Section 260-24-550 - Official veterinarian(s)The official veterinarian(s) will be employed by the commission, and be a graduate veterinarian, licensed to practice veterinary medicine in a recognized jurisdiction approved by the executive secretary. An official veterinarian is exempt from Washington state licensure per RCW 18.92.060. 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.Wash. Admin. Code § 260-24-550
Amended by WSR 21-03-022, Filed 1/8/2021, effective 2/8/2021Statutory Authority: RCW 67.16.020 and 67.16.040. 08-05-088, § 260-24-550, filed 2/15/08, effective 3/17/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 67.16.040. 98-01-145, § 260-24-550, filed 12/19/97, effective 1/19/98.