Equine Sarcoids
What are they?
- • Considered to be a locally invasive cancerous condition
- • Thought to be caused by the bovine wart virus
- • It also seems that some horses are more susceptible than others
- • Usually affected horses are > 4yrs old
- • Spontaneous or can occur at sites of previous trauma
- • Found anywhere on the body but especially the head, ears and legs
- • Often affected horses have multiple lesions
Classifications
- • Nodular: firm, round, circular nodules
- • Fibroblastic: looks like proud flesh
- • Verrucous: wart like
- • Occult/flat: flat, circular, thick skinned lesions
- • Malevolent: locally invasive with multiple nodules
- • Mixed
Diagnosis
- • Biopsy: some become more aggressive after the biopsy so this is often not done
- • Response to treatment
Treatment
- • Monitor: no treatment necessary for some especially occult and verrucous
- • Surgical debulking then cryotherapy
- • Application of sarcoid cream
- • Recurrence is a common problem
