It will take more then a week to see any big changes, be patient. You should be able to ride the horse lightly during the treatments if it seems comfortable and free of any post treatment side effects…and if there was going to be a negative reaction, you would have seen it already.
Good luck.
Hello Katharina,
Every horse reacts to the vaccine differently. You may not see big changes but if the melanomas stop growing that is a success too. It is also a success if she does not get any new ones. So yes, as findeight said, be patient.
I have ridden my horse normally throughout his treatment and competed at horse shows with him. I have not changed his routine at all. He has been fine.
Please let us know how she is doing through the treatment.
(Your English is just fine, I understood everything 
)
Best wishes from me and Mr Ay-rab!
Hello!
Sorry I didn’t answer the last few weeks, I was busy with my job etc…
We are driving to Vienna tomorrow for the 4th injection. The melanomas did not get any bigger or smaller, they stay the same. I think this is positive.
My horse is doing fine and there were never any side effects after the injections.
The question is now how we should go on after tomorrow’s 4th injection? What do you think when should she get the next injection?
You wrote in one of your previous post that your horse got it after 3 months and then after 6 month I think?
I will discuss it with my doc tomorrow but I think there is no question that she have to get the injections her whole life…
Kind regards
Katharina
Hi Katharina,
The schedule we used was an injection every 3 months for the next year. So if your horse has her 4th injection tomorrow, she would have an injection in March 2017, June 2017, September 2017, and December 2017. And then, if everything is going OK, the schedule goes to every 6 months. So June 2018 and every 6 months afterwards.
I had a couple of injections that were every 4 months instead of 6 months, but he is doing well now with 6 month intervals.
I would verify the schedule with Merial - I don’t know what the current treatment plan recommendations are.
Yes, I plan to have my horse on Oncept for a long time. There may research in the future that changes my plans, but I am very happy with his condition now. We don’t fix what is not broken!
Good luck and keep us posted.
Fröhliche Weihnachten!
Hi! I’ve lurked over the last several years rather than login and apparently COTH nuked my account Question for oldernewbie or anyone else with info. I have two grey horses, a 19 yr old TB gelding and a 21 year old BWP mare. Both have had one melanoma of their tails for a long time, but in last four months both have started growing multiple small lumps on their tails. My mare’s seems to be slow growing, but my gelding has rapidly acquired new lumps in his sheath and mouth over the last two months and last two weeks respectively.
My gelding is also losing weight and muscle at an alarming rate since late December. A little at first, but now it’s really going. He’s fine otherwise- still happy if quieter and still seeming enthused about work. My vet and I talked about the vaccine in late January when he came to look at my gelding’s sheath and the newly discovered lump there, but he said I could only get it at UF and it’s at least $1800 up front. A few years ago, no problem, but after my cancer and my daughter’s 18 month illness, I sold my truck and trailer to help pay medical bills so hauling is an issue (except in an emergency- have that covered) and there’s just no way I can swing that amount upfront, even on a credit card, let alone for two horses, no matter how much I love them. I could, however, swing it over time, I think, even for both, if I could pay my vet as we go.
In February, I found this thread and asked my vet to talk to his Merial rep, which took a couple of weeks. The rep said, no, he would have to be a vet oncologist to get the Oncept for off-label use in horses. My vet was out yesterday to check on my gelding’s weight loss and do spring vaccines. Supposedly his rep is still checking up the food chain and he promised to contact the rep again this week. He’s wondering if availability is a regional thing- like he can’t have it because we are in FL and can go to UF.
Can anyone provide me with a name and contact info of a regular vet who has actually received the Oncept to treat horses with? Based on history, exam, and bloodwork, the fact that my gelding’s teeth are reasonable for his age, his fecal check negative, that he’s been wormed for tapes anyway, we’re suspecting he maybe growing tumors internally, but we are going to continue to try and increase his weight until we know no amount/type of feed/forage is going to help. I suspect he’s not a good candidate anymore, but I still want to know about it and still need to do my mare, either way.
