Sarcoids... making up my mind...

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Char0901

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My two year old has a sarcoid on the base of his ear. He's due to go to Leahurst on Monday to have it surgically lasered off. He has a small one on his neck and a few between his back legs which he's due to have Liverpool cream for in the next few weeks.
I'm starting to really panic about everything now. He's only a baby and has only travelled once for 20 minutes before and he went mad. We've been practicing loading and its been going ok... so I'm stressing about getting there, then I'm stressing about how he'll behave in a new place. He's not particularly spooky but can be quite stressy about new things.
Vets have said if he's a good boy they could remove it under standing sedation otherwise GA and he has to stay over.
He's not insured and I don't have my own transport which makes this really expensive.
If he ends up having a GA and staying in, then my transporter taking us then going back the next day to collect him I'm looking at £1500.
The reason for this post was I saw a post on Facebook this morning with someone asking for advice about sarcoids and there were literally a hundred comments with photos and suggestions. (I'm sure if I did a search on here I'd find loads too!) It's just making me doubt that I'm doing the right. It will be stressful for him and expensive (and stressful) for me. Should I be trying other things first? I know a few things people have found successful. Or should I just crack on with what's planned?
Please no nasty comments, I bred this horse and I adore him. My head is a mess about what to do.
 
We laser sarcoids under standing sedation at work all the time. The horses are sedated, local is put into the area and after that they don't feel a thing. They come round 20 minutes later and don't seem to be bothered about what has happened. So far, we have never had to do one under GA because the horse was too reactive. The nurses and vets will be very used to handling scared and stressed horses and will try and make the experience as pleasant as possible for him. If you are worried about travelling you could always get some Sedalin from your vets to take the edge off him, might help at the other end too. Out of curiosity, may I ask why you aren't getting the other sarcoids lasered off too?

ETA for what it is worth I think you are making the right decision to treat them medically. Other treatments may work, but then they may not and during the interim your current sarcoids could spread and grow. Nothing to stop you getting these ones removed and using other treatments to try and prevent new ones forming.
 
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I think you are doing the right thing, rather than playing with them and potentially aggravating them then maybe having to get them lasered.
My youngster had to go to Rossdales as a yearling for an op. He travleeded fine, we crosstied him in a trailer, shut the back and just kept going ignoring the banging. He was sweaty when we arrived but calmed down immediatley he was unloaded, so try to relax and as long as they don't go down in the vehicle just keep driving, it makes it harder for them to prat about as they have to stand up. If you have a professional transporter they will be fine.
 
I have had my lad since he was 5 1/2 months old, he had radiotherapy for a tumour above his eye at 6 years of age and surgery for sarcoids under GA early this year age 7. He knew what was going on this year when we got to Leahurst after being in last year and my lovely lad became an opinionated git, he is 18 Hands and I was worried if I was doing the right thing ( for him and he people who were going to handle him).He was in four days and now four months on I am glad I went ahead, the sarcoids are gone and we can crack on. Personally I would go ahead a sarcoid near the ear could make putting a bridle blooming difficult. I don't know how far you are travelling to Leahurst but the transport sounds expensive, Have you had a ring round for other prices?. Good luck, they make it hard for us when we love them so much.x
 
Thank you for all your reassuring words. It's appreciated.
Eggshells, the vet described the one on his ear as the 'mothership'. Think she called it nodular. The others are flat almost, this may be why. I'm just going 100% with what my vet has said, I.e laser for the ear, cream for the others.
I was also thinking about getting these gone and looking into things that might help prevent them in the future as I know they can be susceptible.
Annie B I think we're about an hour and a half away. It's my yard owner who is taking us, he runs a transport company. It's £240 there and back but I've added in an extra trip in case he needs to stay and isn't a day case. I've rounded things up so £1500 is a little more than 'quoted' (this includes GA and livery etc as well as transport) It has the potential to be a lot less, but that's down to my boy behaving himself! Out of intrest why did your boy have GA?
Thanks again everyone, feel a lot better just talking about it x
 
No advice re. the sarcoids, just wanted to say good luck. If you're worried about him traveling, perhaps give him some Sedalin or a magnesium based calmer (NAF Magic etc), that should help him relax. Good luck, and think positive! Everything will be fine :)
 
