foal
Active Member
Can any one give me any advise on sarcoids. What treatment did you use or your vet and does anyone have any before and after photo's please 
Sarcoids advise needed please
- Thread starter foal
- Start date
Box_Of_Frogs
Well-Known Member
Hi Foal. First you need to be 100% certain that you ARE dealing with a sarcoid. The problem with sarcoids is that many odd lumps, bumps, scaly bits etc etc can LOOK like a sarcoid but actually aren't. Could be a wart, a scrape, who knows? But NOT a sarcoid. The reason you need to be certain what you're dealing with is that many people will tell you the weird and wonderful ways that they "cured" their horses' sarcoids. But if it wasn't a sarcoid in the first place, the likelihood is that whatever the dodgy patch was, it would ALWAYS have cleared up on its own, eventually.
The thing with a TRUE sarcoid is that they are a form of skin cancer so you don't want to mess with them or slap stuff from peppermint toothpaste (honestly, I've heard of it!) to liquidised camel uterus on it. The usual approach is to leave a true sarcoid strictly alone UNLESS it starts to interfere with tack, starts to grow, begins to ooze/weep/bleed or anything else that may indicate something has changed within it.
At that point, your vet may suggest Liverpool Cream which worked for me and has worked for many, many others. It's a sort of mild chemotherapy and has to be applied by your vet and needs about 4 applications with a few days in between each application. They may suggest other methods such as BCG injections, freezing, surgery. But be warned, ANY interference with a sarcoid can trigger it becoming much more aggressive. If the sarcoid is in a tricky place such as the eyelid, other expensive methods may be needed. Be warned also that where 1 true sarcoid is, more can start and flies are believed to be the carriers. If you're thinking of buying a horse with a sarcoid, bear in mind that your insurers would exclude anything and everything remotely linked to a sarcoid.
There's a zillion posts on the Forum about sarcoids if you do a search but your best bet for reliable information is Professor Knottenbelt's definitive guide. He's the one who invented Liverpool Cream - he is based at Liverpool Uni and is a world expert on sarcoids in horses. Can't remember the link but if you Google sarcoids and then look for the Prof's name you'll find it. The most important information is that the only predictable thing about a sarcoid is its UNpredictability!
The thing with a TRUE sarcoid is that they are a form of skin cancer so you don't want to mess with them or slap stuff from peppermint toothpaste (honestly, I've heard of it!) to liquidised camel uterus on it. The usual approach is to leave a true sarcoid strictly alone UNLESS it starts to interfere with tack, starts to grow, begins to ooze/weep/bleed or anything else that may indicate something has changed within it.
At that point, your vet may suggest Liverpool Cream which worked for me and has worked for many, many others. It's a sort of mild chemotherapy and has to be applied by your vet and needs about 4 applications with a few days in between each application. They may suggest other methods such as BCG injections, freezing, surgery. But be warned, ANY interference with a sarcoid can trigger it becoming much more aggressive. If the sarcoid is in a tricky place such as the eyelid, other expensive methods may be needed. Be warned also that where 1 true sarcoid is, more can start and flies are believed to be the carriers. If you're thinking of buying a horse with a sarcoid, bear in mind that your insurers would exclude anything and everything remotely linked to a sarcoid.
There's a zillion posts on the Forum about sarcoids if you do a search but your best bet for reliable information is Professor Knottenbelt's definitive guide. He's the one who invented Liverpool Cream - he is based at Liverpool Uni and is a world expert on sarcoids in horses. Can't remember the link but if you Google sarcoids and then look for the Prof's name you'll find it. The most important information is that the only predictable thing about a sarcoid is its UNpredictability!
thundersprite
Well-Known Member
totally agree with boxodf frogs
my mares treatment is going through liverpool sadly though the liverpool cream has made hers worse and now shes having bcg as 1 of hers is now malignant, and then poss laser and pdt if shes well enough i have pics so will put so up later
my mares treatment is going through liverpool sadly though the liverpool cream has made hers worse and now shes having bcg as 1 of hers is now malignant, and then poss laser and pdt if shes well enough i have pics so will put so up later