In order to have a level playing field in animal sports competitions any substance administered, either purposely or inadvertently, that can affect performance must be regulated. However, sanctions for an inadvertent administration are often seen by responsible persons across animal sports as unfair after an exposure to prohibited substances via contamination. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to differentiate doping from contamination when adverse findings arise.
On one hand, persons responsible may not be aware of possible contamination while others are streetwise and put forward the contamination argument as an explanation. Various case histories will be discussed ranging from contamination due to human and veterinary medications primarily ingested from voided urine to contamination in feed. In addition, cobalt contamination due to cattle drenches and bone fide vitamin B12 supplements will also be discussed.
Current approaches to reduce risk from contamination include education on sourcing feed and supplements, environmental risks and on managing facilities and staff. However, even in 2025 there are adverse findings explained by persons responsible such as human urination in holding stables and animals being able to ingest medicated feed from the stable next door. While education may be improving having the tools to differentiate doping from contamination are paramount.