Sarcoids in Horses
April 27, 2009
Treatment for sarcoids, the most-common skin tumor in horses.
Question:
My horse has a sarcoid. How can I learn more about sarcoids?
Answer:
Our friends at the American Association of Equine Practitioners recently published this article, which explains sarcoids in horses and ways to treat them.
A Texas veterinarian is taking a novel approach to sarcoid treatment, removing portions of the tumors, freezing the tissue in liquid nitrogen and implanting it in the same horse’s body.
“This is basically a very archaic viral vaccination attempt,” says Dr. Benjamin Espy, a private practitioner who says the technique has been successful in 12 of 15 documented cases so far. “We are trying to get the body to recognize the sarcoid as foreign and mount its own response. This is an autologous vaccine, meaning it’s made from the same animal you give it to – a very common technique in other livestock species.”
Sarcoids, the most-common skin tumor of horses, are believed to be caused by the bovine papilloma virus. They can be treated with chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, or removed surgically or with lasers. However, Dr. Espy says, if any trace of a growth remains, the sarcoids will return.
“If you take off a huge sarcoid and leave behind even a tiny portion by accident, there might be five, six or 10 billion virus particles in it, and the sarcoid will come back, possibly even worse because once they’ve been significantly disturbed, sarcoids can become very angry.”
An injectable sarcoid vaccine is under development, he says, but studies on its efficacy have been controversial.
Dr. Espy specializes in equine reproductive work (theriogenology), but several challenging sarcoid cases associated with equine genitalia have been brought to his practice over the years, which sent him looking for better ways of treating the tumors.
“For instance,” he says, “I had a stallion referred to me with a huge sarcoid on his sheath. There is only so much you can cut away in that area.”
For his technique, Dr. Espy takes several pencil-eraser-sized samples off the surface of the tumor and freezes them by immersing them in liquid nitrogen to kill the virus. Once the sections have thawed, Espy implants them along the crest of the neck.
“I choose the crest because the skin is thin and the area relatively immobile so it heals quickly and, if there is a scar or white hair accumulation, the mane will cover it.”
So far, says Dr. Espy, the technique has been as or more successful than conventional sarcoid treatments he has tried. The tumors typically regress between 90 and 120 days after treatment, but some have taken as long as 180 days to subside. None of the horses has had a recurrence, Dr. Espy says. The horse he has followed the longest is still sarcoid-free five years later.
Dr. Espy says after presenting a paper on the technique at the 2008 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, he was approached by several veterinarians who recalled a similar discussion at the 1975 convention in Nevada.
“It’s logical, so I’m sure I’m not the first person who thought of it,” he says, adding that his main goal was sharing information about an effective treatment. “I’m a repro guy, I’ll leave it up to the dermatologists and pathologists to figure out and write the paper on exactly why this works, but I’ve seen that it does.”
Comments
51 Comments on “Sarcoids in Horses”
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April 28th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
We had a horse, over 30 yrs ago, that had sarcoids, and we tried that method on the horse and it did not work. What it did was deform the ear and caused the wound to bleed into her ear and she had to be put down cause of this. A few yrs ago, I had an older Appaloosa that also had a few on the outside of his ear, and my vet had this paste that we applied and it caused them to slough off and not come back. The only discomfort to the horse, was the cleaning and reapplying of the ointment, which was done every other day. He lived the last 6 yrs off his life sarcoid free and in pretty good health..for a horse almost 30.