My lad had GA because he had a nasty sarcoid in his arm pit, 3 in front of his sheath and a cluster between his butt checks so need to be upside down. It was the GA that caused me more concern than the sarcoids when I was taking him in.They expected to have him 5 or 6 days and on day 4 asked me to come and get him because he was being a pain in the bum trying to get out of his stable. Proffesor Debbie Archer treat my lad over seen by Proffesor Derek Knottenbelt who had done his radiotherapy,they were brilliant.x
 
Do go down the vet treatment as I have seen others who tried to do it on the cheap have problems. I know it costs a lot but my mare who had treatment by Liverpool cream and BCG injections cleared up completely and they haven't returned 2 years down the line. One extra thing that I did do was to give her a course of Global Herbs Sarc-X and Immune Plus. I didn't know whether it would help or not but felt it wouldn't do any harm and all I can say is that 2 other sarcoids which weren't treated have gone as well.
 
Have a look at the Tumeric Users group on Facebook. There is a ton of info on treating sarcoids and people's experiences with different treatments.
 
Does your yard owner have an older horse that travels well? If so ask if they will put it up next to your youngster and yours will almost certainly gain confidence from the older horse. I breed and produce horses for competition work and I always start them travelling in this way and it really works.
 
I'm sorry but I'm going to have to say please do not substitute vet advice and treatment for home remedies (i.e. turmeric, toothpaste, aloe etc.)
 
Can I just say that the Turmeric user group on facebook is run by a vet and vet nurses .
Liverpool cream is not to be taken lightly .
If you really are unsure then please do your research and ask for help from this group.
Whatever you decide I wish you both the very best
 
My youngster has had a lot of treatment for sarcoids over the past 3 years (and turmeric didn't make any difference whatsoever to his sarcoids). His last trip was as an in-patient for laser to a face and ear sarcoid, plus Liverpool cream (over 5 days), and a couple banded off. The laser work was done under standing sedation, and he stayed at the vets for 10 days. The bill has come to around £1700, and I no longer have insurance cover for sarcoids. He was transported this time in a hired 3.5 ton horsebox. He is a good traveller and has been taken to the vets on several occasions over the 6 years of his life in my Ifor Williams trailer. It has never put him off travelling, and despite having sarcoids in a number of places that have required treatment, he has retained his chilled attitude to life.

Good luck with your treatment. You are doing the right thing by getting medical attention early. Sarcoids are the bane of my life and I feel for you.
 
Thank you for all your replies.
He went this morning and travelled well. Gave him 4mls of sedalin and he was fine. Still quite alert with ears pricked and his balance was good. There was a camera in the back and he barely moved, looked out of the window most of the way.
He's staying in and will have them all removed under GA, rather than just the one on his ear and cream for the others. After speaking to the vet who will be doing the op this seems to make sense. She said it will be over all less stressful and painful for him doing it all in one go.
Obviously still a bit worried but I know it's the right thing to do and he's in the best place. He was very settled in his uber posh stable when I left!
Thanks again everyone x
 
My merlyn has been to Leahurst to have the sarcoids lasered of - he will be in the probably the worlds best place for sarcoid treatment. Mine had them under GA and i think all in all the treatment was about £1000 then £30 a night for hospitilisation. They were on his sheath, the remeninents of his testical sacks and his belly, I think around about 6 or 7 removed cant remeber. He then came home with meds and bute, i think all in all it came around to about £1300 from leahurst - then I had my vet up around about 8 or 9 times as the swelling burst the stitches and he needed sedating and cleaning. I think all in all its been just over £2000. I would 100% go to leahurst, they are the best in the world (probably) and they spend alot of time/research into sarcoids.

Dont know what to reccomend about traveling? perhaps another horse in box?

I feel your pain about sarcoids, hope everything goes well though! xxxx
 
sorry didnt realise he had gone! (onyl read first post) glad he went well thats great news! yes they are fab stables, lovely vets and lovely nurses! proper looked after!

Let us know how it goes!! will be well worth it trust me :)
 
I've just read a Rossdales article about sarcoids that's come through this evening. The statistics are quite favourable for laser removal: of the 99 horses treated by laser, 83% had no recurrence of the sarcoid removed and 72% had no recurrence of sarcoids elsewhere (I guess their choice of words ('recurrence') isn't too great for the second lot of stats - I think it means that 72% had no fresh/new sarcoids appear elsewhere on the body).

Hope it all went well.
 
Has anyone got pictures of post laser treatment? Intreasted to see how much swelling and how the wounds heal? Eg where they scabby/pussy or leave a big hole? Also how much discomfort your horse was in post op.
 
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