Brain tumor/melanoma?

[Simkie]

Has anyone dealt with a brain tumor, or suspected brain tumor, particularly a melanoma?

My grey mare has a pretty significant amount of melanoma. Oncept was a disappointment, unfortunately. Recently, I’ve seen a significant change in her demeanor for (from my perspective) no reason. I’m really beginning to wonder if we should consider a brain tumor as the cause, because the way she’s acting is just so very uncharacteristic for her.

I know symptoms with brain tumors are different depending on what area of the brain they’re in, but has anyone seen massive, sudden behavioral changes with one? Were you able to get a positive diagnosis before euthanizing, or was it just presumptive?

Greys sure can be heartbreakers

[4horses]

I clip horses for clients. One grey had large melanomas throughout her body, including a large one on her cheek and a huge one under her tail. I didn’t have the heart to tell the owner that the horse will probably need euthanasia soon. If that is apparent on the outside, what is going on inside the horse? This was an old mare in decent body weight but obviously approaching the end of life.

A friend said her grey horse looks normal but has multiple melanomas inside his mouth and probably elsewhere in his body.

I’m not sure what symptoms your horse is having but if you suspect it is a brain tumor, I would go ahead and euthanize. Most likely there are more tumors internally if you are seeing a bunch of melanomas on the outside. If only they could stay young and healthy forever. It may not be a brain tumor but a melanoma that is causing discomfort somewhere and a change in behavioral is the result.

[Janet]

What does your vet say?

My first pony (almost 60 years ago), a pinto, no melanomas, about 18 years old, died of a brain tumor.

On day she stumbled and fell on the trail, but got back up and seemed OK. The next day she collapsed as I was tightening the girth, and that was when we called the vet, who diagnose a brain tumor. One primary sign was that she leaned her forehead against the stall wall. Then she was standing with her head and neck over the stall door, but unresponsive. I tried to open the door, but her full weight was on it.

There was no other change in behavior or temperament.

[fanfayre]

Yes, sadly, I have.
My screen-namesake, a grey. It will be 13 years tomorrow that I had to put her down because her melanomas had grown into her brain and caused seizures making her go blind and fall down. She was only 15.
She didn’t have behavioral changes (unless you call falling over behavioral), she was always sweet and kind up to the very end.
It was just presumptive (no necropsy performed), BUT 3 years before, she had been scoped to find out why she had grass snot pouring out of her nostrils after grazing for 5 minutes, and the scope revealed tumours growing all around her larynx and up her skull (by the vet who eventually euthanized her). The tumours could be seen all around her throat, in which I called her “necklace”, so it wasn’t a far reach to presume the tumours had grown into her brain case and were pressing on the nerves or part of the brain that dealt with sight and balance.

I’m sorry you’re experiencing this. Big hugs.

[NancyM]

I’ve known two, both bay geldings. One was left too long before euthanasia, due to emotional attachment issues, and it was bad. The other, a horse that I had bred and raised, started with swelling around his eye. His eye was eventually removed in an effort to save him. But to no avail. He fell a few times in the paddock, the owner did the deed before further injury occurred. A sad day for everyone who knew him. Such a kind horse.
Sorry. It isn’t easy, caring for horses.

[SillyHorse]

I’m sorry you’re even having to consider this could be a brain tumor. I know you won’t let her suffer, no matter what.

[Hightale]

Yes, bay TB ex racer. I knew her for about ten years and handled and rode her regularly for a friend.
She had always been interesting behaviourally - she was generally an absolute sweetheart and super forward and brave ride, but would flip into absolute psycho mode seemingly without any external triggers. Literally flipping over, crashing into ditches kind of meltdowns. We did a ridden veteran class at a show one day and in the line up (after being exemplary in the show) she reared and bolted out the ring and across the showground.
We joked she must have a brain tumour!
Vets didn’t find anything of significance but to be fair to them they would always focus on it being pain related and concentrated mostly on lameness exams. She was sound as you like. As these events were random and didn’t occur that often it was just put down as her being a super mareish Thoroughbred.
It turned out that she did have a tumour. The pressure pushed her eyeball out of the socket one day and she was immediately euthanised.
Horrendous.
If you can get a diagnosis I would push for it sooner rather than later.

[oldernewbie]

I am so sorry to read this. I know you’ll do right by her. Big hugs…

[Simkie]

Thanks, all. I really appreciate your feedback and sharing of experiences. It sounds like falling and head pressing are most typical? I definitely have not seen head pressing. There has been some evidence of falling, but this one has a history of falling in her sleep, so tough to say what importance falling now has. She’s clearly too upset to lie down to rest.

At this point, I’m not even sure what we should be considering. Is a bear in the woods freaking her out, or is it a brain tumor? All I know for sure is she’s very seriously changed very suddenly, and none of the other horses seem to be on that same wave length.

The vet suggested we involve a specialist, so that’s set up for next week. We’ve got her on trazodone, which seems to be taking the edge off. This is all just very weird and very unexpected

[oldernewbie]

They can do an MRI of their head if you want to know definitively and don’t mind the $$$$. Maybe the specialist will arrange for someone to do that? I had my gray horse’s head imaged before we started Oncept as he had a very very small growth on his optic nerve - if it had gone up much further that would have been it for him. He had his done at Rood & Riddle 10 years ago - I would imagine the capability is much more widespread now.

In any case, hugs.

[hwake]

I leased a 15yo paint gelding who had an enucleation and eventually was euthanized due to an ocular tumor that metastasized to the brain.
His symptoms were more related to facial motility/atrophy. He quidded and choked on any hay/grass and had to be restricted to soaked pellets. Eventually he lost his blink reflex and was unable to move the ear on the enucleated side, and started showing more neuro signs (trouble with balance and ambulation) and stopped eating.
The only behavioral issue we had was one day a couple months before we euthed. I was checking his blanket and walked around behind him, and he kicked out and nailed me in the leg. This from a horse who had never offered to even lift a foot at a human. Otherwise, he was sweet and inquisitive until the end, and didn’t seem to exhibit any particular discomfort until his balance started to go.
I’m sorry to you and anyone else who has to go through this. Hopefully the trazodone is helping her.