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MEDICATION CONTROL
This section is intended to assist racing's participants to treat horses effectively without contravening the Rules and Instructions of Racing by highlighting those relevant to medication control. It is intended to 'signpost' rather than duplicate and so is linked to and should be read in conjunction with the Rules themselves and the BHA Notices.
Reducing the Risk of Positive Drug Tests in Horseracing
In conjunction with the European Horserace Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC), the BHA has developed advice in the form of Detection Times for commonly used therapeutic medications to help practising veterinary surgeons to minimise the risk of positive drug tests on racehorses following routine, legitimate treatment. These Detection Times relate to limits of laboratory machine sensitivity. Since this section was first written in 2006, much of the information contained therein has now been developed on the official website of the European Horserace Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC). Please therefore refer to that EHSLC website for the background to, detailed user information on and a downloadable list of current Detection Times. For convenience, current internationally agreed Detection Times are also summarised below, plus two Detection Times that currently apply only for use under British Rules.
DETECTION TIMES
Substance |
Preparation |
Dose |
Route of
Administration
(no of horses) |
Detection Time
(hours) |
Phenylbutazone |
Equipazolone®, Arnold Vet Products Ltd
Phenylarthrite™, Vetoquinol SA
Equipazolone®, Intervet SA |
4.7mg/kg/5 days/ twice daily
8.8mg/kg
8.8mg/kg/x2/day1
4.4mg/kg/10 days/twice daily |
Oral (2)
i.v (6)
Oral (6) |
168 |
Flunixin |
Finadyne® Schering Plough |
1mg/kg |
i.v (4) |
144 |
Carprofen |
Rimadyl® Pfizer Ltd |
0.7mg/kg |
i.v (6) |
264 |
Ketoprofen |
Ketofen®, Meriel Animal Health Ltd |
2.2mg/kg/5
days/daily |
i.v (6) |
96 |
Meloxicam |
Metacam® Boehringer Ingelheim |
0.6mg/kg/14 days/daily |
Oral (8)
i.v |
72 |
Eltenac |
Telzenac®, Schering Plough Animal Health |
0.5mg/kg/5 days/daily |
i.v (6) |
192 |
Dipyrone |
Vetalgin®, Intervet Deutschland GmbH |
30mg/kg |
i.v (10) |
72 |
Vedaprofen |
Quadrisol®
Intervet SA |
2mg/kg |
i.v (6) |
96 |
Furosemide |
Dimazon™, Intervet |
1mg/kg |
i.v (6) |
48^ |
Mepivacaine |
Intra-Epicaine®, Arnold Vet Products Ltd |
2ml/40mg
(0.07 -0.09mg/kg) |
s/c to lateral aspect of distal limb (6) |
72 ↑ |
Mepivacaine |
Intra-Epicaine®, Arnold Vet Products Ltd |
8ml/160mg
(0.28 -0.36mg/kg) |
s/c neck (6) |
72 ↑ |
Meclofenamic acid |
Not commercially available. Sigma (see footnote) |
2.2mg/kg/single dose |
iv (6) |
48^ |
Meclofenamic acid |
Dynoton, Biove Laboratory, Arques, France |
4mg/kg/5 days/once daily |
Oral (6) |
120 |
Dembrexine |
Sputolysin®, Boehringer Ingelheim |
0.3mg/kg/9 doses at 12 hour intervals |
Oral (6) |
96 ↓ |
Detomidine |
Domosedan®, Orion Pharma, Finland |
0.02mg/kg |
iv (10) |
48^ |
Naproxen |
Naprosyn™, Roche |
10mg/kg/5 days/ once daily |
Oral (6) |
>360 (15 days) |
Butyl scopolamine |
Buscopan®, Boehringer Ingelheim |
0.3mg/kg |
iv (6) |
48^ |
Lidocaine |
Norocaine®, Norbrook Laboratories |
300mg/15mL
60mg/3mL |
s/c (6)
s/c (6) |
72 ↑ |
Omeprazole |
Gastrogard® 37% Oral Paste, Merial |
1mg/kg/28 days/daily |
Oral (* see note) |
72 |
| Clenbuterol |
Ventipulmin™ Syrup
(25 micrograms/ml) Boehringer Ingelheim |
1.6 µg/kg/day for 10 days |
Oral (6) |
312 |
| Clenbuterol |
Ventipulmin™ Injection
(30 micrograms/ml) Boehringer Ingelheim |
0.3 µg/kg/day for 5 days |
