from the Ontario Racing Commission

Toronto, ON — The Ontario Racing Commission advises horse people to be very cautious with the administration of antibiotic ointments to their horses. Trainers are reminded to read and carefully examine product labels to determine contents of all products and consult an ORC licensed veterinarian to inquire about the effect on the horse.

Recently, a number of positive tests were recorded for the Class II drug lidocaine, a local anaesthetic agent. In some of these cases, the explanation provided by trainers was that they had applied an antibiotic ointment to the horse.

According to ORC Veterinarian Supervisor Dr. Bruce Duncan, as a general rule, horse people need to be aware of all the ingredients being administered to their animals.

“Trainers need to be vigilant and check the labels of all products given to horses in their care. That’s a basic aspect of medication control.”

The Rules state that any horse with a positive for a Class I, II, III drug, or a substance determined to be non-therapeutic, shall then be declared ineligible to race in Ontario for a period of 90 days. As well, under Rule changes introduced in January 2008, a trainer of a horse with a positive test will be considered to have absolute liability for the offense.

Trainers are therefore reminded that by being aware of the contents of such products, they will be more likely to know if any ingredient will result in a positive test.