Since the folks following this thread are some of the most educated voices I have heard so far concerning the issue of breakdowns at Santa Anita over the last few months, what are your thoughts on the recent article from Ray Paulick concerning bisphosphonate use?
Specifically… is it possible to run any sort of testing during a necropsy of these horses who broke down to determine if they were given bisphosphonates at some earlier point? Maybe some sort of bone analysis?
Are there some racehorses that never bleed? IIRC, Runhappy never raced on Lasix.
@LaurieB can you shed any light on this?
Not sure that not having been administered Lasix didn’t mean they never bled. Perhaps they never bled or perhaps they didn’t bleed enough to need Lasix or perhaps was with a trainer who didn’t use it?
All these drugs! There is an article here saying that the use of levothyroxine (thyroid medication) in horses can lead to cardiac arrhythmia. https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/03/20/danger-thyroid-supplement-fit-horses/
There was a finding last year that a huge number of trainers had their horses on thyroid supplements. Suppose that a horse heart skips a beat or two during training. Might that cause it to stumble and break something? This is just a hypothetical because one doesn’t have any idea if it happens.
What finding? Will you link it please? Thyro L had it’s little fad, but really doesn’t do much but make hard keepers harder keepers. The only people still giving it to race horses are idiots. I have one riding horse on it for fatness, and if it’s used as directed, it’s safe.
I was wondering about osphos/tilden too. It is certainly used in horses younger than 4 especially when futurities and sales are at stake. And I don’t mean just in TBs either.
But wouldn’t the bone loss show on necropsy?
I wish I knew more about it
So, in your WAY more educated opinion than mine, would Gronkowski be given Lasix when he was imported from a country that doesn’t use it, as an already successful racehorse?
Do you think it is being used as a preventative, and not just on horses who bleed to the point of health problems?
I don’t know anything about Gronkowski so can’t comment on that but yes lasix is given preventatively because they all bleed to some degree eventually. Most bleeds are very minor and may not even effect performance in that particular race but the blood in the lungs can lungs can lead to infection and can also cause scar tissue. The more scar tissue the more prone they are to bleeding the next time.
I went looking for some detailed, technical, scientific information concerning long term impacts of biaphosphonates on bones when used off label in young racehorses.
I found this article informative. For those not wanting to wade through all the technical details… my takeaway is that it is not going to be an obvious, simple, process to perform tests as part of the necropsy, and determine whether or not bisphosphonates were an underlying factor in catastrophic breakdowns. The dose administered, age at which it was administered, and other history of underlying injuries (micro fractures) and rest and rehabilitation regimen that an individual horse goes through will all play a role in terms of risks that a horse who was given bisphosphonates at a young age later has a catastrophic breakdown.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.12682
I will admit I have a fairly advanced general understanding of bisphosphonates and their long term risks for human conditions. I have received these medications in order to prevent metastatic spread to my bones of cancer cells. However… even in the case of someone like me, who is taking one of these medications for an approved, prescribed, very good reason, after ithe medication has undergone rigorous clinical trials… there are MAJOR risks.
I’m a bit perplexed by the focus on Lasix at present, instead of a focus on bisphosphonates used off label.
In your opinion, would intermediate/advanced level event horses benefit from lasix before cross country? Would a wide acceptance of lasix by USEF and FEI rules be welcomed?
@Virginia Horse Mom , I’m a total ignoramus on the subject, so I’m not ‘focusing’ on lasix. I’m just trying to understand the use, and the thought behind it.
No. Even advanced level horses don’t go anywhere near as fast as a racehorse does. Lots of ex racehorses do wonderfully as top level event horses without a hint of bleeding.
@endlessclimb - I’m an ignoramoys on most veterinary issues compared to many folks who post on these forums!
My comments about the focus on lasix vs. bisphosphonates are really more directed at The Stronach Group’s decision to try a lasix ban at Santa Anita in response to the recent rash of breakdowns. I’ve been reading a little more here and there today about suspicions concerning bisphosphonates. Including older Paulick Report articles, and Dr. Bramlage’s comments.
