Horse’s cause of death is inconclusive
Medina Spirit’s necropsy found no unexpected drugs that could be a factor.
The long-awaited necropsy into the death of conditional Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit did not determine a cause of death but found no unexpected drugs or substances in the 3-year-old colt’s body.
The inconclusive result is not unusual in horses who are classified as “sudden death.” The cause of death of a horse that does not break down, or suffer a bone or joint fracture, can often be difficult to determine. About half the time they are able to conclusively determine what causes a sudden death in a horse.
About a quarter of the time the cause is presumptive and a quarter of the time it is unknown. The Medina Spirit case falls into the last category.
However, some findings such as swollen lungs, foam in the windpipe, enlarged spleen and mild bleeding, “are compatible with, but not specific for a cardiac cause of death,” according to a news release distributed by the California Horse Racing Board.
“Omeprazole (an anti-ulcer medication) and furosemide (aka Lasix, a diuretic) were detected in blood and urine samples consistent with the medication report filed with the California Horse Racing Board by the attending veterinarian,” the news release said.
“No other drugs, heavy metals (including cobalt), or toxicants were detected. Thyroxine levels were below normal reference limits.”
Dr. Francisco Uzal, who worked on this case for UC Davis, admitted that little could be determined from the thyroxine test because most research is done on live animals and not a deceased one such as Medina Spirit.
Scott Chaney, executive director of the California Horse Racing Board, called the Medina Spirit necropsy possibly “the most important ever done” by the state regulatory agency.
After the horse collapsed and died at the conclusion of a workout Dec. 6, his body was taken to a UC Davis testing facility in San Bernardino. There, blood, urine and tissue samples were taken from virtually every organ, muscles and the spinal cord.
“Sudden death in racehorses has been frustrating for some time,” said Dr. Ashley Hill of UC Davis, who helped oversee the the necropsy. “We recognize that there is an issue that there are horses that just drop dead after exercise. It’s extremely frustrating.”