Could someone explain Sarcoids please?

[SarahC]

Hi,

Not something I've come across before so wondering if someone could explain what they are/what treatment required/prognosis etc....

Would you buy a horse with a sarcoid on his face? Is there a difference in the prognosis depending where on the body they are??

Ta v. much

S

[Joyscarer]

Joy has a sarcoid and I freaked when I first found it :rolleyes:

Rather than post the ins an outs of sarcoids as there are a number of different types and the treatment varies for each, I'll just pop in this link (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121115&highlight=sarcoid) to the most helpful pages I found when trawling the internet like a mad thing looking for info :D

[chickyd444]

that web site has some very graphic pics - i have never seen anything like that before:confused::eek:

[NoviceNic]

A sarcoid on the face can be very concerning. If it grows any then you will have a lot of trouble fitting a bridle and keeping the horse comfortable whilst ridden. And the of course there is the issue with what happens if it is soo uncomfortable you cant get a headcollar on...:confused:

Also horses with sarcoids go for very little money usually because people tend not to even entertain them...

[Lucyad]

I've just treated a nodular one just over my boy's eye successfully with sarc-ex. Hopefully it will stay away!

[pinkypug1]

Its a kind of cancer. I had a horse on trial with about 5 of them inc one on the face when i found out what they where i decided not to take the horse but another girl on the yard did (big mistake) the one on the face grew and burst and then came back twice as big and she couldnt put a head collar or bridle on him. He had one under his belly and it grew huge to. When turned out the flies seemed to make them worse. In the end she had huge vets bills but nothing cleared them. She sold him on but lost a load of money as they were horrid looking.

I personally wouldnt buy a horse with them as they are considered a cancer and thats why a vet will not pass them when vetted (in ireland anyway)

[Bozzy]

Here's a great website for explanations, especially on the different types;

http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/sarcoid/Index.ssi

There are so many different treatment options, it's a bit hit and miss as to which ones work...if any.

Personally I doubt I'd buy a horse with sarcoids, especially with one on it's face. I've had bad experiences before (inc on face) and they're horrible things :(

[lizzy]

I personally wouldnt buy a horse with them as they are considered a cancer and thats why a vet will not pass them when vetted (in ireland anyway)

I dont think that that's the case in the UK

[Joyscarer]

Here's a great website for explanations, especially on the different types;

http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/sarcoid/Index.ssi

There are so many different treatment options, it's a bit hit and miss as to which ones work...if any.

Personally I doubt I'd buy a horse with sarcoids, especially with one on it's face. I've had bad experiences before (inc on face) and they're horrible things :(



Oops, that's what I was trying to link to but only managed to link to a previous thread where I linked to that site :o

[Esther.D]

Alfie got a small one a few months after we bought him, I was horrified and terrified but left it alone and it dropped off of its own accord and fingers crossed we have had no more and that was 2 years ago.

[Kirstine]

Hi Sarah,
I probably would think twice about buying a horse with sarcoids, and I would certainly ask for a good £500 off the price. That is approximately what a vet treatment would cost and the insurance will not pay for this if it was a pre-existing condition.
Having said that, all horses carry with them a risk (if not a guarantee) that something costly will happen to them at some point and at least if you buy a horse with sarcoids, you have a chance of preparing yourself for what might be ahead. Sarcoids are unpredictable but in most cases, and as far as I know, they do not lead to the horse not being rideable, such as a bad back or weak legs would do, and it is very rare that they are fatal.
My horse developed sarcoids in May last year, 7 months after I bought him. He has one on his neck and one on his face, none of them interfere with tack. I had them treated by the vet in early September (took some time for me to understand what it was and then for the vet to start treatment) and I am still waiting for them to disappear, although this can take several months and my vet keeps telling me to have patience. However, he has been perfectly rideable throughout this time and in all other ways, he is a perfect little horse and very healthy, too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will not get any more but at the same time, I'm factoring in at least £500 per year in my horse-keeping budget for future treaments.
Someone else once said that if the horse you're looking at hits all the right buttons but has a sarcoid you should buy it.
Hope it goes well for you :)

[lizzy]

Sarcoids are unpredictable but in most cases, and as far as I know, they do not lead to the horse not being rideable, such as a bad back or weak legs would do, and it is very rare that they are fatal.


And also, in Adam's case, the only thing that the vet can guarantee me is that he is not in any pain with the one he has on his sheath.

[SarahC]

Hmmm...thanks for all the info. I'm not buying at the moment, but have been looking around as its a possibiity in the near future (depending on wether I can part with my current mare!).
Saw one with a sarcoid on its face and wasn't sure how detrimental this was......

Thanks again everyone.