Annie
April 29th, 2009 at 3:38 am
Sarcoids are pretty common here in the UK in varying degrees, and it will be interesting to watch how treatment developes, and hopefully successfully. We have had experience of horses in our family with dreadful cases of sarcoids, and unfortunately,there was no option of breeding or conquering the ailment. The horses were put down after trying surgery and all other avenues of treatment.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:33 am
I have seen a case where this did not work as well. The mare had a huge growth on her hock. It just kept getting bigger and bigger. THe more attempts were made the faster it grew. After several atempts and even more dollars over a few years the mare was finally destroyed.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
In 2001 I had a horse with sarcoids mainly on his neck and chest,we used a product called exterra that was purchased through my vet.The product was an ointment we applied on the sarcoids,it was very ugly but successful.The exterra ate or burned the sarcoid and its roots off of the horse.When I say ugly I mean a nasty bloody mess.The worst one was on the horses neck and when it was gone there was a concave area that was about the size of a womans fist.The treatment took a few weeks and was alot to put the horse through because the exterra had to be applied daily onto the open wounds.In the end,the wounds healed with only very slight scars at the area of the largest sarcoids.The sarcoids never came back.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I had a Appy with a small sarcoid on it’s neck and treated it with Tea Tree oil and it was quite sucessfull. It has not re appeared as yet. It appeared in 2003 and was gone in 2004.I have dated photos of before and during and after.
Chris Bullerdick
Norland Ontario Canada
June 1st, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I’ve had some ongoing issues with sarcoids in one of my mares. After trying just about everything from freezing to laser to surgically removing, I thought nothing could keep them from returning.
A friend of mine recommended Mushroom Matrix ECP for immune support and overall maintenance. I kid you not, within a month her sarcoids literally fell off. They started to turn dark in color and then within a week later had fallen off of the skin. I was mind boggled. The mushrooms have anti-angiogenisis compounds which cut off the blood supply to tumors. Evidently the sarcoid tumors died and then fell off. I couldn’t be more pleased. I feel obligated to pass this information along to anyone dealing with the never-ending battle with sarcoids.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I too have a mare with a sarcoid on the top of her butt. I have been treating it with exterra for the past 3 years. Only to keep coming back. I would like to try the MUshroom Matrix ECP! Where can I get some?
Thank you, Dawn
July 1st, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I too would like to know more about the Mushroom Matrix ECP? Where to find? Thanks for your help
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Please let us know where to purchase this Mushroom Matrix ECP
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:21 am
I have never in over 35 years had a horse with this problem and I live on the same farm the home time.. This year I have 5 young horses from 2 years to 5 years old that each have 1 to 3 of these sarcoids (that is what my vet called them) They look like a wart but the size of a dime and 1/4 thick. After waiting a month he has brought me this medicine XXTERRA. I would like to know if I should use this or try this Mushroom Matrix ECP instead?
We have never had cattle, where does this come from? Where can I find out more information on this subject?
Can anyone help.
Has anyone responed on where to get the Mushroom Matrix ECP?
July 4th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Please let me know where to get the Mushroom Mattrix ECP?
July 4th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
is it o.k. to exercise a horse with a sarcoid? What about taking him swimming?
July 5th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
use google to find muchroom matrix. also farmvet.com carries it
July 7th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Does anyone know a supplier for this mushroom matrix in Canada? Tried google and am still waiting to hear from Farmvet.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Where I can purchase the Tea Tree oil and Mushroom Matrix ECP?
July 8th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I have a horse that developed a sarcoid this spring and have treated it with exterra. I didn’t get it all but party of it fell off. Maybe Americas Horse mag. could do a more indepth article covering the other cures mentioned in these posts and not just Dr Espys way. I’m going to try and find the mushroom stuff.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I had never even heard of a sarcoid until we got a rescue horse and she had one the size of a half dollar on her chest. Our vet recommended exterra. We are on our second treatment and yes it is a bloody ugly mess but I think we got it this time. I’m anxious to see what it will look like when healed but happy to hear about this Mushroom Matrix ECP, we definitely prefer using natural products and they all seem to work so far. Except in the caseof the Exterra, and a warning that stuff is like acid so wear gloves and only apply directly to sarcoid do not mess with tissue surrounding the sarcoid.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Has anyone found out where to get Mushroom Matrix ECP in Canada, yet?
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Where can you purchase Xterra?
