Quote:
Originally Posted by RolloTomasi
It's hard to believe that a horse suffering a bleeding episode during a race will run to its maximum effort, but that doesn't mean that it can't race competitively all the same, does it? Certainly there have been winners of races found to have bled post-race.
Horses are still bleeding despite the use of lasix, so it's not necessarily a forgone conclusion that lasix is the definitive treatment for bleeding. In fact, in the AVMA link you provided, the organization supported the use of lasix only in the "absence of a more effective treatment...". Hardly a ringing endorsment.
Don't many believe that horses are able to continue to perform even with minor injuries of all types? In fact, what percentage of racehorses, or any type of athlete, are considered to be completely "sound"?
As to the protection of the betting public, does lasix administration guarantee that a horse is being given ample opportunity to run to its best? Don't most jurisdictions allow for a variable dose lasix to be administered on raceday. Who's to stop the connections of a known bleeder (but probably unknown to the public), controlled normally with the maximum allowable amount of lasix, to suddenly drop the dose to the minimum? Would it be simpler and beneficial for the betting public's interest (and not necessarily the horse's health) to prevent this from the outset, by not allowing a licensed veterinarian in the stall on raceday with a needle and syringe and perhaps by banning horses from racing that bleed visibily from the nose?
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After a race, trainers will often times have their vet scope the horse to see if the horse bled. If the horse did bleed, the vet will usually rate the severity of the bleeding on a scale of 1-5. If they tell you that the horse bled and the severity was a "3", you can assume that the bleeding probably affected the horse's performance negatively. But if the vet tells you that the horse barely bled (just a drop) and the severity wasn't even a "1", the vet will usually tell you that the bleeding had no effect on the horse's performance.
As Riot said, it is normal for racehorses to bleed. I think she said that 93% of horses will show trace amounts of blood if you scope them. A trace amount of blood is not going to affect their performance. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't take it seriously or that you shouldn't stay on top of it. If it starts to get worse, it could become a problem.