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Dr. Jeff Blea Named California’s New Equine Medical Director

Dr. Jeff Blea has been a trusted voice in the California horse racing industry for decades, and in July he will become the veterinary voice of the California Horse Racing Board upon the long-planned retirement of Dr. Rick Arthur from the critically important position of Equine Medical Director (EMD).

While Dr. Blea has been committed to his thriving veterinary practice on the Southern California thoroughbred circuit, he recently decided he could be a more valuable resource to the equine veterinary profession and provide greater assistance in the advancement of the racing industry.

Dr. Gregory Ferraro, chairman of CHRB and a former equine veterinarian himself on the southern circuit, described Dr. Blea as: “a nationally known and widely respected equine veterinarian. He is recognized for his clear thinking and fairness in his decision making.”

Under contract arrangements between the CHRB and the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) at the University of California, Davis, the EMD serves as a member of its faculty. CHRB Executive Director Scott Chaney said the CHRB worked closely with UC Davis during the process, which was prolonged by the pandemic. A joint panel from UC Davis and the CHRB interviewed candidates and selected Dr. Blea.

“We value this partnership,” added Chaney. “We were fortunate to consider several well-qualified candidates. I am very pleased with the process and the choice. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Blea to make racing safer at this critical time.”

Dr. John Pascoe, SVM executive associate dean, commented: 'We very much look forward to Dr. Blea serving as the next Equine Medical Director and continuing the vision of late Senator Ken Maddy for a robust partnership between the University of California-Davis, the CHRB, and the racing industry to improve the health and welfare of racing horses. Jeff brings a wealth of expertise to the EMD position. His extensive knowledge of racing, equine and racetrack practice, his national leadership in equine and racing organizations, and his commitment to research that improves horse racing assure that California will continue to lead the nation in our collective efforts to ensure safe racing.'

Dr. Blea brings 28 years of veterinary experience with him, and before that he rode briefly as a jockey. He always has been interested in improving horse racing, focusing primarily on equine health and welfare, as evidenced by his leadership nationally with the American Association of Equine Practitioners and regionally with the Southern California Equine Foundation. He served as a director of the Dolly Green Research Foundation from 1999 to 2015. The list of the organizations and programs he has served is long and admirable.

Dr. Blea always has been forthcoming, expressing common sense and fairness, regardless of which side he favored on any given issue.

“As Equine Medical Director,” he said, “I look forward to working with industry stakeholders in further advancing the progressive transformation of horse racing in California with the emphasis on horse safety, welfare, and integrity.”

Dr. Arthur added, “Dr. Blea is an excellent choice to become EMD. He has a broad background in horse racing and is well respected by his colleagues here in California and nationally.”

The post Dr. Jeff Blea Named California’s New Equine Medical Director appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gluck Professor Assisted With FDA Approval Of COVID-19 Testing Device

Dr. Ted Kalbfleisch, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky in the Gluck Equine Research Center, was a member of a research team that sought emergency FDA approval for a veterinary device to be used to help test for COVID-19.

Veterinarians have had the ability to run real-time assays in the field for years. One of the commonly used devices was developed by MatMaCorp out of Lincoln, NE. The self-contained unit is about the size of a laptop; it can provide results to vets in one to two hours, without requiring the horse to be brought to an equine hospital.

It was quickly realized that this technology, which is familiar to veterinarians, could play a vital role in the fight against COVID-19 in humans. Kalbfleisch and other members of the team were able to get the unit approved by the FDA; the COVID assay it tests for has now been approved for use in CLIA-approved laboratories. Future research will focus on a device that can be utilized in the field for COVID-19 testing.

Slow Your Roll: Even Chatting About CBD May Get Vets In Trouble

Products that contain CBD seem to be everywhere, from human goods that do everything from relieve pain to promote quality sleep to horse feed additives promoting calmness, relaxation and good digestion—and everything in between. Dr. Charlotte Lacroix, a veterinarian who is now a practicing lawyer, spoke at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners' Convention about the potential pitfalls of dealing with CBD as a veterinarian, reports The Horse.

Lacroix recommended vets talk with their insurance provider and the licensing board in their state before ever chatting with clients about CBD. She reported some shocking statistics: in six states, a veterinarian can lose their license if they even discuss CBD with a client; in two state the conversation must be initiated by the client or the vet can lose his or her license. In 18 states, the vet can discuss CBD products, but cannot prescribe or dispense them.

Why is there such an uproar about hemp, which is legal for human use in multiple states? Lacroix says there are a few reasons:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't approve the use of hemp in any form for animals
CBD is still illegal at the federal level
A “nutritional supplement” must contain one or more ingredients that occur naturally in a horse's body; CBD is not naturally found in animals, so it cannot be a nutritional supplement
Nutritional supplements cannot claim to treat, mitigate or prevent a disease or a condition; if that claim was made, the supplement would be a drug that would require USDA approval
Limited research has been done on CBD use in horses; much of the data comes from small animal research

It is not illegal for a horse owner to give CBD to his or her horse, since they are not a licensed veterinarian. It is also not illegal for companies to make products that contain CBD as long as they do not claim the product helps with a condition or disease.

Op/Ed: ‘Even More Transparency’ Needed At California Tracks

The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board acknowledged improved equine safety measures at Santa Anita Park over the past two years, reducing equine fatalities from 37 over the 2019 season to 16 over the same period in 2020. Still, the editorial board insists there are more steps to be taken to prevent further on-track fatalities across the entire state of California.

First, there should be public postings of all necropsy and fatality reviews on horses that die on California tracks.

“The horse racing board already posts annual overall reports on fatalities and types of injuries, but even more transparency is called for,” wrote the editorial board.

Another suggestion was a centralized pharmacy at the racetrack, which is the only source for medications.

Finally, while Santa Anita's PET scan has been a good investment, the editorial board believes the machine should be used on asymptomatic horses prior to a race. Additionally, a 3D walk-in CAT scanner could be added to track veterinarians' tool kit.