Melanoma's ???

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VickyH

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Our 17 year old Arab x welsh pony has 2 small pea sized lumps, one on the underside of her tail and the other right next to her anus. The vet has said they are most likely melanoma's, especially given her age and the fact she is grey. She has suggested leaving them as they are not interfering with affecting her in any way. Is there anything I can do to help prevent them spreading or growing any more other than a uv protective fly sheet? I wasn't too worried at first but I think it has sunk in now that she probably has cancer and have got myself into a bit of a state!
 
Don't panic! It's very common in greys. I don't know a great deal so don't quote me :p but my boy has quite a few and he's only 14. We bought him with full knowledge if them, and he passed a stage 5 vetting easily with 3 golf ball sized lumps. I understand you being worried, I was/ am too, but the surgery can be expensive and not always good, especially if it's not affecting the you mare. Mine had one removed from his neck, where it was affecting him, and he's now got a scar about 3 inches long down his neck :(. But back to the point, don't get in a state, it happens to many greys but often doesn't affect them for a very long time! As for treatment, I don't know how/ if you can prevent them but would be very interested to find out! :)
 
If at 17 she only has 3 small lumps, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I lost my boy last year to melanomas at 17. They had literally blocked him up and he had them throughout his intestines. But it is apparently extremely rare for horses to die directly due to melanomas.

There is nothing you can do about them. The are unpredictable. Keep them clean and keep an eye on them. They are a benign cancer in greys, so it is the actual lumps causing trouble that is the problem rather than anything else.

I once read an article that 80% of greys over the age of 14 have melanomas.
 
My grey (12yo) has rather alot of the stupid things. I've requested that my vet order me some cimetidine (product name tagamet) which is licenced for use in horses for gastric ulcers and melanomas. However, given the size and quantity of your horses melanomas, i wouldnt bother unless theyre growing as it isnt a cheap drug to feed.

If your vet suspects theyre melanomas, i would treat them as melanomas and not have a biopsy as that can aggrevate them and try not to stimulate the areas too much from massage etc.

Do UV rugs help, i havent heard that before and im at my wits end so may buy one if they do?
 
I have no idea if they wroked but was advised buy one for her to try and prevent any more, seeing as melanoma's are basically skin cancer I suppose ???

At the end of the day I will try anything within reason, if something as simple as a fly rug could help I'm happy to get her one!
 
I've had two greys with melanomas. I lost the first one aged 28 . Vets thought melanomas causing mild colics so pts. We had already decided to pts at end of summer due to his arthritis.

Recently lost my other to a respiratory condition - interstitial pneumonia - at 18.

Whilst the life expectancy for a grey is lower than other colours, most greys will pass away due to other conditions.
 
No, they're not skin cancer.

They can, as it was in my case, get them internally as well as externally, in their intestines etc which actually caused my boy to be very ill first, before they finally blocked him up and he had to be PTS. If your horse has quite a few on the outside, the liklihood is they are going to have them internally too.

I have never heard of a fly rug helping. But it won't hurt. (my boy used to wear one though) Cimitedine is very expensive and when I researched it a couple of years ago the thoughts were that there was no proof it actually did anything, and if it did do anything, it may possibly have slowed down the growth, but certainly didn't reduce them. They are also horrifically expensive.
 
Our grey arab has a couple in the same area and has since she was about 3 (she's 20 now) they have never spread and never caused any problems, so I wouldn't panic. if they begin to look sore though, sudocream is nice and soothing
 
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