But not in California where horses at non-USEF shows can be tested.
Though they could still give depo assuming CA doesn’t change its rules.
There are more and more news stories about people injured riding drugged horses. I know myself of one very nasty custody battle that might still make the news. I am amazed people risk their insurance saying no, we will not pay this way too. One day people will look back and say “what were they thinking?” about all this unqualified people giving substances to childs and amateurs horses
First- I am against depo. In this specific discussion, vets are required to prescribe the MPA, though I know of non-vets who administer it. My point is we are not talking about unqualified people.
I am glad depo is banned from competition, as it clearly violates the 410 rule. I am not a vet, I hold a different doctorate but my career is in pharmacology. One of the receptors it works on is the y-amniobutyric acid type A (GABA) receptor.
I got slaughtered talking to trainers in real life when this was brought up before. Trainers had a fit. I have to look at who was on the investigative panel when this was brought up before. I assume a few clinical vets?
BOREDOM ALERT
-GABA- neurotransmitter that inhibits or slows brain function, relives anxiety, reduces stress, is naturally released at the end of the day
-benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax) act on some of the same receptors as GABA
-No extensive studies have been done in horses and I doubt there ever will be those in depth studies.
- there are tons, and I mean tons, of scientific, peer reviewed aritcles on NCBI PubMed. Why the USEF went so long is allowing it I have no idea.
-Neurosteroids, of which MPA is, has been identified extensively as a potent positive modulator of the receptor- one of MPA’s methods of action is receptor-mediated inhibition in the CNS. It impacts thalamus, cerebellum, hypocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus- all well studied in the rat. How is it not meant to affect behavior?
-The hypothalamus in particular is involved in behaviors related to aggression, stress and sleep. It is connected directly to the autonomic nervous system. Biology refresher- the ANS receives info about the body and external environment and responds by stimulating body processes. One of those is preparing the body for stressful situations (fight or flight).
People say “I didn’t notice a difference in my mare, gelding etc”. Right. Much as people have different tolerances for antidepressants and other medications- same is true for horses.
It’s banned as it should be. People will look for another compound to administer and slide through because there isn’t a specific rule banning that substance.
Maybe judging will change. Maybe horses will find more suitable careers. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Took long enough.
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Thanks for the deets, Pennywell. Intriguing stuff.
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Yes, thank you for the details Pennywell. Just goes to show…it is definitely a good thing it was banned. It IS a behaviorally altering substance, despite what many of the people opposed to this ruling say.
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I do not think MPA is the devil nor people who have used it- (Just quoting you as a follow up, not saying that is your opinion).
I do not think specifically it is killing horses with allergic reaction. There is so much more I’d have questions on in the allergic reaction deaths: Was the pharmacy used USP compliant? did the pharmacist/pharmacy have veterinary specific pharmacy training? (yes, it exists).
To me it appears to be acting as a mimic drug and avoiding FDA GMPs for safety, effectiveness, purity, stability, potency and exposes horses to substances that could be contaminated or unstable. No horse is getting the exact same thing every time when it is compounded.
Also- is it compounded according to the FDA CPG (compliance policy), where for example, compounding must be done on an individual patient basis and not in batches or in batch quantities not intended for a specific patient.
And there are legitimate examples of necessary vet compounding. I am in no way crucifying vets. Most vets like their patients and want to help and probably seek out accredited PCAB pharmacies. My vet prescribed it, from a pharmacy she had used and she always gave her clients warnings. She is also a showing USEF member and educated other members/clients about the new policy on her page.
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