California Post-Mortem Program Has Major Flaw

[Whirlaway]

But the program has a flaw, and I think it’s a major one. There is no requirement that veterinary records of deceased horses be submitted to researchers conducting the post-mortem examinations. Those records are an important component for researchers who are trying to meet the program’s objectives. You would think that owners, trainers and veterinarians would want answers as to why a horse broke down or died suddenly from heart failure, internal bleeding or some other cause. You would think they would do whatever they could to save other horses from suffering a similar fate in the future. And that would include agreeing to a policy that requires veterinary records to be submitted on all horses that died.

"Over strenuous objections from owners, trainers and veterinarians, the board has not moved forward on this proposal,” said Dr. Rick Arthur, the CHRB’s equine medical director.

I'm starting to see more and more of the name Dr. Rick Arthur. He assured us that all the Breeders' Cup doping tests came back negative.


http://www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/california-post-mortem-program-has-major-flaw/

[kezeli]

I agree with your statement, no real scientific basis for these deaths can be concluded unless they have all the "exposures" that each horse has had, meaning drugs, vaccines, wormers...etc. The sudden deaths must have a common cause and if the records are exempt from examination I can see no hope that a cause will be found!! :-(

[BenB]

I find the attitude from, trainers owners and vet,s highly suspectible, they owe the public insight, without the public and the bettors no horseracing.

[Patuxet]

I assume such information would not be beyond the reach of a subpoena issued by a Senate or House subcommittee holding hearings on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act.

Transparency in US racing always seems to be resisted and then only reluctantly begrudged.

[Whirlaway]

Fortunately, California has an ongoing post-mortem examination program that began compiling necropsy reports in 1990 on horses that died at California Horse Racing Board enclosures. It is the gold standard for equine post-mortem exam programs in the United States and possibly the world . . . Close to 6,000 horses have been examined since the necropsy program began.

That sure is a lot of horses, isn't it?

Interesting what the data set could reveal were researchers allowed to take a look at it. Short of a subpoena as suggested by Patuxet, I'm wondering if there is any sunshine law or transparency law in the Golden State that would allow such research. The Governor, I believe is Jerry Brown, would he no be amenable to such research?
~
A good and fine thanks for posting: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. I intend on reading it.

And whom was it that said, and I quote: "The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing"

[kezeli]

The public aside, you would think that the horsemen involved would want to know the reasons for the deaths of their animals, to improve survivability. I have always been a fan of preventitive medicine!! We know what happened in a breakdown but not in all sudden deaths, save heart attacks. The records may just clear all that up via a common denominator.