Chia/Spirulina/Manuka for the Treatment of Equine Sarcoids using the NON-boosted formulation of the StableFeed Spirulina Chia
Materials and Methods
Three horses with a total of 10 sarcoids were enrolled in the trial. Two horses were mares, and one was a stallion. The mares were 8 and 8 years old respectively and the stallion was 15 years old. There were 6 sarcoids on the 6 yo mare, two sarcoids on the 8 yo mare and two sarcoids on the 15 yo stallion. The two sarcoids on the stallion had been previously treated with a medicated cream of unknown components while the other 8 sarcoids had never been medically treated. There had been no prior surgical interventions on any of the sarcoids. All of the sarcoids had been present between 4-5 years.
Prior to the initiation of the treatment trial, all of the sarcoids were measured by a licensed veterinarian. Measurements were made along the longest axis of the lesion and along the orthogonal place of the long axis. The two measurements were used to calculate the cross-sectional area of the lesion. The depth of the lesion was not recorded as the subcutaneous extent could not be determined visually. The horses were then fed 2 oz of the trial supplement daily for four months. Otherwise, the horses continued their standard feed regimen. After the four-month trial, the sarcoid lesions were measured again along the same axis as the initial measurements, and the cross-sectional area was again calculated. The percentage change in size of each lesion was then calculated using the equation (A2-A1)/A1x100
Results
After 4 months of treatment, nine of the 10 lesions had decreased in size (with two resolving completely) and one had increased in size. The details of the individual lesions are described in Table 1.
The nine lesions that had decreased in size had an average decrease in cross-sectional area of 68.1%. The one lesion that had increased in size had an increase in cross-sectional area of 3.2%. The overall percentage change in cross-sectional area of all 10 lesions was a decrease of 61%.
Discussion
Equine sarcoids are difficult to control and often progress despite currently available treatments. Although surgery can provide local control, lesions usually recur and can appear anywhere on the horse's body. This study was designed to see if a combination of natural substances that have been shown to modulate the immune system could be used to treat equine sarcoids.
Of the two sarcoids treated, 9 decreased in size and two of those resolved completely over the 4 months of treatment. The overall decrease in size of these nine lesions was 68.1%. The one lesion that increased in size was only 3% larger.
All three components used in the combination treatment studied have been shown to be safe in horses. Horses treated in this manner should therefore experience none of the side effects of current therapies for sarcoids such as chemical burns or surgical morbidity. Horses treated with this combination treatment also have no down time for recovery.
One sarcoid on one horse increased slightly in the cross-sectional area over the course of the study. Interestingly, the other sarcoid on this same horse completely resolved. The sarcoid that increased in size was the second largest lesion studied. Possible explanations for the treatment failure could be an inadequate length of treatment and follow up although it may be that some lesions are resistant to treatment with this combination.
Another possible explanation would be based on anecdotal observations of the sarcoids during the treatment period. Several lesions showed an initial apparent enlargement that was likely due to a subcutaneous component of the lesion that was not appreciated at the initial measurement but became apparent early during the treatment before eventually decreasing in overall size. It may be that the lesion that increased had a larger subcutaneous component that became apparent during treatment that may have also subsequently responded.
Limitations of the study include the small number of horses (including no geldings) and the small overall number of lesions studied. There were also no recurrent lesions after surgery included in the study so no comment can be made whether these would respond similarly. Finally, the length of the study may have been insufficient to fully evaluate all changes that may have occurred.
Conclusions
Ninety percent of sarcoids treated with this combination of natural immune modulating foods decreased in size and twenty percent resolved completely. This combination holds promise as a natural, non-invasive treatment for equine sarcoids.
