Gary Stevens Speaks Out On Synthetic Surfaces (Spring 2008)
On February 20th, retired Hall of Fame jockey Garry Stevens took part in a special purpose meeting conducted by the California Horse Racing Board for a comprehensive discussion of California's racing surfaces. More...
Medication Summit Review (Fall 2007)
TOC unveiled a new panel format for the 2007 California Racing Medication & Security Summit on July 28th in Del Mar. Over 80 owners, trainers, veterinarians, track representatives, and regulators gathered to hear three panels of of experts discuss three very important and timely issues at the top of TOC's agenda: veterinary medical records, medication rules and penalties, and the future of racing with respect to current breeding and training practices. More...
Common Questions About Lasix
By Kim L. Kuhlmann, DVM
Of all the questions posed to veterinarians by owners, the most common one concerns the use of Furosemide (Lasix). Lasix is one of the most discussed and sometimes controversial, yet least understood, drugs used in racing.
For years, states argued over its use for treatment of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) "bleeding". Fortunately, in recent years the states have begun to agree on the dosage, route, and time of administration. Most notably, New York has finally approved its use in racehorses, which is scheduled to begin this fall. These events are due primarily to the efforts and recommendations of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
With the introduction of the flexible fiber optic endoscope, studies have shown that as much as 70% to 80% of horses have visible evidence of EIPH. While many treatment modalities have been tried to remedy EIPH, the most common and successful remedy has been Lasix. Other drug treatments include coagulant and conjugated estrogens (Premarin). Yet, none have been proven to be totally effective in stopping EIPH.
How does Lasix work? Well, Lasix is thought to decrease bleeding by reducing pulmonary edema via fluid loss in the lungs as well as decreasing the horse's pulmonary blood pressure. Some argue that this has not been totally proven. Nevertheless, Lasix does reduce the amount of hemorrhage seen in most horses.
What causes EIPH? Several studies have been don to determine the cause of bleeding in horses. Although many theories have come forth, none has set itself apart as identifying the definitive cause. Until there is an identified, proven cause, no "perfect" treatment for EIPH will be found. Remember, Lasix is not a cure. What it is is the most widely accepted and effective treatment developed to date.
Dr. Kuhlmann is a licensed veterinarian practicing in Northern California, and is a principal in Equine Veterinary Services, Inc.
How to Avoid Bucked Shins
Early conditioning, early detection, and time off are the keys to keeping bucked
shins from raising havoc in your barn.
By Tracy Gantz
Mention the words “bucked shins” to trainers, especially those with a barn full of two-year-olds, and you’re likely to see a pained expression cross their faces followed by a loud groan.
Bucked shins—technically an inflammation of the periosteum covering the front of the cannon bone—are painful, take horses out of training, and cost owners time and money. If not caught early, they can lead to stress fractures, nasty injuries that are difficult to heal.
But here’s the good news. Many problems associated with bucked shins can be avoided and some horses can bypass the condition altogether with proper management. The keys are early conditioning, early detection, and giving the horse time off when needed.
Caesar Dominguez and Clifford Sise often win with precocious two-year-olds. Both trainers are only too well acquainted with bucked shins. When they back off of a youngster that shows signs of a shin problem, they find that their horses return stronger and better. For example, after Whitewinesipper demolished her competition in her racing debut at Hollywood Park, Sise gave her a breather because of a minor shin problem and she returned to win the Generous Portion Stakes at Del Mar.
Sise said that a myth persists that a horse will not buck its shins if it isn’t raced at two. Though he pointed out that horses shouldn’t race at two if they aren’t physically mature or if their pedigree suggests they will do better as older horses, he finds that horses unraced at two will often buck their shins at three.
“You don’t want to miss the early three-year-old season,” Sise said. “There is a lot of opportunity and money there for a horse to win. If you start training a horse at three and he bucks his shins, he doesn’t break his maiden until late in the year. Then the horse is four and where are you?”
Dominguez breaks his horses in November and December of their yearling season. If they buck their shins in January, he can give them the time they need without missing any racing opportunities.
“If they buck their shins, I give them 90 days at the farm—not 95, not 100—90 days,” Dominguez said. “They are happy at the farm, and they come back so good. They’ve put on weight, and they have a very good attitude.”
Horses buck their shins because their bones are remodeling as a response to exercise and training. The thinking used to be that if you wait on horses—either turn them out or simply gallop them before bringing them to the track—they wouldn’t buck their shins. However, research has shown that a young horse’s bones will remodel correctly if it receives short speed drills.
