CSU Releases New Furosemide Research Results

Dr. Paul Morley and colleagues examined existing studies on furosemide and concluded that there is high-quality, albeit limited, evidence that the drug is effective in reducing the incidence and severity of EIPH in racehorses.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

As the debate over the controversial drug furosemide (marketed as Salix and also known as Lasix) heats up in advance of the Breeders’ Cup, a Colorado State University (CSU) researcher has released new study results about the impact that bleeding in the lungs has on racehorses’ performance and the effectiveness of the most common treatment for the condition.

Furosemide, is designed to reduce exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging (EIPH), the bleeding in the lungs that commonly occurs while horses are racing. The use of the medication was banned by the Breeders’ Cup last year in races that were limited to 2-year-old horses, but race officials reversed that policy and are allowing furosemide to be used in all races this year. The industry in North America is divided over the issue, with proponents of the diuretic arguing that furosemide protects horses’ health and improves performance, and opponents saying that permitting the drug is marring the sport’s good name.

The Breeders’ Cup, a 30-year-old series of Thoroughbred races, will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Recent research by Paul Morley, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, a CSU professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and one of the foremost experts on furosemide and EIPH, is providing important new information to stakeholders in the debate. Morley is part of a long-standing collaborative group that has published three new papers in Equine Veterinary Journal that address the effects of EIPH on performance as well as the efficacy of furosemide in controlling the condition

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!