I went to a client night last night on the subject of sarcoids, Kev doesn't have any (or so I thought!) but I know nothing about them and wanted to learn a bit.
It was a brilliant talk by Prof. Knottenbelt from Liverpool University, he is the UK's expert in sarcoids and where your vet will send any photo's or biopsy. A very passionate and enthusiastic guy, but bloody hell, it was terrifying!
Half way through the talk my blood ran cold as I realised that 'scar' on Kev's leg that was passed off as 'a kick in the field that was healing over' when I bought him, was in fact, an occult sarcoid! Anyway, it's not getting in the way, it's not got any nodules and it's not changed in the year I've had him....so I'm not getting myself into too much of a tizz.
The main points I took from the talk (and thought I would share with you) are:
- They can come in all shapes and sizes, even a slight change in coat colour/appearance can indicate the first stages of a sarcoid
- A sarcoid is CANCER and should be treated as such, not a wart. It is a serious disease.
- Once you interfere with them, they come back with a vengence - do NOT attempt to treat it yourself by banding, toothpaste, camrosa etc.
- They are often found with a halo effect round them (Kev's has a scaley bit in the middle surrounded by a halo of baldness)
- They are highly likely to be transferred by fly bites, but only within a sarcoid horse (eg. if a fly was to bite Kev's sarcoid, then move to a wound elsewhere on his body, this may cause a transfer of cells and a sarcoid would pop up at the wound site) or horses who have compatible tissue (eg. just like humans can donate organs to a compatible person needing a transplant, a sarcoid could only be transferred from horse to horse if they were compatible)
- They are often found on a vein (since that's where flies go to bite!)
- They often pop up at wound sites and are mistaken for proud flesh, make your vet triple check that it definitely is proud flesh before they chop it off!
- Melignant tumors are mainly found on the elbow, face and inside thigh areas. If your horse has a sarcoid here, please get it checked.
A sarcoid horse is prone to more sarcoids, and you have to be very careful if a sarcoid horse ever gets a wound. He suggested mixing 50ml of ivermectin wormer into a tub of vasleine and using that to cover any wound and any sarcoid (using different pots) immediately if a sarcoid horse get's a wound.
Kev's sarcoid will now be covered in the vaseline mixture every summer! :redface:
It was a brilliant talk by Prof. Knottenbelt from Liverpool University, he is the UK's expert in sarcoids and where your vet will send any photo's or biopsy. A very passionate and enthusiastic guy, but bloody hell, it was terrifying!
Half way through the talk my blood ran cold as I realised that 'scar' on Kev's leg that was passed off as 'a kick in the field that was healing over' when I bought him, was in fact, an occult sarcoid! Anyway, it's not getting in the way, it's not got any nodules and it's not changed in the year I've had him....so I'm not getting myself into too much of a tizz.
The main points I took from the talk (and thought I would share with you) are:
- They can come in all shapes and sizes, even a slight change in coat colour/appearance can indicate the first stages of a sarcoid
- A sarcoid is CANCER and should be treated as such, not a wart. It is a serious disease.
- Once you interfere with them, they come back with a vengence - do NOT attempt to treat it yourself by banding, toothpaste, camrosa etc.
- They are often found with a halo effect round them (Kev's has a scaley bit in the middle surrounded by a halo of baldness)
- They are highly likely to be transferred by fly bites, but only within a sarcoid horse (eg. if a fly was to bite Kev's sarcoid, then move to a wound elsewhere on his body, this may cause a transfer of cells and a sarcoid would pop up at the wound site) or horses who have compatible tissue (eg. just like humans can donate organs to a compatible person needing a transplant, a sarcoid could only be transferred from horse to horse if they were compatible)
- They are often found on a vein (since that's where flies go to bite!)
- They often pop up at wound sites and are mistaken for proud flesh, make your vet triple check that it definitely is proud flesh before they chop it off!
- Melignant tumors are mainly found on the elbow, face and inside thigh areas. If your horse has a sarcoid here, please get it checked.
A sarcoid horse is prone to more sarcoids, and you have to be very careful if a sarcoid horse ever gets a wound. He suggested mixing 50ml of ivermectin wormer into a tub of vasleine and using that to cover any wound and any sarcoid (using different pots) immediately if a sarcoid horse get's a wound.
Kev's sarcoid will now be covered in the vaseline mixture every summer! :redface: