Churchill to test scratch horses

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by Storm Cadet

Cannon...do trainers/vets just shotgun administer anti biotics without lab work on a ill horse?

I thought that trainers do blood lab work, check the white cell count and maybe culture before administering meds. So how does the scratch blood test program help if a trainer is waiting the results before administering?

Seems like they are not helping the health care of the horse in question if they are going to fine the trainer if NO antibiotics/anti inflammatory meds are found in the blood test by the track vet?

Instead of checking for med in the horses system...let the track vet draw blood and see what really is the sickness the horse has to see if it's a legit scratch. Elevated white count...good.....no elevated white count...fine of $250.00. That will stop the indiscriminate administering of medication. Crap...we keep giving the equine set antibiotics..we'll see superbug MRSA that doesn't respond to usual antibiotics in our stables soon!!!!!

just to add to what chuck said on this.....if a horse actually has a fever and maintains it for any length of time one would want to treat it with banamine and or bute (usually before test results have time to come back) because of the potential for other problems associated with high fever.