why the withdrawal time for egg consumption?

[laurelbrookhens]

I've seen many articles and opinions about not eating eggs after certain doses of medications. But here is my question: If a little 6lb chicken has a dab of an Rx and it doesn't hurt the chicken then why would whatever amount that consentrates in the egg be contraindicated for a human to consume?? If it won't hurt the little chick then why should it be so bad for a 175 lb man??

 

[Teila]

Hey Laurel

I could be wrong but I think the issue is not with the one egg with a small amount of medication in it but continually eating the eggs while the chicken is on treatment could cause a build up of the medication in the human.

It also depends on the medication and if a withholding period is recommended. While some medications are fine for chickens, dogs, cats etc, humans may have an allergic reaction to them.

In the case of antibiotics, not only is there the risk of an allergic reaction, continued use of antibiotics allow some bacteria to become resistant and super strains and antibiotic resistant diseases etc develop.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Good question, and the answer will depend a lot on your philosophy in life and your purpose with your chickens (but unfortunately this will be settled beyond your control shortly by upcoming new government sanctions.)

The bottom line has to do with FDA approval and growing public concern over the safety of the food chain. There has been a lot of outcry from those concerned about too many antibiotics and synthetics in the food we eat causing harm and illness to humans.

The new FDA 2017 rules seek to restrict most meds for food animals to veterinary prescription only. The goal is by September 2017, but I have already seen a number of popular products drop off the feed store shelves in anticipation of the phase out.

The concern is the residue left in the animal from the med (in particular antibiotics) so that it cannot be passed to a human eating it. That's where studies were done to test how much of a particular drug was left in the animal after so many days. For some drugs a certain amount is/was allowed (new 2017 rules remember are coming), for others zero tolerance is/was allowed. There are a number of meds that are safe for one species but very toxic to another. (Ivermectin for example won't hurt birds generally but is quite toxic to kittens and collies, shelties, and a few other dog breeds due to a genetic mutation that allows drugs to cross the brain/blood barrier).

That is of concern if you sell eggs or meat to anyone. If someone should get sick after eating your eggs or meat and it was tested and found that it had a forbidden substance, you would face government sanctions, likely a nasty law suit, and financial actions.

However, if you simply raise for your own family use, then you have a little more latitude (except that congress and the FDA has removed a lot of the choices available with these new regs due to concerns also about over medicating food animals which has caused antibiotic resistant strains that have infected humans).

So let's assume you still have it on your shelf or can still get it and it works well on your chickens.

So my personal approach is to look at the med. Is/was it ever used for humans safely? Example, Ivermectin is, all over the world.

If so, then we can look at dosage and discover that the tiny amount for the chicken would not even come close to the dosage for a grown adult person who is not allergic to that particular drug.

I then don't worry about it or simply follow a few days pull time to avoid the worse of the concentration that might occur.

However some drugs are more potent and not used for humans. I'm more cautious.

Do keep in mind that some people can be frightfully allergic to some drugs, even in trace amounts (rare but happens).

However, if it is for your own birds and your own family use, then you can make the decision of whether you feel safe using that med.

Hope that helps.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...and I agree with Teila that it is the continuous use and build up that is a concern as well as the nasties and beasties develop resistance to overused meds.

Eating meds day in and day out, even in traces, may prove harmful for some things (mercury would be an example).

I treat with meds as a last resort for valuable birds.

Others, I simply cull.

First line of defense is good husbandry so that you avoid illness and worm overloads.

LofMc

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think your question on withdrawal period has been addressed pretty well but I’ll try to bring in some new thoughts. Who says the medication doesn’t “hurt” the 6 pound chicken? I hate taking antibiotics, they really mess up my digestive system. It takes a while for my system to recover from a round of antibiotics. Who knows what the chicken goes through?

Not all people that eat eggs weigh 175 pounds. Some people feed eggs to their babies. I agree that not every bite the chicken eats finds its way to the eggs, but some things are concentrated in certain areas. The eggs might have a much higher concentration than you’d expect. Sometimes the fat gets a build-up. As already pointed out, it's not necessarily one bite but an accumulation that causes the problem.