My only other experience with melanoma was a sweet twenty-two year old TB mare I owned years ago, but she was covered in masses when I bought her at an estate sale and did not die from the melanoma, but from a bad foot/leg injury. She was always fat and healthy. Obviously, all of hers stayed local in the skin. Eventually, it would have threatened to close off her anus, I’m sure, or impinged on her swallowing, but there was way to much to cut off and no treatment for it back then. The availability of Oncept is amazing, but I need it to be financially viable for me. And no, I don’t need grief over ‘shouldn’t own the horse if you can’t care for it’. Obviously I own older horses - they are both sound and working at second level dressage and jumping and I have cared for them. I’ve had my mare all 21 years of her life. Life happens.
Can someone please, please help me with contact info for regular vets using Oncept for horses (need a lot more than a dog does on the sly, lol- believe me, I’ve considered it!) so that I can call Merial myself and also provide it to my vet so he can work on access from his end?
We have made the decision not to try the Oncept on a 20 year old with large perianal masses. He is in perfect health and we are using cryotherapy when a tumor ulcerated. My vet advises that the ulceration occurs when the tumor out grows its blood supply. The cryotherapy is very conservative, but it does seem to stimulate the immune system, at least in this horse. So, we are watching and waiting and it’s business as usual. The 20-year-old is in work and showing fourth level
the Oncept is not financially feasible for this
Sorry, the Oncept vaccine is not financially feasible for this owner. I would check with your vet regarding the rapid weight loss. I think that is a game changer.
Never apologize for not being able to afford a still new, expensive treatment not universally available and not proven to work on every recipient to treat a senior horse. Or even for being able to afford it but choosing to apply the funds elsewhere. Treat them well but nobody should be expecting you to refinance your house, raid your retirement or run up credit card debt it will take years to pay off. No guilt is appropriate here.
I got conflicting information from the Merial reps as well. I don’t know how they got to be the gatekeepers in this situation, especially since they tell different vets different things.<<<eye roll >>> I was told a year ago that Merial had loosened their requirements so that any vet who was willing to invest in the injector could administer it. I am pretty sure that Dr. Teresa Burns at OSU is aware of regular vets who are administering Oncept. I am pretty sure that my regular vet looked into it and may be doing it. So maybe your Merial rep is not up on the latest info???
I am taking Mr Ay-rab to OSU next Friday for his injection - send me a private message with your contact info and I will check for you if you’d like.
I’m sorry that your horse is not doing well.
ETA - OSU = Ohio State University
Hello Everyone!
I apologize for not keeping up on my mare’s results. So last summer we did the 4 Oncept injections, and a couple months ago she went for her 6 month injection. The melanomas overall have reduced. They haven’t gotten smaller in length or width since the initial series, however they gradually are flattening over time. I noticed the biggest difference in the initial series of injections. At that time they had been growing and it was noticeable not only by myself.
The treatment is very costly, but in this case I’m pleased I took the gamble.
Her melanomas are pretty large so any reduction is great news for me. The fact they they stopped increasing in size is such a relief!!
We have an 18 / 19 year old (he’s from an auction, not totally sure on his age) with large melanomas on his dock and one in his neck (in muscle tissue). I love that you posted this. When we first heard of Oncept (last year) we considered doing it until we saw the cost. We got a couple comments from people saying “if you love the horse enough, price isn’t an factor.” Which really hurt us.
I’d appreciate any advice you might have on dealing with aging melanoma, and ulcerated melanoma. One on his dock is just starting to show signs of splitting / ulceration with raw / pink skin.
Once again, it was off to OSU this morning for Mr Ay-rab’s visit with his posse at Ohio State. In this case, boring is good, very very good. We are talking about the kind of boring that is everything is stable, no new growths, and no changes in any existing growths. We love this kind of boring!
