They are aren't they..??? :(

Just an update to say that my vet has been out this morning and he definately has sarcoids :( He is keen for us to leave well alone at this point and see what happens. I have to photograph them monthly to keep a record in case they grow etc and then he can mail the guy at Liverpool.
A huge thank you to all that replied, Im so glad I asked the question..!!!

Sorry it's not good news for you but hopefully he will be one of the horses that goes on happily and never has a problem with them and if not there are huge leaps being made in their treatment so you could still end up with a happy ending :)
 
Sorry to read this. They are a pain; it's not the end of the world, though. And, if all goes to plan, we might possibly have a vaccination in 2015 that will curb the growth and prevent new ones forming! In the meantime, obviously your vet would advise, but giving Sarc-Ex a whirl could be a good option if funds allow (£25 for a month's supply, and could be effective after 3 months). It's that one that I said scientists like to say has a 50% chance of success - it either works or it doesn't.
 
Im definitely going to give Sarc-X a try, it cant hurt can it so anything is worth a go.
Im disappointed but its not the end of the world. I guess it simply needs keeping a close eye on and will decrease his value (though he is still priceless to me ♥)
 
Im definitely going to give Sarc-X a try, it cant hurt can it so anything is worth a go.
Im disappointed but its not the end of the world. I guess it simply needs keeping a close eye on and will decrease his value (though he is still priceless to me ♥)

I have recently (still am) treating sarcoids on the inside of back leg. I tried toothpaste as it is the thing to do in America and I am soooooooo thrilled with how it has worked! The sarcoid I noticed early spring grew at a rate of knots and there was another smaller one growing. Vet wanted to leave banding it until autumn because of flies but it was getting ridiculously big and was starting to ulcerate. Vet wanted in excess of £100 to band one sarcoid, so thought I would give toothpaste a go, considering lots of good reports on it!!

To my amazement the sarcoid fell off after 4 weeks (it was very large) and didn't leave a gapping hole! I can now ride my horse and continuing to treat the smaller one which is dying quickly! It has cost me 99p to get rid of two!!! Plus feeding supplements to boost her immune system against them :)
 
You guys are freaking me out. My horse developed a sarcoid at 5, by 7 it was golf ball sized and bleeding, and getting in the way of the martingale. So I got it removed (frozen off) never once did the vet mention complications with sarcoids!
 
Sarcoids should not be trivialised, they are sinister and very worrying, and imo they are becoming increasingly common.

They cause the death of many horses, not because they spread inside the horse's body (they do not), but sometimes they develop in a rapid and hideous way.

Lipomas are stomach tumours which grow on a stalk and can strangulate the gut, they can cause death, but largely can be successfully removed. They are unrelated to sarcoids.
 
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I've had a fair few with sarcs, never had any complications.
Used Banding and Liverpool cream and leaving alone as per vets advice.
Rather they didn't have them but refuse to get upset about it.
Much more upset about other things they get wrong with them.
 
At the risk of being absolutely slated, one of mine had a couple of sarcoids - one between his front legs that was definitely growing but was smaller than 5p coin and one on his girth area on his underside. Just normal, unassuming warts, so i tied them off with a plaiting band (they got very very sore but luckily he wasn't ridden at the time as was only 2.5yrs) and when they dropped off I attacked them with Bazuka.

Both gone and never returned (touch wood). Not saying do it but cheap and worked for me.
 
My mare developed two very different looking 'growths' one on her chest looked just like a patch of dry skin whereby the hair fell out in about a three inch circular area and left the skin flakey, the other was under her belly and was a protruding growth about two inches long and half inch diameter. The vet diagnosed sarcoids and suggested to leave well alone as they weren't worrying her. Unfortunately the one under her belly was where her girth would go so she was unrideable. She had both of these for about five years and then the one on her chest just cleared up and the hair grew back and then the one under her belly 'exploded', that is the only way I can describe it, it looked like a volcano. The vet advised to tie string around it and it would drop off which it did and has never grown back. This was over five years ago and there has been no sign of them ever since.
 
Very interesting replies. I have spent alot of time now just researching sarcoids but all the conflicting info is too confusing :(
Im going to go with what my vet says and leave them alone but I am going to try Sarc-X in his feed as I dont think it will do any harm.
Its good to read other peoples experiences with them too, makes me a little more informed as to what Im up against. Xx
 
my loan horse, benson had loads of sarcoids, I believe he had them surgically removed in his younger days but they grew back. The ones that had stalks on the vet put a band round, like the bands they use on lambs tails, I tried camrosa but it didnt do much, I had a couple of them frozen off, but the best treatment I used was a skin cancer cream that the vet can write a prescription for, then get it from a pharmacy as its cream for humans, called efudex. had to use it for 2 weeks twice a day, 1 week once a day, nothing for a week, then a other week once a day. It got rid of the small ones, and they never grew back. the sarcoids didnt really bother benson, he was 23 when he died, nothing at all to do with the sarcoids. good luck with them!!
 
One of our horses had some, thank fully vet we use is qualified homeopath & managed to get rid of them all. Was amazing to see them shrivel up & die once we started the tablets. That was 5 years ago & they've never reappeared to date.

It is important to identify them & look at possible treatments (friend used liverpool cream, horse was very ill, 2 years on sarcoids are back, question of how long horse is comfy with them, she wont use cream again. Sad she is 200 miles from me so can't access my vet. Wish there was a certain cure but nothing is, just see what works for your horse). If they are small, don't grow & cause no bother - great, can be left alone. If you are one who has the more aggressive type or in a place where it causes distress, then you need to be informed about alternatives to (hopefully) help improve things.

They are usually not the end of the world, BUT, they can be, so head in sand ignoring them will not help.
 
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