Some Info- Epogen

[Marli]

Could use a little help. Can anyone describe what the use of Epogen does for a horse? Also- the side effects (adverse)? Long term use?

In the Mid Atlantic region, can anyone tell me what tracks are not permitted to use this drug?

Any help/info greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[cewright]

http://horsehealthinnovations.com/html/news2.php

[Gallop58]

Not sure how you came to ask about Epogen, but if it came up "in conversation" in a real life discussion about racehorses and actually using it, do the industry a favor and become a whistle blower. Most jursidictions have a hotline to call. This stuff (EPO) needs to stay out of racing under any and all circumstances.

Side effects: Increased performance in a race, sometimes death from sludged blood. Gets you banned from racing and hopefully in jail.
What is it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epogen

[ageecee]

It creates more red blood cells in the body and red blood cells is where your oxygen is thus you have more oxygen in a horses body by using Epogen

[wilf]

Marli hello again! Epogen is almost old news nowadays as the outfits that used it to steal money from orthodox trainers and their horses in the early 2000's have been scuppered and are probably onto their next scam by now thanks to the veterinary profession. Epogen is a legal drug used primarily as an agent to build up the red blood cells in patients with kidney failure , it is also used to do the same with H I V symptoms and to boost patients undergoing chemotherapy. In use for horses with normal range blood counts it is effectively a blood doping agent. Overuse in sick patients was common as it is another cash cow that the drug companies could not resist,however the side effects were so perilous that even those weasels had to rein in the practice........stroke, heart attack etc,etc. In healthy horses it is a blood doper with great results and awful side effects, especially to the poor guys that claim an epogen horse and practice ordinary , sensible animal husbandry. I rest my case.

[Marli]

I've received a lot of responses and my take is that this is a nasty, nasty drug.

Does anyone know/have experience in regards to withdrawal off the drug post racing can cause a pretty bad 'crash'? ie; weight loss, lethargy, irritability, perhaps laminitic issues?

Are there any other drugs (yeah, this is out of my territory!), that racers are given that can produce a pretty bad 'crash' post racing? (same characteristics as above)

[IcouldbeU]

Almost any steriod will cause a crash that can happen 1 week to 1 year after a racing career ends. Sadly many people don't know enough about this and cause the 2nd owners of these horses a ton of hardship about their appearance and weight. This includes veterinarians who are supposed to be experts but are not and are sometimes cause even bigger problems. This is the reason why I will never buy a horse that has raced in the last 2 years. Sad state of affairs.

[Intrinsic Worth]

I work in dialysis and was told one small vial costs around $800 - $1000 dollars. I imagine an equine dose would be a few vials.

[xfactor fan]

Arsenic can cause that kind of crash. It was perhaps still is used as a "tonic" as it caused water weight gain, oily skin & hair (makes the horse look glossy) and the horses eat more too.

Horses and humans tolerate it fairly well, and excess is stored in bone and fat tissue. Once the tonic is stopped, the horse looses water weight, stops eating, and in general is appears to be depressed. Once the horse starts to loose fat, all the stored arsenic is dumped into the bloodstream as the fat is broken down. A lot of heavy metals work this way. It can also affect fertility.

This is probably what killed Phar Lap. Either he got a large dose sprayed on grass, or more likely his trainer mixed up a batch that was too strong. Given that the trainer was in a new country, perhaps the Arsenic he got a hold of was stronger than the type he was used to.

[Tucumcari]

EPO is old news.
They run better but it burns them from the inside out. They get dull looking, lack performance, etc eventually. maybe 3 races.
Arsenic aka Caco Copper works well. I have never seen a horse become dull or lethargic afterward.. They sure do go to eating though.
Hormones or the removal of don't IME make them dull either or lacking in muscle or "heart." Confidence can be created as can body weight.

[Jenarby]

Thanks for starting this topic. It has been educating for me. I was given a gelding about two months ago who came home and crashed. I trust that the trainer didn't give him anything mentioned above (I've worked with her rehoming several horses ) but wondered if it is possible that someone before her did give him something. She owned him for 6 months. She said about two weeks before she gave him to me he started losing weight. She'd taken him out of training a few weeks prior and just attributed it to that. By the time I got him home he was nervous but seemed okay. Not a week later he was depressed, lethargic and dropped a ton of weight. This continued for a few weeks. I could bare get him to tropt in the round pen. I pulled blood and checked to make sure he was not anemic (and he wasn't). We changed around his feeding schedule, started him on tagamet and I had him adjusted several times and also acupunctured. FInally in the last 5 days or so he's starting to perk up and looks brighter. He's got more energy and is carrying himself better.
I've been racking my brain trying to think of what could have happened to him. Is it possible he could have been given something 8-10 months agop and just came down off of it?

[Gallop58]

As I recall a lady who works with a larger TB rescue organization spoke to congress about what she sees coming off the track (remember those hearings? the one where Dutrow was sick...) She talked a lot about joint injections, but mentioned other stuff too.
Anyway, I mention this because if you have a horse who looks like it's withdrawing, a call to one of these organizations might be useful as I expect they've dealt with everything under the sun. The vets they use may have experience diagnosing the particular symptoms, more so than a local vet who doesn't deal with it regularly...

Just an idea....

[Intrinsic Worth]

He could be coming off of Equipose

Thanks for starting this topic. It has been educating for me. I was given a gelding about two months ago who came home and crashed. I trust that the trainer didn't give him anything mentioned above (I've worked with her rehoming several horses ) but wondered if it is possible that someone before her did give him something. She owned him for 6 months. She said about two weeks before she gave him to me he started losing weight. She'd taken him out of training a few weeks prior and just attributed it to that. By the time I got him home he was nervous but seemed okay. Not a week later he was depressed, lethargic and dropped a ton of weight. This continued for a few weeks. I could bare get him to tropt in the round pen. I pulled blood and checked to make sure he was not anemic (and he wasn't). We changed around his feeding schedule, started him on tagamet and I had him adjusted several times and also acupunctured. FInally in the last 5 days or so he's starting to perk up and looks brighter. He's got more energy and is carrying himself better.
I've been racking my brain trying to think of what could have happened to him. Is it possible he could have been given something 8-10 months agop and just came down off of it?

[Bunty Lawless]

That anyone could call an individual who uses any of these drugs "trainers", let alone license them, is beyond me!