How Important is The Vet When Caring for Race Horses?

A veterinarian, much like a family doctor, plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and overall well-being of a thoroughbred racehorse.  Possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of the equine anatomy and biological processes, a veterinarian is the one primarily responsible for diagnosing illness and administering medical treatment to the horse.  Sometimes, when a juvenile horse is in training, a thoroughbred may develop bucked shins, which is basically a strain on the bones in the shin of horse’s leg sustained through training at racing speeds.  Untrained horses do not develop bucked shins, so a vet can be called in to determine the severity of the ailment, and for treatment.  Like tendinitis in human beings, there is no one accepted treatment for bucked shins, but vets all agree that complete rest is a must.

Most vets are required to keep complete records of their equine patient’s medications, treatments, and procedures, just like a doctor is with a human patient. A racing commission or other governing body may require a licensed vet to legally declare a horse free of any bleeding medications like Lasix, and also to certify that the horse is free of any performance enhancing drug, like a steroid.
Regular checkups for racehorses are determined, generally, based upon the trainer’s request and need.  Trainer and vet can work together with the horse in determining a soundness evaluation.  A big part of a physical examination, much like that of a human, is extensive bloodwork.  This bloodwork can check the levels of white blood cells, key enzymes, and other factors which, when taken together, can help the vet paint a picture of the overall health of the animal, and the presence, or lack thereof, of infectious diseases.  Though time consuming, some vets like to perform cursory examinations on a daily basis.  They generally do not charge for every visit with such frequent visits, but many vets feel that daily contact is the best way to monitor the health of a horse.  Other vets trust the general knowledge of a trainer and the groom and the stable hands, and limit their personal contact with the horse to weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly.     

Should a major medical situation arise, the technological advances in medical treatment of horses, from diagnostic tools to antibiotics to surgical procedures, has enabled vets in the racing business to better treat injuries and keep injured horses training and racing whereas in years past this would not have been possible.  Also, in cases where a horse’s injury is severe enough to end it’s racing career, those same advances have been useful in providing the horse with a high quality of life after racing, when the truth of the matter is that in years prior, horses would often times be put down.

So remember, when you tune in to watch the 2012 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 5, 2012 with your Mint Julep in hand, each of those horses competing in the Run for the Roses has a dedicated and professional veterinarian behind them, concerned not only with whether they win, but with their health in general.