James Robertson, DVM, the Ohio State Racing Commission’s (OSRC) consulting veterinarian, announced at the OSRC monthly meeting on Nov. 18 that the first phase of the cobalt pilot study being conducted at the Ohio State University (OSU) is complete.

“A range of doses of intravenous cobalt chloride were administered to five healthy horses at weekly intervals,” Robertson offered. “Blood and urine samples were taken for analysis and will continue to be taken in weeks to follow.”

The OSRC has partnered with veterinary clinicians and scientists from the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and the Ohio Department of Agriculture Analytical Toxicology Laboratory (ATL) in a comprehensive research study, which focuses on what cobalt does to a horse’s system and its effects on racehorses.

“Intravenous cobalt chloride, especially at the higher dosage levels, produced a rapid onset of clinical signs and had detrimental effects on a number of body systems including the cardiovascular system (hypertension, arrhythmias and tachycardia) and the renal system (bloody urine),” Robertson revealed