Reports from the world of equine science
Related topics
Equine Science Update
© Equine Science Update 2001 -
A second set of “Detection Times” has been published by the UK’s Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA).
The HRA cooperates with its counterparts in France, Ireland, Italy and Germany through the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC) to harmonise the policies and procedures for dope testing in those countries.
In response to the need for more information on the time taken for drugs to be eliminated, the EHSLC has been investigating the detection times of commonly-used medications. Detection times for some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and furosemide were made available earlier this year.
The HRA cooperates with its counterparts in France, Ireland, Italy and Germany through the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC) to harmonise the policies and procedures for dope testing in those countries.
In response to the need for more information on the time taken for drugs to be eliminated, the EHSLC has been investigating the detection times of commonly-
More drug detection times available
Tests have been carried out at various facilities throughout Europe and in Hong Kong. Groups of horses are tested every 24 hours after treatment until the drug is no longer detected. The “detection time” is the time at which the concentration of the drug (or its breakdown products) in the urine, is not detected using routine or standard methods, in all the horses in the study.
The second group of drugs studied include a local analgesic (mepivicaine), a sedative (detomidine), and more non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The results are now available on the HRA website.
It is important to remember that “detection times” are not the same as “withdrawal times”. An additional safety margin should be added to allow for individual variation.
However, the figures will give some welcome guidance to veterinarians who have to advise on whether a horse is likely to test positive if treated in the days before a race.
For more details of the detection times, together with a full explanation of the limitations of the results, see www.thehra.org
The second group of drugs studied include a local analgesic (mepivicaine), a sedative (detomidine), and more non-
It is important to remember that “detection times” are not the same as “withdrawal times”. An additional safety margin should be added to allow for individual variation.
However, the figures will give some welcome guidance to veterinarians who have to advise on whether a horse is likely to test positive if treated in the days before a race.
For more details of the detection times, together with a full explanation of the limitations of the results, see www.thehra.org