S

[Blitzen]

I wouldn't buy a horse with a sarcoid.

Reason being, Ive had my mare since a baby, and last year she developed wart like lumps above her eyelid.
I got the vet out, as it started to grow.
He confirmed sarcoids, but it was the more dormant form (can't remember the names off top of my head)
Anyway, just weeks later, it started to change, and started to grow more.
Then it started to bleed and looked terrible.
Vet stated it had changed form to the vigorous type and explained treatement options, of which I went for liverpool cream alongside BCG injection course.
Quoted £700 -£1000 for treatment, but have ended up paying £2000!
She was insured, and had been for years through E&L, with vets fees.
They would not pay out a claim, which was shocking (first attempted claim in years of being with them). I will never ever insure a horse with them again, its a waste of money (but thats a whole different story!!)
Anyway the sarcoids appear to have gone, and hair growing back, but I can still see small raised lumps above the eye (but it can take up to a year to heal completely) - we'll see.
They could well grow back anyway.

So because of the time it took for treatment to be completed, the stress it put on my mare, and not to say the costs to treat it, I would never buy a horse that I knew had a sarcoid.

[Bozzy]

Sorry to hear about your experience of them Blitzen, fingers crossed they stay away for your mares sake.

And nice to hear yet another positive outcome of E&L insurers.....NOT :mad: B*****ds :mad::mad::mad:

[Blitzen]

fingers crossed they stay away for your mares sake.

:

I really hope so....not convinced yet......wish i could post a piccie of them....can't seem to do it though

[chev]

Two of my mares had sarcoids. Both vanished without treatment and never came back.

Unless they were numerous and interfered with tack I wouldn't be put off, in my experience.

[Blitzen]

Here we go (lots!).........

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/Blitzzen/Blitzen004.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/Blitzzen/Blitzen005.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/Blitzzen/blitzensarcoid003.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/Blitzzen/blitzensarcoid001.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/Blitzzen/blitzensarcoid006.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj67/Blitzzen/blitzensarcoid007.jpg

[Joyscarer]

Awww, poor little love. That's a nasty place to have one :(

[Bozzy]

Ouch, poor girl :( :( That really is a nasty one and such a horrible place to be :(

[Blitzen]

Yep, horrible - they started out as next to nothing (no pics of that!), and just kept growing. The treatment made them flare up more aswell...it was heartbreaking (summer too - fly mask on, but they still hassled her trying to get to it, and couldn't keep her in, as she just rubbed it continuously)

This is why I'd never buy a horse with sarcoids of any type - they can change at any time.
I dread what the future holds for my mare, but, if I have to do it again, I will go for radiotherapy rather than what she had before.

[Kirstine]

That's awful. Really sorry for your horse - and you.
Can you tell us more on the radiotherapy? I have heard it is very successful but also hideously expensive.

I have read recently that positive results have been made on developing a vaccine. 83.3% success rate in treating sarcoids on a (small) sample of horses (read more on http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11187), which is similar to the 80% alleged on the Liverpool cream, although this vaccine seems to also be working on reducing future occurrences.

All the best

[Blitzen]

I don't know a great deal about the radiotherapy - I was told she'd have to go to Liverpool to have it done, as thats the only place available for this treatment, and that it would cost around £1000.
I was advised to go for the cream and injections first though.
I think these injections may be the vaccine you are talking about, as it is called a BCG vaccine.
Its not yet licensed for horses, but has had excellent results in the trials, so I had lots of paperwork to sign before they could use it on her. But it will still take around a year to see whether it has fully worked.
When I get a minute, I'll take some photos of how it looks now - huge difference, and it does look normal, its only really closely that I can see some tiny lumps.

[Lucyad]

Try Sarc-off, sorry I got he name wrong on my previous post on this thread, but I kept a diary of using it on my Horses nodular sarcoid just above the eye, which you will find if you do either a search for sarc-off or my user name. it was only £100, which I thought was expensive, but not compared to other treatments it seems! I also have enough left to deal with at least another 7 or 8 sarcoids should they appear! (and that is big ones - most of the jar left!).

[Kirstine]

Blitzen: I'd heard radiotherapy was approx. £3k, so if you've been informed correctly, that's good news.
Hope your horse gets better soon.
Lucyad: Inspired by your success I'll try Sarc-off if the Liverpool cream does not work, but as it is still running its course, I'll wait a wee while and then consult my (horse's) vet.
I'm quite optimistic that progress does seem to be made with different treatments and even if there won't be a cure in our horses' lifetime, hopefully horses in the nearish future will benefit.

[mogadoga]

I used global herbs sarc x. No sarcoid to speak of now :D