New horse vetted today - possible sarcoid??

[Deltaflyer]

My boy developed something that may or may NOT be a sarcoid after a fly bite went a bit nasty. Vet isn't sure and won't commit which is fair enough. We're monitoring it and if it changes he'll send pics off to the Liverpool guy. It's in his armpit and doesn't bother him at all. He was totally sarcoid free when I bought him. There's no guarantees that a sarcoid free horse won't develop them.

Oddly enough, nearly all the horses I've known to have sarcoids have been bay TB types, usually on the bellies or inner thighs. The only ones I've known to have had to be PTS because of them where both in their late twenties.

Where the potential sarcoid is described to be does sound a very unusual place OP.

 

[MrsMurs]

I discussed with my instructor a horse I was interested in buying. It looked perfect on paper/in the video in every way, but on speaking with current owner was told it had sarcoids. My instructors advice to me was there are horses out there without problems, and things which are bound to crop up. Why buy something that already has an issue? Edited to add, i was also worried about insurance implications.

 

[ester]

If I really liked the horse and thought it was a good price even factoring cost of treatment I would request pics be sent to liverpool for their opinion on best treatment, and therefore cost/likely hood of referral. It seems a bit of an odd place to suggest laser to me.

BUT it's position would really put me off if it is a sarcoid and it either isn't all able to be removed and spreads/regrows in the direction of the saddle. I am always reminded by the owner on here who had one on the tip of the ponies ear lasered off, but they kept returning and eventually they ran out of ear to remove and pony was very sore and uncomfortable.

Also the pro might be right, it might not be anything nasty right now, but sadly they are prone to change.

 

[DD]

If everything about the horse other than the sarcoid is ok then I'd go for it. The thing might not be a sarcoid anyway. There are many hidden problems with horses which dont necessarily show up even at a vetting. Buying any horse is a risk.This horse might have other issues which you dont know about, but then again so could any horse, or they can develop things within days of buying. If horse is cheap enough and you really like it then take the gamble.

.

 

[Puzzled]

If I was able to check her previous veterinary records and there was no evidence of sarcoids being treated then it wouldn't bother me. I wouldn't even laser it, just leave it be and maybe consider feeding a supplement instead.

 

[Melody Grey]

If I was able to check her previous veterinary records and there was no evidence of sarcoids being treated then it wouldn't bother me. I wouldn't even laser it, just leave it be and maybe consider feeding a supplement instead.

I was in exactly OPs position a couple of weeks back- found a nice pony, totally suitable for what I wanted....but vet found a small modular sarcoid. I was genuinely torn between walking away or negotiating. I have a bit of experience with sarcoids and have seen some horses plagued by them, but others where they have disappeared never to return.

After much debate, I figured the pony was worth a punt at the right price..... Which for me was £500 on a pony originally advertised at nearly three times that. The vet was very enthusiastic to laser it off immediately, but I'm inclined to observe and feed Sarc-ex first.

So, I'm assuming the horse you're looking at has a substantially bigger price tag than mine, but I'd go for it but still want a good reduction on the price.

Presumably your prospective purchase has 'failed the vetting', as all do I'm told with a sarcoid, making it difficult for the vendor to sell on without declaring? (.....Awaits correction?! ) so IMO they'd be foolish not to consider a reasonable offer?

 

[junglefairy]

Presumably your prospective purchase has 'failed the vetting', as all do I'm told with a sarcoid, making it difficult for the vendor to sell on without declaring? (.....Awaits correction?! ) so IMO they'd be foolish not to consider a reasonable offer?

My horse passed the vetting with at least 5 sarcoids, one in girth area!

 

[GoldenWillow]

My mare developed sarcoids 3 months after I bought her. I'd had her on loan for the previous year. She was 6, between the ages of 6-8 she developed 4 sarcoids of 3 different types. All were treated successfully mainly with Liverpool cream and she was clear of them for the rest of her life. How old is the horse as I understand most sarcoids will have made an appearance before the horse is 8.

 

[DD]

What happened OP? did you walk away or buy?

 

[stolensilver]

I've had more experience than I'd like with sarcoids and have had 100% success at getting rid of them so if this horse is perfect in every other way I'd go ahead and buy. However I wouldn't let the vet laser the sarcoid off. Instead I'd go on the Internet and buy some bloodroot cream. It costs about £50 delivered. It used to be prescription only but now is available over the counter. Put that on twice a day for a week then once a day until the sarcoid has gone. Not only does it remove sarcoids (proven in veterinary trials to be over 93% effective) but it also raises the horse's immunity to sarcoids and prevents them developing any more.