September 10th, 2009 at 9:20 am
I purchased a mare at a sale, and they did not call the condition on her neck before I bid on her. She has 3 areas which appear to be sarcoids, but according to an M.D. and a veterinarian, without biopsy, it is impossible to diagnose because it closely mimics other skin conditions, such as fungus. I am treating her with XXTERRA, herbal paste for immune stimulation (as on the jar). It came from Larson Laboratories, Fort Collins, CO 800 962-4554. I paid $120.00 for 1 ounce. It says, “Sold only to veterinarians.” You could call them directly and find out more. The mare only exhibited discomfort after the first treatment by scratching the areas with her foot. It has not caused any skin reaction when incidentally contacting human skin in our case. Hope this helps someone. We can see a change in the lesions, but they have not sloughed as yet after 2 weeks and 3 treatments.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
I have gotten rid of several sarcoids with Tea Tree Oil. You have to be faithful and put it on twice a day. It may take one to two months but it will work. You can buy Tea Tree Oil in any health food store. We got rid of one that was over an inch long on the ear. It took 2 months but has never come back.
September 13th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
My Horse Owners vet book identified an “uncommon Ringworn-looking” growth as a sarcoid. My vet confirmed. She recommended “Indian Mud” aka Blood Root Paste. I was able to purchase a small jar through Frugalherbs.com for about $20.
Our resident trainer has used the stuff on a horse of her own and a local well know/respected trainer recognised it when he asked me what I was doing to treat “what’s that on her neck?”
It came with a few popsicle sticks for application, some band-aids and instructions for HUMAN!!! application. Please, acknowledge this! The instructions were for HUMAN application. But….it is working on my mare.
It is taking some time, I’m not in any hurry. I was expecting a big bloody mess as the sarcoid died, but, nothing as dramatic as that has happened.
I spred the fudge looking paste on a Silver dollar size area of sarcoids on her neck, above her shoulder, not a good place for a band-aid (or duck tape or vet wrap…trust me.)
Small scabs formed, kinda like chicken pox, fell off and the area is healing. It’s taken about a month.
Not all the scabs are coming off at one time, but like I said, I’m not in a hurry and I like the odds of the skin cancer NOT coming back using this treatment.
It’s looking good. Be patient.
Good luck!
September 14th, 2009 at 12:23 am
P>S>
I ride and bathe my mare during treatment, even with the reins laying where the sarcoid is on her neck. Just use your own judgement and pay attention to any reaction.
In some cases, it may look worse before it gets better. It’s like a double whammy. Until now, the sarcoid has “flown under the radar” of the horses own natural antibodies to prevent/fight infection. By applying the Mud,(or other herbal/natural treatment of choise) killing the sarcoid, all of a sudden, the body recognises there is an invader that needs to be got rid of, so you have an external source (treatment) attacking the cancer and now the horses own antibodies trying to expel it, too.
Keep your Scarlet Oil handy and LET YOUR VET KNOW what treatment you have chose.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I have a 12yo gelding that had large sarcoid(size of a golf ball) on the inside tip of his ear, this had been slowly growing for approx 5yrs. I asked my vet to remove it and with in 1 yr it grew back bigger and with 2 small ones close. Again we removed. This time they grew back as big in 6mos then he shook off the large one at the end of July. Now they are as big as ever and still with the continual oosing of fluid and blood. I’ve tried tea tree oil, cortisone spray and a mix of ground turmeric and mustard.The ear has never completely healed after the 1st removal. How long is it before results will be seen on an effective treatment?
September 17th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Our cutting horse came down with a sarcoid on his ear this summer. It has been increasing in size. We are now trying xxterra on it, but I am concerned with the warnings that it may deform ear cartlidge. We began with a human skin cancer treatment (2 days) that changed the sarcoid appearance immediately. It made the horse very tender and it was costly. We are in the “off” time with the xxterra treatment now, but I am hoping for some good results. Years ago, my favorite mare suffered from all 3 types of sarcoids, and nothing I tried worked, including grinding the sacroid and making an autologous vaccine. That was many years ago, so hopefully there has been more success in that area.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Has anyone had success w/a large sarcoid healing? I have a yearling filly that the vet recently surgically removed and froze, will refreeze in 2 weeks and may need another ($179.00 per freeze). He says if that does not work we will use chemotherapy IV. Does anyone know if it will be worth it in the long run? The sarcoided area after removal was approx 2 inches diameter. (Sarcoid comfirmed by TAMU).
