Cancer diagnosis in horse

[rhymes_with_orange]

Hello all!

We received bad news about one of our horses today. We have decided to forgo treatment as it will not be a cure, but simply prolong her life. She is currently still very bright, alert, and business as usual. Hubby plans to keep using her until she tells us it is time. I am of the opinion that we should consider retiring her. The vet gave us no time frame. Could be 6 months, could be a year, but likely a year at most. This is my first experience with cancer in a horse. I am curious if others continued to use their horse as normal, or if the cancer diagnosis influenced them to retire their horse early.

[chestnutmarebeware]

I’m sorry for her diagnosis! I had a TB who developed colon cancer but he was 31 and already retired and we just kept him comfortable until it was time to say goodbye.

Maybe split the difference by just going for easy walks.

[2DogsFarm]

Sorry for your bad news.
I had one with what might have been a lymphoma & agreed with my vet that treatment was not a good option for this horse.
He only lasted a couple months before I had to have him put down.

I tend to side with your husband.
Horse will let you know when her comfort is being compromised.
Until then, if she were mine, I’d use as usual & decide when & how to step down as the disease progresses.

[lenapesadie]

I’m so sorry

[nu5ha]

Thats awful news, my BO has a mare that was been diagnosed with cancer in November last year, she is 17 and It was supposed to be her last competition season and you wouldn’t guess she was 17 at all. He decided to retire her from any competition but keep her going by trail riding her lightly so far she’s bee good, enjoying life still. I also believe horses will let you know when its too much for them and when its time we just have to be able to read them.
Hope she still has many months of quality life.

[rhymes_with_orange]

@lenapesadie

I’m so sorry

Thank you. This has been a trying time for both of us. We are struggling to keep our business floating, and today this news came.

[lenapesadie]

@rhymes_with_orange

Thank you. This has been a trying time for both of us. We are struggling to keep our business floating, and today this news came.

Sending jingles for you and yours

[RaeHughes]

I lost my mare to kidney cancer 3 or so years ago now.

Bright eyed beautiful glossy coat walking coat-rack. Not eating all the food put out in front of her.
I stopped riding her when she started to lag on rides rather than lead from the front.

Went to our Massey University Equine hospital for an investigation as the only thing she was showing was spikes in her selenium levels - from 1600 to 2000 to 2500 over a 2 week period with no selenium being administered.

On that day - she was the 1st horse to be into their then-brand-new facility. She was the 1st horse admitted by 2 4th year students. She was the 1st horse sedated by a 4th year student. She was the 1st horse sonagraphed in that facility. She was the 1st horse euthanaised by a 5th year student.

[chai]

RaeHughes, I am very sorry about your mare. It is hard to know why these things happen. We lost our burro, Barnaby, to lymphoma when he was 21. He was weaned to us as a baby and spent his entire life thinking he was one of our kids, We always thought he’d live to be 50 and we joked with our kids about which one would get him in the will because we were sure he would outlive mr. chai and me. Sadly, that was not the case.

My Shire was diagnosed with sheath tumors when he was around 14 and although I looked like the queen of all pervs, I checked his sheath constantly to monitor any growth, and I had a wonderful veterinarian who kept an eye on things. In 10 years, they grew but never metasticized or caused him any issues, so OP, I will hope that your horse will enjoy many more years before it’s time.

[Arelle]

I have a Medicine Hat paint who came to me at 18 with undisclosed squamous cell carcinoma.

She’s had two foals since then (2017 & 2018), had her eye removed last summer due to a tumor. The tumors on her face and vulva have both been lasered off twice, but keep coming back with a vengeance.

She’s now 22 and still fat, shiny, and queen of the herd though… so while I stopped breeding her for fear of what I can’t see inside, with my luck she’ll live until she’s in her 30s with no problems.

[RaeHughes]

@chai

RaeHughes, I am very sorry about your mare. It is hard to know why these things happen. We lost our burro, Barnaby, to lymphoma when he was 21. He was weaned to us as a baby and spent his entire life thinking he was one of our kids, We always thought he’d live to be 50 and we joked with our kids about which one would get him in the will because we were sure he would outlive mr. chai and me. Sadly, that was not the case.

My Shire was diagnosed with sheath tumors when he was around 14 and although I looked like the queen of all pervs, I checked his sheath constantly to monitor any growth, and I had a wonderful veterinarian who kept an eye on things. In 10 years, they grew but never metasticized or caused him any issues, so OP, I will hope that your horse will enjoy many more years before it’s time.

Thanks - it was a very strange/unexpected diagnosis - but she is now part of an international study of kidney cancer in horses. Our old grey was diagnosed with peri-anal tumours at 14 years old and made it to 31 years old. It was just old age that got him in the end.
What the vets think is that cancers in greys are not as invasive as they are in other horses.