Blood is found in the airways of 45–75% of racehorses after a run, and in over 90% on lavage. Almost none of it is visible. What causes it, and what furosemide does and does not do.
Both reduce inflammation, and there the similarity ends. Different mechanisms, different contraindications, and different ways of going wrong — including the combination trap that catches busy yards.
Pentosan, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, bisphosphonates and corticosteroid injections are not interchangeable. They act on cartilage, synovial fluid and subchondral bone — three different problems.
Between 80 and 100 per cent of Thoroughbreds in training have squamous gastric disease. What causes it, why it cannot be diagnosed without a scope, and why treatment alone never holds.
