Any experience of melanomas under tail

I have a 20 yr old Welsh A who has multiple melanomas under her tail. She has them on her dock and anus to the point I cannot see her anus but everything is functioning perfectly well and they don't appear to cause her any discomfort.
She also has them between her teats and has several lumps on her neck and the glands behind her jaw?
I just keep a close eye on them and her.
 
Thank you HP. Has she had them long. Just noticed my boy has them on his dock and few on anus. He was violently itching himself. Do you put anything on them.
 
My old boy has one near to his anus, vet checked it and said it could be removed but it wasn't near enough to cause him issues pooing, she advised keeping an eye on it and if no change then to leave it alone (boy is in his 20s and retired). He has never seemed to have been itchy with it. Are you sure your boy has melanomas? Have they just appeared or have you only just noticed? I just wondered as you say he's violently itching himself, wondering if it could be bites or something (we have flies again and flying ants in Yorkshire due to the warm weather!).
 
Hi make mines cob. Just noticed them because he rubbed his behind raw.one on his anus is about half a maltezer. The others on his dock are smaller. Don't think flies would manage to get where they are. Put sudocreme on them and just going to monitor them for time being. Thanks for replying. He's a grey 15
 
We have a grey Connemara on the yard who has multiple melanomas on her dock. Her vulva and anus are a single mass of tumours, to the point her lady bits look like a bunch of grapes. However she never appears to be uncomfortable at all, and she eliminates without any issues.

We just keep an eye on them, especially in summer, to make sure she isn't itching them.

The only thing is, she does tend to take the top off one when she travels, so bandaging her tail has become a bit of an artform.
 
Treat any damaged ones the same as you would an open wound, keep clean and an eye out for signs of bacterial infection.

Itching would be caused by other reasons, overheated, wrong food, threadworms or fungal skin infection.

Sort out the cause of itching to reduce the risk of damage to the melanomas.
 
Thanks everyone. Vet confirms they are melanomas, said to leave at present. Larger one on dock could be lazered but they tend to come back. I'm going to stop his sugar beet which he's only had recently. He lives out up rugged . I'll treat for threadworms and see how we go.
 
KrujaaLass said:
Thank you HP. Has she had them long. Just noticed my boy has them on his dock and few on anus. He was violently itching himself. Do you put anything on them.
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She has had them years...they probably first appeared 10 yrs ago and got gradually worse.
They are no worse on her dock this year than they were last year (I get them checked by the vet when she has her teeth done yearly).
She does occasionally rub her tail which could well be the melanomas but never disturbs them or makes them sore.
I use baby wipes very couple days to just gently wipe round, under them to keep them clean and check them.
If they were sore I'd probably treat them any other wound by cleaning and popping on a wound cream and keep an eye.
 
99% of grey's will develop melanomas, it's the side effect of fading colour over many yeas. Under the dock is the most usual place for them first to be noticed. They are harmless and generally cause no discomfort. They do however grow where they feel like growing so you need to carefully check, by feel and eye areas where tack goes.
 
My grey shettie has them on his anus. He has had them for at least as long as I have had him (nearly 15years) they don't bother him. Never have, haven't grown or multiplied.

3years or so ago he got one on his Willy that now prevents him from putting it away completely but he isn't bothered, still pees normally, flies leave it alone in summer so no need to mess with it.
 
ive heard of horses having melanomas (which are cancers by the way) reduced massively by long term use of tagamet (indigestion relief tablets ), ive got the medical blurb somewhere i will find it ......... i also have a grey in his twenties with melanomas so very interested
 
My frey age nearly 22 has just been seen by vet and she is proposing to "debulk" the melanomas around his anus. Other vets have told me to leave well alone. She says as they grow-which they are-they are likely to become affected by heat and flies and may become problematic.
 
Basically remove them as much as possible under epidural anaesthetic, possibly implanting temporary cisplatin beads as chemotherapy and allowing to heal as an open wound. I have not agreed to go ahead yet as her proposal came as a surprise given other vets have given different advice. I want to think about it. Article in Horse and Hound today about a vaccine for melanomas too.
 
My daughters 20 year old section a has them very badly under her tail, all over her dock and her anus and vulva are almost completely obscured but she is fine. The vet has told me to leave well alone and to give her vegetable oil to help her poo.

In the summer if she itches them we put sudocrem on which seems to cool and calm the itching and heal any she has rubbed.
 
horsemadmum1 said:
My frey age nearly 22 has just been seen by vet and she is proposing to "debulk" the melanomas around his anus. Other vets have told me to leave well alone. She says as they grow-which they are-they are likely to become affected by heat and flies and may become problematic.
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Over almost 50yrs and countless grey's I've never had any problems with any of them. They are best left alone unless they become a physical problem. Your vet is touting for work!

If they get knocked and broken then treat just as you would an ordinary cut.

I know at some point they can with some horses develop in areas that may cause problems, around the ears or where the saddle or girth goes. This is the point where you may consider operating on them.
 
Tnavas said:
Over almost 50yrs and countless grey's I've never had any problems with any of them. They are best left alone unless they become a physical problem. Your vet is touting for work!

If they get knocked and broken then treat just as you would an ordinary cut.

I know at some point they can with some horses develop in areas that may cause problems, around the ears or where the saddle or girth goes. This is the point where you may consider operating on them.
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I don't think she is, it is not her practice and wouldn't benefit her particularly.
 
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