“It’s better to train them at two instead of just kicking them out into the pasture,” said racetrack veterinarian Joe Dowd, “because with training the dorsal medial cortex is going to thicken significantly. It’s an occupational necessity if you’re going to be a racehorse.”
Dowd also emphasized that some horses shouldn’t race at two for reasons unrelated to their shins. “Some horses are just not bred to be precocious,” he said. “They have immature bone. But you don’t want to take a horse like that completely out of training. You need to build the bone up.”
Dowd said that bucked shins often occur when a horse has its first five-eighths work and is getting close to a race. “If you catch it early, you can back off for about 10 days and then go back to short speed works,” he explained.
Trainers and vets palpate a horse’s shins regularly. Dowd categorized shin problems into three diagnoses—1) palpably sore, 2) palpably sore with a visible bump, and 3) a show of lameness at the trot. If he can catch the horse at stage one, he can treat the horse conservatively, the owner and trainer won’t lose much time, and—most importantly—the horse won’t suffer a stress fracture. Stress fractures can require surgery and can recur.
“You’ll never get a stress fracture if shins are caught early,” Dowd said. “They are completely avoidable.”
Dowd said that if a horse has a bump on his shin or visible lameness, he needs to be rested four to six weeks. “Mild cases might be managed just by walking for five days and symptomatic treatment such as poultice, ice, and cold-hosing,” he said. “Then you can go back to working them three-eighths and they never have to leave training.”
Pinfiring is a longtime method for treating bucked shins. The theory behind pinfiring is that it irritates the bone, causing it to remodel more quickly. However, it also irritates the skin, and although the procedure is done under a local anesthetic, it can cause residual pain to the horse. Some people believe that pinfiring only helps by forcing a rest. Others believe the procedure to be inhumane. Australia has banned pinfired horses from racing for that reason.
“People say that pinfiring saves time—that it might save 30 days,” said Dominguez. “It doesn’t save time. You pinfire them and bring them back early and then a few weeks later they get sore. You can’t pinfire them again, so you put another blister on them and give them 60 days. So now you have four months plus one month of training—you’ve lost five months before you can even start training again. My way they’re at the farm three months, they’re back running in another three months, and they don’t even know what pain is.”
A newer method of treatment is to scrape the shins. Dowd explained that a vet takes a burr on a needle and scratches the surface of the bone. Unlike pinfiring, this procedure doesn’t burn or irritate the skin. The theory is the same—to irritate the bone and cause it to heal more quickly.
“After we perform the scraping, we usually walk the horse a week, jog him a week, and then go back to galloping,” Dowd said. “The mistake people make is that they think this procedure saves time. But the key to scraping is catching the shin early.”
Another possible way to avoid bucked shins is with training regimens before the horse ever gets to the racetrack. Steve Charles, resident trainer of Lakeview Thoroughbred Farm in Lakeview, Calif., uses a shin program based on the research of Dr. David Nunamaker at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. The program is a precise schedule of short breezes.
“We start out with an eighth of a mile in 15-second splits,” Charles said. “We work up to a half-mile in 15-second splits, and then we go back to an eighth, but in 13-second splits. Then we again work up to a half-mile.
“You have to remodel that bone to get it more dense. Overall, we have fewer injuries with this program. Not only does it help the shins, but we don’t see too many hind-end problems or fractures of the tibia.”
Charles said the program helps horses mentally too. “We’re teaching them to rate,” he said. “If they have talent, you have to take hold of them to get them to go in 15-second splits.”
The timing of the splits is critical, Charles has found. Southern California’s good weather also helps. “If you have to stop on these horses,” Charles said, “you really have to start over because the bone won’t remodel. You can’t just pick up where you left off.”
Charles and his team put 60 to 70 horses a year through the program, now in its sixth year. Their finest graduate is millionaire Budroyale.
The research, training techniques, and early diagnosis are starting to make a difference. Dowd said that horsemen are catching problems earlier, which avoids fractures as well as the more invasive treatments. Backing off at the right time might cost you a race, but it will pay dividends with a stronger, happier horse that is likely to win many more races for you in the future.
Tracy Gantz serves as TOC’s Deputy Director for Southern California.
How to Keep Your Racehorse Healthy
Vitamins, minerals, and other supplements to the diet of a horse in training help him remain in top physical shape so that he can win.
