall be care ful. Regards

i have bad experience on my farm about oxycetocin.One of my buffalo got abortion and three buffalos are not coming in heat circule to get cross.

it is the good findings about misconceptions about the use of oxytocin in buffaloes and cattle.it is now clear about the safe use of oxytocin. DR.MUHAMMAD SHAFIQUE DAIRY CONSULTANT, Email.drshafique79@hotmail.com cell#+923017024782

the lacteal secretions are suppressed due the use of steroid in cattle and buffaloes,some time this lacteal secretion suppression is permanent and dairy animals are dried permanently. the desired benefits are not achieved in mastitis cases by use of prednisolone and prednisolone like products.

Dear all, Can any one confirm which type of Oxytocin dairy farmers are using. Can you take photograph of the lebeling and type of ampuls used. Thank you

being a dairy person we never found any oxytocin residues in pasteurized milk so once the milk boils it may disappear since it has low heat satbility

Good discussion.

What the name of this injection ????