Sarcoid on girth - suggestions please!!

[Ginn]

Tills has had a small sarcoid on her midline on her girth for around 2 years. It was just a small lump (like a pea under the skin) and vet and instructor had always said to leave it well alone and just to keep and eye on it.

Over the last 4 months or so it has got bigger and is now rubbing quite badly as it sits right under the girth - I suspect, as does instructor, that being backed and wearing a girth has induced this. Instructor said, never-the-less to leave it alone as it wasn't bothering T so I did - its a wart like lump and now the size of a small marble. Before I went away I'd been using camrosa on it (spoke to vet and he said it would do no harm to try it for a month), especially as the flies were all over it and it seemed to keep them away. Have had no results with this so have stopped using it 2 weeks ago before I went away.

Since Ive got back Ive noticed it is clearly quite sore as for the first time T shows discomfort if I put pressure on it. So I have decided that I'll stick to bareback riding only (yes, I am mad but hopefully it will improve my seat and balance if nothing else) and will phone the vet after lunch for some advice.

My question is what treatments are available and what is the expected cost of these so I can decide whether to use my student loan (has been sat in my bank account for 3 years doing nothing!) or whether it is likely to be an insurance claim??

Any other suggestions appreciated...

Thanks

 

[ihatework]

The treatment and costs you will have to discuss with your vet ...

but from an insurance point of view - any non-routine treatment your horse has (irrespective of whether you claim or not) you are supposed to notify them of anyway. So it might be worth discussing with them if this would lead to an exclusion on renewal even if you didn't claim.

Your alternative is to chance it, not tell them and hope they don't request medical history from your vets if you have to make a future claim.

 

[Ginn]

Thanks for pointing that out re insurance...

With regard to treatment, perhaps I should have phrased it "anyone who's had a sacroid removed, roughly how much did it cost and what was the treatment?" Im getting a little anxious that poor T will have to have it cut out and if Im honest that scares the **** out of me

Looking for some positive experiences I suppose....

 

[ihatework]

I doubt it will be difficult to treat,

don't they normally just put that liverpool cream on?
even if it has to be cut out I'm sure it would just be a case of a bit of dope and local anasthetic, nothing to cause any worry anyway.

I'd probably get it done asap before she starts proper work.

 

[fairhill]

A horse on my yard had the sarcoid removed using liverpool cream. The owner paid for it herself, so I'm not sure on total cost, but it was about £500+. His sarcoid was on his chin, and was the size of a golf ball. It's now disappeared.

Process (from what i can remember):
Vet came up, took photos of sarcoid and emailed them to liverpool uni.
Liverpool made up cream and sent it to vet.
Vet came up a few times to put cream on sarcoid.
The horse was in 'quarantine' for about a month. He was handled as little as possible, wasn't allowed contact with other horses, and the owner had to use gloves etc the whole time.

The sarcoid got harder, shrunk, and then hair started growing round it. Eventually it came off, luckily not leaving a hole, and there's no sign of it growing back a year on.

I would go on the vet's recommendation. This horse had the sarcoid for about 10 years, but the flies were really starting to cause problems which is why the owner decided to treat it.

 

[GreedyGuts]

Probably a candidate for Liverpool cream, and the sooner it gets treated the better. Get your vet out to have a look and she/he can take photos to send to Derek Knottenbelt at Liverpool. He will then prescribe a cream and provide guidelines for it's use. As the cream is toxic your vet needs to apply it every time which is what results in the major cost of the treatment. You'd probably be looking at around 400-1000 depending on what your vet charges for a visit.

It is unlikely at this stage that anyone would suggest cutting out a single sarcoid in that location- generally this results in escalation of the problem and is not an appropriate first-line approach.

 

[Patricksmum]

We had a mare with a sarcoid just on her girth area, very horrid, messy, bleeding etc.
Used Tea Tree essential oil from Holland & Barrett (under a fiver) shrunk the offending sarcoid from 1 1/4" across & 4" down to nothing in 3 months. Recommended by our PC DC!!

 

[chestnut cob]

I would ring your vet, then tell your insurance company. You might find treating something like this without telling them will invalidate your policy for future claims. Equally if you start vet treatment then claim at a later date they probably wont pay up (I have 60 days to claim on my policy, or at least to let them know he's having treatment).

Can't you have the frozen off like warts?

 

[aldato_daz]

i have just posted a thread about sarcoids as well...

my vet told me that the liverpool cream is not 100% effective and v.expensive so i dont know what to do know!

i mentioned thuja cream in my post which im looking for info on if anyone has used it on here? i have read some successful reports on it so i might try it out!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Caggie - info on Thuja cream in your other post

 

[kick_On]

i had a gg who had a small wart that was very small for years then grew, went to local vet and he wiggled it and it popped out like a mushroom (it was size of my little finger)

and i was very very lucky nothing ever regrew??? weird one
i was very very lucky cos their are three types of sarcoids and the type my gg had, was a localised one which they can do something about.
Has the vet given which type he thinks it is??? cos the do react differently to treat depending on type

 

[Ginn]

Yes, I've heard of that being done - friends who Tilly came from had a 3 yr old with sarcoids and their vet (Ian from bushy I think though may have been scott) did just that. Have taken some pics so will post them in a bit; vet hasn't seen the sarcoid since Jan when she had her MOT and then it was much smaller and flatter but have spoken to them on phone since it got bigger - advice was to leave it alone but I don't really fancy bareback riding until it sorts itself out.

Have gone with Vicky's advice for now as it is detached from underlying tissue (from the feel of it) and so have tied it off - Dad has also taken a look and suggested that thats what they'd do with the same thing in a human (although he said usually its quicker and easier to cut them off) so will give it a fortnight and see how it goes...

 

[viola]

My horse had a very small sarcoid exactly in the girth area too. It was fine and very dry until he was about 5 and then it started bleeding and getting rubbed. I tried all sorts of girths and some cut away ones worked for a while. I think I battled like that for 2 years. Then he rubbed it very badly on gallops. The vet said to cut it or leave it for a while to see whether it healed and went back to the dry state. Well, it did after 3 months of me riding bareback only. The vet said to start riding with a saddle. It was ok for a few weeks, I rode normally, then I took him to a comp (SJ) and he rubbed it so badly he almost flattened it with the skin. I got the vet out and he decided to remove what was left. It took another couple of months of bareback riding but it healed beautifully and it never caused any problems since (he is now 13 yrs old). I wished I had it removed when he was 5!
Fingers crossed all goes well for Tilly.

 

[kick_On]

if it is right sort i would defo go for removal, as if they get too big or in wrong place, they can be know end of trouble. I would defo get vets opinion on type and hope it pops out sooner