By Tracy Gantz
Go to any health food store and you'll see the myriad of products designed to keep our bodies running smoothly. Perhaps you have even designed an informal program that works for you-one multi-vitamin each morning or an entire regimen of pills, powders, and liquids.
But most of us aren't in training for the Olympics, and our needs are simple. If we get sick, we stay home from work. If athletes fall ill, they could miss a crucial event or lose valuable training time.
Like human athletes, Thoroughbred racehorses need to peak on the right day. A trainer's job is to have a horse at his absolute best when he faces the starter. That involves not only getting the animal fit, but keeping him healthy. A variety of supplements to a horse's daily diet can aid this process.
"If a racehorse gets sick and loses a week, then in reality it backs him up two or three weeks," said trainer Dan Hendricks. "The healthier the horse is generally, the quicker he recovers."
Several racehorse feeds on the market have many vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional aids already included. These feeds keep a horse looking good and at his best, and though they can be expensive, they also save money by cutting down on the time employees once needed to mix everything together in the proper ratio.
"These feeds are good for a horse's coat and his energy level," trainer Ian Jory said. "Sure they're expensive. But I once switched to a cheaper feed and the horses went off form.
"The mixes are also good for shippers. It makes it easy to just send a couple of sacks of feed with them."
Some horses develop allergies to dust in barns. Trainer Wally Dollase buys a dust-free feed especially for those horses. He also takes such extra measures as putting those horses on a bedding of shredded paper instead of straw or shavings.
"Supplements are a long-term thing," said trainer Ron Ellis. "When you medicate a horse for a problem, you can tell right away if it's working. But supplements are a daily maintenance thing, and the horses can't tell you how they feel."
Racetrack veterinarian Michael Steppe also emphasized the importance of vitamins and minerals in a horse's diet. "They help keep the horses from getting rundown," Dr. Steppe said. "A vitamin feed supplement might be cheaper than vitamin shots from a veterinarian, but you need one or the other. They're in year-round training. We're asking so much of them that we have to give something back."
Both Ellis and Dr. Steppe emphasized the importance of treating the individual. "We give potassium to horses that get cramped up," Ellis said. "There are supplements that can help a horse's digestion. And we add even more vitamins to a horse's diet as he gets ready to run."
Racing and training also deplete a horse's fluid level. Replenishing those fluids with electrolytes helps return a horse to peak condition.
"It's just like giving a person Gatorade," Jory explained. "We put it into their feed to be sure they get it. Some people put electrolytes in the water, but it's harder to monitor whether a horse gets all of it that way."
Studies have shown that electrolytes can especially help rehydrate a horse following the administration of furosemide (Lasix). That benefits many racehorses because trainers often use furosemide to treat bleeding from the lungs, a common occurrence.
"Electrolytes really help when the weather is hot," Dr. Steppe said. "At Del Mar we have trouble with heat stroke."
Viruses and other ailments can sweep through a barn area with almost lightning speed, and so trainers and veterinarians are constantly monitoring a horse's health. Hendricks stressed the importance of regular worming and vaccinations.
"Every two months we worm and vaccinate," he said. "It especially helps to have the barn vaccinated before the two-year-olds come in. It's just like kids going to school for the first time. You bring horses in from Florida, Kentucky, and other places and you could have five or 10 strains of something come in and infect the other horses."
Many supplements not only help racehorses, but all athletic horses. Horses traveling over fences, doing reining spins, or chasing cattle can give their joints and hooves the same kind of pounding that a racehorse undergoes. The entire equine industry has learned about the benefits of biotin (vitamin H) and glucosamine.
"We began giving biotin to horses with bad feet because it promotes foot growth," Hendricks said.
"Biotin coupled with DL-methionine (an amino acid) helps the elasticity of the hoof," Dr. Steppe said. "That allows the hoof to absorb the concussion better."
Glucosamine has been found to help a horse's joints. "We use it if a horse starts showing signs of an ankle heating up," Dollase said.
Trainer Howard Zucker also believes strongly in the value of glucosamine. "It gives you longer joint life," he explained, "and it keeps degenerative disease down."
Dollase pointed out the importance of a proper phosphorus to calcium ratio in a horse's diet. "We feed oat hay for the phosphorus and alfalfa for the calcium," he said. "Then we give them timothy hay throughout the day as a pacifier. The horse is a grazing animal and needs to have something to nibble on all the time."
