By Elizabeth Dean, DVM
This article is
intended as a brief review of drug and medication guidelines put forth by both
the United States Equine Federation (USEF) and Federation Equestre
Internationale (FEI). These guidelines were created to promote a fair
competitive playing field and also to protect the equine athlete. It is
ultimately the responsibility of the owner and trainer to ensure that their
equine athlete does not test positive for forbidden substances. Therefore, it
is imperative to know which set of guidelines will govern the competition. In
addition, medication rules are typically modified at least once per year so it
is important to stay current. Always remember to never use medications without
consulting a veterinarian and it is important to have an accurate weight when
dosing drugs correctly.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories
(NSAIDs) are a popular category of drugs used on equine athletes. These drugs
work by blocking an enzyme which is part of the inflammatory cascade called cyclooxygenase
(COX). Examples of commonly administered NSAIDs are phenylbutazone (bute),
flunixin meglumine (Banamine®), firocoxib (Equioxx®), diclofenac (Surpass®),
and ketoprofen (Ketofen®).
For the USEF sanctioned shows,
low blood levels of NSAIDs are allowed as long as certain rules have been
followed. First, you must complete an NSAID disclosure form prior to
competition. Secondly, you may only use a maximum of two NSAIDs concurrently
and that combination cannot be bute and Banamine® together. In order to comply
with tolerable serum levels, the USEF has provided suggested medication dose
and medication detection times. The amount of time it takes a medication to not
be detected (FEI rules), or be detected at permissible amounts in the blood
(USEF rules) is considered the detection time. The following are dose
recommendations for a 1000 pound horse followed by USEF detection times: bute 2
grams orally: 12 hours, Banamine® 10 cc (50mg/ml) IV: 12 hours, Equioxx® 1000 pound
dose orally: 12 hours, Ketofen® 10 cc (100mg/ml) IV: 6 hours and Surpass® 5
inch ribbon, ½ inch thick at one site: 12 hours. Also, a 7 day withdrawal
period must be used when switching from bute to Banamine® or vice versa.
The FEI does not allow any level
of medication detected in blood and therefore their drug detection times for
NSAIDs are different. The FEI recommendations for a 1000 pound horse are as
follows: bute 2 grams orally: 7 days, Banamine® 9 cc (50mg/ml) IV: 6 days, and
Ketofen® 10 cc (100mg/ml) IV: 4 days. Equioxx® and Surpass® did not have
specific detection times provided. Keep in mind that prolonged NSAID detection
has resulted from accidental ingestion of bedding and manure from the stall,
especially with oral medications. Therefore, it is important to muck out stalls
frequently the week prior to competition.
Two other categories of
medications which are frequently administered to show horses are sedatives and
corticosteroids. Sedation includes but is not limited to acepromazine, detomidine
and xylazine. The USEF has a general detection time of 7 days for all short
acting sedatives, which includes all of the aforementioned drugs. The FEI
detection time for a 1000 pound horse that received 0.9 cc (10mg/ml) detomidine
is 2 days. Other forms of sedation are not specifically addressed by the FEI.
In regards to corticosteroids, dexamethasone is the only medication for which
FEI or USEF has provided detection times. For a 1000 pound horse, a dose of 10
cc (2 mg/ml) can be given intravenously to a 1000 pound horse up to 12 hours
before competition according to the USEF detection times. The FEI allows 5 cc
(2 mg/ml) dexamethasone given intravenous 2 days prior to competition.
The take home message regarding
drug detection time and using medications in the show horse is that it is
important to do your research with the appropriate show regulatory committee
prior to using a medication. Furthermore, detection times are based off small
numbers of horses, which means that the data should interpreted with caution
and is probably not accurate to the exact hour for every horse. A buffer of
time should be added to the detection time to ensure that a violation will not
be issued. Also, additional
paperwork is often required including medication log books, and forms that need
to be filed with the show steward. Information on additional medications and
further details regarding drugs described in this article are available on the
FEI and USEF official websites which are http://www.fei.org/ and http://www.usef.org/
respectively. When in doubt, show
horses should be scratched from their competition when medications have been
administered where drug detection guidelines are lacking or ambiguous. The
health of the horse should always come before the importance of competition;
and it is essential to consider ethically whether it is in the best interest of
the horse to compete if he requires medication.
For more information you may
contact Surgi-Care Center for Horses at 813-643-7177 or by email lkuebelbeck@surgi-carecenter.com.
This article was originally published in Horse & Pony magazine and is reprinted with their permission.