Obviously, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the use, the effect and the duration of action of anabolic steroids. First of all, this class of medication is a schedule drug, meaning it cannot be used without a prescription from a licensed veterinarian, who in turn must keep a record in a schedule drug log and adhere to guidelines for usage. Secondly, it is ILLEGAL to use these products in food producing animals, with or without a prescription, for any reason. Any drug that is used in a food producing animal must be rigorously tested for tissue residues and their duration in the tissue, which have not been done for anabolic steroids use in cattle. There are growth promoting drugs that are approved for cattle being fed for slaughter, but these are administered at a certain time within the production cycle and are eliminated from the body by the time the animal is harvested. There might be a rare instance that anabolic steroids would be used in a debilitated animal extra-label, but this would preclude that animal from entering the food chain and would have to be considered on a special case basis only, if at all.

Method of Action
The anabolic steroids mimic the action of the androgenic hormones (testosterone or male hormones) in that they influence the individual to develop muscle and bone mass, and influence behavior. In humans, those taking anabolic steroids imply a euphoric feeling when they are under the influence of these compounds, others make the comment that they recover from stressful events much quicker. Body development has to be augmented by a strict physical exercise program in the human, administering the compounds alone do not make the athlete.

We mentioned earlier that the anabolic steroids effect mimic the bodies own hormonal influence. These products also impact the body’s natural production of the sex hormones that are responsible for male or female character, this is called negative feedback. The more hormones in the system, the less of that hormone is naturally produced. That is why gonadal development (testicles and ovaries) is significantly impacted when the anabolic hormones are administered to the developing (adolescent or sexually immature) animal. Some folks in the bucking industry are aware that certain individuals performing today are essentially sterile (aspermic) because of the suspected use of anabolic steroids when they were younger. That is not to say that every “sterile bull” had been administered “anabols” but they do have a negative effect on semen production, even in the mature, adult bull.

These products can have a marked effect on “attitude” when administered. Is this always a good thing? Most of the bulls out today have plenty of attitude. If for some reason a bull is not performing up to standard, it is probably a strong indication something is physically wrong; an injury (sprain of a joint or muscle tear), a subtle illness not readily apparent (hardware disease), digestive upset (mild overeating or change in feed or water), or possibly just tired of traveling (needs some green grass and pasture time with the girls). This notion of “fire from the bottle” should perish; we have no real basis that administration will have any short-term effect on performance.

Misconception Distinguishing Between Drug Groups
There is a serious misunderstanding about the anabolic steroids and other hormonal-like compounds that are routinely used in veterinary medicine. For instance, dexamethasone is a common drug used in industry to reduce inflammation; it is very similar to a compound naturally produced by the body. Confusion about testing may lead some to believe the use of this drug may cause a positive test result during testing for anabolic steroids. This is not the case, as testing procedures are very specific and chemical structures of the compounds we are interested in are very specific. Technology of drug testing is very advanced today as compared to say 10 years ago and we are confident in the ability to identify compounds that do not naturally exist in blood or urine. There are baselines that are currently being established and will continue to be evaluated as more samples are studied.

Many of the drugs that are legally available to be administered to cattle for injury and illness will continue to be available to the industry for use in the sick or injured animal. As testing progresses, more understanding about drug interaction and their relationship to the animal will be better understood. If someone is concerned about current veterinary drugs interfering with a test for anabolic steroids they should consider adhering to published withdrawal times for the administered drug; therefore eliminating all doubt of any cross reaction.

If All Else Fails
We title this segment as such to explain why this group of compounds should not be forgotten. This industry is an entertainment venue and relies on the public for support of this endeavor. Obviously, there are those in the industry who are concerned about “anabols” use within the industry and strongly suspect it is evident. There are published reports of this suspected use and the public is acutely aware of the “abuse of anabols” by other sports figures. What better way to support the industry and public perception than to provide a testing program to assure the public that the bovine athlete is clean of performance enhancing steroid. Injury to the bull is always possible while attaining samples for testing, but is this risk worth the assurance to the public that our cattle are being cared for to the utmost degree? This is a question the industry must decide the answer to.

Lastly, there are opportunities for criminal elements to interfere with honest competitors. In other competitive sports (i.e. horse racing) the ultimate responsibilities regarding the competing athlete are left with the trainer or owner. This is called the trainer responsibility rule, therefore if you are concerned about the well-being of your animal, adequate supervision must be provided. The trainer is responsible for the care of the animal and if a positive test results, it is his or her responsibility to face the consequences. There are many things that must be worked out within the testing protocols, there are circumstances to be evaluated and considerations to be made. Fortunately, other animal sports have had previous experience that we may benefit from. The laboratory involved with developing the testing protocols has great experience with testing various species for anabolic steroid use and I have great confidence with their assistance that this protocol can work for the bucking bull industry. I fully support this program for the good of the industry and for the assurance of the public that we are excellent providers for the health and well being of our bulls.