Melanomas and Grey Horses

[Loupride]

Just looking for a bit of advice on the above subject...

About 2 years ago I found a lump under P's tail, it was tiny so small that when the vet came he told me just to monitor it over the next few months and keep a note of its growth rate. About 6 months later he revisited and the lump was about 5mm in diameter. He explained that it was a melanoma and that it was very common in grey horses and that at the age of 14 Pride was bound to get them. He also explained that they were best left alone and as long as they didnt seem to affect P, everything should continue as normal.

I regularly check it and keep an eye on how fast it grows and in the past few days I have found 3 more tiny lumps under his dock. At present they are not causing any problem but I do worry that it may be only half the story as they can develope inside aswell?

I was just wondering if anyone else has any experience of them and if you have ever had them treated? I know gererally vets are against removing them for fear of increasing the blood supply but is there anything else that can be done???

Thanks

 

[piebaldsparkle]

I have known of two grey with Melanomas both lived into their mid 20's & both were eventually PTS for reasons other than the Melanomas. The mare looked especially bad as back end really lumpy, but didn't seem to cause her any problems. Hopefully your horses ones will just be unsightly and not cause any other problems.

 

[Loupride]

Oh really, thats good to hear, thanks for that

I would be so happy if they were only cosmetic I just hate the thought of stuff happening inside and not being able to do anything about it!

 

[Tierra]

Hiya,

My grey has a couple too and Ive basically received the same advice as you. Im no vet and im sure some people can give you better advice in this area, but I'll share what I know

They're very very very common in greys. The % of grey horses that will have melanomas by the age of 14 is something like 85% i believe (will go and try and dig out the article later). Out of that number, the % that ever then progress to being agressive, cancerous tumours is small. Vets are generally of the opinion that if you buy a grey horse of that age it will have a melanoma. In that way, its better to know where it is

You can have them treated or removed but most vets are incredibly against this due to the fact that it can trigger a sudden growth of the tumour which may result in an otherwise quite benign, dormant growth turning into a rather aggressive, malignant cancer.

They will remove them if they grow too large in an area that causes a real problem for the horse (for example the inner area of a leg which causes the horse to catch the melanoma as it moves around) or if they ulcerate in an area that can cause other problems (e.g. under the tail area).

Theres another form of treatment in the form of a drug designed to shrink tumours, called cimetidine. If you have a quick look round the net you'll find records of a few people swearing by this but most vets consider the findings to be very questionable. From what I gather, this is generally considered only if the melanoma shows signs of activity. If its dormant, its usually left to its own devices.

Melanomas do grow... but they grow slowly and while there is always the chance they will turn cancerous, in the case of horses there are many, many other things that can end their lives much more aburptly than melanomas. (Its quite normal for melanomas to be dormant for 10 or 20 years so when you consider the length of even a well lived horse's life, then you can start to see why most die of other issues before melanomas cause a problem). It's generally accepted by vets that IF the melanomas arent aggressive, the horse will live out a normal life before they grow large enough to cause excessive problems.

As you mentioned, they can develop internally and the prognosis for this isn't as good. HOWEVER, the most common functions to be affected by internal tumours is urinating and breeding related issues which can still be controlled to some extent. If they spread out of these areas however, then they can cause neurological issues or the slow shut down of other vital organs and obviously, you're looking at a pretty bleak outlook. The chances of this are low again however, and internal melanomas are much more common in solid coloured horses which is then a real problem.

They are a worry but when you look at how many fantastic (famous) grey horses their have been and think at how many are likely to have had melanomas, you can start to keep things in perspective.

Keep an eye on them as your vet said... What you need to watch for (in the bad sense) is any sudden growth spurts, peculiar changes in shape or excessive ulceration of the melanoma. (Think if you had a mole on you somewhere that you wanted to keep an eye on). Try and become very familiar with your grey and make a habbit of checking his skin for any further melanomas (its better to know where they are). Avoid them being subject to excessive, strong sunlight during summer months wherever possible (UV sheets are helpful here and arguably useful on all greys since they're prone to skin issues). You can consider using a general, immune boosting supplement to try and keep the horse as healthy as possible, but be aware of using echinea based supplements for long periods as it's not recommended by many vets. There are a couple of good, broad based supplements that dont contain it however.

Other than that... I dont think there is much you can do! Just try to remember that the chances of it turning aggressive and cancerous are quite small and to be honest, when you get down to how small, then theres still a risk with solid coloured horses too.

