[Detection of doping compounds in the racing pigeon]

To overcome the doping problems in racing pigeons it requires reliable methods to detect illegally medicated drugs. Difficulties applying specifically to pigeons caused the present investigation, since urine and blood commonly analyzed cannot be gathered from pigeons. Drug detection is complicated by those compounds exhibiting an extremely high potency such as the anabolic boldenone, the glucocorticoid prednisolone, and the bronchodilator clenbuterol. The material for analysis selected was faeces of pigeons treated with the doping substances under investigation. The freeze-dried material was subjected to liquid/liquid extraction (Extrelut), and the extracts were submitted to high performance liquid chromatography. Identification of drugs present in the fractions was carried out by specific antibodies (ELISA), and their relative chromatographic retentions were calculated by means of internal standards. The results obtained provide an overall information about elimination kinetics of the three drugs examined. Thus, boldenone, prednisolone, and clenbuterol were detected in the faeces up to 7 weeks, 2 and 1 day, respectively (limits of detection amounted to 0.1-4 ng per g of the freeze-dried faeces.) The detection periods correspond to the periods of pharmacological action of the individual compounds. The results reported here exemplify the proof of doping by examination of faeces from pigeons treated with very potent drugs. High performance liquid chromatography combined with ELISA turned out to be a suitable technique to detect illegal medication in racing pigeons.