Keeneland is committing $100,000 over four years to further research into equine injury detection. Part of the emphasis lies in the comparison of medical technologies.
The money from Keeneland will go to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. One project will focus on comparing positron emission topography to magnetic resonance imaging for assessing bone chips and fractures in sport horses. Dr. Stuart Brown is Keeneland’s vice president of equine safety. He said the goal is to stay ahead of what could be euthanizing injuries.
“So that we understand that we stay further and further on the cutting edge of understanding things before they become overt lamenesses that we clearly recognize with a visual observation.
The use of PET scans and MRIs has been a focus in the Thoroughbred industry for several years. The research assists veterinarians in identifying difficult-to-locate lameness. Brown said more PET machines are still needed.
“So it’s the equipment investment that needs to continue to occur across the industry to make them more accessible in more locations for us to benefit from the knowledge we gain from access to the information provided from these PET scans,” said Brown.
At least ten of these PET scan machines are expected to be in place in North America by the end of the year. Dr. Brown noted three such pieces of equipment are already located in Kentucky.
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