DVM Kathryn Papp Works to Breed Lasix Free Racehorses While Rescuing OTTBs
Updated: May 9, 2019
The use of lasix and other drugs in horse racing has always been a hot issue. Whether or not lasix should be banned in North American horse racing is a question that has been begging to be answered ever since the Stronach Group announced their plans to phase out lasix. The announcement by the Stronach Group has been followed up with a coalition of 20 tracks forming to phase out lasix and completely eliminate the use of it in stakes races by 2021. This coalition includes all tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc., The New York Racing Association, and The Stronach Group as well as the tracks Keeneland, Del Mar, Oaklawn Park, and more.
Dr. Kathryn Papp is one veterinarian and animal lover that is in support of this ban. She, alongside her family, is working to breed and raise horses that will race without any medication.
Papp was raised in New Jersey. As a child she worked with high-end jumpers and hunters and competed in these circuits into her college years. She attended college at the University of Vermont and Tufts University in Massachusetts. Afterwards, Papp attend the University of Guelph - Ontario Veterinary College in Canada. She graduated in April of 2008.
In her first associate position following her internship, Kathryn Papp worked for Equine Veterinary Care at Fair Hill, a Thoroughbred training center in Maryland. Dr. Papp, now 36, has been practicing veterinary medicine for almost 11 years with a focus on the Thoroughbred racehorse. She owns Hillcrest Meadow Equine where she offers services ranging from vaccines to minor surgeries.
Dr. Kathryn Papp’s dedication to saving animals does not end when she’s finished with her veterinary appointments for the day. In 2012, PA Racehorse Rehoming, Rehabilitation, & Rehoming (PARR