To me… the recent uptick in breakdowns more closely correlates to increasing bisphosphonate use. Lasix has been around for decades. It’s concerning to think about what this year and next might be like for young horses at many tracks across the country if off label misuse and abuse of Tilden and Osphos is an underlying factor in the breakdowns. If it is… there will be more issues at other tracks as the weather turns warmer and different meets happen. Really concerning.
I also am perplexed by the continued statements I see in articles concerning not using these meds on horses under 4. UNDER 4?!?! It seems to me like the mds are only appropriate for use in older horses with confirmed navicular or major arthritic changes. Horses in those categories shouldn’t be involved in racing or jumping at anything other than a low level.
It just seems like these meds should be banned altogether with respect to use in racehorses.
It would be interesting to see a respiratory rate and heart rate comparison of the different sports, with the understanding that respiratory rate is tied directly to stride rate at the gallop. Thanks for commenting back, I’m learning more every day.
Edit: I just thought of something else. With a fit horse, I’ll often do gallop sets on the trail. Not hand gallop, I’m talking full out, gimme all you got gallops. Is my horse bleeding in the lungs afterwards? Should I not be doing this?
Just a guess but I doubt your give me everything you’ve got is anywhere near as fast as a race. Even most race horses don’t go as fast in their timed workouts as they do in a race because you really need the adrenaline of competition to go that fast. I imagine you are fine
2018 data from EID.
2018 (1.68 per 1000 starts) not up significantly over 2017 (1.61 per 1000 starts).
Virginia Horse Mom
I read the same articles on the bisphosphonates. As a physician (albeit I treat humans not horses) I agree with you. They should be outright banned in both racehorses and sporthorses. The only use that I could think of would be for older pleasure, semi-retired horses with navicular or arthritis. Interestingly, that is what they are labeled for.
The vets seem to be using them off label for temporary improvement in soundness or radiographs and I think we will pay the price for this in both the sport and racehorse populations. They seem to be used more in the sales horses ie: 2 year old in training and to speed healing of bucked shins. Sounds like a recipe for trouble. I have friends also that have used them in competition horses ie: jumpers. I don’t think they currently have effective testing for them. The tracks and TB sales should ban their use. The UK has banned them in horses under 3 1/2 and the horse will be ineligible to race for life if given them. We should do the same but I would go further. Ban altogether for race horses.
Lasix IMO is not such a big deal. One dose (usually one time monthly for a race) is really not going to have that much effect.
Biophosphates sometimes take over a month to be effective, not sure why a race horse trainer would use it on a youngster. You just don’t see these medications on the race track. You don’t see navicular on the race track. There really are not any scenarios that jump out at me that would have someone use biophosphates as a fix. Why do you think people are using biophosphates? And if so, how did all these horses end up at Santa Anita at the same time and start breaking down at the same time? If it’s a fad at the track, why is it only happening at Santa Anita?
I personally will never use biophosphates on any horse except for possibly an old retired navicular horse but I can easily see how there could be many instances why people at the track could be tempted to use it. Seems like it could be instrumental in speeding the healing of bucked shins and the like. Whether that played a part in all the breakdowns at SA seems doubtful to me however since the horses were such different ages and stages in their careers. My money is still 100% on the track itself.
Agree. There is an article on PR about it, but I don’t think the theory of rampant use of biophosphates holds any water. In this article, they talk about using it for yearlings who are getting ready for sales. Consignors have reputations, and if you get the reputation of prepping your youngsters in a manner that prevents them from future success, people stop buying from you. They have reputations for prepping a horse that is ready to move along, or not. Horsemen who have been around for decades pick up on that sort of stuff quick, and the word spreads.
https://www.paulickreport.com/news/r…osphonate-use/
I also think that if consignors were using biophosphates, it would be seen at tracks other than Santa Anita. How would all these horses going through sales all over the country end up at the same place at the same time? And it’s a wide variety of horses who broke down, not just youngsters prepping for their first race. How do you explain Battle of Midway? The biophosphates theory does not work for me.
Is there any research being done about what sales barns these horses have been through, and on who had an interest in the amount/conditions of sale as youngsters? With the biophosphates discussions, these might be places to look? What vets were used when they were young?
I know that if I were a buyer of a horse who’d had that done, and I found out, I’d be pissed.
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