06/28/2025
Itโs that time of year againโฆ Iโm starting to get all the calls about ๐
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ธ๐: (Let me preface this with I AM NOT A VET, and if you have any questions, you should reach out to your vet!)
We have had horses that were TERRIBLE in the alley and 4-5 runs on Lasix will walk right in.
Anxiety? Blowing off the third barrel? Quit running home? Getting progressively slower?
We personally run EVERY horse on Lasix. Itโs cheap. Itโs easy. We supplement with electrolytes, Red Hot Equine Aminos and knock on wood, Iโve had zero bleeders. We have also confirmed this scoping at shows randomly. Make sure to read the labels on your electrolytes, more often that not, it is not a true electrolyte supplement. There is no regulation on equine supplements. Do your research here too.
Fun fact: Most vets believe up to 90% of horses bleed at some point after a run. (edit: not every horse bleeds, but up to 90% of horses can bleed at some point once in their lives)
If you see the tiniest, microscopic speck of blood, itโs automatically a โ10โ on the 1-10 scale. That means you NEVER SEE 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9!
You will not know scoping a day after unless it was really bad... the body will reabsorb most of the blood. Sometimes if itโs chronic, youโll be able to see scar tissue.
At the end of the day, a horse will not want to go in and run because they are basically drowning. I cannot imagine ever wanting my horse to feel that way, so I make every competitive run on Lasix.
Now the timingโฆ I run everything 4 hours out. We also pull water. Studies have shown that if you do not pull water, horses can clear 95% of the medication in 4 hours. Which means in 4 hours, only 5% remains and you might as well not given it. Studies have also shown the optimum time is 4 hours, so 4 hours is better than 3, but 5 hours is about the same as 4.
I give it IV, but I have had horses bad to give shots too I have given in mouth or given pills. Not as effective in my opinion; but better than nothing.
Every medication has risks, but lasix is also used in people for edema in heart failure, liver diseases and kidney failure. Every medication has risks. Discuss this with your vet if you have questions.
NO ALTERNATIVE is proven to help stop bleeders. If you have concerns, I suggest you get educated. I too used to believe that running a horse on lasix was a bad thingโฆ and then I got to reading, and I have discussed lasix with ten+ top performance vets. I see a lot of horses that could really benefit from lasix and I talk about a lot of controversial topics on this page. I am happy to answer any questions about my own program, but again, I AM NOT A VET, and I give lasix under direction of a vet.
I am fortune to be able to work all over the country and I do understand there are a lot of vets that are a little behind the times with performance horses. Encourage them to do research too. It is a very normal and common thing in Texas.
If you tell me 5cc is โa lotโ Iโm going to ask you where you got your pharmaceutical degree from. Iโm not sure why in barrel racing any amount is alot, because it depends on how the medication is compounded. If you are using โlasixโ brand, I suggest you read up on their suggested dosages, etc. and talk with your vet.
Here is a post from one of our followers, showing the effects on a horse that was bleeding that showed no signs. ๐ https://www.facebook.com/1003238209/posts/10222016841862454/?d=n
