Help needed SARCOIDS!

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JodieRM

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About a month ago I found a sarcoid on my coloured cobs sheath, at first I just thought it was a wart so lift it alone. It has now slowly been growing and is the size of a marble. I became very worried yesterday when the skin has come away from it an it's began to bleed. It doesn't seem to bother him however after researching online I've realised they can get very bad and aggressive if treated the wrong way. I will be getting a vets opinion in the week, however I don't have very much belief in vets due to previous experiences. If anyone has had a similar problem please let me know what has seemed to work and what hasn't. At first I thought it was best to be left alone buts as it's becoming to bleed does that mean its becoming aggressive? I will post a photo later on today.
Any infomation would be great, Jodie x
 
There are quite a few posts on here about what people have done in regards to treatment, so all I'll say is this is what happened in my situation. My horse developed a sarcoid on the end of his sheath the end of summer 2008, which started as a small scab but steadily got larger and angrier. I got my vet out and she pretty much confirmed it was a sarcoid, but took some photos to send up to Liverpool for confirmation. The sarcoid was at this stage growing almost daily erupting almost like a volcano and going from black in colour to a bright red. By this time it was the middle of november when it was decided that we would treat the sarcoid with cytotoxic cream, which meant there was no problems in regards to flies and possible re infection. Monty had his first treatment in the Jan of 2009 when the snow was on the ground. The sarcoid was by now the size of a golf ball and was causing his sheath to hang down, however throughout the treatment he was very good at letting us examine it and was very well behaved. The course of treatment was to firstly try to inject some of the cream directly into the sarcoid to start treating from the inside under sedation and then apply some more of the cream on to the outside. This sarcoid had a stalk which was supplying all the blood and nutrients to the growth so the vet also attached a small elastic band around it to stop the blood flow. Monty then had two more applications of the cream given by the vet two days apart, so three treatments in total over the five days. At first nothing happened but then the sarcoid started to shrink and come away from the sheath leaving a huge hole where the stalk had been attached. I do have some very graphic photos of the sarcoid basically dying and it eventually fell off one day in the field, pm me if you want me to e-mail them to you!!! I then basically left it alone and it has healed beautifully with hardly any scar tissue; however I am now very paranoid about him getting any bites around his sheath area as I am convinced it was caused by an initial horse fly bite, so in the summer I smear his sheath with vaseline every morning and cover him with fly repellent and he had no bites last year. I am now all prepared to do it again this summer, but definately speak to your vet and if you don't trust them get a new one, mine was fantastic all the way through.
Sorry very long but hope it helps.
 
I went to a talk on sarcoids by Prof Knottenbelt earlier this month. He showed some amazing before and after pictures of success stories. He was very blunt in his words, basically that sarcoids are cancer and we wouldn't ignore cancer in ourselves so early treatment is vital. If you do not have confidence in your own vet get another one to have a look, and ask them to contact Prof Knottenbelt at Liverpool asap.
 
My Poitou Donkey had a Sarcoid exactly the same as the one you mentioned. The vet put a lamb tail docking band over it. We sprayed it with aluminium spray every day it fell off in 5 days. We spayed the scab for another week or so. There's no sign it was ever there. Please don't leave it. My Connemara had one on his side once. This was treated in a similar way. The vet tied a suture around it. It too fell off. The vet obviously needs to examine them first to make sure they can be treated this way and aren't too deep.


Edited for this: One of our Arabs had one under his for want of a better word armpit. I tried 4 different 'miracle' creams (that seem to be the fad at the moment) nothing worked we even tried 2 human wart treatments. This went on for the best part of a year. This one also was treated successfully with a lamb docking band
 
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Make sure your Vet takes advice from Liverpool. My mare had a couple that sound a similar type treated by putting on a lambing band & then injecting Liverpool cream. They shrivelled up in a couple of weeks & then fell off.
 