September 19th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I had a mare with a sarcoid on the inside of her leg. My husband remembered treating cows years ago with bacon grease. Sounds weird, but save some bacon grease and each day applied it to the sarcoid until it fell off. It was quite red and irritated skin then, but just treated it with any first aid type cream and it healed nicely, hair regrew, and she never got another one. I think the salt in the grease killed it.
September 24th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
https://shop.mushroommatrix.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=B000ECP
This mushroom ECP stuff doesn’t necessarily always make the sarcoid fall off the skin, but it reduced the size and eventually cleared it up after about 6 weeks. It does take a little time because it works from the inside-out.
I like it because it is natural and organic,its safe. Its preventative medicine, I was recommended to keep her on it so they wouldn’t return. It is supposed to help with a lot of other issues too. I talked to their people, they’re out of Southern California somewhere.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Exterra-available only via vet-burns badly
Tea tree oil-haven’t tried-
Mushroom Matrix-…..gimmick
Vet said after cutting them off, they usually will return and spread further-horse will still require radiation and will cost about $5000-most horses are still put down-
THE SAD REALITY
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I highly recommend these guys! ,
November 5th, 2009 at 8:09 am
My gelding has a Sarcoid that grew on his left eye lid and continued to grow under the skin causing a large bump on the eye lid. I took him to the vet to find out about removal but they told to wait because there is a current injection, but they cant find it. I’m wondering if this injection is out there and if anyone has information on it? Also on top of his eye lid he had a Fibroblastic Sarcoid that I treated with an over the counter wart treatment past. It was about 1/2in in diameter and grew out close to a 1/2in. I couldn’t believe how well it worked! I stopped treatment about 6 months and go and have seen no sign of it. I applied it every other day for roughly 2 months. I have xxterra and it never worked quite well as this.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I have a ‘97 paint gelded 3yrs ago. What started as an ariel plaque turned into 3 large sarcoids. I had these removed 3 times and at 1 time it feel off. When the one feel off in July I have begun treatment with xxterra cream, by then it was the size of 1/2 my fist with the ear hanging below horizonal. I had my vet remove it again thinking if I could get to the root I would be more effective. 4 weeks ago and starting treatment again it is only a nasty scab. This weekend will be 2nd treatment and it looks good to me. I have pics of the size we were dealing with if interested.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I have a ‘97 paint gelded 3yrs ago. What started as an ariel plaque turned into 3 large sarcoids. I had these removed 3 times and at 1 time it fell off. When the one feel off in July I have begun treatment with xxterra cream, by then it was the size of 1/2 my fist with the ear hanging below horizonal. I had my vet remove it again thinking if I could get to the root I would be more effective. 4 weeks ago and starting treatment again it is only a nasty scab. This weekend will be 2nd treatment and it looks good to me. I have pics of the size we were dealing with if interested.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I have a ‘97 paint gelded 3yrs ago. What started as an ariel plaque turned into 3 large sarcoids. I had these removed 3 times and at 1 time it fell off (in July). When the one fell off in July I have begun treatment with xxterra cream, by then it was the size of 1/2 my fist with the ear hanging below horizonal. I had my vet remove it again thinking if I could get to the root I would be more effective. 4 weeks ago and starting treatment again it is only a nasty scab. This weekend will be 2nd treatment and it looks good to me. I have pics of the size we were dealing with if interested.
