Page 19 - February 2007 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, February 2007 19
Cocaine - Cont. from Previous Page
According to this study, between 2000 and 2005, racing jurisdictions reported 52 positive cases of BZE in post-race tests. The consensus would seem to be that the horses should be believed when they argue that they never knowingly consumed cocaine; the evidence is sufficient to suggest a human hand could accidentally contaminate the horse.
The study conducted by Dr. Camargo and colleagues also reported tests on U.S. currency that showed that up to 79% of dollar bills tested positive for cocaine and half of them contained 1000 nanograms or more per bill.
As for the practical application of cocaine, there is evidence that administering the drug on purpose in very large doses could improve a horse’s performance. There was a period in history when cocaine was actually used to wake horses up after they had undergone an operation but, in recent years, veterinary science has graduated to more effective medicine.
Cocaine blocks the enzyme that pumps norepinephrine (closely related to epinephrine or adrenaline) away from the nerve endings, thereby directing it to norepinephrine receptors. The result of this is an increased level of brain stimulation. The problem with administering cocaine to a horse is that at some level, the animal might respond with more alertness, but at a slightly higher dose, it could simply demonstrate a higher level of inhibition, fear, even paranoia.
Not what you really desire from a horse at the starting gate.
As well, it’s been found that the effect of cocaine occurs very rapidly with the most noticeable changes occurring within 15 minutes after IV injection. In other words, if someone dumb enough to believe that cocaine would help his horse win, he would pretty well have to inject the horse while in the saddling area. How likely or prudent would that be?
In the final analysis, there is a push to have racing jurisdictions acknowledge that trace amounts of BZE in a horse’s system can occur without the intent to cheat, and without any significant medical or pharmacological effects. Recently, the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association’s “Proposed Policy for Drug Testing and Therapeutic Medication” recommended a cutoff of 150 nanograms per milliliter of BZE in urine. This research has a Canadian connection, in that it has been supported by the Ontario Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
PREVENTING FOAL PNEUMONIA
Equine Health
Foaling season is upon us already ... and before you can say 'spring', we'll also be facing a season of childhood diseases for foals. They'll run the gamut, from scours to jaundice to respiratory viruses ... one of the most dangerous of which is foal pneumonia.
Pneumonia, an extremely infectious condition, frequently affects up to 90% of a foal crop between two and four months of age. Though it has a fairly low mortality rate (5-15%), it can sometimes have serious implications for a horse’s racing future.
A number of different micro-organ- isms can be responsible for pneumonia symptoms, and often more than one is involved, with the most serious cases (with a much higher mortality rate) occurring when the bacterium Rhodococcus equi is detected as a secondary infection. R. equi cases often require extended hospitalization and may suffer severe lung damage.
A foal with pneumonia may have:
• a cloudy or milky nasal discharge, which can be intermittent or steady
• a cough
• exercise intolerance (the foal doesn't keep up with his herdmates)
• lethargy or depression
• increased respiration (over 30 breaths a minute) with
• laboured breathing
• a tracheal 'rattle' (which you can hear
-- or sometimes feel -- in the windpipe)
• a mild to moderate fever.
If the disease becomes severe, the
symptoms may escalate to include flaring nostrils, wheezing, an anxious expression, and very rapid breathing with marked abdominal effort and a characteristic 'rippling' of the ribcage, which is often a sign of severe lung disease. Dehydration, loss of appetite, weight loss, and even cyanosis (blue/gray mucous membranes) are also possibilities.
Pneumonia may also exist in some foals on a subclinical level. In other words, though the animal looks outward- ly healthy, he suffers from pus accumula-
tions in his lower airways,
and can erupt into clinical
disease whenever he is
stressed (by shipping or
weaning, for example). This can make it a tricky disease to diagnose.
What triggers a case of pneumonia? The causes are many and varied, including:
• Bacteria (many possible organisms, particularly Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Actinobacillus/Pasteurella species, most of which are normal inhabitants of the equine upper respiratory tract)
• Viruses, including equine herpes virus-1, -2, -4 (formerly called rhinopneu- monitis, or 'rhino') and influenza
• Parasite migration (especially round- worms -- by six weeks of age, foals will often have a load of internal parasites)
• Fungi or protozoa inhaled into the lungs
• Allergic responses to airborne allergens or pollutants.
Foals are most vulnerable to pneu- monia at about four to eight weeks of age, just as their colostrum-conferred immuni- ty is beginning to wear off and their own immune systems begin to kick into gear. High humidity and heat, dust, air pollu- tion, chilling, and rapid tempera- ture fluctuations can be stress factors that trigger the disease process, as can high dust and ammonia levels in poorly mucked stalls. Dr. W. David Wilson, of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California/Davis, notes that early foals are exposed to less bacteria, dust, and environmental insult than late foals, so the incidence of pneumonia in late foals (born in May or June) is often considerably higher.
A few prevention tips:
• Vaccinate your mares against respiratory infections such as influenza, equine herpes virus, and strangles
• Isolate mares and foals new to your farm for at least
two weeks before
you introduce
them to the herd
• Follow a comprehensive parasite control program
• Maintain foal groups by age -- don't mix early foals with late ones
• Rotate pastures regularly, and don't overcrowd them
• Plan your breedings for early foaling
• Because many of the causative organisms are soil-borne, pick up manure in your pastures, reduce dust as much as possible, and move feeding areas in pastures and paddocks around so as not to create 'micro-environments' heavily contaminated with pathogens such as R. equi
• Minimize stress factors (shipping, handling).
Be particularly careful not to ship foals in closed trailers in very hot weather. Wilson suggests that this is a frequent pneumonia trigger because it severely stresses foals.
Interestingly, the administration of hyperimmune plasma (harvested from immunized donor horses) to foals at three to four weeks of age has been recently shown to provide good protection against the development of foal pneumonia. In one study, this therapy reduced the incidence of R. equi pneumonia from 43% in a herd, to 2.9%. However, it is expensive ($200 + per foal) and needs careful monitoring, so it may not be practical for many farms.
by Karen Briggs
Dave Landry Photo
Did You Know...
That Royal racing enthusiasts Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of
Cornwall, will have their first horse in training in training in 2007. A two-year- old filly named Royal Superlative (King’s Best) will be sent to a yet to be determined trainer this fall.
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