Dog Eating as a Rabies Risk

The processing of stray dogs into meat seems to be a growing industry in Nigeria, and it is known that some of the dogs slaughtered for this purpose are infected with rabies.

Research has shown that some people infected with rabies seem to have been exposed via dog meat consumptions, and also that people involved in this trade often do not know how to recognize rabies or the risk it poses to human consumers.  

Once contracted rabies has the highest fatality rate of any known disease. So a strong emphasis must be placed on presentation via education and inspection of meat production facilities whenever possible.

Ekanem, E., Eyong, K., Philip-Ephraim, E., Eyong, M., Adams, E., & Asindi, A. (2014). Stray dog trade fuelled by dog meat consumption as a risk factor for rabies infection in Calabar, southern Nigeria African Health Sciences, 13 (4) DOI: 10.4314/ahs.v13i4.44  

Odeh, L., Umoh, J., & Dzikwi, A. (2013). Assessment of Risk of Possible Exposure to Rabies among Processors and Consumers of Dog Meat in Zaria and Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Nigeria Global Journal of Health Science, 6 (1) DOI: 10.5539/gjhs.v6n1p142

Celebrity Salami Hoax

So BiteLabs website says: "Bitelabs grows meat from celebrity tissue samples and uses it to make artisanal salami."

Is this true? No. It is yet another yuppie idea for a "thought provoking" fake product.

The main thought it provokes in me that that these people are not half as smart as they think they are.

Oh look, see how we are making a comment on celebrity and maybe fooling some proles into thinking its real. LOLs cannibalism is so taboo. In vitro people meat etc.

Yawn.

Men, Woman, and Quiche

It is common knowledge that vegetarianism is more common with women.  Hank Rothgerber reveals some of the underlying factors in these gender differences.

Rothberger studued undergraduates and found that assertive defenses of meat eating were more common in males and associated with feelings of masculinity. Specifically more masculine indivduals were were likely to use justifications such as that eating meat is healthy, justified by religion and allowed by animals' lower status. More feminine individuals tends to have strategies of avoidance such as not thinking to much about where meat comes from.

It is interesting to see that  part of the masculine strategy that seems out of character is the denial of animal suffering in meat production.  This strikes me as more a strategy pf avoidance--assuming lack of suffering rather than really trying to assess the degree of suffering that may or may not occur.  This both masculine and feminine strategies can be said to embrace a degree of denial and dissociation for the animal. Overall masculine individuals are more unapologetic meat eaters but also apparently less interested in the welfare aspects of how meat is produced, or as Rothberger phrased it "hostile to animal welfare".

The author goes on to present various pro-vegetarian arguments phrased in a more masculine way (e.g. rational, non-conformist) but they do not look at how being in denial about animal welfare issues--whether one eats meet or not--is not a macho orientation but a weak 'head in the sand' position in contrast to either fixing the problems or changing which food products to support (within or beyond the meat category).

Rothgerber, H. (2013). Real men don’t eat (vegetable) quiche: Masculinity and the justification of meat consumption. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 14 (4), 363-375 DOI: 10.1037/a0030379

Dehorning

These days we remove the horns from almost all cattle when they are a few days old. But the traditional milk cow needed to be able to look after herself, and was familiar with the family and so generally docile enough to be safe.

This gal, "Bessy", has a truly impressive set of horns! But everyone obviously feels quite safe around her.

FDA starts to reign in anti-microbial feeds

The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics probably has diverse causes.  Certainly the over-prescribing and improper disposal of human medications plays a role.  however I, personally, also feel that the use f antibiotics in livestock feed is also playing a part.

So I think that the FDA is taking a step in the right direction.  they are requesting that companies not allow antibiotics important in human medicine also be used in livestock feed

Links

• Phasing Out Certain Antibiotic Use in Farm Animals
• FDA to crack down on antibiotics in animals reared for meat

Guardian Op-Ed: My beef isn't with beef: why I stopped being a vegetarian

"Every meal you eat that supports a sustainable farm changes the agricultural world. I cannot possibly stress this enough. Your fork is your ballot, and when you vote to eat a steak or leg of lamb purchased from a small farmer you are showing the industrial system you are actively opting out. You are showing them you are willing to sacrifice more of your paycheck to dine with dignity."

[Jenna Woginrich/Guardian]