Section 260-24-550. Official veterinarian(s).  


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  • The official veterinarian(s) will be employed by the commission, and be a graduate veterinarian, licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Washington. The official veterinarian(s) will perform the following duties:
    (1) Recommend to the board of stewards any horse the official veterinarian believes is unsafe to be raced, or a horse that it would be inhumane to allow to race;
    (2) Place and remove horses from the veterinarian's list;
    (3) Place and remove horses from the bleeder list;
    (4) Supervise the test barn;
    (5) Supervise the collection of all specimens for testing;
    (6) Provide proper safeguards in the handling of all collected specimens to prevent tampering, confusion or contamination;
    (7) Provide the stewards a written report regarding the nature, seriousness, and meaning of concentration levels, if any, for all laboratory reports of prohibited substances in equine samples;
    (8) Have jurisdiction over all licensed veterinarians on the grounds for the purpose of these rules;
    (9) Report to the commission the names of all horses humanely destroyed or that die on the grounds at the race meet. This report will include the reason a horse was destroyed;
    (10) Maintain records of postmortem examinations performed on horses that have died on association grounds;
    (11) Be available to the stewards prior to scratch time each race day to inspect any horses and report on their condition;
    (12) Be present in the paddock during saddling, on the racetrack during the post parade and at the starting gate until the horses are dispatched from the gate for the race;
    (13) Inspect any horse when there is a question as to its physical condition or soundness;
    (14) Recommend to the stewards a horse be scratched if the horse is physically incapable of exerting its best effort to win;
    (15) Inspect any horse that appears in physical distress during the race or at the finish of the race and report their findings to the stewards;
    (16) Work with practicing veterinarians and other regulatory agencies to take measures to control communicable and/or reportable equine diseases;
    (17) Periodically review horse registration certificates to ensure that all required test and health certificates are current and properly filed in accordance with these rules; and
    (18) Humanely destroy any horse so seriously injured that it is in the best interests of the horse to act.
    [Statutory Authority: RCW 67.16.020 and 67.16.040. WSR 08-05-088, § 260-24-550, filed 2/15/08, effective 3/17/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 67.16.040. WSR 98-01-145, § 260-24-550, filed 12/19/97, effective 1/19/98.]
RCW 67.16.020 and 67.16.040. WSR 08-05-088, § 260-24-550, filed 2/15/08, effective 3/17/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 67.16.040. WSR 98-01-145, § 260-24-550, filed 12/19/97, effective 1/19/98.