Why is lasix given to horses

Neither the effect of furosemide on athletic performance nor its efficacy in the prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage has been convincingly demonstrated. Abstract Furosemide, a diuretic, is frequently administered to horses for the prophylaxis of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage and the treatment of a number of clinical conditions, including acute renal failure and congestive heart failure. Publication types Research Support, Non-U. Regardless, a high percentage of race horses are using Lasix.

Studies have shown Lasix to be an effective way to prevent bleeding lungs in horses. Lasix is administered intravenously before a race, but it also has side effects similar to a diuretic. This means that it can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, along with decreased levels of blood calcium.

These side effects can cause a horse to lose 10 to 15 liters of urine in the hour following their dose of Lasix. As common practice, many race horses are not allowed to drink water in the four hours leading up to a race, which can result in a 10—20 pound loss.

This is where the controversy comes in. It is at the heart of the latest anti-medication proposal — a push to incrementally phase out Lasix in the US, prohibiting its use in two-year-old races next year with a view to expanding the ban to encompass all races the year after.

Stronach subsequently announced that he would offer a series of Lasix-free two-year-old races next year at Gulfstream Park, a racecourse under the Stronach Group banner. The Pletcher-led proposal drew fire from the opposing camp.

But after years of intractability the latest proposal, with its ringing endorsement from so many figures in the racing war cabinet, appears to be one of the most significant pushes yet for Lasix reform. Racehorses are unique, in that they are one of very few animals known to suffer Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage EIPH more commonly referred to as bleeding , Professor Ken Hinchcliff , dean of veterinary and agricultural sciences at the University of Melbourne and co-author of a series of comprehensive studies in recent years looking into the effects of Lasix on racehorses, told the Guardian.

One of the causes of EIPH is a four-fold increase in pulmonary blood pressure when horses exercise or compete. The severity by which horses bleed is graded from zero to four. At grades one, two and three, the amount of blood in the lungs increases, though blood is not necessarily visible in the nostrils.

At grade four, epistaxis occurs — and blood is visible in either or both nostrils. Between 0. Those who do exhibit varying amounts of blood in the nostrils, with a few having large amounts, said Morley. He disagrees with suggestions that EIPH is painful. A study of racehorses in Australia — where Lasix is banned on race-day but permitted for training purposes — found that horses that bled to a degree less than one were four times more likely to win than horses that bled to a level higher than two.

Of the horses in the study which developed EIPH, bled to a level of one or less. These horses performed as well as a horse that had no trace of blood in their lungs, and were nearly twice as likely to finish in one of the top three positions compared with horses with an EIPH of grade two, three or four.

One hundred and one horses were diagnosed with grade two bleeding, while 25 bled to grade three. Thirteen horses had grade-four EIPH. It will enact national rules on medication and doping that would replace the patchwork that exists in 38 racing jurisdictions around the country.

Beginning last year, Kentucky banned the use of race-day Lasix for 2-year-olds. Those horses are now 3 and eligible for the Triple Crown series. Churchill Downs declined to award qualifying points in this year's Kentucky Derby prep races to any horse running on race-day Lasix.

Use of Lasix is apparent to the wagering public in racing programs, where the capital letter L is noted next to a horse's name. Count two-time Derby winner Doug O'Neill as another trainer initially apprehensive about the ban. They do seem to come out of the races with more energy, and they get back to their normal exercise energy quicker so they recover quicker without Lasix.