Re: RC: Drug Traces

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/14/99 11:39:43 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com writes:

<< I refuse to be maneuvered into a position where the implication
 is being made that I am doing something wrong because I
 give three bute tablets to my horse. >>

No one said it was wrong, Linda.  I just wondered why you were doing it.  We 
ARE a society that tends to overmedicate--both ourselves and our animals.  My 
point here is that we should ask ourselves WHY every time we take a 
medication or give medication to our animals.  All drugs have positive and 
negative effects.  Do the positive effects we hope to achieve sufficient to 
outweigh the negatives?  Sometimes I wonder.  Having personally had serious 
health repercussions from something as simple as ibuprofen and having had 
clotting problems on drugs as simple as aspirin taken in far less than 
recommended quantities, I have found that I can live quite comfortably by 
making myself work within my limits and by becoming free of antiinflamatory 
drugs, I find that I also no longer am as sensitive to pain as I used to be.  
I don't think I am being the least bit cruel to "withhold" bute or similar 
drugs from my horses when they have suffered some minor inconvenience.  
Serious injury is another matter; then the benefits of the drugs far outweigh 
the risks.  Of course, in such cases, no one is the least bit concerned about 
withdrawal times, because the horse isn't about to go anywhere anyway.

Some of us have tried hard to explain the reasons why simple withdrawal 
charts aren't the answer, and how the AERC review policy works.  Apparently 
we are not sufficiently able to explain.  I think there is a lot of paranoia 
here--if you gave one dose of something six weeks ago, yes, you MAY show a 
trace (likely not, but more and more possible with better technology) but you 
are not going to get thrown out on your ear over it!  The veterinary 
committee was sufficiently far-sighted to see what the ramifications are 
here, and has put together a very realistic way to handle it.  I appreciate 
the quest for information here, but short of a thorough course on 
pharmacology, it is pretty difficult to make generalizations.  Is your horse 
thin or fat?  What is his metabolism like?  Was he given a drug just once, or 
for a long period of time?  What does he eat?  How old is he?  What was the 
route of administration of the drug?  ALL of those factors and more have a 
huge effect on what the clearance rate of a given drug will be in a given 
horse.  To just throw a number out in the air would be foolish and 
irresponsible.

Heidi


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