Grey horses and melanomas

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Cassy

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I am in the process of looking for a horse to buy and have seen several grey ones which I am interested in. However I have been warned that most greys develop melanomas in later years. I would be interested to hear from owners who have or have owned a grey. Thanks.
 
Have not owned one personally, however I did read somewhere that around 80% of greys develop melanomas. I actually really like greys but when recently "horse shopping" pretty much discounted them for this reason. I do stand to be corrected. Have had 2 friends with greys which both developed melanomas which was a bit off putting.
 
My grey is 24. She has one melanoma under her tail. Its the size of half a pea and has been there since she was 16 without changing.

If it's the right horse, don't be put off. I'd have more greys. You can't predict which ones will get them and which ones will be problematic. Better to have the right horse, enjoy it and deal with anything that crops up.
 
I have 2 greys, one is 28, the other 16. Neither have them. I also in the past had a grey Arab who never got them and he lived until he was 28.
 
Just something to consider, but most insurance companies will exclude melanoma claims on all grey horses. Almost all grey horses will develop them at some point, even if you can't see them externally.
 
I have more greys than most (any!) people. The oldest are in their 20s - and no sign of melanomas in any of them. Seen a few visiting mares with them around the rectum - none bad enough to interfere with covering and foaling. Of course they're a 'risk' - but not as bad as colic (where colour has NO influence.)

I lost 3 greys (a stallion and 2 mares) all aged 22 a few years ago. All to colic. Of course it's theoretically possible they had internal melanomas but unlikely, as you would expect with that a few milder cases of colic before the fatal attack.
 
I am another who when horse shopping discounted all greys due to the possiblity of melanomas. After battling with sarcoids in previous horse I wanted to reduce the chances of having to deal with skin issues again. I know not all greys get them but it was a risk I wasnt prepared to take.
Ironically the buckskin appaloosa I did buy developed alopecia. Go figure!
 
I had a grey in my youth lived into her twenties never a sign of a lump or bump .
I have two greys on ID 8 and ID no sign of anything the other a TB is ten also clear at the moment .
A racing person told be that the family of the stallion (who was grey )my horse is by don't get melanoma I hope that's true .
 
My first pony was grey and had melanomas, eventually lost to an internal one. My last pony was actually a coloured and developed a similar type of tumor behind her eye, due to pigmentation of the skin... I lost her to this too. I know of several people with greys and apart from the younger ones, all have melanomas bar one.

It would put me off buying a grey to be honest, but I have since bought another coloured.

Saying that though, if the horse is perfect in every way then I wouldn't discount it. After all, all other coloured horses are at just the same risk of other health issues like cushings, colic etc.
 
I lost one at 11 years to melanomas. Everyone tells you they are never any trouble until you have one PTS over it-then lots of other people tell you otherwise of horses they've known. The worst thing is that currently, there's sweet nothing to be done about them-there is no effective treatment although there is a trial underway currently. vets on the whole know nothing about them-noone does really and the only vet who'll be honest about them is D Knottenbelt.

Melanomas will all become malignant at some stage but little is known about when that is or how to know. By the time you see one on the outside, there will be a lot more inside. The treatment is based around one study that noone's ever been able to replicate and extrapolation from human and dog cancer therapies.

I bought mine as a 4 yo with none. By 6yo he had a small one on his dock. When he was 10 this started growing quickly. We tried various drug treatments (expensive and useless) before he started getting colicky. A scan showed up more inside his rectum that were causing obstruction and so I had him PTS shortly after to prevent losing him to a colic or internal bleed. Despite the insurance company being willing to pay out a grand for more useless drugs that would have achieved nothing, for me to keep him going, they refused to pay out for destruction on humane grounds.

I love a nice grey but personally wouldn't risk it again. Of course there's a myriad of other things more likely to kill them but even so, never again.
 
Hi,I have two greys both 15. My cob has them. Only found them a couple of months ago. The other a thoroughbred has none. If I had known about them when I bought my boys I think I would have avoided a grey
 
I have always had greys, for more than 40 years there has always been at least one grey knocking around. I've had some with melanomas, usually on/around the dock, but have never had a serious problem with them. It wouldn't put me off greys; there are plenty of other things to go wrong that will cause worse problems.
 
eggs said:
An old school vet once told me that a grey horse was almost guaranteed to get melanoma
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I was told this by my vet when he vetted Jazz. He had a couple of skin lumps which were picked up on the vetting, these haven't changed at all in the last 2.5 years. I took a punt because he was the right horse for me.

As Cortez says, there is plenty else to go wrong! The fact is, horses are very adept at breaking themselves so I wouldn't let the risk of melanoma put me off a good horse.
 
My best horse ever was grey. He first developed a few under his tail when he was 18. They caused no problem. I retired him at 24 mainly due to arthritis and his inability to grasp the concept of ' a quieter life '. They did continue to get a bit worse over his two years as a field ornament ( which he thoroughly enjoyed) especially in his sheath. He was PTS at 26 following a short mystery illness which may or may not have been due to internal melanomas. In short, I would do it all again without hesitation.
 
My 19yo grey has 3 or 4 small (slightly bigger than a pea size) ones on his dock. These are the only ones he has and cause him no bother and I know of a few older greys the same. It would not put me off buying anther grey - although I'd love to have a horse I didn't have to spend so long cleaning!! :wink3:
 
Tapir said:
Just something to consider, but most insurance companies will exclude melanoma claims on all grey horses. Almost all grey horses will develop them at some point, even if you can't see them externally.
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Really, which ones? My horse does not have this as an exclusion on his policy.
 
