Mullins and O'Neill Suspended

[Riot]

Originally Posted by docicu3

I really was ASKING not assuming anything. Probably should have just said what do the vets think the normal range is for a noncompeting horse.

In humans this is tied into kidney compensation and I have no knowledge as to whether a horse has kidney compensation for high and low bicarbs or alkalemic Ph's like people do but there are vets here that will know

I am a vet, and the normal range for a noncompeting average horse has been well-established by most laboratories as 23-33 mmol/L variable by breed and fitness condition. We can't use values for non-competing, non-fit pasture horses when testing TB horses post-race. The values for racehorses (northern and southern hemisphere, STB vs TB) at rest and post-exercise have been established by specifically testing these athletes. Certainly in metabolic illness TCO2 can go up and down markedly dependent upon the acid-base status, and yes, the kidneys help compensate. As do the other usual mechanisms that maintain overall acid-base balance in any mammal.