New to Sarcoids

[Roadmix3]

I have a few miniature donkeys. I purchased one last fall, she’s only 6 years old. I didn’t notice anything weird about her at that time. Over the winter, and now spring, I’ve noticed she’s developed a really weird bumpy/wart looking growth on her right leg, down closer to the hoof. Upon consulting “Dr. Google”, I’ve found that it seems to closely resemble a Sarcoid tumor. I looked back at a photo I took of her when I first got her, and sure enough there was a very small spot where the now larger growth is.

I will have the vet out for vaccines here soon, and she will definitely receive care for it, but I have a few questions…

If any of the typical treatments are effective for her growth, what are the chances she develops more over her lifetime?

I have other Mini Donkeys, a Horse, and a Mule on my property. I have read that it’s possible for the virus to be spread from animal to animal through flies… Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Personal experience?

Thank you.

[FjordBCRF]

I had a go with a small sarcoid (not officially confirmed) that was on my guys nose. It cropped up after he had a flare of lameness in 2021. It stayed small for quite some time, then got roused up a couple years later.

I ended up trying an at home method to remove it, and it very much worked. 1:1 mix of salt and all purpose flour mixed with enough water to turn it into a paste. I figured it wasn’t going to hurt anything so why not try before trying one of the more of the caustic methods. I applied it every day for a couple weeks and it totally took care of it. My vet was shocked! It has not returned, and no new ones since knock on wood. You would never know where it was today.

So sarcoids result from bovine papilloma virus which is carried by flies. ALl horses are exposed to it, some just seem better fit immune wise to fight it off. We also threw a moderate EPM titer, which is similar in that all horses are exposed to EPM, but some can’t fight it as well as others. AND we also have dealt with fecal water syndrome which is suspected to be similar to leaky gut in humans. My opinion, is these all point to some degree of immune dysfunction. I started my guy on a colostrum supplement after taking one myself for my own immune issues, and so far, knock on wood, I think it’s helping.

[NaturallyHappy]

I’ve cared for two w sarcoids, one in the ear and the other on a cheek. I don’t remember what the vet prescribed ( maybe Aldera?) but both went away and have never come back.

[libgrrl]

I used Xxterra for a big one on my mare’s chest. The hair did not grow back, but neither has the sarcoid, and it has been about 10 years.

[luvmyhackney]

I used toothpaste with fluoride, and my ponies went away. The blemish on his neck was small, dime-sized. The vet didn’t want to touch it, as it wasn’t bothering him and was just a blemish.

[Sdel]

My gelding had them all over the inside of his ears, had almost a dozen small ones on his body, and a couple of large ones (neck and fetlock). We treated just a few of them with Aldara and I supplemented with acupressure specific to sarcoids. All but two of the smaller ones disappeared within a few months.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Ironic. I just started using this too. My mare has a marble sized growth on her upper forelimb. I started the paste on Thursday… but it took me a full day to realise she was eating the paste off her leg as soon as I walked away. Nom nom nom.

I’m mixing the salt with zinc cream now, still 50/50, but much less edible.

[FjordBCRF]

They can never make things easy can they?

[BlueDrifter]

My 6 yo had a dime sized spot on his barrel/rib cage when I bought him. At first I thought it was ringworm, but it wasn’t. Then I thought it must be rain rot or something, but it never went away. Seller didn’t know what it was either. That led me to “sarcoid.”

The location was a difficult one if we were to treat it (irritated by saddle). So before we went down the chemo-drug path she suggested Panalog, just to make sure it wasn’t something else and Bingo! After a couple weeks I started to see hair growing through it and in a month or two it was gone.