This is an example of why we wish the veterinary community would pay a little more attention to some of the alternative, science-backed therapies that are available for horses with sarcoidosis and consider utilizing them as adjunct therapies to potentially reduce recovery time and improve surgical outcomes.
WARNING: Graphic images.
April 2021. This horse has sarcoids that extend down his chest, between his front legs and onto his belly. They extended across roughly 24" of his body. Surgery was scheduled for May 2021.
May 2021. Surgery was performed as planned but there was not enough skin to close the belly so it was left open. I am going to assume that the veterinarian provided antibiotics, antiseptics, packing material, bandages and any topicals that would be needed to keep this area clean and infection free while the process of granulation took place. This type of wound requires a huge time commitment on the part of the owner so kudos to her for keeping this guy healthy against some pretty significant odds.
Obviously this is not ideal and is not the outcome veterinarians are looking for when they operate on a horse.
August 2021. By now you can see that sarcoids have erupted all along the surgical site and have essentially filled the “hole” on the stomach.
Surgery is expensive so to see the horse go through so much only to have the sarcoids come roaring back is disheartening, to say the least. But this is an all too common story.
November 2021. In November you can see that the sarcoids are now spreading and growing on top of one another to create an even larger mass along the surgical site.
The owner started “vaccine surgery” with cisplatin and Imiquimod, a topical chemo-ointment that burns the sarcoids off the skin.
February 2022. By February we see a lot of flaky white matter along the scar and in the haircoat, which shows the activity of the therapies the horse is under-going. You can also see a tiny sarcoid nodule in the upper right quadrant of the picture, which indicates that the horse has sarcoidosis cells elsewhere in his body. The owner reported that these sarcoids were not going away and the chemo cream was making her horse uncomfortable and sick. She stopped those treatments and began using the Boosted Spirulina Chia Formula.
July 2022. After four months of using the StableFeed product we see that the surgical site is significantly more flat and the sarcoids are largely gone, including those that filled the “hole” on the stomach. We continue to have flaking and clearing of dead sarcoid cells along the suture line but the horse should be completely comfortable.
September 2022. Two months later we are starting to see the appearance of healthy pink skin at the scarline. Clearing of dead sarcoid cells continues and will continue for a while. The body just needs time to slough them off.
November 2023. Nap time is an opportune time to take a peek under the belly of this horse. He’s clear and hair has grown in to hide the lengthy scar from his sarcoid surgery. Because of his predisposition to getting sarcoids, we recommend that this horse stay on the regular formula of the Spirulina Chia, at least during the summer months when flies are out and the virus appears to be more active.
*This is a personal blog. Any information herein is not to be construed as medical advice.
