Famous Do Cows Get Mad Cow Disease From Eating Other Cows References. Mad cow disease, known medically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse), is a progressive neurological disorder in cattle. If a cow gets bse, it most likely ate the contaminated feed during its first year of life.

Particularly the brain, spinal cord, or various nerve tissues. A sick cow may also act very nervous or violent, which is why bse is often called “mad cow disease.”. A cow gets bse by eating feed contaminated with parts that came from another cow that was sick with bse.