NYT: Drugs & I Want Revenge

[magic_idol]

They did a study in australia were they scoped 1000 horses after hard work & a amazing result came back 82 % of these horses had bleed in some form , Not all horses bleed out both nostrils which is classed as a "bleeder".
I Have seen & backed unfortunately quite a few bleeders who dont bleed out the nose but when suddenly did not preform or have the classic fly for 800 mtrs the stop come back as what the vet calls white ie when it's scoped it's bleed so much it's white inside.
Bleeders are banned & no laxis is allowed in australia in case the horse falls down dead .but the reallity this never happens, more likely to be a heart attack than a bleeding attack so the non use of laxis is absolutely stupid,
On a completely different note if a racehorse has sore feet but is absolutely safe shouldnt it run on bute as its not affecting it's preformance just easing the horses pain when it runs for 1 min 12 secs.
Drug laws are made for people not horses.

[Linny]

Chuck, thank you for the detailed explanation. I understand joint injections and Adequan etc (my show hunter gets his hocks done before the show season each year) but is an antibiotic regimen that common in a horse healthy enough to be training as the favorite for the KY Derby?
I think that IWR was purchased before the Wood, meaing that a pre-purchase exam (PPE) must have been done at some point in March. I've seen PPE's done for average pleasure and show horses that reveal the start of tendon strain. I would imagine that if a buyer is paying for a multi million dollar share in a major Derby contender that the exam might be even more thorough-though I'm not sure in what areas.
Chuckles, most vets will tell you that they can do the exam and comment on the horse's current condition but cannot predict future soundness or even assess how he may handle a particlular job in the future. Unless a vet simply didn't do an ordered test or stepped well out of role and advised the purchase of a lame/unsuitable horse, it's hard to sue a vet for anything regarding a PPE.