Up until a year ago, Mad Cow Disease (MCD) was considered “foreign” to North America. We watched in dismay as Europe struggled with the implications of this disease. With the discovery of an infected cow in Canada last May, however, and the more recent report of one in the U.S., this is no longer someone else’s problem. Many people have expressed concern about their animal companions contracting MCD. Is this possible? Should you be concerned about the health of your dog or cat as well as your own?

I’m not really surprised that MCD (also called bovine spongioform encephalopathy or BSE) has made an appearance here. The food supply is “generally safe,” since meat intended for human consumption must pass inspection by food health veterinarians who check the meat at the point of slaughter. Even though the infected cows came from Canada, a U.S. cow could just as well have been the culprit, as detection systems for the disease are not as good as they should be, according to some experts. Due to the worldwide distribution of this horrible condition, it was only a matter of time, regardless of the controls we have on food inspection, that MCD would be detected.

Mad Cow Disease is not caused by bacteria or viruses but by protein particles called prions. These prions, which start out as normal components of neurological tissue, are very resistant to destruction, and survive anything and everything, including freezing, heating, pressure, and irradiation. They concentrate in the nervous tissue (brain and spinal cord) of infected animals. Scientists believe the disease originated from the agricultural practice of feeding meat to ruminants (cows, sheep, etc.), which normally would never be carnivores in the wild. Many countries have now banned this practice, although it is up to local farmers to follow and enforce the ban.

MCD is even more unlikely to affect dogs and cats, although it is possible (so far, cats but not dogs appear susceptible). To date, I’ve never seen any credible reports of this disease appearing in the U.S. in our pets, although there have been reports in both domestic and wild cats in Europe. However, in my opinion, there is a greater chance of MCD affecting our pets than ourselves. Why? Because most pet foods do not contain the healthiest ingredients. The U.S. recently announced that “downer” cows dead, dying or diseased cows) would no longer be allowed to enter the human food chain, but no such promise was made for pet food. That means manufacturers are free to use animals most at risk for having MCD. Many brands of food containingredients such as animal byproducts and meat and bone meal. These are the ingredients most likely to include the nervous tissue (brain and spinal cord) of cattle. And since so many pet foods contain these less-than-healthy ingredients, cattle, sheep, deer and other ruminants infected with MCD can easily and quickly infect our pet food supply. Earlier this year, in fact, one Canadian manufacturer recalled dog food that contained rendered parts from an infected cow.

What’s the solution? Simple. Whenever possible, prepare nutritious homemade recipes for your animals, using trusted protein sources. If that’s not practical for you, learn to read pet food labels and choose foods that do not contain potentially infected material. Natural diets containing whole meats without byproducts will minimize the risk of infected ingredients in the food. All it takes is some vigilance and self-education.

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Dr. Shawn Messonnier is the author of the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats and 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog. His veterinary practice, Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, is located in Plano, Texas. You can contact him at www.petcarenaturally.com or naturalvet@juno.com.