I've had a few greys now (have a thing for them...), I've only ever experienced the odd sarcoid with them. Every one I've had has had just one somewhere. None have ever caused proper issues other than the flies sometimes annoying it. So not had any experience with melanomas yet (fingers crossed). It wouldn't put me off, you never get a bad grey is my motto!
 
I have a grey, I always said I would never get one (because of melanomas) but my boy was so perfect I couldn't resist. I enjoy everyday with him, who knows what tomorrow will bring. I had a bay, he died unexpectedly of colic. There are so many what if's. I just enjoy the moment..
 
Prop won't help you but I have had 2 greys in past and one currently.
1st grey had one or two small clusters under her tail that developed about 15yr old. She was pts at 33 due to old age. Hers never really changed over the years.
My other grey had one small one when we bought her near her dock. Fully disclosed etc. Due to prev horse it never bothered me in the slightest. Said horse died 3 months later instantly on the spot after having some sort of seizure. I saw it all unfold. Was all very quick. Pm revealed internal melanomas floating in the brain/inner ear. One of which impingined on a brain nerve causing instant death. My other current horse is grey but still quite dark if that makes a difference and no sign yet.
Due to prev incident it would make me think twice about getting another
 
AandK said:
Really, which ones? My horse does not have this as an exclusion on his policy.
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It's usually in the terms & conditions - not specified on each horse's policy.

I've worked for a couple of horse insurance companies and it was standard for both of them, as well as the company I now have mine covered by.
 
When we bought the second grey that had a small melanoma under tail we disclosed to insurance company and melanomas were excluded in full. When she had her seizure and died the insurance company didn't cover a penny as due to internal melanomas
 
Cassy said:
I am in the process of looking for a horse to buy and have seen several grey ones which I am interested in. However I have been warned that most greys develop melanomas in later years. I would be interested to hear from owners who have or have owned a grey. Thanks.
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They do, and my mare developed them under her tail and that was the only place and never effected her at all.

I love greys and just brought another though my preference is dun/buckskin. It is the only other colour I will buy. As I would not buy bay/chestnut/black etc.


I would seek advice from your vet in the vetting and ask for a thorough check. We all can go the *what if's* route, and if that was the case. Be a very sad world, go try theses horses you have singled out and check all over for lumps and bumps prior to vetting. Good luck with your search
 
We found one in Kali's sheath last spring . . . it's about the size of a pea and hasn't changed shape or size since. I keep a close eye on it (without rummaging around in there too often). He's already about 17/18 . . . something else will probably get him first.

P
 
I have 2 greys, my share horse and mine, both 20. Share horse is fine (he's flea-bitten and I read somewhere that flea-bitten greys are less likely to get them, no idea if it's true) but my boy is riddled. He has small ones (about the size of a broad bean around his anus and on his dock and huge ones in his sheath. I first spotted a tiny one on his anus when he as 12. When he was 17, I spotted something poking out of his sheath when he had a wee (he never let me near it) and sedative and good inspection later revealed several, very large ones in his sheath. Too big to remove without major surgery as there wouldn't be enough skin left to avoid restricting his penis from going in and out to wee so he'd have to have the whole area rebuilt and would end up weeing out the back like a mare.

Since then, I have to sedate him every few months to clean his sheath as the melanomas cause an over production of smegma. He still won't let me near it, despite years of trying. When I've said I'm never having another grey, lots of people have said to me, "they have to die of something," but for me it's not the dying of it, it's the living with it that's more difficult. My boy doesn't make it easy either, but the regular cleaning is a pain. The constant worry that it's getting worse is the biggest thing though. They don't seem to bother him too much, he's fit, eats well and plays with all his fieldmates etc. but when we spotted the first one at 12, I was told anything past 20 would be a bonus.

Now every cough, every slight noise on his wind and I'm panicking. I never realised until I did some research that internal melanomas often affect the respiratory system rather than the digestive system (as I'd assumed). He's developed a bit of a cough this winter (just 3 or 4 coughs as he starts to trot) and I'm terrified. Vet tells me it's not a huge change and no need to worry yet, but it doesn't stop me!

If there was a bay and a grey and everything else was equal I'd go for the bay every time. Mostly due to melanoma risk but also from a cleanliness point of view. On a far more superficial level, I've had my fill of scrubbing.
 
Melanomas would not put me off greys. My old boy started to ge tthem at 10 and numerous others came up over time.

I bought a chestnut after the grey bog monster and he developed a nasty sarcoid so there you go but I digress.

At that point (10+ years ago) my vet said that melanoma themsevles were not the problem - it was where they were sited that cuased issues.

Boggy had them around his bottom, sheath, a huge lump on his neck and one on his head and a grapefruit size one near his girth line that initiated a foray into side saddle.

Apart from being unsightly,my vet told me that usually the horse will die or need to be PTS becasue of another issue rather than just due to melanoma.

In the end he started to loose balance and became unsteady - vet thinks that internal melanoma were impinging on nerves and possible spinal cord. He also, for the first time in his life deliberately pasted me into the arena surface - he'd had enough. He was riddled with arthritis too which was a major factor and I didn;t want him to go through another winter so I let him go in October 2009.

Get teh vet to give any potential horse a good going over. you pays your money and takes your chances.
 
my little grey welshie is 22 this year...she had a small one on her ear at age 4 that dropped off a few years later.
Around 10 years ago she started developing various visible ones on her teats and anus/vagina/dock. She has quite a few now but none that seem to other her in any way. I just wipe them over every few days with a baby wipe.
She also has some behind her cheeks that you can just about feel and a lump either side of her neck (in different places) so I am just keeping an eye.
None of them seem to effect her in any way atm
 
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