November 15th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I have a 5 yr. old paint mare that has 2 sarcoids. One on her hind leg and the other on hip. My vet. gave me Xxterra to use and I am following the instructions on the jar. Apply for 4 days in row and then not again for 10-20 days. I started my third treatment yesterday and was wondering if everyone else has followed this same routine? The sites are so heavy with scabs that it’s hard to tell if anything is working. Any suggestions? By the way, my vet charged me $68.50 for the 1 oz. jar.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
In my experience the majority of sarcoids occur in horses less than 5 years old but can be seen at any age. Over 5o% reoccurence rates after surgical removal slightly less reoccurence if done with a laser. Cryotherapy (freezing) works in most cases but often takes 2-4 times and results with white hair and possibly scars. Xxterra, Indian Mud, Bloodroot, Sanguinaria, Sarcoma salve also work in most areas and result in scars depending on the severity of the reaction. There is also an injectable Sanginaria product available through Buck Mountain Botanicals that works well. Immunostimulation products have worked but on a less consistent basis. Bottom line is that between these or combinations thereof almost all cases can be resolved with diligence and patience…..Flat sarcoids and sarcoids in or around the eye seem to be the tough cases.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Wendi,
Did you try the mushroom stuff?
I saw great results in two of my geldings not just for addressing a sarcoid but behavioral issues as well. It is a small company out of san diego-organically certified products. Two of my jumping colleagues at my barn are on it and they swear by it. Don’t knock it until you try it!
February 6th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Ihave a question for anyone who knows the answer. I have a mare who is about 5 years old maybe older. On her left flank she has this dried flower looking thing ,about an inch across. I thought it was a dried up flower and tired to pull it off. YUCK!!! A piece of it just fell off. Well I tried to get the thing off and it started to bleed,so I left it alone and put iodine on it. It still is ther, but not big like it was. Can anyone help me with this? She did not act as though it hurt when I was trying to get it off her. And when I put the iodine on her, her skin twitched a bit,but that was it. I have never seen anything like this before. We have 5 other horses,one being her colt.
February 6th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I forgot to say that the thing wa a dark gray in color.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:03 am
My 9 year old chestnut gelding has had a sarcoid since he was a yearling. It was small in circumference and height til last summer when a raised tumor appeared. My vet tried injections in the fall to provoke a massive infection so that his own immune system killed it off. It is still there. We biopsied yesterday & await lab results. It is located on the inside right hind leg where tissue is thin so surgery is not a good option. We are considering freezing or chemo depending on results of course. Does anyone have experience in these scenarios? I don’t really care what it looks like after treatments…only his comfort.
March 18th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
My 6 yo QH gelding was purchased with 3 small, cauliflower-type sarcoids on the upper portion of his neck. I left them alone for a few months (got him in Oct) while he acclaimated to our farm. In Feb, noticed they were getting slightly bigger (more cauliflower-y) so decided to try xxterra before doing anything more invasive. Cost around $80 from my vet for small jar. Followed directions – applied 4 days in a row (didn’t clean in between) and then left alone for 3 weeks; directions didn’t say, but I trimmed his hair around sarcoids to make it easier to apply. The “mud” stuck to them and additional dirt accumulated. Some drainage occurred from underneath but not much. They just seemed to get bigger and caked with mud over the 3 weeks. I cleaned them gently last weekend to remove mud in anticipation of second round of xxterra treatment. Was going to start tonight (week 4 from orig treatment) and discovered they fell off on their own. Now a weepy, raw, flat area remains for each of 3 areas. Will see how well they heal and if they come back. Research I did from multiple sources said to be diligent about treating them when small in size and number.
Question – did anyone put ointment on the resulting wounds or is it best to leave them alone unless obvious infection occurs?
March 30th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
A friend used Super Glue on two small wart-type sarcoids on the face of his gray Arabian mare. Dried up and fell off, have not returned yet but that was only 1 year ago. Daughter’s mare had 1/2 wart on bridleparth that vet did cryofreeze….has not returned after 4 years.
