Commentary: Better Questions to Answer

Eric Mitchell, editorial director and editor-in-chief of The Blood-Horse, shares his thoughts on Salix and possible studies on the drug.
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Eric Mitchell, editorial director and editor-in-chief of The Blood-Horse, shares his thoughts on Salix and possible studies on the drug.


No debate regarding the use of the anti-bleeding drug furosemide (known as Salix or formerly Lasix) is complete without a call for more research.

The Jockey Club pushed on this front during a recent meeting of the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council (KEDRC), where it lobbied for a study to look at the effectiveness of Salix given at different time intervals prior to a race. The KEDRC advises the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on medication policies and awards money for funding of medication studies.

Salix is highly controversial because it is the only race-day medication allowed in North America. Horses are permitted to get Salix at least four hours prior to a race as a preventative for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), also known as bleeding. The drug is a diuretic, meaning it causes horses to urinate a lot and consequently drop significant amounts of body weight from the water loss. Studies have shown this weight loss can contribute to enhanced performance, which is why the medication is so controversial

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Eric Mitchell is a Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief The Blood-Horse magazine.

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