Pedigree Query

This drug has been "in the news" quite a bit lately. The Bloodhorse and DRF reported that Mullins recently had a mepivicaine positive, on the heels of suspensions handed out to Asmussen and Pletcher for the same drug. Has anyone had any experience with mepivicaine and horses? Would there be any legitimate reasons for a vet to be treating a horse with mepivicaine? Or is it simply being improperly used as a painkiller? Thanks for the insight.

Mepivicaine is an amide local anesthetic and will completely numb an area that is injected for 2 to 12 hours depending on the innervation of the particular area injected. Injecting local anesthetics to relieve pain is certainly fine but to do so to enable a horse to run so that a potential long term and career altering injuring can be ignored is not. Worsening an existing injury is a distinct possibility. This is why it is on the list of banned substances - to protect the horse from an existing injury that is so debilitating that local anesthetic is needed in the first place. Rest is usually the best medicine for injuries as everyone knows. Unfortunately, rest doesn't bring in a paycheck.

Perhaps we could get hpkingjr, Pat, to submit an oppinion.

Veterinarians have all sorts of legitimate uses for mepivacaine as a local anesthetic, most commonly used as a nerve block when diagnosing lameness. Also used to block the auriculopalpebral nerve when treating eye problems, as an epidural, and on and on.

As they say, any tool is a weapon in the wrong hands.

Its used to freeze throats as well.