Horses with melanoma

[Hug]

Hi all, just wanted to ask more about this condition, any of you has horses with melanoma? Is it hard/expensive to treat? In what ways does it affect the horses (health-wise)? Can horses lead a long and healthy life even if they have this condition, or does this condition usually shorten a horse's life? Any precautions that need to be taken when owning a horse with melanoma? (especially in warmer countries?) Any other useful info? Many thanks.

 

[sarahann1]

How long is a piece of string?

Honestly, the question you're asking is the same as the above, the answer is, it depends.

My big grey has melanomas, they don't bother him at all, he's 26 and it's looking like lami or old age will get him before the melanomas do. None of the visable ones are big or ever sore.

I've known another with them who made it to a ripe old age with a huge one on his head, it was a kick in the field that got him.

On the other side of the coin I know a mare who had them in her rectum and they grew so large she had to be pts at about 14.

Sorry, I don't think there is a clear answer to this I'm afraid.

 

[Mrs B]

As sarahann1 said, it does depend ... the 19-year old grey in my avatar started developing lumps under his dock and in his sheath about 4 years ago. To be honest, I was always worried that where there are lumps on the outside you can see, there are probably going to be lumps on the inside too where you can't - just depends where they are and what they're affecting.

They didn't seem to bother him but then he suddenly fell ill with peritonitis last month and although we caught it right at the start, he died in less than a week: I strongly suspect that a lump near, on or in his gut was responsible although I didn't have a pm done.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

had an 11 yo put down last year because of them. there are no tried and tested treatments-cimetidine is commonly prescribed but only showed *some* improvement in 50% of cases in one study-noone has ever managed to reproduce those results. However, outside the UK its a cheap drug-here it works out about £300 pcm. Other treatments are also expensive-we tried cisplatin injections and it was awful

Despite what people like to think melanoma will be malignant at some point in the horse's life. There is next to no research being carried out although Prof Knottenbelt is the best guy to talk to about it for a realistic and importantly pragmatic overview of treatments and research. He's usually very good at replying to emails, bearing in mind how busy he must be.

 

[gunnergundog]

I have owned a horse (grey) that developed melanomas in later life - around his anus and on the dock. They didn't bother him and he never received any treatment for them; he was put down at the age of 26 due to colic.

I also saw another grey last year when I was horse shopping; an irish horse, 5 years old, that had one melanoma in the vicinity of the anus. As this hadn't been declared by the owner during our conversations I was a bit put out and when I got home phoned Kbis. They said the main thing to be aware of is that what you see on the outside is often only the tip of the iceberg. Sooooooo, horse gets colic, he gets opened up and if melanomas are found internally.......you are not covered for colic!