Zucker agreed. "The basis of any good feed program is your hay," he said. "You need to feed a high-quality hay. Horses are foragers. If you have something that they'll eat all the time, that can help them with their digestion and help minimize ulcers."
Dr. Steppe discussed the importance of the calcium-phosphorus balance, especially for young horses beginning their training. "I've recommended supplementing calcium when they start breaking and training the young horses," he said. "In one barn where they've been supplementing calcium, we seem to be having fewer bucked shins and tibial fractures."
Hendricks, like many trainers, gives horses a multi-vitamin daily. That simple supplement can cost $1 to $1.50 per horse per day. "Multiply that by 25 to 30 horses in your barn, and that alone can cost you $900 a month," he said. "Then you have special additives that you might give, for example, to a filly who ties up."
Fillies can be higher strung than their male counterparts and sometimes don't handle the stress of racing as well. "I use vitamin B-1 pellets for horses that are a little nervous," said Zucker.
Trainers pay close attention to nervous horses, not only because that can affect an animal's concentration on the racetrack but because it can lead to ulcers. "If you see a horse that's ribby and a little thin, then it's probably ulcers," Dollase said.
Dr. Steppe recommends Tagamet (cimetidine) to treat ulcers or, in more serious cases, a medication designed specifically for equine ulcers, GastroGard (omeprazole). Horsemen are quick to praise the merits of GastroGard, but they are just as quick to point out its expense.
"I think you can cut it back to a half or a third of a tube after a few days," Dr. Steppe said of GastroGard. "I think that can actually help them. It says the product stops acid production for 24 hours. Well, if you stop all of the acid production, you can inhibit the digestion."
While some of these medications, such as ulcer treatments, are billed directly to the owner, most, if not all, of the feed supplements come out of a trainer's day rate. The cost is well worth it for a healthy horse who can give his optimum performance on the racetrack.
"Even carrots cost $10 a bag and we go through two bags a day," Jory said. "But it's important to keep the horses happy."
Tracy Gantz serves as TOC's Deputy Director for Southern California.
Feeding the Racehorse
By Joe Cannon, DVM
For a horse to race to its ability, it needs the proper nutritional intake to allow for maximal effort. This requires a specialized diet that is balanced and is adequate in quantity and quality to maintain the horse in top form. Feeding racehorses can be an art, and each trainer has his or her own method of ration preparation. These rations may differ in quantity, and somewhat in substance. However, there are only a limited number of feed items that go into a ration.
Racehorses usually consume two types of feed: roughage (hay) and carbohydrates (grain). Roughage is digested by microorganisms in the large intestine and is broken down into various nutrients
(energy, protein building blocks, fatty acids, etc.). Grains are the most important source of carbohydrates in the diet and therefore the major energy source. They are digested in the small intestine and yield sugars that produce energy. Feeding vegetable oils is becoming more popular, as these oils are a great source of calories and may benefit performance.
How are racehorses fed?
Their typical diet consists of two to three meals a day of grains. The traditional grain for horses is oats. Racehorses consume recleaned oats from our northern climates and Canada. Other grains can be added to the diet such as corn or barley. However, there is a greater danger of digestive upset with these "hotter" grains, and an increased chance of founder. Therefore, barley or corn is usually added to the diet in small amounts.
Many stables will have a night watch person that feeds the horses early in the morning (3:00 to 4:00 a.m.) so that they will have time to eat before training activities begin. Traditionally they will have another grain meal at 10:00 or 11:00 a.m., and then a larger meal between 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The late afternoon meal usually consists of a bran mash which contains grain, wheat bran, and any supplements that are added to the diet.
Racehorses also have hay before them twenty-four hours a day that they consume at their choice. The traditional hay is timothy, which is grown in the Northwest. Often a flake or two of good quality alfalfa hay is also added daily to the haynet. Having this hay constantly available to eat at will is very important because the horse's digestive tract is designed for grazing many hours per day. More trainers are faced with horses that do not consume enough calories to maintain their optimal weight than they are with horses that are too fat. Training schedules are rigorous and racing Thoroughbreds also expend a lot of nervous energy. Thus it can be a challenge to provide adequate nutrition to horses in training.
Around the world, racehorses are fed drastically different diets depending on the feeds available. Daily fresh cut green alfalfa is common in Argentina (which would raise a few eyebrows here) while very little grain but a lot of wheat and oat chaff is the norm in Australia. In Saudi Arabia, fresh cilantro, carrots, and a big tub of barley is the standard diet. The fact that horses can compete well eating such a variety of feeds is a tribute to the adaptability of their digestive systems. The most important aspect of feeding racehorses is to consistently provide good quality feed at the same times each day and to provide enough calories to maintain racing weight.
