should you buy a horse with mellanomas?

C

cherrub

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I currently have a Connemara gelding on trial he is 10 years old and has melanomas on his dock area and under his tail. he also has an issue with his wind but I was told it was only minor. could the wind problem and melanomas be related? many thanks c
 
No (sorry). I lost my 17 yr old to them 2 years ago. They had hardly developed visibly (1st noticed when he was 10), then he got severe Diarrhoea which we couldn't diagnose (until PM) then the melanomas literally in days hugely multiplied to the point he couldn't pass anything and I had to have him PTS. On post mortem it was found he had them throughout his entire body.

So no would never buy a horse with melonamas, even though what happened to my boy was rare, I couldn't go through it again. I'd probably never have a grey again.....

Whether there's a link to his wind problem.... well there could be if he has one obstructing something. What does your vet think.
 
I would also say no - melanomas will often spread via the blood stream and one site they can end up in is the lungs. I'd agree you should have a chat with your own vet and get their opinion.
 
I wouldn't hun. Melanomas are a cancer and unlike sarcoids can spread to other parts of the body and cause horrendous problems and death. It's my understanding that they can stay small and inactive for ages but at some point they will become aggressive. Did they say what the wind (breathing) problem was? Breathing is so essential to life, I'd hesitate to call any breathing problem minor. It could be associated with the melanomas or could be something entirely different. But to be honest, you're never going to know that from a standard vetting so, sadly, I'd walk away. The only option you would have is to make sure the price reflected both the melanomas and the breathing problem, ie practically a give away. Even then, anything to do with his existing melanoma diagnosis will NOT be insurable. So you could end up with enormous vet bills, an unrideable horse and total heartache.
 
Probably not .
Greys are very prone to them which is another reason the breeders should not be breeding selectively for greys .

My IDxConnemara had melanomas and still passed the vet at 14 , they didn't get that much bigger but he had an internal tumour which caused him to be PTS at 22 , no proof it was related however.

The wind problem may be related but often Connemaras seem to make a noise , mine passed the vet even though he made a noise , maybe he shouldn't have !
Did the vet give a specific name on the breathing problem ?

As you won't get insurance on either of these pre-existing conditions best let him go.
 
Afraid Im a no also, unless of course he is mega cheap and you are emotionally and financially prepared to potentially lose or retire a horse at an early age.
On the other hand, my friend has a 30 yr old TB x Connie who has had them years. She retired him years ago as they are also where his bit would sit, he has bulbous ears because of them and he also has them arround his dock area. He is a very happy boy, eats well and although his poo is looser (not horrendous), he is fine. She is not a fluffy bunny type of person and would have him pts immediately if he was in any distress at all but he is looking fantastic for his age.
 
the insurance implications are a good point.....

My boy ran up £4000 of vets bills in 4 months before he was PTS. We didn't know if it was the melanomas until Post Mortem, but I bet the insurance company would have been funny about it and tried not to pay if it had been a noted pre existing condition.
 
I faced the same decision as you a couple of years ago. I decided not to buy the horse as it was too much of an unknown risk for me to take. With regards to insuring him, I checked with insurance providers at the time, and as it was a pre-exsisting condition which was noted on his vetting (which was when the mellanoma was found) he would be excluded from any treatment arising from melanomas.
Although I was gutted at the time, in hind sight I'm so glad i didn't go ahead with the purchase, I couldn't have coped with the constant worry of the melanoma developing- plus 8 months after this I found my perfect horse.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
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