 

[Loupride]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for your reply, it has made me feel a whole lot better and you have basically summed up in those words what i have been researching for the past week or so

As you say I will just keep an eye on them and be on the look out for any changes. P already has a UV sheet that he wears in the summer, he is pink skinned

and i will look into getting a general immune boosting supplement also!

Thanks Again!

 

[Happy Horse]

My old horse (in my avatar) had melanmas from a very young age. He had a huge one behind his ear, around his throat, sheath and under his tail. They never gave him any bother until he was 18 when he showed signs of internal tumours and was PTS. If your horse only has one under his tail, I'd just monitor it but also be aware of his general health and any changes.

 

[_Jazz_]

Tierra has pretty much summed up my thoughts, well put
Personally,my dear old mare -grey !-came to me aged 17 years old complete with melanomas under her dock/around her bottom . I always kept an eye on them and kept them clean(they never ulcerated), they caused her no problems at all and were unrelated to her death this year, she reached 30 years of age .

 

[Law]

I never know if I should put my experiences on posts like this as they are unfortunately negative.

I lost my grey horse at around his early 20's due to a melanoma that turned cancerous.
It was in his doo dah area and was ferocious. Vet said he could have 6 months that would be unpleasant or I could have him PTS as soon as I wanted to let him go. I gave him three more days in April when the weather was lovely and then had him PTS on the monday. It really was the kindest thing to do for him and I owed it to him.

So I'm really sorry to share this experience

Sounds like you have been doing a fab job of keeping an eye and taking care of it. I'm sure you are going to be fine.

 

[johnsongreyhorse]

Hi there,
the first horse I bought had a melanoma under his tail, he was 12 then, I still have him 16 years later and it has tripled in size but never bothered him, so just keep an eye on it as the others have said and don't worry,

 

[EquestrianFairy]

Another one for having a 16YO grey with one big and 2 small melenomas under his tail.. vet said the same that unless it starts to get in the way of him going to the toilet then leave well alone!

 

[annie02]

I would find it astonishing to find a grey without a melanomas at the age of 14. Everything everyone has said on here sounds correct to me. The biggest thing is not to irritate the area but brushing or picking at it. Do keep track of how many, where and what size they are so you know if they are growing rapidly. Greys are more prone to these and as Lau has shown us it can be deadly but most of the time it isnt. Also if caught early enough it can be removed if it does turn out to be malignant. I wouldnt worry to much. My grey has one on her side, but they are most common under the tail, on or around the face (especailly nose and eyes) and under or between the legs.

 

[Baggybreeches]

My old jumping pony had melnoma under her tail and also some kind of tumour (which we think was melanoma), beneath her ears, I got her when she was 19 and she lived to 32 when she was PTS after suffering fits, during this time they seemed to grow slightly but didn't cause any problems. Keep an eye out but don't panic about them.

 

[Jemayni]

Havent read other replies, but, my friend put tea-tree on her horses melonomas which significanatly reduced them in size and number. Really quite bizaar. Not sure about the science behind it but was so v.effective!

 

[Loupride]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I really appreciate it

I'll just keep a close eye on them so and leave well alone!

Thanks Again!

 

[claire1976]

I have a 14 year old grey mare with no signs of melanoma's. Just thought I'd share a positive experience!

 

[threeponies]

My mare has them under her tail, to quote the vet ' it's not a death sentence dear!'

 

[SpruceRI]

My shetland has them in and around his muzzle. They started growing when he was 8 and he's now 16. It's only this year that they've been diagnosed as Melanomas because it started as his top lips and then his botton lips hardening and curling inwards.

Initially we thought he was allergic to something in the field such as buttercups because the growths seemed to grow more in summer and then die back a bit in the winter, but they haven't done so for the past 3 years. It's got to the stage where now the growths are coming up through his face and squashing his nostrils. He now can't breathe all that well. Having a slight wheezyness from a virus when he was 4 doesn't help either.

The vets have said that being a Shettie he should live until he's 30, but with the melanomas no way will he. He has got much worse in the last year and in reality I think he's only got another year left. He huffs and puffs like a train now.

He's also got some new growths under his tail which don't affect him at all, so if the ones on his face were elsewhere I'm sure he'd be fine.

 

[CrazyMare]

Yes I have a 15yrold grey who is showing no signs of melanomas, is a complete drama queen though so I'm sure I'll know if/when she gets one, but she doesnt go out during the day in summer much