My mare is another story. Large flat mass about 2″ in diameter on her belly in front of left hind leg, just behind flank web. Used Xterra ointment on her for 5 days in a row as directed, then lesions started popping out in 3 new locations about 4″ away. These get ugly black warty scabs which keep getting gnarlier and drier, then they fall off, but she is left with red/raw/swollen protrusions that have yet to completely heal. I’ve heard that the Xterra gets to the roots of these sarcoids and travels along what I suppose are ganglia trying to kill all of the virus (like a good blackberry poison painted on the leaves will travel back through the vine and kill the entire plant at the root). I just don’t know what to do next as this is pretty raw and applying more of the medicine, which I’m sure must be done, seems cruel to the animal as you can tell it stings. Does she just have to “bite the bulelt” as I did when a youngster and dad poured iodine on my cuts? Or is there some way to ease the discomfort for future treatments?
March 31st, 2010 at 8:21 am
Sue, we definitely recommend you seek the medical advice of a trustworthy veterinarian for your mare. Here’s a helpful link to help you find a vet in your area: http://www.bayerdvm.com/getadvm/index2.cfm;target=_blank.
Thanks for your comments!
Jody Reynolds
AQHA Internet Editor
April 10th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Hey there, I’ve been reading about GMO foods (geneticaly modified organisms) I am taking my mare off corn, soybean and any other obvious gmo’s. She recently showed up with a sarcoid under her thigh area. I do know Monsanto, the producer of GMO’s doesn’t care who they make sick including our livestock. Just google monsanto and read all the harm they are creating. Just a fyi to feed your horse better.
April 18th, 2010 at 3:06 am
We had to put a gelding down two years ago because his spread everywhere and no matter how much we fed him he kept losing weight. It was one of the worst days of my life.
We have a chance to save a life. DONATIONS needed by NOON today, Sunday 4-18-10, to save Iota Be Delightful, a registered AQHA, foaled 4/15/02. Any amount even a $1 will HELP. Send Donations to voiceforhorses@wmconnect.com (Diana Murphy, Voice for Horses)
Full details and video of Iota under saddle
May 10th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I used Xterra for a cluster of sarcoids in the girth area of my gelding about 6-7 years ago. My horse was not happy when we applied the ointment to his very raw flesh, but since it appeared to be helping we did the course of treatment which I believe was once a day for four days and then four days off and then back to it again for another round. If my memory serves me correctly it took two rounds of treatment and it WORKED!! We gave him some bute during the treatment to make him more comfortable. Even though it looked raw and nasty it did not seem to really bother him except when we were putting new ointment on him. In between treatments he did not seem to mind.
I also had a friend that had a horse with huge tumor on his rump. It was an older horse so surgery was not an option. The tumor was about 2-3 inches in diameter and rose about 1/2 inch above the normal skin. I think she did three rounds of treatments for her horse and she was also successful.
My vet has been successful 90% of the time using this product.
May 11th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Chicken pox is one hell of a nasty disease, it ruined my flawless skin a couple of years ago..,”
May 11th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Chicken pox is one hell of a nasty disease, it ruined my flawless skin a couple of years ago.::;
June 17th, 2010 at 6:03 am
[...] uses for immunostimulants are to shorten infections in mares; and to aid in eradicating equine sarcoids, skin tumors spread by biting [...]
June 17th, 2010 at 8:34 am
I bought a 4 year old mare sight unseen. She had a small sarcoid on her neck, It grew to the size of a silver dollar…My Vet tried exterra, caused severe discomfort,did not work. Another sarcoid appeared on the other side of her neck, also around her nose. My Vet injected “Immunoboost” under the sarcoid on the neck areas only. A second sub-cu injection a few weeks later…solved the problem…no sign of reoccurance in over 2 years… the hair is finally starting to cover the area after applying MTG.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I have battled with a sarcoma for a few years on the inside right leg of my 22 year old gelding .It is gross, bigger than ever, I have used xxtera ointment ($50 a time) tried banding it — this worked ,however another grew soon afterwards,my horse does not seem to be bothered with it or the treatment but I sure hate looking at it.if I saw him favouring that leg I or if he begins to drop weight I will have him put down (can,t bare that thought.) anyone with other ideas I’m all ears.!!!!!!!!!!