Drug Testing in Livestock Show Animals

Testing for drugs that have the ability to enhance performance in competition animals is common practice. For example, drug testing is performed in many different animal competitions that include: Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and Standardbred (harness) racing; equestrian events including dressage, jumping, draft horse showing, trail riding, cutting, and reigning; greyhound racing; camel racing; pigeon racing; and dog pulling/sledding. Another animal industry that utilizes drug testing is the livestock show industry. Similar to other performance animal competitions, livestock shows utilize drug testing to foster fair competition among competitors and ensure animal welfare. Ante-mortem samples, such as urine, blood, and feces are tested for a variety of drugs that are considered to have the ability to enhance performance in livestock. These drugs include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), beta-adrenergic agonist drugs with repartitioning effects, analgesics, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers, antihistamines, and illicit drugs. [...]