Nebulised $ (6) |
144 |
| Ipratropium |
Atrovent™ solution for nebulisation (0.5 mg /ml) Boehringer Ingelheim |
5.5 µg/kg /day for 3 days (16.5 µg/kg in total) |
MDI Spacer** (6) [Nebulised] |
120 ↓ |
Acepromazine |
Sedalin®, Vetoquinol UK Ltd |
0.15mg/kg |
Oral (6) |
72 |
Prednisolone |
Prednidale®, 25 mg Dechra |
1mg/kg |
Oral (6) |
48^ |
Salmeterol* |
Serevent®, Evohaler GSK |
0.1mg (4x 25µg/ actuation per dose) twice/day for 5 days |
Administered via Metered Dose Inhaler plus Equi-Haler
(Kruse) device (6) |
48 hours, not yet agreed internationally but to be adopted as interim by the BHA |
Detomidine / butorphanol combination* |
Domosedan® Janssen / Torbugesic® Pfizer |
10µg/kg detomidine hydrochloride (0.10ml Domosedan/100kg) followed within 5 minutes by 25µg/kg butorphanol, (0.25ml/100kg of 10mg/ml Torbugesic) |
iv (6) |
48 hours, not yet agreed internationally but to be adopted as interim by the BHA |
Footnote: Prepared according to Johansson et al Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Analysis (1986) 4, 2 171-179
*Calculated from several studies involving differing numbers of horses
$ This route of administration is not licensed in the UK
Please note: those preparations from Arnolds Vet Products Ltd are now marketed and licensed under Dechra Veterinary Products
^The BHA, an EHSLC member country, requires that a prohibited substance may not be given on the day of a race. Other EHSLC member countries advise that a prohibited substance may not be given within 48 hours, or longer, of a race. Therefore, no Detection Times ≤ 48 hours will be advised by the EHSLC with whom the BHA harmonise Detection Times.
** Note that the previously released DT of 7 days relates to this product being given via true nebulisation whereas this 5 day advice relates to a Metered Dose Inhaler/Spacer administration system..
↑ Increase in Detection Time from that previously published. New Detection Time applicable from 28 November 2011.
↓ Decrease in Detection Time from previously published level. New Detection Time applicable from 28 November 2011.
Updates 2011 Please note that in addition to the four new Detections Times, above, for acepromazine, prednisolone, salmeterol and the detomidine/butorphanol combination, four previously published Detection Times have changed as a result of international discussion and harmonisation. Those for mepivacaine and lidocaine have increased (from 48 to 72 hours to reflect the need to control intra-articular (non-licensed) use of these local anaesthetics. By having to ask the laboratory to look for these at greater sensitivity, because less drug circulates after such a 'local' administration, the Detection Time has had to be extended. On the other hand, those Detection Times for ipratropium and dembrexine have been able to be shortened. For ipratropium, the additional five day advice reflects the fact that the five day advice relates to a Metered Dose Inhaler and Spacer device as opposed to the seven days following inhalation therapy involving 'true' nebulisation. For dembrexine, addition of further data has resulted in a refinement of the Detection Time advice.
Many questions that we are commonly asked are answered in the 'Medication and Doping Control FAQs' elsewhere in the BHA Equine Science and Welfare part of the website. In addition, please refer to slide presentation for Veterinary Surgeons on the background, rational and practicalities of our drug testing policies in British racing. By the end of 2011 there will also be a FAQ section on 'what to expect in the event of a positive post-race result'.
