Do I buy a horse with sarcoids?

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Spirit7

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HELLO, PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HELP ME. I have seen a lovely dapple grey 16.1 gelding for sale. He has a big lump with hair growing on it on his ear which has apprantly been treated (not sure in what way) but the hair growth is quite fresh. He also has 2 marble sized balls on his sheath (quite high up) and I can see a small flat patch on his inside hind (up high) which looks and feels a bit more warty but is probably a sarcoid or evan melonomas!!
Other then all that he is perfect. He is 8 1/2 years old connemera x throughbred. If he did not have the sarcoids (to be confirmed by vetting on Monday) he would be worth about £7k (if anyone was actually buying right now!)

Do I take the risk and how much should I pay?
 
Can you get a vet to have a look at them and give an opinion first?

If they are unlikely to spread or cause pain, and you like him, then get him.

No idea on price sorry- I'm cheap and wouldnt pay more than 2.5k for any horse!
 
I would not take the risk, too much potential heartache.
Think sarcoids on the sheath can be difficult to deal with; my 22 year old has a crop on his sheath but they have grown very gradually over the last few years and vet advised not to do anything about them unless they were causing him a problem, as it would cause him too much distress to treat. I would not go near a young horse with sarcoids.
Having said that, my OH bought a young mare with a few warty lumps, vet said they were not sarcoids but I was worried they could develop further so didn't want us to get the mare; however OH had fallen in love!
 
id go for it- my polo pony has sarcoids up high on her back legs but they aren't growing so they are fine- it shouldn't knock any of the price off as they do not affect them at all (unless growing) but if you wanted you could get it down a bit. if they are growing ask your vet as vets have different advice but sometimes they will fail them if they are growing alot
ps this is if they are sarcoids
 
There's been an identical thread just recently on here which may help. I'd be very, very cautious as (1) I don't think you'd ever find a vet prepared to say sarcoids would never cause any problems and (2) your insurance would almost certainly exclude any skin problems/sarcoids/melanomas and if your horse needed surgery or treatment you could find things getting VERY expensive VERY fast. Read Prof Knottenbelts excellent advice on sarcoids at liverpool.ac.uk/sarcoids - he is a world expert and the advice will tell you that the ONLY predictable thing about sarcoids is that they are unpredictable. If you already had a ned and he developed sarcoids, that's one thing, but to buy a youngster with existing, already treated problems, to my mind, is asking for trouble unless you have a very healthy bank balance and could cope with having an unrideable horse (if sarcoids developed in any area where tack went, including round the ears).
 
Thanks for all your help so far.....Still not sure what to do so have vet coming up Monday.....its a really good horse otherwise and is offered to me for £3.5K with smart tack and to be honest I would be streaching myself to buy it at the price offered. but I would nvere have a horse of that quality otherwise???
I have looked at Prof. Knottenbelts and it IS scary stuff. So I now have a vet from the same clinic as the sellers (I know the vets) but a different vet who has not seen him before, so should get 2 opinions in one as they will have access to records.......Still think I might be mad but really in love with horse.......
 
Is it a grey? If it is and it has these growths at 8 I would steer well clear. My horse died as a result of internal melanomas and he had none at 8 so to take one on with obvious problems already could be asking for trouble.
 
I had a mare who had a melanoma (which we originally thought was a sarcoid.) You would need a vets opinion as to whether he thought they were sarcoids or melanomas (and a needle aspiration is the only way you can tell for sure). In any case, we got the horse for £1500 less than she was advertised for.
 
i have had horses over the years with sarcoids and i even show one with a sarcoid and it has never affected them in anyway! the only problem with sarcoids is that they dont look very good!! if u cn reach it or if it is small enough u can tie it with thin string and it will drop of then sray it with anticeptic spray and leave it. youll never have known it was there. i ckecked with my vet to see if i could do it and they said that thats the quickerst painess way to do it!! so yes i think u should take the risk
 
Sorry cstud but I really do think that Spirit7 needs to be fully aware that a true sarcoid (as opposed to warts and angleberries) are a skin cancer. Any attempt at interference can make them more aggressive. I say CAN. The Prof's advice is second to none - he is a world expert - and it's worth repeating that the ONLY predictable thing about true sarcoids is their unpredictability. Like I said, S7 could take a chance and have absolutely no problems for the rest of the horse's life. But she COULD also find herself with a horse needing expensive treatment/surgery that is excluded by her insurers. And if the sarcoids grew aggressively in an area where the tack needed to go, she could have an unrideable horse. Difficult call but you have to ask yourself why a horse of that quality is being sold so relatively cheaply and the answer is that it is a risk. It could be tears before bedtime. Take care S7 and get advice from an IMPARTIAL vet x
 
I was always told a grey horse with sarcoids before 8 is not good my grey mare got them at 7 and was devestatingly put to sleep by 8.
If they are and the horse is young it really isnt worth the heartache,
I know from experience
 
I have had a few horses with sarcoids over the years and I've never had any long term issues with sarcoids. Have dealt with them with the same treatment every time and they have fallen off and never returned. I have one mare right now who had a sarcoid when I bought her. I treated it, same as always, and it has gone now. I've never paid less for a horse who has a sarcoid, and I've never been that bothered about them to be honest. I had a wonderful, top vet in the UK who now prescribes what I use. My vet here also believes (after doing his own research) that what I use is "good stuff".

My friend BoF will never agree with me
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, but we bear no hard feelings towards each other.
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I KNOW it works and I am happy with the long term results and that's good enough for me. *whispers* It's Camrosa, by the way
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I bought a horse with a sarcoid and it never caused any trouble at all but I waould be worried taking on one whith more than one sarcoid because it could indicate that they are spreading.
 
Absolutely respect everything you say Tia, and your breadth of experience - just that S7 has come on the Forum for advice and there is a POSSIBLE danger in taking one (or 2 or 3...) people's experience as gospel, when their horse may not have had a true sarcoid and/or their circumstances may be different. All I'm trying to get across to S7 is that there IS a risk so please, please consider it carefully and get the best professional advice and guidance you can. Brief analysis of the responses here are Yes = 3, No = 4, Possibly = 4. To my mind that = risk!


Camrosa Shcamrosa Tia lol xxx
 
Lol!
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Yes I would agree there is obviously a risk when you take on a horse with sarcoids. It's just not a risk that bothers me that much, but I hear what you are saying BoF.
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It is sarcoids!! The vet just told me that the sarcoid on its ear has been stable for just a month! he said that the ones on the sheath look ok, but of course are unpredictable and the flat ones on his inner thigh are sarcoids as well

There are lots of lovely horses that I can buy without worriyng from day 1.

I am going to pass on this one as painful as it is.

I want to have and give the best possible life to what I want to be my last horse....

All your advice has been invaluable. Thanks form the bottom of my heart.xxxx
 
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