Furosemide-Free BC Juveniles Show Few EIPH Cases

Furosemide-free juveniles at the Breeders’ Cup had fewer, less severe instances of EIPH than other juveniles.
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An observational study has found that 2-year-olds racing without race-day furosemide at the 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park had fewer and less severe instances of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) than juveniles who raced with the diuretic that same weekend at Santa Anita.

While the study was observational as opposed to scientific—and the sample size small—researchers observed a statistically significant higher percentage of EIPH frequency, and severity, in horses treated with furosemide Nov. 1 at Santa Anita compared with those who raced without it that weekend at the track.

Furosemide (commonly called Salix or Lasix) is the only race-day medication permitted in North American racing and it’s used to treat EIPH, which at its most severe grade can include bleeding through the nostrils. Breeders’ Cup has prohibited race-day Salix use in juvenile races in the two most recent World Championships.

This year Breeders’ Cup followed up that Salix policy with endoscopic exams for EIPH of juveniles whose connections opted to participate in the voluntary study, which also looked at horses volunteered from a pair of stakes races for juvenile California-breds conducted that same weekend

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Frank Angst is a staff writer for The Blood-Horse magazine. An American Horse Publications three-time winner in best news story category, Angst has covered horse racing for more than a decade. Angst spent ten years at Thoroughbred Times, where he earned awards as that magazine’s senior writer and helped launch Thoroughbred Times TODAY. Besides covering horse racing, Angst enjoys handicapping. Angst has written about sports for more than 20 years, including several seasons covering a nationally ranked Marshall Thundering Herd football team.

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