The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will fund a study titled "Do Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs affect the Immune Response to Vaccination in Horses?" for one year. David Horohov, PhD, William Robert Mills chair and professor at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, is the study’s principle investigator.

Veterinarians sometimes prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) prior to a vaccination to reduce the chance of a horse having an adverse reaction to that vaccination. Horohov observed that the reasoning behind this "might seem sound," but there is the concern that the NSAIDs might have the unintended consequence of actually impeding the horse’s immune system’s ability to respond to the vaccination as intended.

This project will evaluate NSAIDs’ effect on a horse’s ability to benefit from a commercial influenza vaccine. The results will help veterinarians and horse owners make more informed decisions regarding NSAID use when vaccinating.

The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will fund 16 projects in 2012, totaling $845,646. To read about the other projects, visit www.grayson-jockeyclub.org/grantsDisplay.asp?section=4