Home
| About Us
| Articles |
Shopping | Contact
| Site
Map | Search
A
Simple Equine Sarcoid Treatment History - January 2009. While grooming my 10-year-old gelding, Sherlock, I felt a small growth on his inner flank, about the size of a gum drop, in the crease where the flank joins the abdomen. It wasn't sensitive and didn't bother Sherlock so I simply made a mental note to check it periodically.
The vet said, "It's probably a pedunculated sarcoid. Sarcoids are a common skin virus of horses. This one, based on my imperfect observations of one photo, is probably easily banded to remove. However, my recommendation with sarcoids is to always leave them alone unless they are causing some sort of problem. They represent no threat at all to the health of the horse, they only interfere with the tack if they are in a bad position. Sometimes when we remove them, we cause the virus to spread, however this is not much of a concern when we band them." I decided to take a wait-and-see approach. March 9, 2010. I contacted my vet: "Next time you are up this way and you have time, would you stop in and take a close look at that growth on Sherlock? It seems to be getting larger and a small scab came off it a few days ago. I'm sure it bothers me more than it does Sherlock, but I'd like to get your first hand opinion so I can make definite plans to either do something about it or forget it." The vet came by a few days later and after examining the sarcoid he banded it - using a specialized hand tool he slipped a heavy duty rubber band over the sarcoid so it constricted around the base. This cuts off the blood supply to the tumor and eventually it drops off. I kept Sherlock in a pen so that I could collect the sarcoid when it dropped. I checked it every day and it got looser and looser and then began to smell and I thought it would never come off. March 23, 2010. Two weeks after banding the sarcoid was gone. . . and was nowhere to be found in the pen. The place where it had attached looked healthy and pink so said good riddance to the sarcoid (so I thought) and turned Sherlock back out on pasture.
"Sorry to see this has returned. Now it looks more cutaneous, flatter, and perhaps some XTerra might work. This is a topical ointment, a caustic debridement agent, that is made at Vetline in Fort Collins, CO. Sometimes it works well, but the location of this lesion makes any treatment difficult. These sarcoids can be a bugger to beat. Maybe CSU [Colorado State University in nearby Fort Collins] has a freeze treatment, I don't know but it might be worthwhile to consult with them. And of course it's always a good idea to wait a while and see what develops. I don't think he's in much discomfort or danger from this. Good luck." I then did some web research and found XTerra that the vet mentioned, some other caustic treatments, and a few herbal formulas, all of which had mixed reviews. I also came across several anecdotal accounts on horse forums of successful rapid elimination of equine sarcoids by application of Crest toothpaste. Some who had used the toothpaste method speculated that it was the flouride in the toothpaste that killed the sarcoid virus. I figured if it was true that flouride was the healing agent then mouthwash containing flouride (which we just happened to have in the medicine cabinet) would be as effective as toothpaste and much easier to apply, since it could be sprayed on the tumor rather than applied by hand or with an applicator stick. 11-6-2010 Sherlock tolerated this daily treatment well. One reason is because I never had to touch the sarcoid to administer treatment. Also, Sherlock's ground training had included thoroughly sacking out with a spray bottle of water. | |
![]() | 11-27-2010 Twenty days from the first spray the sarcoid had dried up and was sloughing. I put on a rubber glove, pulled an old sock over that and gently rubbed the dry tissue to remove it. This was done completely dry with no washing of the area. |
Same Day
The photo at left shows the site of the sarcoid immediately after the dry matter was brushed off. I have given no further treatment, but will commence at the first sign of new sarcoid development.
| |
![]() | 12-08-2010 12 days later and site of the sloughed sarcoid is healing over nicely (photo at left), with no sign of sarcoid. I reported these results to the vet who replied, "Looks like it did an awesome job if indeed the lesion was a sarcoid. It is also possible that the second lesion was traumatic in origin (a bacterial dermatitis), without a biopsy we can't say. I am certain the first lesion was a sarcoid, the second one, I thought it most likely was, but based on the rapidity and totality of the healing, and also the long scar that is apparent in the last picture, I am now a bit doubtful that it was a sarcoid, but it is most certainly possible. This healing is remarkable, if it indeed was a sarcoid."
|
![]() | UPDATE (photo at left) 06-05-2011 No sign of the sarcoid returning.
UPDATE 2-14-2016 No sign of the sarcoid returning. |
DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet. As far as I know this method of treating sarcoids with flouride mouthwash has only been used by me and only in this one case. If you decide to try it, do so at your own risk. Please let me know how it works for you. Email me at: Good Luck! UPDATE - July 4, 2013 Some horseowners have written to tell me of their success using other unconventional sarcoid treatments. Here are some:
UPDATE - February, 2016 I've heard from dozens of horseowners who have treated their horses' sarcoids with flouride mouthwash. Some had the same good results that I had with Sherlock, the sarcoid dried up and went away. Others saw the sarcoid diminish in size but not go away, while others saw no effect whatsoever. Success could be affected by the type of sarcoid and the physiology of the horse. In any event, the method is simple, non-invasive, non-traumatic, inexpensive, has no reported side effects and it just might work. Here are a few of the comments I've received:
Best of Luck! |
Home | About Us | Articles | Shopping | Contact | Site Map | Search
© 2016 Horsekeeping LLC © Copyright Information