Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Ed,

This should be a red flag. There was a blurb on NPR about this. If in 
fact proton pump inhibitors decrease the Ca absorption there is a real 
risk of impacting the electrolyte balance of an endurance horse if taken 
too near the time of an endurance ride which could lead to a lot of 
potential problems.

Truman

Sisu West Ranch wrote:
> News item in the 27 December, 2006 Missoulian
>
> "Heartburn drugs linked to fractures of the hip" by Carla K. Johnson AP.
> "Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium for a year or more can 
> raise the risk of a broken hip...The study raises questions about the 
> safety...The researchers speculated that when the drugs reduce acid in 
> the stomach, they also make it more difficult for the body to 
> absorb...calcium ... co-author Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang of the University of 
> Pennsylvania School of Medicine,..."
>
> I do not have any endurance horses that need Gastrogard, so I will not 
> be looking up the original journal article to see if this summary, 
> filtered through an AP reporter, has any validity, but I do think the 
> endurance community should sit up and take notice.
>
> When the subject of Gastrogard came up previously, some vets warned 
> that it would be possible that messing around with acid production 
> could have some side effects that would not be good for an endurance 
> horse. This study does show that there apparently is some effect on Ca 
> metabolism in humans. If this also happens in equines, there could be 
> a problem.
>
> After long term use we may also see broken bones. Not a good thing, 
> and probably never noticed in horses, since the sample size is smaller 
> and we are not doing a carefully controlled study.
>
> More importantly, if the drug is at active concentrations on ride day, 
> and if it is interfering with Ca absorption, there could be an 
> increased chance of colic. Definitely not a good thing.
>
> My bottom line: Lets not campaign for another loophole in rule 13. 
> This stuff is not as innocent as some want us to believe.
>
> Ed
>
> Ed & Wendy Hauser
> 2994 Mittower Road
> Victor, MT 59875
>
> (406) 642-9640
>
> ranch(at)sisuwest(dot)us


--

“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a 
monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also 
into you.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil


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