[Riot]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Honest question because I really don't know the answer. What happens to horses that bleed through Lasix? I seem to remember horses not being able to enter for a pretty decent amount of time, and even being barred from racing. Has all this changed?

They are not allowed to race, and if the episode is repeated (they continue to bleed) they are banned from racing. See highlighted section below.

I want to point something out about lasix. It is administered IV (in the vein) four hours before a race. It starts to work in 5 minutes (making a horse urinate), it's peak action is at about 1 hour, and it's half-life is about 2 hours. This means that, when the horse goes on the track for the race, the action of the furosemide (lasix) has been done and over for an hour or two.

It is illegal to administer lasix closer than 4 hours to post time.

From the Kentucky Racing Rules http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/kar/810/001/018.htm (note: adjuncts have been banned, this has not been updated on their website)

Section 6. Furosemide and Adjunct Bleeder Medication; Use on Race Day. (1) Furosemide may be administered, in accordance with this section, to a horse that is entered to compete in a race.

(2) Furosemide may be used under the following circumstances:

(a) Furosemide shall be administered at a location under the jurisdiction of the commission, by a single intravenous injection, not less than four (4) hours prior to post time for the race in which the horse is entered.

(b) The syringe employed in the injection shall be provided immediately to the commission veterinarian, steward, or commission employee, if requested, to determine if there has been a violation of this administrative regulation.

(c) The furosemide dosage administered shall not exceed 500 mg, nor be less than 150 mg.

(d) The specific gravity of a post-race urine sample shall not be below 1.010. If the specific gravity of the post-race urine sample is determined to be below 1.010, a quantification of furosemide in serum or plasma shall be performed. Concentrations above 100 nanograms of furosemide per milliliter of serum or plasma shall constitute a violation of this section.

(e) A horse eligible to receive furosemide pursuant to Section 7 of this administrative regulation that does not show a detectable concentration of the drug in the post-race urine, plasma, or serum shall be in violation of this administrative regulation.

(3) Up to two (2) of the following adjunct bleeder medications may be administered to a horse not less than four (4) hours prior to post time for the race in which the horse is entered:

(a) Aminocaproic acid:

(b) Carbazochrome:

(c) Conjugated estrogens; and

(d) Tranexamic acid.



Section 7. Furosemide Eligibility. (1)(a) A horse shall be eligible to race with furosemide if the licensed trainer or licensed veterinarian determines that it would be in the horse's best interests to race with furosemide.

(b) Horses eligible for furosemide and entered to start may be monitored by an commission-approved representative during the four (4) hour period prior to post time of the race in which the horse is entered.

(2) A horse eligible for furosemide shall receive furosemide unless the licensed trainer or licensed veterinarian submits a written request to the commission veterinarian to no longer administer furosemide to the horse. The request shall be on the form "Certificate of Termination of Lasix KHRA 100-5 (8-06)", incorporated by reference in 811 KAR 1:090, and shall be submitted to the commission-approved representative not later than time of entry.

(3)(a) After a horse has been determined by the commission veterinarian to no longer be required to receive furosemide, the horse shall not be eligible to receive furosemide for a period of sixty (60) calendar days unless it is determined by the trainer or veterinarian, in consultation with the commission veterinarian, that it is detrimental to the welfare of the horse to not be on furosemide.

(b) If a horse is determined by the commission veterinarian to be ineligible to receive furosemide a second time in a three hundred sixty-five day period, the horse shall not be eligible to receive furosemide for a period of ninety (90) calendar days.

(4) A horse that has been placed on a furosemide or bleeder list in another jurisdiction may be eligible to receive furosemide in this jurisdiction.
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Section 18. Veterinarian's List. (1) The commission veterinarian shall maintain a list of horses determined to be unfit to compete in a race due to illness, physical distress, unsoundness, infirmity, or other medical condition.

(2) A horse may be removed from the veterinarian's list when, in the opinion of the commission veterinarian, the horse is capable of competing in a race.

(3) The commission veterinarian shall maintain a bleeder list of all horses that have demonstrated external evidence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage during or after a race or workout as observed by the commission veterinarian.

(4) Every horse that is a confirmed bleeder, regardless of age, shall be placed on the bleeder list and be ineligible to race for the following time periods:

(a) First incident - fourteen (14) days;

(b) Second incident within a three hundred sixty-five (365) day period - thirty (30) days;

(c) Third incident within a three hundred sixty-five (365) day period - one hundred eighty (180) days;

(d) Fourth incident within a three hundred sixty-five (365) day period - barred from racing for life.

(5) For the purpose of counting the number of days a horse is ineligible to run, the day after the horse bled externally shall be the first day of the recovery period.

(6) The voluntary administration of furosemide without an external bleeding incident shall not subject a horse to the initial period of ineligibility as defined in this section.

(7) A horse shall be removed from the bleeder list only upon the direction of the commission veterinarian, who shall certify in writing to the stewards the recommendation for removal.

(8) A horse that has been placed on a bleeder list in another jurisdiction may be placed on the bleeder list maintained by the commission veterinarian.