In the context of medication control, it is important for trainers and their vets to particularly understand,
Prohibited Substances
The definition of a prohibited substance means that you should assume that any drug or supplement that has, or claims to have, an effect on horses (or any other species) is prohibited unless you have specific advice from an BHA Veterinary Officer that it is not. It is generally true that anything (other than normal food and water by mouth) that you give a horse, by mouth, injection or nebulisation in the hope or belief that it will have an effect on a horse or its performance, in any way, is a Prohibited Substance.
Not all Prohibited Substances are detectable in racing laboratories but they are still prohibited. Where such substances are of concern to racing authorities they will encourage their laboratories to develop new methods to detect them. Do not forget that some samples that have been declared negative are frozen and will be reanalysed if/when new methods are developed.
All veterinary drugs are Prohibited Substances (except certain anti-infectious agents), but their use is often essential to treat a disease or injury. It is, therefore important to terminate treatment at an appropriate time before a horse races again: that is the purpose of the Detection Time information given here and in the EHSLC website. Although anti-infectious agents are not called as positives, do not forget that:
1. Horses with active ringworm infections should not be taken to the racecourse.
2. Horses that have had a bacterial infection in the recent past may not be fit to run.
3. Few trainers would consider running a horse shortly after worming it.
While the use of Prohibited Substances for veterinary treatment, with a suitable withdrawal period, is perfectly acceptable, General Manual (A) >> Part 4 – General Requirements as to Conduct (A) 27 to (A) 42 >> 27 - Administering a Prohibited Substance to a Horse (formerly Rule 200) states that it is an offence to administer a Prohibited Substance to a horse with the intention of affecting its racing performance (whether or not the drug is detected in a sample).
Medication Code of Practice
In addition to prohibiting the administration of any substance on the day of a race, there is an important Rule, C28, which is about making sure that treatments are given in the best health and welfare interests of the horse. This means that drugs should only be used when the horse has a condition or disease and that the veterinary surgeon prescribing the treatment should advise on the appropriate level of exercise for the horse to take during treatment. If a horse is not trainable as a result of disease or injury, it should be treated before training is resumed. Drugs should not be used, under any circumstances, to allow an apparently normal horse to be trained harder.
Recording medication given to horses in training
This Rule, C13, requires that all treatments given to any horse under the care of a trainer, whether in training or not, must be recorded. A treatment is defined as any administration of a Prohibited Substance. From the section on Prohibited Substances, this means that all treatments have to be recorded, except those with anti-infectious agents. However, it is strongly recommended that these, too, are fully documented as good management practice.
The administration of substances to horses on racecourse premises and on the day of a race
Rule C33 and Race Manual B Schedule 3 detail that a horse may not run if it has received anything other than normal feed or water on the day of its race unless permission has been given by a Veterinary Officer and sets out specific instructions once the horse is in the racecourse stables. While you should check with a Veterinary Officer if you are in any doubt, the following guidelines apply:
1. It is acceptable to give electrolytes orally after the race
2. A Veterinary Officer may give a dispensation to administer a limited number of substances before the race if these are not Prohibited Substances, for example, glycerine.
3. Absolutely nothing may be given by injection, on the day of a race or while a horse is in the racecourse stables on the days preceding a race without specific permission having been given in advance by the BHA.
4. Only a Veterinary Officer, or Racecourse Veterinary Surgeon, can take into a stable yard a Prohibited Substance or any means of administering a Prohibited Substance.
The use of search powers on a racecourse
The Rules authorise officials to inspect any vehicles used to transport horses to or from a racecourse, take samples or custody of any feedstuffs or other materials as necessary and to search persons on licensed premises. On the face of it, these sound like far reaching powers but it is very important to appreciate that they will only be used under defined conditions and on the instruction of the Director of Integrity Services, Compliance and Licensing or his deputy.
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