Oh heck, I don't know what I'm dealing with here. I am a new owner and been making pretty good progress with my 3 rescue horses.
Recently my gelding has had what I thought was a wart near his eye. It stayed the same for ages, then a couple of weeks ago I saw it was bleeding. I asked the owner of the field for her advice and she said she didn't think it was anything to worry about and to get some wound cream. I did just that and applied it but nothing seemed to change. Then last week after the wart had dropped off there was a disc of soreness and this week it's grown back and is raised and lumpy.
I asked for another horseperson to take a look and she said she thought it didn't look good. I've arranged for the vet to come but after speaking to him on the phone he says it sounds like a sarcoid. I've heard terrible stories about sarcoids and now I'm really worried about what it will all mean?
What experience do other people have of these things? I feel terrible that I didn't arrange for the vet to come sooner to check my boy and my inexperience may have caused it to be a worse situation than it should have been.
I feel sick with worry. Also, I was in the process of arranging to get insurance and this has happened before I got it and I'm terrified of the cost of treatment and whether we can afford it. I feel truly wretched.
Lizzie
Sorry to hear about your horse, I don't have any experience with this sort of thing but I would say to you, don't panic until the vet has looked at the horse and given you an actual diagnosis. When you find out what's really going on then you can ask the vet about treatment options and cost. The main thing about this is please don't blame yourself these things happen to all of us and we don't always know what's serious and what's nothing at all. I'm sorry I can't be of more help, I hope all turns out well.
Thank you for your kind words. I've been feeling really miserable and it's helped to share my worries. Lizzie
Lizzie
Take three deep breaths, drop your shoulders then go to this site to read about Sarcoids.
http://www.petmd.com/horse/conditions/cancer/c_hr_equine_sarcoid?page=2#.T0WHz5hDF20
Your vet can also answer your questions. Don't fell bad, you were doing what you thought best and people were assuring you that it was no big deal. My motto is if I don't know what it is and my trainer doesn't know what it is the vet gets called immediately.
Let us know how things go.
Cheers
Hi, my horse also had sarcoids. Than I read in a horse magazine about a cream to apply ones a day for one month, than one month rest and again apply for one month. It worked, they have disappeared and even the fur has grown again. I also was worried, because everydody told me that it is very difficult to operate sarcoids, they would return. There are many forms of them, the one you discribed, seems like that of my horse. I gave it a try with the cream. After three month they were gone.
Aciclovir (INN) ( /eɪˈsaɪklɵvɪər/) or acyclovir (USAN, former BAN), chemical name acycloguanosine, abbreviated as ACV,[1] is a guanosine analogue antiviral drug, marketed under trade names such as Cyclovir, Herpex, Acivir, Acivirax, Zovirax, and Zovir. One of the most commonly used antiviral drugs, it is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, as well as in the treatment of varicella zoster (chickenpox) and herpes zoster (shingles).
Good luck
This is fantastic news cristina, thank you for sharing that with us. This information will go in STAR'S journal, just in case.
Lizzie we can beat ourselves up all the time about, what if or if only.
You hang in there and if your vet does not give you good news, get another opinion from another vet.
I deal with a vet college and the first vet that came for STAR"S colic told me something entirely different than the second.
I did what the second vet recommended and STAR is still with us.
You hang in there, I am thinking of you.
Ronda
In case it is a sarcoid, the vet told me, that they can get worse under stress because it lowers the defense of the immune system. They suppose, that sarcoids are caused by virus, so it is better to use different brushes for each horse in case you have others.
It is amazing the other things that we learn on the Forum. I am a big believer in doing the research on some of the questions we see, just for my own education. The one thing that you always need to do is evaluate the source of information. There is a lot of misinformation about all sorts of things on the web so if it is about the health of a horse I check very carefully to make sure I am not reading the opinion of a manufacture for their product, of it is just an individuals opinion. The first place I check for health related issues is UC Davis website (veterinary university) then Horse.com. Between these two sites I usually can find the correct answer.
Cristina, thanks for the information on the antivirus creme. I also found a creme called the Liverpool creme which is a very fast acting medicine, but is extremely dangerous if not used correctly. Don't know if it is available from vets in the US or not.
Cheers
If the sarcoids are caused by a virus I would consider trying Tee Tree Oil on it. Tee Tree oil is one of the best and strongest natural anti-viral/anti-fungus/anti-bacterial you can find. I don't know if it would help but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Just make sure you don't get it in the horses eyes and I would definitely look into Cristina's anti-viral creme.
Hi, here is a foto of the sarcoids of my horse.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=299971040032281&set=a.299970866698965.88996.287680477928004&type=3&theater
now they are completely gone.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=347265561969495&set=a.347264418636276.97896.287680477928004&type=3&theater
I hope you mange to open the fotos.
Hi, me again. This foto is not so dark and you can see, that also the fur has come back.
....
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=347268988635819&set=a.347264418636276.97896.287680477928004&type=3&permPage=1
Thanks all for your comments and support. My boy has several sarcoids and after consultation with the vet we are going to use Liverpool cream. It is extremely dangerous if not used correctly and can only be administered by a vet.
I didn't get insurance in time for him to be covered so the cost is also adding to my anxiety!
I have heard that it'll look worse before it gets better after treatment. I will keep you posted.
Thanks again, Lizzie
My daughter's horse had removed one surgically on one ear some years ago. I did not know about the Acyclovir-treatment. The effect has been confirmed in a recently published study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21493530
Rudi