Dr. Joe Cannon is an equine surgeon and partner in the San Luis Rey Equine Hospital. He also spent 2 years training Thoroughbreds on the Southern California circuit.
Why Geld?
By Dr. Rick Arthur
Several years ago a reporter asked the trainer of one of California’s millionaire geldings if he regretted castrating the horse. His answer was, “No. If I hadn’t gelded him he never would have amounted to anything. Look at my son, if I would have gelded him he may have amounted to something.” A harsh joke, but true.
Why geld a horse? Because some colts simply have other things on their minds and will not pay attention to business. The problem? Hormones and attitude.
Gelding ? the Ultimate Attitude Adjustment
While some colts are kind horses, there are as many or more that are down right mean and nasty. They fight their groom, their exercise rider, and anyone else for that matter. Some scream and snort at fillies and try to mount the pony. A few will even sulk when they run and refuse to put out an honest effort. As a group, colts tend to be contrary, making them more difficult to train. They are also hard on themselves and everyone around them, increasing the chance of injuries to themselves and their handlers.
When to Geld, Procedures, & Costs
It’s time to geld a colt when his attitude interferes with his training or racing. For some horses this can be as early as breaking, for others it may never be a problem. While the professionals caring for your horse are in the best position to evaluate the situation and offer their advice, the final decision rests with you. It’s usually best to geld a racehorse sometime in its two-year-old year. If gelded too early, a horse can remain immature or effeminate in appearance; if gelded too late he may be too set in his ways to change his outlook on life. The surgical procedure for castration is quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive. The scrotum is incised, the testicles are exposed, and the spermatic cords crushed with a special surgical instrument called, appropriately enough, an emasculator. The wound is left open to drain and the horse is usually back on the track within a day or two. Most horses at the track are gelded standing in their stall under local anesthesia. Away from the racetrack the majority of horses are gelded under general anesthesia. General anesthesia is safer, cleaner (particularly if done in a hospital), and offers better exposure of the surgical site. Post-operative swelling at the surgery site is fairly common, but is generally easy to treat. Thankfully, serious complications such as intestinal herniation or anesthetic death are very rare. An equine hospital is often advisable for older horses when the spermatic artery may need to be ligated, or tied off. Castrating a ridgeling, a colt whose testicle has not descended into the scrotum, calls for a surgery called a cryptorchidectomy that is always performed under general anesthesia. The cost of a standing castration is between $150 to $300. A cryptorchidectomy can cost as little as $650 if uncomplicated or as much as $1600 if done laproscopically. Antibiotics and other aftercare are extra and vary considerably from case to case. Surgical aftercare is relatively intense at the track because lost training time is so expensive. If an owner intends to run a horse back within a month of its surgery, the aftercare costs can run nearly as much as the surgery itself. This is because procaine penicillin cannot be used due to its lengthy withdrawal time from a horse’s system (about 30 days). The antibiotics used in place of penicillin are more expensive and less effective, but are cleared from the horse’s system faster, allowing it to race sooner.
How Much Training Time is Lost?
Typically, only a few days are lost in the horse’s training schedule, as exercise is an important part of the post-surgical aftercare. Some horses will be able to race within a few weeks after surgery, but more realistically one should expect to wait about four weeks before racing. Before the CHRB withdrawal time for procaine penicillin became so long (it’s now advisable to wait about 30 days when using procaine penicillin before racing, lest your horse test “positive” for a prohibited substance in a post-race test), I had a horse run 8 days after surgery. The renowned veterinary surgeon Dr. Jack Robbins, who introduced the standing castration procedure to the West Coast in the 50’s, had one win at 11 days after being gelded.
Better to Own a Profitable Racehorse than a Potential Stallion
Obviously there are some significant long term financial ramifications to gelding your horse, particularly if you own an exceptionally well-bred colt. However, non-breeding stallions have few places to go once they leave the racetrack. Geldings stay sounder, race longer, are easier to train, and nicer to be around. They are also much more likely to find a home when they have finished their racing careers. So unless your horse will make a stallion, and realistically few will, he will eventually need to be gelded.
The choice comes down to whether to own a potential stallion, or a potentially profitable horse focused on the finish line.