We live in a society with zero tolerance to some things. If something could possibly cause harm to anyone, people with allergies or weak immune systems for example, it must be banned. A lot of these regulations are not focused on normally healthy people, they are there to protect the vulnerable; the young, old, or people with conditions that make them especially vulnerable.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

People with conditions need to buy appropriate foods. The world does not revolve around people with allergies. They make do and it's not our responsibility to coddle them or alter what we "healthy" folks can. It's disturbing what is happening in a so called free society. The young, old and feeble are free to purchase organic food and I should be free to purchase cheaper food not have prices raised for others health benefits.

 

[casportpony]

I have found it helpful to look at the withdrawal times that other countries have in place.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Fenbendazole
Fenbendazole is approved as an oral suspension for laying hens in the United Kingdom for treatment of gastro-intestinal nematodes at a dose of 1mg/kg/bw for 5 days and has a zero day egg and six day meat withdrawal. In the US, since there is no tolerance, this withdrawal needs to be extended.

Chlortetracycline
Chlortetracycline is approved for laying hens in both Australia and Ireland. In Australia, chlortetracycline is labeled for use in the drinking water of chickens up to 60 mg/kg/bw for up to 5 days with a zero day egg discard period. In Ireland, there is a medicated feed containing chlortetracycline to be fed to layers at a dose of 20 to 25 mg/kg bodyweight for 5-7 days with a 4 day egg discard. Since there is not a tolerance for chlortetracycline in eggs in the US, the withdrawal interval for any eggs undergoing regulatory inspection would need to be extended to allow residues to deplete to a level below detection.

Piperazine
There is one study looking at piperazine residues in the eggs of treated hens. Piperazine is approved for use in laying hens in Australia and Canada at doses ranging from 130 to 200mg/kg/body weight one time and a zero day egg and meat withdrawal. In the US, since there is no tolerance, this withdrawal needs to be extended.


Oxytetracycline
There are many papers looking at egg residues from oxytetracycline treated hens. Oxytetracycline is approved for laying hens in Canada. Soluble powders labelled for use in the drinking water at doses of 190mg/gallon to 424 mg/gallon have a 60 hour to 5 day egg withdrawal respectively. Since there is no tolerance for oxytetracycline in eggs in the US, a longer withdrawal interval than Canada’s recommendation would need to be observed for extra label drug use of oxytetracycline in laying hens.

Tylosin
There are some tylosin-containing products approved for use in laying hens however their availability may be impacted by GFI #209 and #213. When used according to directions, there is a zero day egg withdrawal. Tylosin is approved for use in laying hens in Ireland, Australia and the United Kingdom. A number of studies have been published examining egg residues.

Meloxicam
There have been no studies looking at egg residues in meloxicam treated hens. Given the limited studies and data available, FARAD cannot provide a blanket withdrawal interval recommendation and individuals are requested to submit a withdrawal interval request to FARAD.

Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim
There are limited studies examining sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim residues in the eggs of treated hens. Given the limited studies and data available, FARAD cannot provide a blanket withdrawal interval recommendation and individuals are requested to submit a withdrawal interval request to FARAD.

Amoxicillin
The limited studies available do not allow FARAD to make a withdrawal recommendation. Given the limited studies and data available, FARAD cannot provide a blanket withdrawal interval recommendation and individuals are requested to submit a withdrawal interval request to FARAD.

Ivermectin
There are limited studies available in the literature on the depletion of ivermectin residues from eggs. Given the limited studies and data available, FARAD cannot provide a blanket withdrawal interval recommendation and individuals are requested to submit a withdrawal interval request to FARAD.

 

[casportpony]

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thanks Kathy...I printed and saved these. I had them bookmarked on the internet, but I'm sure the FARAD brochure will fade away as meds can only be obtained from a vet source, so it's good to keep it on hand should I still have some of the meds on hand.

LofMc