Efficacy of furosemide for prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in thorough bred racehorses

Abstract

Objective-To evaluate the efficacy of furosemide for prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in Thoroughbred racehorses under typical racing conditions. Design-Randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, crossover field trial. Animals-167 Thoroughbred racehorses. Procedures-Horses were allocated to race fields of 9 to 16 horses each and raced twice, 1 week apart, with each of the 2 races consisting of the same race field and distance. Each horse received furosemide (500 mg, IV) before one race and a placebo (saline solution) before the other, with the order of treatments randomly determined. Severity of EIPH was scored on a scale from 0 to 4 after each race by means of trache..