Dr. Rick Arthur has been a practicing equine veterinarian on Southern California’s racetracks for 25 years. He is a Past-President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Medication, Therapeutic Levels
Coming Soon!
Common Questions Regarding Permitted Medications
By Dr. Kim Kuhnlmann, DMV
Some of the questions most frequently asked by owners of trainers and veterinarians involve medications given to their horses and when they can be given. Complicating the situation is the fact that each state has its own set of rules for medication. There are often wide disparities among racing jurisdictions in these rules and regulations. An example of this disparity and the potential problems posed was a positive isoxuprine test in the two-year-old filly champion Flanders.
California has medication regulations, which are relatively strict as compared to many states, but are also fair and conducive to the welfare of the horse. Trainers and veterinarians operate under the "48 hour" entry rule. No medications shall be given within 48 hours of post-time except:
Topical Medications: Generally speaking, most topical medications are allowed to be used on horses' legs, feet, and bodies, so long as they contain no anesthetics or other prohibited substances. This includes most leg braces, ointments, and hoof dressings.
Certain Injectables: Injectable vitamins, electrolytes, and/or amino acid solutions are permitted up to 24 hours.
Tetanus: Tetanus toxiod is also allowed, subsequent to a horse injuring itself.
Specified Anti-Inflammatories: One of the four permitted, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory is also allowed to be administered either orally or via injection. These medications are the equine equivalent to human products such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Lasix: If a horse is a registered "bleeder," or is on the "bleeder list," furosemide (Lasix) or conjugate estrogen's (Premarin or Estrogen) can be administered at a prescribed dose up to four hours before post-time to help control pulmonary hemorrhage or bleeding from the lungs.
These permitted substances are allowed to be administered to the individual horse to allow it to perform safely and efficiently. While trainers will vary the manner in which they have the horses in their care treated, the ultimate goal is to ensure the safety and well being of your racehorse.
How to Prevent Major Injuries
Nuclear scanning helps trainers and veterinarians zero in on lameness in racehorses.
By Tracy Gantz
It's the call no racehorse owner wants to hear: "Your horse is lame, but darned if I know what the problem is." Horses have an amazing ability to develop lamenesses that can mystify even the most experienced trainer. But a diagnostic tool called nuclear scanning can often pinpoint minor lameness problems before they become major ones.
Racehorses develop lamenesses for a variety of reasons: The concussion of legs hitting a racing surface at high speed, the natural remodeling of a young horse's bones as he is growing, or even the proverbial "wrong step," similar to when we twist an ankle. At a walk, we do no harm, but that same minor misstep by a racehorse in full gallop can do all kinds of damage.
When you hurt yourself, you can describe your symptoms to your doctor. A horse, however, must depend on its handlers to find the problem. If the animal is visibly lame in one leg and shows heat and swelling somewhere in the lower leg, a trainer or vet can usually find and take care of it easily. But when an injury occurs higher up a horse's skeleton, especially in the shoulder or the pelvis, it may be impossible to detect with anything but a nuclear scan.
Nuclear scanning-also called nuclear scintigraphy-can catch problems earlier than X-rays. It can also find them in parts of the body that are difficult to X-ray.
"This tells you on a cellular basis what the body is trying to fix-what's wrong with that horse," said Dr. Sylvia Greenman, the Southern California veterinarian who oversees the Nuclear Imaging Facility at Santa Anita. "I can often see a hot spot on a nuke scan that can indicate a subtle fracture that I can't see yet on X-ray. That tells me that the body is trying to fix something there."
Before nuclear scanning, lameness cases would arise where a horse X-rayed clean. Owners and trainers then faced the tough decision of whether to try to train through the lameness or try to treat something that couldn't be found.
"Many times these horses would train through these problems and we'd get horses that would break their shoulders or their tibias and have to be put down," Greenman said.
Today, a trainer or vet can order a nuclear scan and find these minor problems before they become major ones. A horse can receive the proper treatment and avoid a potential catastrophic injury.
Trainer Jenine Sahadi firmly believes in the value of nuclear scanning.
"I use it religiously," she said. "It's a great precautionary tool. You can find something coming before it hits. I've had cases where I have prevented a major fracture by using the nuke scan-I know it."
Sahadi cited the example of Spinelessjellyfish, two-time winner of the Khaled Stakes. As a two-year-old, he developed a lameness in his tibia (the long bone above the hock), which Sahadi found with a nuclear scan. "I stopped on him, gave him four months off, and I've never had a problem since," the trainer said.