I'd avoid Liverpool cream like the plague. Used it on one horse, ran up a vet bill of £100s, it didn't work. Had to have a second, stronger course, ran up another huge bill. By this stage the horse was terrified of anyone going anywhere near the sarcoid, the cream wasn't able to be put on the right place and residual sarcoids were left plus the horse was desperately head shy from the pain associated with the Liverpool cream.

Get some bloodroot ointment. It's amazing and you can put it on yourself, you just need gloves. Horses don't seem to mind so it can't be painful.

 

[EQUIDAE]

I'd avoid a purchase with a sarcoid anywhere it is likely to rub - one behind the saddle I would walk away. For one, during treatment you possibly wont be able to ride - for weeks, possibly months. Not what you want with a new horse.

Just realised it's an old thread - I'm curious to know the outcome too

 

[Melody Grey]

I've had more experience than I'd like with sarcoids and have had 100% success at getting rid of them so if this horse is perfect in every other way I'd go ahead and buy. However I wouldn't let the vet laser the sarcoid off. Instead I'd go on the Internet and buy some bloodroot cream. It costs about £50 delivered. It used to be prescription only but now is available over the counter. Put that on twice a day for a week then once a day until the sarcoid has gone. Not only does it remove sarcoids (proven in veterinary trials to be over 93% effective) but it also raises the horse's immunity to sarcoids and prevents them developing any more.

I'd avoid Liverpool cream like the plague. Used it on one horse, ran up a vet bill of £100s, it didn't work. Had to have a second, stronger course, ran up another huge bill. By this stage the horse was terrified of anyone going anywhere near the sarcoid, the cream wasn't able to be put on the right place and residual sarcoids were left plus the horse was desperately head shy from the pain associated with the Liverpool cream.

Get some bloodroot ointment. It's amazing and you can put it on yourself, you just need gloves. Horses don't seem to mind so it can't be painful.

Sorry to highjack- I'm not familiar with bloodroot cream. Is it suitable for use on nodular sarcoids? Mine has a very small one under the skin so not exposed in any way? Those that I've treated topically in other horses have had an exposed surface.

 

[SusieT]

to the poster above asking if it works - DO NOT TREAT SARCOIDS RANDOMLY - They are prone to gettin gMUCH worse- only ever treat sarcoids under vets advice (ideally referral vets advice)

 

[stolensilver]

The paper I read on it tried it on hundreds of sarcoids of different varieties and there was an overall 93% cure rate. The biggest factor seemed to be size of the sarcoid at first treatment, smaller is better. It's as effective as Liverpool cream, possibly better, it doesn't hurt your horse when it goes on and it works by activating the horse's immune system to the sarcoid. I honesty don't know why it isn't recommended by more vets although now you can simply buy it you don't need to go via a vet at all.

 

[Hepsibah]

I've used Newmarket (bloodroot) cream on two horses with similar results: the sarcoids were gradually separated from the surrounding flesh during treatment then fell off, leaving an open wound which healed well in a couple of weeks. Neither horse objected to having the cream applied and neither one has had them recur. If I remember correctly, it only cost around £30 too.

 

[ycbm]

to the poster above asking if it works - DO NOT TREAT SARCOIDS RANDOMLY - They are prone to gettin gMUCH worse- only ever treat sarcoids under vets advice (ideally referral vets advice)

I've been removing them 100% successfully with not a vet in sight for twenty five years with copper sulphate. I've done at least forty on seven different horses.

Bloodroot cream is more expensive and works more slowly, but sounds a lot more suitable for an 'amateur' to try. Copper sulphate creates a raw wound in four to five days and it can look frightening.

I think what happened with Liverpool is that they tried human chemotherapy cream and found it worked. So they carried on using it and stopped researching chemicals that cost a lot less and cause the horse a lot less pain (and more scarring, my vet tells me). And now they make so much money from it, they have too vested an interest in continuing to supply it.

 

[peaceandquiet1]

I had a poor outcome with bloodroot and a successful outcome with Liverpool Cream. Interested in the copper sulphate-not heard of that for sarcoids before. Must say don't think i would want to take on a horse with sarcoids if i could avoid it but they all have some issue.

