Sarcoid and Laser surgery

[melle]

In your experiences did the laser surgery leave scars? My horse has had two sarcoids lasered 4 months ago and both sites have been left with a hairless 'patch' one of which is flaky but not raised or weeping. Vet said to watch out for them coming back and one sign is the original wound not ever completely healing. These look healed but the hair has not grown back and the skin feels thickened. Obviously will get vet but just interested in others' experiences.

 

[YasandCrystal]

I have never had one lasers but just wanted to say that putting my horse on turmeric and linseed as a preventative following a fibroblastic sarcoid has worked this far 3 years on and no reappearance of any.

 

[KautoStar1]

Mine had 9 lasered off. He looked like a Swiss cheese for ages but they all healed nicely and key to that was keeping them clean initially & not working the horse until the skin had settled. As for them coming back well that depends a lot on the skill of the surgeon removing them !!!

 

[HelenS]

Mine had 19 lasered last October. 1 has failed to heal properly, but we think we've got it now, and the other, in the axilla, has a habit of splitting open, but it has been treated 6 times now by various methods. I was told (by Derek Knottenbelt who did the surgery) not to touch mine, i.e. clean them. If they became dirty with mud or stuck on shavings, then to hose them off with cold water. In fact we never did have to touch them, other than the one on his sheath which was troublesome to heal.

He is badly scarred though. Some of the wounds have thickened. Most are bald. Fortunately he was never bred to be a show horse, and I still love him despite all the bits he has missing. Sadly more have started to grow with this seasons coat change, but so far the ones treated look as if they have been successful. He is due to go back to Prof Knottenbelt again next week.

 

[Goldenstar]

I think fatties has seven lasered off by now they do leave scars but he's never got one back on a lasered site .

 

[melle]

These two on my horse look healed to me in that she is left with a grey bald thickened patch of skin but no sign of the weeping, bloody mess there before. They aren't sore and the one on her chest is no longer splitting open. Vet looked yesterday and said initially they looked suspiciously like occult variety but later mused that it could just be scar tissue. If others' horses have been left with thickened, scar tissue that makes me feel more hopeful that this is what has happened.