doodle
Well-Known Member
Is this a thing?
Lung cancer in horses?
- Thread starter doodle
- Start date
MidChristmasCrisis
Well-Known Member
Anything is possible I guess ..but never heard anyone with that diagnosis.
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
I'm going to say "possible but very rare" after a foray on Google.
Shilasdair
Patting her thylacine
One of mine had lesions throughout her lungs, all her systems and it was suggested that it was either cancer or an allergy.
It turned out to be the latter.
It turned out to be the latter.
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine had a horse with cancer in her neck and throat area, they initially thought it was strangles but after treatment didn't work they did further tests and confirmed it was cancer, the vet did say that it was an extremely rare form and place that she had it.
shortstuff99
Well-Known Member
Before smoking and such things, lung cancer was very rare in humans so I imagine it is therefore very rare in horses. However, cancer anywhere is possible.
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doodle
Well-Known Member
Yep been Googling and this is scaring me. His breathing rate is staying too high and shallow.
quizzie
Well-Known Member
It is not uncommon to need a course of steroids after the antibiotics to shut down the inflammation that the infection caused.....try not to panic...lung cancer in horses is vanishingly rare.
Roxylola
Well-Known Member
My owners other pony has had breathing issues, ventipulmin helped for a bit then it progressed to an infection hes had antibiotics, and more ventipulmin and seemed massively improved, the change in the weather to very cold frosty today has coincided with him really huffing again today. We've upped the ventipulmin back to the higher dose, and going to monitor for a day or two but it does seem to be a very stubborn issue
paddi22
Well-Known Member
I had a horse in and out of vets hospitals for 8 months trying to solve an unknown lung issue, and they never suggested lung cancer as even a possibility at any stage.
is the horse stabled or outside? could it be an allergy
is the horse stabled or outside? could it be an allergy
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
I would strongly suspect a continuing infection and/or inflammation well before I suspected lung cancer, K. They can be very hard to shift, particularly in this cold weather.
teddypops
Well-Known Member
I had a horse who had cancer in the throat.
doodle
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone. That’s reassuring.
@paddi22 he is in overnight and out in the day. We know he has a nasty infection and ruled out an allergy. That was initial thought. Scope showed lots of mucus (which surprised vet as no cough or snot) and tracheal wash showed the infection.
I guess I am just being impatient. He had bronco dilators for 2 weeks and had abx for 12 days. He is also anaemic which is making me worry he is bleeding somewhere inside.
@paddi22 he is in overnight and out in the day. We know he has a nasty infection and ruled out an allergy. That was initial thought. Scope showed lots of mucus (which surprised vet as no cough or snot) and tracheal wash showed the infection.
I guess I am just being impatient. He had bronco dilators for 2 weeks and had abx for 12 days. He is also anaemic which is making me worry he is bleeding somewhere inside.
The Xmas Furry
🦄 🦄
A secondary infection is more probable, or that the current antibiotics need changing to attack current infection in a different way.Anaemia can be a symptom too. Speak to vet tomorrow morning x
I'm not a vet but its highly probable that the infection is still brewing out x
doodle
Well-Known Member
I have spoken to vet. He is to stay on abx for another 10 days (well will be 8 days now). And to stay on them while his breathing up. He was not hugely worried and just said it can take a while to clear. He is booked in for another scope (and tracheal wash along with gastroscope) on 4th feb. They tested the bacteria to get the correct antibiotics. I am just worrying as I had hoped by this stage his breathing would have been better.
shortstuff99
Well-Known Member
Lung infections can take an age to go away. I've had pneumonia before and that took weeks of very strong antibiotics to make a dent.
paddi22
Well-Known Member
yeah my lad had weeks of antibiotics.. just out of curiosity has the horse ever had a tie back op?
doodle
Well-Known Member
no he hasn’t.
fredflop
Well-Known Member
hoprfuly will make you smile... I misread the dilators as dildos!
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
I just wanted to say and i am not trying to scare you or put a downer on it and i appreciate its a necessary thing but the scoping and the washes can sometimes cause problems, one of my horses has had 2 major guttural pouch infections in the past, the first one being severe and he had condroids that had to be removed one at a time, this took a month of him being at the vets for 2 days a week so they could be removed, the second infection was not so bad he just had 2 washes and antibiotics, but we think it has now caused him nerve damage in his face as he is a mild head shaker now, he basically rubs his nose on his leg when ridden and he rubs his head on things especially if he has a head collar on, I am not saying all horses that have the procedure will have issues but just thought I would mention it, I now would only scope him if absolutely essential.
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
They cultured the snot that was coming out of my horses nose and it is classed as a form of strangles just not a highly contagious version, but doing that they could give him the right antibiotics to clear it up he only had 5 days of them with the last one.
teddypops
Well-Known Member
My boy was 28 but otherwise no issues. I’d had him for 22 years.Sorry to hear thatMy friend lost her horse in 2019 she wasn't that old either.
doodle
Well-Known Member
@pinkyvboots he needs to be scoped again for the ulcers. That should have been done 2.5 weeks ago after the 28 days treatment. But I couldn’t get him to the vet due to snow and ice so vet came to the yard and did broncoscopy. He was too ill at that point to go to vets to check for ulcers. So he had a further 2 weeks of ulcer meds. We are hoping ulcers will be cleared up but have no idea if they have without a scope. He has stopped ulcer meds now, has to have another week abx and then will get scoped. So just as easy to do lung scope at the same time. The complication with him is when you listen to lungs they are clear. He dosnt have a cough and he dosnt have snot. The clinical symptoms of the infection are his breathing rate and how ill/tired/touchy he is. Of course I don’t want to put him through unnecessary proceedures but for both his ulcers and his lungs we have to to see if there is any progress.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
We had one too
We had one too, mare in foal.
Sorry to hear that
We had one too, mare in foal.
exracehorse
Well-Known Member
Yes. Not mine. But my friends cob. We went out for a ride in the summer 2020. He suddenly started to struggle to breathe. Head low. Veins popping. Vet out. Said dust allergy. Ventroplin. Soaked hay. Then a lumps came up on his chest. Looked like he had man boobs. Vet thought horse fly reaction. Had drugs. Etc. Lump went down. Horse came back into work. Still coughing. Very lethargic. Lumps came back up again. Vet treated again exactly as before. But friend and I thought that it was strange to have a fit bite reaction in exactly the same place. This went on and on. He’d get better. Then go down hill again. She had enough and booked him in for the works. Chest x Ray. For the lumps. As vet though hematoma. And camera down throat. Results were devastating. He had lung cancer. So badly the vet was surprised he was still alive. And the lumps were tumours that had spread from the lungs.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
Rare though. Someone I know had a horse on loan and it was ill with this and that and seemed to need the vet all the time. One day in the stable she stood back and looked at it and thought "this horse is dying" and so it was. I think it was PTS and they had a PM and it had cancer in different organs. The vet is very experienced, the local go-to person, but she was shocked and hadn't really considered it.
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
So sorry that is so sad
doodle
Well-Known Member
He seemed more grumpy and miserable this morning ?
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
I know I totally understand that it's all necessary I just wanted to tell you of the issues, I didn't know it could cause long term problems so just making you aware because I am sure a lot of people wouldn't realise, I hope he continues to improve and the scope gives you some good news.