MINUTES- SARATOGA CHAPTER - JULY MEETING
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Date: July 13, 2010
Location: Parting Glass Pub
Officiated by: Dave Gonzalez
Next meeting: September
Guest Speaker: Dr. Louis Castro, DVM
Thank you very much for this excellent talk.
Dr. Castro spoke on a variety of subjects and answered a number of questions.
Having been an equine vet for 22 years, working mainly in Florida and New York but also in other states including Maryland, he had many stories to tell and interesting perspectives on things like
1. NYRA’s detention barn (which was closed a couple of days after this meeting);
2. drugs that enhance performance vs. drugs that calm;
3. drugs that enhance appearance for the sales and can mask problems from buyers;
4. lasix and a comparable European drug;
5. what horses feel when they bleed, and what their insides look like;
6. cobra venom and butte;
7. running two year old horses;
8. running on three types of surfaces, dirt, polytrack and turf, and the types of injuries prevalent for each;
9. scoping a horse, how often trainers do this and what can be learned from frequent scoping;
10. issues such as flipped palate;
11. breakdowns and his experience with them;
12. being a vet to a Kentucky Derby winner (twice);
13. how grooms are the unsung heroes of the business (he is fluent in Spanish, and often gets precious information from the grooms); and other subjects.
This meeting was held in the main dining area at the Parting Glass Pub. This had been a quiet meeting area in the past. However, during the presentation by DVM Louis Castro, the cast of the Shakespeare play “Hamlet” that was supposed to be staged in Congress Park that evening, came in to have dinner after the play was rained out. This, unfortunately made Dr. Castro’s talk particularly hard to hear.
Subsequent to the talk, the rest of the meeting was cancelled.
Note: Read our "Featured Article" by the Racetrack Medication and Testing Consortium on "Use and Abuse of Medications" in racing. In the article you will find a link to a comprehensive database on medications that have been used inappropriately.
