HELP Sarcoids

~darcy~

~darcy~

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hiya

found this amazing horse perfect in every way but she has sarcoids... she has herbs for them and she doesn't seem fazed by them.... and the owner said they don't bother her.

She does BSJA and has sooo much potential its unbelievable!!

Please share you experiences with them!!

Thanks a bunch!!

:)
 
Take care darcy. Some things that look exactly like sarcoids aren't so you could be worrying unnecessarily. But obviously some ARE sarcoids! The only way to be 100% sure is by a needle biopsy but the very action of taking a biopsy can trigger an aggressive growth spurt which you certainly don't want. True sarcoids can be very successfully controlled by Liverpool Cream, a sort of chemotherapy cream that was created by Prof Derek Knottenbelt of Liverpool University. It has to be applied by a vet and needs 3 or 4 treatments, a few days apart. Other veterinary options do exist but some are very expensive. Self help treatment for sarcoids: you have to bear in mind that a sarcoid is a form of skin cancer. So slapping all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff on them can be dangerous or just plain stupid! If you must try yourself, don't ever use anything caustic or abrasive. Thuja cream is very gentle and obeys the key principle, DO NO HARM. But keep away from anything with Teat Tree oil or Aloe Vera in it as these products are for active skin cell growth after eg a wound or injury. You really don't want to encourage any part of a true sarcoid to grow fast. Ask yourself, if you had a skin cancer, would you slap any old thing on it or be guided by your doctor or oncologist? Some sarcoids remain tiny and harmless all a horse's life but some can be right in the way of tack or suddenly start to grow huge and raw in which case they can stop you riding and you would also be hit by insurance exclusions as nobody would insure the horse for anything whatsoever to do with sarcoids.

I'd say IF they are true sarcoids you need to ask yourself the following questions: is it in a place where tack would rub it? Is it big or has it got bigger, oozing, raw recently? Has it already been treated? If so, by what and why? Is it already an insurance exclusion? Do you have the time and money for keeping it clean and fly free at all times? What would you do if you couldn't ride the horse in the future because of it? Do you know that flies are thought to be responsible for carrying the virus that causes sarcoids to other parts of the same horse and/or to other horses? And finally, I'd recommend reading Prof Knottenbelt's definitive guide to sarcoids. Can't remember the link but google it and you'll find it. Also there's a ton of stuff on sarcoids if you search the forum but please, please read the Prof's info as herbs, supplements, lotions and potions won't cure a true sarcoid. Things you stuff in the horse's mouth might help prime his immune system a little and things you rub on hopefully won't make the situation worse but do remember you are looking at insurance exclusions and a potential need for deep pockets if the sarcoids change as the horse ages.
 
Excellent advice from Box_Of_Frogs! If it's one or two small ones, then I'd consider buying (at a reduced price!) Some are suitable for banding or cryo (had a mare with a largish one on her shoulder done with cryo just before Christmas - it just shelled out and healed beautifully); some are more suited to Liverpool Cream. But if there are more than a couple - or if they're in 'difficult' places to treat - or if they just keep coming back - your amazing perfect horse could end up being your vet's best friend!!

It never ceases to amaze me that people try to sell a horse with sarcoids - why not treat them and get them gone!
 
Daughters youngster had a sarcoid in his ear which the vet banded as well as a smaller one on his chest. He also has some small ones on his neck which the vet recommended using Zovirax on. Surprised me but it worked.

However . . . not all sarcoids react in the same way and you need to make sure you are prepared for the outcome if the horse becomes unrideable because of them. Are you prepared for a field ornament?
 
The Zovirax suggestion does not amaze me. There's a product for extreme coldsores with fusidic acid, prescription only, that my mate used on her rose, got rid of a large sarcoid quickly. Fuciderm ointment is often prescribed for skin irritations on dogs.

Re the sarcoids, if you really want the horse, get an estimate from a vet on how much it will cost to do Liverpool cream and visits, then take that off the asking price. My horse's treatment cost about £200 for two very small sarcoids treated with Liverpool cream.

Inside right stifle:
DSC000792-1.jpg


Right axilla:
DSC00082.jpg
 
My sisters horse had one on the end of his tinky. We brought him as a 4yr old and his appeared at the age of 6. No history of him having any before, it got so big and aggressive him had an op to remove it. This resulted him in having the end of his private bit chopped off. The vet said it could have been cancerous, so I would think about it, it's not causing problems at the moment but will it in the future? Maybe you could ring a vet and ask them for their opinion on them.
 
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