MISUSE OF ARSENIC IN TRAINING HORSES.

NZ Truth, Issue 868, 15 July 1922, Page 9

MISUSE OF ARSENIC IN TRAINING HORSES.

A Warning Needed

The sudden death of several racehorses of late calls attention to' the practice iwhich is very prevalent m racing stables of administering arsenic as a condition powder. ■ It is- well-known that the drug is .largely used, and many breeders absolutely refuse to lease their fillies to trainers for fear they should get them back with their constitutions ruined through arsenic. . >

Youatt's "Book of the Horse" contains some advice on the subject that is worth' reading. Youatt says: "Arsenic was once m great repute as a tonic and vermifuge. Doses sufficient to kill three or four men were daily administered, and generally with impunity. In "some cases, however, the drug was too powerful, and the animal was destroyed. Two of the pupils of the author "were attending the patients of a veterinary surgeon, who was confined to his room m consequence of a serious accident. Among tthem (was a valuable hoi'se laboring under .inflammation of the lungs. The disease w{as subdued and the patient was convalescent. At this stage the veterinary began to regain sufficient strength :to travel a short: distance, and the first patient that he visited was this horse, whose ailments had all passed away. He would not, however, let well alone, but sent some arsenic balls, and m less than a week the' noble animal was taken "to the knacker's. There -are far better vermifuges and tonics than this dangerous drug, which will probably soon be discarded from veterinary practice."

Speaking of arsenic and corrosive sublimate he says, /'Long experience has taught the author that poisoning with these drugs is not so 1 rare a circumstance as some people imagine. A scoundrel was executed m 1812 for administering arsenic, and corrosive sublimate to several horses. Sometimes a discarded or offended carter has wreaked hia revenge m this way, b>it more often m his eagerness to get a more glossy coat on his horses than a rival servant could exhibit, he has tampered witft these dangerous drugs." The ' expression, "Tampered with these dangerous drugs," about expresses the situation when trainers without any veterinary knowledge start

1 to "dose" their horses with arsenic m order to get condition on them quickly. There is no doubt that for a time the effect of arsenjc is to improve the look of the coat and -to lend to the horse a temporary and fictitious appearance ..of good health. But the effects of the drug gradually destroy the constitution, and an unskilled man 'has no mqre right j tb administer arsenic to a horse than I to a human being. I w.