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Originally Posted by 31lengths
Could someone please explain what Lasix does and how it works and when it's administered?
Please and thank you in advance.
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Read away.
http://www.thinkythings.org/horseracing/lasixinfo.html
The medication Furosemide, sold under the trade name, "Lasix", is a powerful diuretic that causes fluids locked up in the horse's body tissues to be released and expelled in the urine. This has the effect of lowering the horse's blood pressure, particularly in the aorta and pulmonary artery. The lower blood pressure in the capillaries mitigates the problem of EIPH; thus, the horse's performance returns to a normal level. Lasix is treatment of choice for EIPH, though study results of its effectiveness vary.
Some experts contend that Lasix has a stimulating effect on some horses that enhances their performance beyond what it would normally be. Furthermore, some suggest that the sheer volume of fluid lost by the horse (up to several gallons) can cause it to lose as much as twenty pounds, giving it a weight advantage. (Considering the fact that the imposts carried by different horses in a handicap race my vary as little as five to ten pounds, a twenty pound reduction in weight may be very significant.)
Furthermore, there are those who suggest that the increased urinary output of the horse flushes away traces of other, illicit, performance-enhancing substances in the bloodstream.
EIPH is Exercised Induced Pulmonary Hemmoraging (spelling)- horses bleeding.