Bleeding

Question
If a horse bleeds during a race, will they always bleed during a race or can this be corrected?  Will they always have to use drugs to control this?  

Answer
Susan,

There have been several studies done that suggest that over 80% of all racehorses bleed to some extent.  Most don't bleed so badly that it is visible to the naked eye, but they still bleed into the lungs.
The problem is that when the capillaries in the lungs burst, the resulting blood in the lungs provides a prime medium for infection, which causes scarring in the lungs, the scar tissue in turn makes the capillaries less elastic, so they hold less air, which makes them more prone to burst again, causing more bleeding.  This is a pretty simplified version of what actually happens, but you get the idea.
Drugs such as Lasix can greatly lessen the incidence of bleeding, or possibly even eliminate it entirely, when used correctly.  To date there is no proven method to control bleeding in a horse who has bled previously through any means other than drugs like Lasix.  Hopefully there will be a breakthrough soon, but until then Lasix is probably the best weapon we have to control bleeding.
Stephanie Frost
www.alchemybloodstock.com