The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
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26 TheHorse.com THE HORSE August 2015 just aren't fast or interested enough in racing to make training efforts and ex- penses worthwhile. And still others retire due to injury. These athletes typically begin race training by the spring of their 2-year-old year, says Chris Newton, DVM, a partner at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as an OTTB owner. But their actual racing careers are generally quite short, due to the lure of the breeding shed (if the horse is success- ful) and the physiological demands of the sport. If a horse gets injured, for instance, "many owners don't have the patience to continue because it costs them money on a daily basis to wait for the horse (to heal)," Newton says. "If you're looking at an eight-month layup, that horse might be looking at a year and a half before it's going to get back into a race. And if you're paying $35 to $40 per day to board it somewhere during its time off, and then $75 to $100 per day during its train- ing period, you're looking at substantial financial input as an owner. And if you don't see significant potential for return on investment, oftentimes those horses are shifted." Retiring from racing due to injury doesn't always preclude a horse from hav- ing a second career, Newton says, but "it depends on what the injury is, obviously, and it depends on how much damage there is. There are a lot of individuals that have injuries, but injuries that are not going to prevent them from having longer careers as a sport horse." Take a horse that's had his arthritic knee injected multiple times, he says, but just can't stay comfortable enough to race. "You turn it out for six to nine months and let everything settle down, the ar- thritis quiets, you might lose a little bit of range of motion," he says. "But oftentimes horses with knee injuries generally go on and make fantastic sport horses." Some injuries do, however, put limitations on affected horses, says Kerri Burke, founder and executive director of the RE-RIDE Quarter Horse Adoption Program, in Maysville, Ohio. "Soft tissue injuries, such as tendon strains or bowed tendons … may limit some potential second careers such as jumping or barrel racing," she says. "Horses with this type of injury are usually best suited for flatwork such Choosing an Ex-Racehorse Bisphosphonate drug for intravenous infusion. For use in horses only. Brief Summary: See package insert for full prescribing information. Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Description TILDREN is a sterile powder. Each vial of TILDREN contains 500 mg of tiludronic acid (as tiludronate disodium) and 250 mg mannitol USP (excipient). Indication TILDREN is indicated for the control of clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in horses. Contraindications Do not use in horses with known hypersensitivity to tiludronate disodium or to mannitol. Do not use in horses with impaired renal function or with a history of renal disease. Bisphosphonates are excreted by the kidney; therefore, conditions causing renal impairment may increase plasma bisphosphonate concentrations resulting in an increased risk for adverse reactions. Warnings Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. NSAIDs should not be used concurrently with TILDREN. Concurrent use of NSAIDs with TILDREN may increase the risk of renal toxicity and acute renal failure. Appropriate wash-out periods should be observed between NSAID and TILDREN administration, and BUN and creatinine should be monitored. If treatment for discomfort is required after TILDREN administration, a non-NSAID treatment should be used. Human Warnings Not for human use. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. Consult a physician in case of accidental human exposure. Precautions Approximately 30-45% of horses administered TILDREN will demonstrate transient signs consistent with abdominal pain (colic). Hand-walking the horse may improve or resolve the colic signs in many cases. If a horse requires medical therapy, non-NSAID treatments should be administered due to the risk for renal toxicity. Avoid NSAID use. TILDREN should be administered slowly and evenly over 90 minutes to minimize the risk of adverse reactions. Horses should be well hydrated prior to administration of TILDREN due to the potential nephrotoxic effects of TILDREN. Concurrent administration of other potentially nephrotoxic drugs should be approached with caution, and if administered, renal function should be monitored. Caution should be used when administering TILDREN to horses with conditions affecting mineral or electrolyte homeostasis (e.g. hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), hypocalcemia, etc.) and conditions which may be exacerbated by hypocalcemia (e.g. cardiac disease). TILDREN should be used with caution in horses receiving concurrent administration of other drugs that may reduce serum calcium (such as tetracyclines) or whose toxicity may exacerbate a reduction in serum calcium (such as aminoglycosides). Horses with HYPP (heterozygous or homozygous) may be at an increased risk for adverse reactions, including colic signs, hyperkalemic episodes, and death. The safe use of TILDREN has not been evaluated in horses less than 4 years of age. The effect of bisphosphonates on the skeleton of growing horses has not been studied; however, bisphosphonates inhibit osteoclast activity which impacts bone turnover and may affect bone growth. Bisphosphonates should not be used in pregnant or lactating mares, or mares intended for breeding. The safe use of TILDREN has not been evaluated in pregnant or lactating mares, or in breeding horses. Increased bone fragility has been observed in laboratory animals treated with bisphosphonates at high doses or for long periods of time. Bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption and decrease bone turnover which may lead to an inability to repair microdamage within the bone. In humans, atypical femur fractures have been reported in patients on long term bisphosphonate therapy; however, a causal relationship has not been established. Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions reported in the feld effcacy and safety studies were clinical signs consistent with abdominal discomfort or colic. Other reported signs were frequent urination, muscle fasciculations, polyuria with or without polydipsia, and inappetance/anorexia. For technical assistance or to report suspected adverse reactions, call 1-800-999-0297. Marketed by: Ceva Animal Health, LLC Lenexa, KS 66215 Tildren ® is a registered trademark of Ceva Santé Animale, France NADA 141-420, approved by the FDA Look for a well-proportioned ex-racehorse with good conformation and a willing attitude. COURTESY STEPHANIE L. CHURCH Why Does He Do That?! Dr. Sue McDonnell addresses real-life owners' own OTTB behavior issues on page 54.