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Google strategy: ( Fluphenazine Racehorse )
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Fluphenazine
By Michael Lowder, DVM, MS
Dr. Lowder,
I'm hoping you can help. Problem, calm horse during practice, runs great and super easy to be around, but when it's competition time, he gets so hyper that when my daughter starts her run (barrels), he just runs crazy as if he has never done a barrel pattern before and almost uncontrollable.
...So Fluphenazine was suggested in a shot form, stating that it was used alot on race horses and it should calm him down. I have tried to research this, but couldn't find any information to help me feel comfortable with this. Do you have any suggestions?
Dana,
You can use medication like fluphenazine to calm him but it will also slow him down. The horse is sour. First, try giving him 6-8 months off and then take him to a few shows and ride him around but do not run him. It will take time on your part.
Thanks,
Dr. Lowder
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Fluphenazine (Prolixen(r)), a long acting phenothiazine derivative, has not been widely adopted by the veterinary community. Nevertheless, it has found a somewhat nefarious role in the sport horse industry.
Trainers have used the drug to dull a poorly behaved horse before a sale or to "take the edge off" an excitable racehorse. The four to six week duration of action of the drug, extrapolated from the human literature, seems to suit these less than moral applications.
However, side effects and adverse reactions are common with fluphenazine, due in no small part to the lack of consensus over what constitutes an appropriate dose in the horse. How an individual suddenly finding himself in possession of fluphenazine may decide upon a dose is an interesting question, although I suspect that basic arithmetic forms no part of the answer.
The adverse reaction experienced by some horses under the influence of fluphenazine is characteristic of human Parkinsonism: rhythmic muscle tremors, rigidity, restlessness and agitation. I have witnessed a single case of fluphenazine toxicity in an equine patient. The horse spent large portions of the day either weight bearing upon its haunches, in a dogsitting position, or flexed at the knees with its hindquarters elevated, like a massive praying mantis. Although this horse spent hours, trancelike, in these positions, it should be noted that neither of these postures is ever adopted by any horse within the scope of normal, irrespective of how broadly normality is defined. Prey animals aren't afforded the luxury of looking foolish.
Google strategy: ( Fluphenazine Racehorse )
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ajapaleGill Questions New York Positives For Tranquilizer
September 14, 2004
Michael Gill, the leading Thoroughbred owner in the country in races and money won, said reported positives for a tranquilizer in two of his horses during the Saratoga meet would result in nothing more than damage to his reputation.
Two Gill-owned horses tested positive for fluphenazine, one on Aug. 8 and another on Aug. 9, according to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. While the racing board lists withdrawal times for many substances, its rules say fluphenazine can't be present in a horse's system.
Gill said trainers commonly use the drug, which has a calming effect, on nervous horses. The drug was last used on his horses 36 days before their races, he said. An individual with knowledge of equine drugs said traces of the substance could linger for months in a horse's system...
...The Gill cases could trigger more discussion in the industry about threshold levels, and at just what level drugs have an impact on a horse's performance. Fluphenazine isn't considered therapeutic, however, and is grouped among performance-altering substances.