A nuclear scan works by using a gamma camera to take a photograph of a horse's bone. It will show a "hot spot," or an increased area of activity, where there is a problem (see photo). It does this because a horse's body responds to bone damage by sending calcium and phosphorous to the site in order to repair it. With a nuclear scan, a radioactive technetium is bound to phosphorous and injected into the horse's bloodstream. The phosphorous goes to the injured site, taking the technetium with it. Then the gamma camera picks up the technetium, and the veterinarian can see the precise location of the problem.
"You find these things in the very early cellular stages," Greenman said. "We can advise the trainer to lay a horse up before that hot spot becomes a fracture."
If the horse receives time off in the early stages of an injury, he can return to racing faster and avoid something more serious.
Greenman said that nuclear scans often find injuries in such long bones as the tibia in the hind end and the humerus (the shoulder). Caught early, these have a very good prognosis for a return to racing at the same level as before.
Sahadi said that while she has no scientific proof, she believes these long bones are so dense that a fracture begins on the inside of the bone, where an X-ray cannot see it.
Nuclear scans also help diagnose fractures of the pelvis.
"In the past, the only way to image a pelvis if you suspected a fracture was to put the horse under general anesthesia," said Greenman. "You had to lay them over on their back to take an X-ray of the pelvis. If you suspected a pelvic fracture, that means you had to wake that thousand-pound horse up and expect him to stand on a broken pelvis."
The gamma camera can be positioned around a standing horse, so the horse doesn't have to lie down. The horse is sedated merely to keep him calm, but he doesn't have to stress an injured site for the vet to obtain a diagnosis.
Because nuclear scanning requires use of a radioactive material, Greenman and her crew take many precautions, as required by the National Regulatory Commission. The radioactive material is of a very low dosage and will not harm horses or the people who run the equipment. However, horses are kept in the nuclear scan barn overnight so that when they are returned to their own barn they register well below the standards of radioactivity allowable in the general population.
NRC regulations require that the building where nuclear scanning equipment is used be lead-lined. Thus, the procedure cannot be made portable. The Dolly Green Research Foundation, which is affiliated with the Southern California Equine Foundation, funded Santa Anita's Nuclear Imaging Facility. Dr. Rick Arthur was instrumental in establishing the Santa Anita center in 1993, and he serves as director of the facility. Greenman is the supervisory user veterinarian, and licensed registered vet technician Barbara Billett and Martin Frausto assist her.
Two other Southern California facilities, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Santa Ynez and San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in Bonsall, also have nuclear scanning capabilities, as does the University of California at Davis in Northern California.
The cost to scan a horse ranges from $300 to $900 at Santa Anita, depending on how many scans are taken. But the price can be well worth it if the scan prevents further injury.
"I've prevented splits up the cannon bone and many other injuries with nuclear scanning," Sahadi said. "I am a big fan."
Lameness in racehorses is an unfortunate fact of life. But with early diagnostic tools such as nuclear scanning, trainers and vets can minimize the trauma to your horse, keeping him happy and running well for you.
Tracy Gantz serves as TOC's Deputy Director for Southern California.
Why Horses Need Dentists
Good tooth care will keep your horse happier, healthier, and better
able to do his job on the racetrack.
By Tracy Gantz
Just when you thought you’d paid every bill possible on your racehorse, along comes one for “floating teeth.” Okay, you tell yourself, do teeth really float and why do I have to pay for it?
Actually, “floating teeth” is the horse term for going to the dentist, that annoying chore that most of us put off as long as possible. But whereas humans must pay attention to gum disease, regular flossing, and tooth decay, horses’ teeth require different care.
The term “floating” comes from the masonry industry, meaning to smooth, because that is what an equine dentist does. Unlike human teeth, which are designed to process meat, a horse’s teeth are designed for a herbivore diet of grass, hay, and grain, which can quickly wear down teeth. Thus, nature dictated that a horse’s teeth constantly grow, unlike a human’s teeth.
With the roughage horses found in the wild, they kept their teeth in fairly good condition. Man has produced better quality food that isn’t as hard on the teeth, however, and that coupled with the tasks we ask horses to perform require floating or smoothing of the teeth.
In California, equine dentistry is done by a veterinarian or a lay person working under a vet’s supervision. Southern California racetrack vet Rick Arthur has floated teeth for 25 years. His assistant of 20 years, Ruben Tovar, has floated teeth for 15 years.
