Bupivacaine is a long-acting local anesthetic. It has been FDA-approved in a liposomal formulation for postoperative pain management in dogs and cats called Nocita™ (Elanco US). Bupivacaine indicated 2/A in ARCI’s Uniform Taxonomy Guidelines for Foreign Substances. It is not linked to a regulatory threshold and there are no recall guidelines for using it near a race.
Horse owners are advised not to use this product on racehorses for the following reasons:
- The Schedule of controlled substances contains a local anesthetic, lidocaine and mepivacaineand provide withdrawal instructions if their use is required to repair a wound relatively close to the race.
- The use of bupivacaine is not indicated for anesthesia of the diagnostic area or nerve blocks.
- A recent management study (manuscript in progress) identified bupivacaine with a prolonged duration of detection when compared with other local anesthetics (eg, lidocaine and mepivacaine).
- If horses are required to be under local anesthesia for longer periods of time, it is reasonable to accept that horses should not be considered for racing or training.
- In the case of racehorses already receiving bupivacaine, clearance testing is recommended prior to racing or training.
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