I did discuss Oncept availability with Dr. Burns. Regular vets are using the vaccine. If I understood her correctly, OSU is one of the organizations that is coordinating getting the vaccine to regular vets. I told her you were in Florida and she said to call her, she will help you find a vet in Florida that can administer Oncept.
Glad to hear other news of success. Dr Burns said their experience shows about 50% of the horses they’ve treated show a response. The unfortunate part is that there is no way to know without trying the vaccine whether the horse’s body will respond or not. Told her I was planning on winning the lottery and funding a study!
Happy Spring everyone from me and Mr Ay-rab!
Our vet says the tumor will ulcerate when it outgrows the blood supply. Then tissue dies, so the cryotherapy is used to remove the dead or necrotic tissue,after about two weeks, a scab forms and then falls off. Treatment can be repeated after several weeks and it often does stimulate the immune system, which, of corse, is a good thing.
While things are healing, we would hose off the area use a large baby wipe to remove any skin debris or black, tarry discharge, then spray with vetrocyn. Doing that every day. I think the the cryotherapy has been a good choice for this horse and more manageable financially for the owner. And the owner does love her horse
Thanks for keeping us updated on Mr. Ay-rab, oldernewbie.
Seriously considering doing Oncept on my 12 year old mare. Can someone give me an idea of cost? Last I heard was $2500/shot, but that was a couple years ago.
TIA
Mine has had garden variety melanomas under the tail since I bought it as a 10 year old in 2000. Look like warts, no bleeding or seeping. At age 21 developed a bump on head, retired for unrelated cause. Bump on head the size of a softball by age 24, few other bumps around the head. Just passed 28th birthday. Slowing down ( duuuh, equivalent of a 100 year old human ) but otherwise healthy and happy. Fat and shiny. Still gets equally antiquated geldings…ahhh…heated up…every spring.
Its not a death sentence so don’t feel like you have to choose a still experimental treatment with an apparent 50/50 success rate so far if that’s a financial hardship. If you have weepy, bleeding melanomas, that’s a little different. But I’d buy a middle aged grey with garden variety melanomas under the tail again, no question. They all come with something.
But I would avoid a very young horse or one with the actively weepy, bloody melanomas, particularly in locations other then under the tail.
If you read back through this discussion, you will see that the prices charged around the country vary widely. Oncept is now available to vets in the field and the prices they charge are all over the place. My horse gets his Oncept at Ohio State and I can tell you that it is NOT $2500 per injection. I think the last trip was about $430, which included a physical ($80). He gets an injection every six months.
My advice - find 2 or 3 vets who are offering it and get a quote from each. If you are close to a vet school, get a quote from them too.
My horse does great on it, it saved his life. Hope it does the same for your horse.
Back to OSU today for Mr Ay-rab’s next Oncept injection. We always provide an educational experience for the vet students… today’s experience was how NOT to unload a horse or it’s always a good idea to unhook the trailer tie before you ask your dear horse to back off the trailer. Fortunately I use a leather halter and he was a good boy and didn’t go more than two steps loose, so I was spared the embarrassment of chasing my horse through the university district.
Yes, it’s Friday the 13th!
Fortunately, that was the most exciting thing that happened. All masses small and stable, all looking good. He got his injection and jumped back on the trailer to go home and join his buddies in the field.
I am so very happy I chose this route to treat his melanomas!
Be careful out there! ::lol:
I am glad he is doing well. I understand about forgetting to unhook the halter before unloading. The Velcro safety trailer ties are a great invention. I have forgotten to unhook my big guy so many times that I recognize the disdainful look he gives me before he uses a particular motion to instantly unfasten the Velcro and untie himself. The safety ties separate leaving a short piece for you to grab. He is so smooth about it that most observers are unaware that I have, once again, forgotten to unhook the trailer tie!
Great news for your gelding, OP. I am at the point where I need to consider the vaccine or some other treatment. I am very aggressive in treating my mare’s melanomas, but they are overpopulating now, in chains. Has anyone had any luck with Oncept for multiple lesions under the tail and around the anus?
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