According to Arthur, one of the primary reasons that horses need dental work is “just a bad design flaw.” As he explained, “The upper row of teeth is wider than the lower row of teeth. So as the horse grinds its food and wears down its teeth, he develops sharp points on the outside of the upper teeth and on the inside of the lower teeth.”
These points can cut the cheek and tongue, causing pain. That can keep a horse from eating properly and lead to bad habits when training and racing. If a horse has his teeth floated regularly, these sharp points won’t have a chance to bother him.
Arthur said trainers usually notice teeth problems when monitoring a horse’s eating patterns.
“If a horse is quidding—dropping chunks of partially masticated food into their water—then we look at the teeth,” Arthur said. “Also, sometimes they’ll start salivating excessively if their teeth are bothering them.”
In addition to watching for any eating irregularities, trainers make teeth checkups a part of their regimen.
“We weigh our horses once a week,” said trainer Matt Chew. “That’s when we look at their teeth—as part of a regular routine that we follow. That way we can stay on top of it.”
Performance problems can also require a call to the dentist.
“Whenever a horse starts throwing its head, doesn’t want the bit in its mouth, pulls his head sideways, tries to get out, or those sorts of things, we’ll check the teeth,” Arthur said.
When floating teeth, racetrack dentists pay particular attention to the four teeth that sit directly behind the bit (two teeth on either side of the mouth both top and bottom). Keeping these teeth especially smooth helps avoid bit problems.
“You want to get all four of those teeth nice and round like a quarter of a billiard ball so that there are no sharp edges,” Arthur said.
Racetrack dentists tend to make this more pronounced than a dentist would with other performance horses.
“The horse is going faster, and it takes more of a pull on a horse at the racetrack than it does for a horse doing other work,” Arthur explained.
Most trainers are conscientious about floating teeth regularly (hence, the bills). Arthur said the cost ranges from $50 to $100. Sometimes, particularly with a nervous horse, he tranquilizes the
animal, which will cost more.
You might find your dental bills rising somewhat in younger horses as they lose their baby teeth, called caps. As the permanent teeth grow, the caps loosen and eventually come off. A dentist will pull them if it appears they could interfere with the horse’s ability to eat or train.
“When the caps are starting to come off, they can move a little bit and cut a horse’s cheek,” Arthur said. “They can be very discomforting to a horse.”
Horses lose the caps of about a third of their teeth at a time in three stages, at roughly 2½, 3½, and 4½ years of age. Bear in mind that this is the horse’s actual age, not the Jan. 1 universal birth date of Thoroughbreds. Because these are also a horse’s prime racing years, trainers and vets pay particular attention to the caps.
Imported horses sometimes need more teeth work than horses raised in this country. Last year Jenine Sahadi began training two horses from South Africa that required a dentist.
“Both of those horses looked like they’d never had their teeth done,” she said. “Their mouths were ripped to shreds, and you wonder how they ever got a bit in their mouths.”
Tovar floated the horses’ teeth and solved the problem. One of the horses, Delta Form, won the Oct. 8 Henry P. Russell Handicap at Oak Tree.
Arthur said that a horse’s mouth problems don’t always stem from bad teeth.
“A heavy-handed exercise rider can be hard on a horse,” he said. “That’s why it always irritates me to see someone snatching on a horse. The bit gets in the wrong position, and you can actually do damage to the mucosa (the lining) around the teeth.
“Another problem can be the bit. Some bits just don’t fit well in some horses, and that’s why it’s really important to get the proper bit for a horse. For example, ring bits can be very severe. Something like a leather prong bit is a lot gentler on the mouth.”
Horses can also be hard on themselves. Arthur cited one filly he works on who is difficult to train and consequently cuts her mouth.
“We have to overcompensate for that,” he said. “We actually take her teeth down lower than we would with an ordinary horse.”
Once in a while a trainer can move up a horse he has claimed just by floating the teeth. Back when Bobby Frankel ran an active claiming barn, he made sure that any horses he claimed had their teeth
floated.
“If the horse’s teeth have not been properly done, you’re at a real advantage once the teeth are floated,” Arthur said. “because you’ll have a healthier, happier horse.”
Today Frankel has top-quality stakes horses that can compete anywhere in the world, and he continues to pay close attention to an animal’s teeth.
“The first thing you do is look at their teeth,” Arthur said. “It’s the easiest thing to take care of. I try to encourage my better stables to float horses’ teeth every three to four months. I think it saves a lot of problems. It’s like deworming—it’s money well spent.”