hairycob said:
Make sure your Vet takes advice from Liverpool. My mare had a couple that sound a similar type treated by putting on a lambing band & then injecting Liverpool cream. They shrivelled up in a couple of weeks & then fell off.
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I don't know if this reply is for me or JodieRM but if is for me: Why would my vet or any other take advise from Liverpool? they fell off in under a week when tied off. My vet in particular has treated lots of sarcoids in the past as they seem to be a particular trait of Poutou donkeys. As she is a Poutou breeder and treats her own donks with this method, I think the is very reliable without the Liverpool cream. What is it anyway? I'm sure most vets see hundreds of sarcoids. It's just that we don't see many and they look a bit scary when they erupt.
 
lazybee said:
I don't know if this reply is for me or JodieRM but if is for me: Why would my vet or any other take advise from Liverpool? they fell off in under a week when tied off. My vet in particular has treated lots of sarcoids in the past as they seem to be a particular trait of Poutou donkeys. As she is a Poutou breeder and treats her own donks with this method, I think the is very reliable without the Liverpool cream. What is it anyway? I'm sure most vets see hundreds of sarcoids. It's just that we don't see many and they look a bit scary when they erupt.
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There are many types of sarcoids, recognising a malignant one early is the important bit and treating accordingly.

http://www.liv.ac.uk/sarcoids/facts.htm
 
Cuffey said:
Agree MM
The Prof likens other so called ''cures'' to us going to Tesco for our own cancer treatment
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He also told of a horse that was brought for him to look at but the owner declined his suggested treatment and treated it herself. She came back again some months later desperate for his help, but the sarcoids were too far gone. He said he put the horse to sleep, and then reported her to the RSPCA and she was prosecuted!
 
lazybee said:
I don't know if this reply is for me or JodieRM but if is for me: Why would my vet or any other take advise from Liverpool? they fell off in under a week when tied off. My vet in particular has treated lots of sarcoids in the past as they seem to be a particular trait of Poutou donkeys. As she is a Poutou breeder and treats her own donks with this method, I think the is very reliable without the Liverpool cream. What is it anyway? I'm sure most vets see hundreds of sarcoids. It's just that we don't see many and they look a bit scary when they erupt.
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Because Derek Knottenbelt is considered a world-expert on sarcoids; most vets simply do not see enough sarcoids to become experts in the treatment themselves. If you had skin cancer, would you expect your GP to be able to provide a comprehensive treatment plan, or would you want to be referred to a specialist oncologist?

Prof Knottenbelt has spent many years of his extensive career researching sarcoids, and while I consider my vets to be exceptional horse vets, if one of my horses developed a sarcoid I would absolutely expect them to ask Liverpool for advice, just as I would want my horse sent to Liverpool for colic surgery. Even the best vets can't know everything - it's why people like Derek spend many years becoming specialists in their fields, so that vets in general practice have people to ask for advice.
 
Most vets will want to email pics to Liverpool: the strength of the cream prescribed is often very important.

My boy had one on his axilla (armpit) and one on his stifle. Both were successfully treated with Liverpool cream.

Please don't ignore it.
 
Don't ignore it, get the vet out and get it referred to Liverpool, they are one of the world experts in sarcoids and can offer a range of treatments including doing nothing if applicable. Red has/d one on his upper eyelid and was referred for treatment and they are amazing, very knowlegdeable, competent and informative.

Please please get vet advice before you try anything and if poss get them to refer it (you can refer yourself via the website I think).
 
My vet always sends pics to Liverpool (unless it is a single, small sarcoid in an 'easy' place) and he's got 30 years of equine experience.

Sheath is not an easy area (depending on the type of sarcoid) because of the sensitivity of the area, and the fact that Liverpool cream is likely to cause quite a lot of swwelling there. We treated one (on Prof. K's advice) with Effudix cream (used for minor skin cancer in humans.) Not as severe as Liverpool cream - and you can put it on yourself (if horse is co-operative!)

Although from the sound of it it MIGHT be suitable for banding, perhaps followed up by freezing. I would want Prof. K's advice!
 
The reason I say make sure your Vet takes advice from Liverpool is my old Vet didn't & made things worse. I was a newish owner then & got better advice from 10 mins with google than from my Vet! I changed to a new practise & the experienced skin issues specialist at the equine only practise insisted on referring to Liverpool. They recommended which ones to treat, which to leave alone & 3 regimes of treatment for the treated ones depending on type & where they were.
 
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