 

[SusieT]

nothing like a good conspiracy theory there ycbm... that's a very small sample size - and if you'd had one go wrong you would know how dangerous it is to be supporitng random applicaiton of substances to sarcoids

 

[MagicMelon]

I've had several greys now (who are obviously prone), two of mine currently have 1 sarcoid. One had a sarcoid removed from her face by the previous owner and its simply left a scar, she has one other sarcoid which does nothing more than get irritated by flies in the summer if I dont put stuff on it to keep them away - otherwise it remains very small and I'm not worried by it. My other horse has a sarcoid which was very minimal (unnoticable really) but it once grew and went a bit horrid (was hell keeping flies off it) but after a couple of months it healed up and shrunk back to being minimal again which it has remained ever since (and I've had the horse about 14 years now - they've not spread and he's now 18/19yrs old). So no, a sarcoid wouldn't make me walk away if there was only one, it was small and hadnt done much. I wouldn't touch a sarcoid unless it was doing something.

 

[samleigh]

Thank you all for your stories and opinions, I did buy her, I spoke at length with my vet & my trainer, she ticked every other box, I've owned her 3 weeks and we haven't stopped, it's been amazing to pick up the reins and get going, hacking with friends, SJ practise & we did our 1st HT yesterday, the pre novice pairs and individual, & came 2nd whoop whoop our 1st rosette! So lots to look forward to with her, she's straightforward, kind, calm and Fabulous..I hope this link works because I love it when others post pics and she's very pretty x

 

[Lucyad]

I've had more experience than I'd like with sarcoids and have had 100% success at getting rid of them so if this horse is perfect in every other way I'd go ahead and buy. However I wouldn't let the vet laser the sarcoid off. Instead I'd go on the Internet and buy some bloodroot cream. It costs about £50 delivered. It used to be prescription only but now is available over the counter. Put that on twice a day for a week then once a day until the sarcoid has gone. Not only does it remove sarcoids (proven in veterinary trials to be over 93% effective) but it also raises the horse's immunity to sarcoids and prevents them developing any more.

I'd avoid Liverpool cream like the plague. Used it on one horse, ran up a vet bill of £100s, it didn't work. Had to have a second, stronger course, ran up another huge bill. By this stage the horse was terrified of anyone going anywhere near the sarcoid, the cream wasn't able to be put on the right place and residual sarcoids were left plus the horse was desperately head shy from the pain associated with the Liverpool cream.

Get some bloodroot ointment. It's amazing and you can put it on yourself, you just need gloves. Horses don't seem to mind so it can't be painful.

Totally agree with this - my vet prescribed this for a huge lump over my horse's eye - she said too close for Liverpool treatment. It worked a treat, bizarrely also caused a small warty type sarcoid on his flank to drop off as well. No reoccurrence many years later.

Not sure it works in all cases though, so still a risk.

 

[Lucyad]

Sorry to highjack- I'm not familiar with bloodroot cream. Is it suitable for use on nodular sarcoids? Mine has a very small one under the skin so not exposed in any way? Those that I've treated topically in other horses have had an exposed surface.

Yes, mine was a big (egg size) lump under the skin (so hairy), directly above my horses eye. The cream did not appear to do anything immediately, and was only applied I think 4 or 5 times. The a week or so later, the whole thing erupted - rather gory! But when it healed it was all completely normal. It re-occurred a year or so later but I did 2 applications of the ointment (same pot) as soon as I spotted it, so it was much less gory and has been completely normal now for many years. Mine was over £90 for the pot some 10 years ago, but it was ordered through my vet who prescribed it, so it might have been marked up.

Lovely new horse BTW, OP - best of luck together, sounds fab!

 

[oldie48]

she's lovely and I hope you have many happy years with her. sometimes you just have to go with your heart!

 

[Red-1]

Thank you all for your stories and opinions, I did buy her, I spoke at length with my vet & my trainer, she ticked every other box, I've owned her 3 weeks and we haven't stopped, it's been amazing to pick up the reins and get going, hacking with friends, SJ practise & we did our 1st HT yesterday, the pre novice pairs and individual, & came 2nd whoop whoop our 1st rosette! So lots to look forward to with her, she's straightforward, kind, calm and Fabulous..I hope this link works because I love it when others post pics and she's very pretty x

Aw, lovely she looks wonderful, and it is worth bucketloads to be able to pick up the reins and go. I am glad you went with your heart!

 

[Spottyappy]

So glad you brought her, sarcoids would not have put me off either. I hope you have many happy years ahead of you.
I have a mare who's had Liverpool cream on sarcoids. I would never use that again. Used turmeric , and a sarcoid the vet missed has dropped off.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Fantastic news. It sounds like she is well worth taking a risk on.