@Paint_Party that is devastating, I am so sorry. I figured that area might be too complex for a thorough removal of a tumor. I didn’t get a great look at hers – it seems to be growing more from the side than on the anus itself, but hard to tell. When we bring her in to the clinic, my fingers will be crossed that they won’t notice any internal growths on palpation.
@candyappy thank you. Who knows about odds…but can’t easily say no to a free horse that needs a good, understanding home. We can try and manage her condition, start her in training, and take it from there.
I completely understand why most would turn away, though.
Now my mom and I will both be impatiently waiting for the day the vets can look at her and give us more of an idea of what we are dealing with.
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Bless you for taking her in. I can see why you want her. What a sweet face!
It may be some time before the external melanomas become a problem.
You may want to read the thread in Horse Care on Oncept. It spans a good length of time but it may help you decide after talking with your vet about what kind of treatment and when.
I’ve heard you can give a horse Tagamet or rantinidine; it is supposed to slow the growth of melanomas. I don’t know if this is still a thing or not . Other COTHers may be able to chime in and give their experiences as to whether this is efficacious or not.
I would say that you could go ahead and work with her as far as training goes, of course after you get approval from you vet.
It doesn’t appear that this melanoma is interfering with her ability to pass manure.
But again, you won’t know what is going on internally until you get her examined
I wish you the best and I hope that you will keep posting and let us know how she is doing.
Good luck .
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Bless you. I think that this is the most uplifting post I’ve read on Coth in some time.
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Aw @ratchet - you truly are a good egg. I wish you and all your equines the best.
I’m reading this thread with a pit in my stomach… I also took on a giveaway grey mare (about 12ish) two years ago, just to give her a soft landing. (Those of you who remember Kim Horan aka Sannois — Kim talked me into taking her on just a couple of months before she (Kim) passed away…. I feel a funny connection to Kim through this mare). Nim has become just an amazing little horse; so much more than I ever expected. She already had pretty huge melanomas on her dock and around her anus; they haven’t grown much (knock on wood), but I did have to get a fairly fast growing one removed from her neck. I think the writing is on the wall… I’m trying to look at it as if I don’t expect her to have a full lifespan, and every day with her is a gift. She was supposed to be euthanized before I got her, so I guess every day really is a gift for both of us. Here’s to our heartbreakingly beautiful horses…
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The answer should have been “NO!” but my horse was a CraigsList pity buy and I really didn’t know what I was getting into.
He was 3 when I bought him and had a melanoma in almost the exact location as the one on this mare. I did have it removed - vet did it standing and it did not come back. That was 12 years ago. He has been fine ever since.
It is my horse who is the subject of the long running Oncept thread:
I can tell you that if you have taken her on, have the worst of the melanomas removed, and she has a successful trial with Oncept - you will probably be able to treat her like a normal horse for a long time. My attending vet at Ohio State says they have a 50/50 chance of an effective response to Oncept. It’s expensive but well worth the money if it works for the horse. My guy is retired now because I believe the ocular melanoma has finally started affecting his eyesight - but I rode and showed him for 5 years after he was treated with Oncept. So it’s not hopeless.
Bless you for taking her on. Somehow they find us, right?
PS: I wouldn’t bother with the cimetidine. Very weak results reported in one study. Save your money and give Oncept a try.
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@oldernewbie I just read that entire thread. I was so thrilled with every update on your guy. I’m happy to hear he is still with you and has had a pretty standard horsey life with you and your family, aside from some dermatological quandaries here and there.
Rani’s tumors are large for her age, which I’ve read is a strike against her, but we’ve decided to take her on so what will be, will be. oldernewbie’s story has given me more hope.
After her initial vet examination, the plan is to discuss Oncept as part of the gameplan. Also hoping that the bum growth can be removed – it’s actually more on the butt cheek than near the anus, but who knows how deep it is. I will try to get better pics when I can.
@fargaloo1 heartbreakingly beautiful indeed. Your girl is lovely, and I truly wish you both the warmest best. Thank you both for sharing your positive stories.
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I have a 38 year old large pony with melanomas. I’ve had him for 15 years. The ones we can see haven’t changed much in that time frame. He is such a fabulous pony, I would hate to have missed out on these 15 years just because he was a grey and he had existing melanomas. All that said, the ones in the OP’s photo would probably have me treading lightly on buying.
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Well “Rani” (Hindu/Sanskrit for “singing” or “queen”) took a four hour trailer ride through mountainous roads and summer traffic with superior aplomb today. She was exceptionally well-behaved and easy every step of the way, and is now decompressing in a nice private paddock with fresh water and hay at the equine hospital. Vet did a cursory physical exam, seen here:
The hospital will evaluate her tumors and search for more, as well as do her teeth and get her updated on vaccines. Farrier will happen a bit later, likely once she is at the barn. Her first exams and consult with the surgeon are tomorrow morning and I will be present.
She is a lovely, sensible mare.
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A stellar disposition is … priceless. 
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I have “seen” this, a horse who needs HELP for various reasons “sends out” to the Universe a message asking for HELP. Then the horse waits.
Then, sometimes, a suitable person appears. The horse is content, her message has been heard and the Universe sent you to help this gorgeous mare.
Welcome to the club of all of us crazy people who have a definite soft spot for Arab mares. Other, lesser horses, have to meet all the picky criteria, but the sheer beauty, majesty, and beautiful soul of the Arabian mare really screws up human logic centers.
It is a glorious insanity. However long she survives she will probably see you as her “savior”, and this can be a very rewarding relationship for both human and horse. She asked the Universe for you (or rather someone like you), you heard the call, you answered the call, and now she is HOME (once she leaves the vet hospital.)
Enjoy this.
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This is true. I have been asked for help by horses and not been in a position to intervene. Two of them later died, from long term issues. It still haunts me, I have no idea if that would have been reversible. I knew they were asking for help, though they weren’t in a terrible living situation. These two were both mares. I feel like mares ask me more often.
I can’t explain rationally how I knew they were asking for help. Well, I can describe how they approached me, etc. But it’s more a feeling. They offer to put themselves in your hands.
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One of the ways I rate a stable, if it has any Arabians, is if the Arabian comes up to me and “asks” me to save him (so far it has been geldings.)
If I do not save them then the next time I see the horse it is sort of “what good are you” as the horse scowls at me and does not want to have anything to do with me.
But GOOD stables’ Arabian horses just ignore me, they are polite and nice if I get to meet them, but they are not trying to get me to take them AWAY (from stables where they are well fed, the water is cleaned daily and the horse looks like it is bursting with good health.)
When I found my riding lesson stable she had around 6 pure Arabs there, including the marvelous gelding she put me up on. As we were driving home my husband looked at me “Do we have to save him?” and I said no, the gelding was perfectly happy at that stable.
That gelding’s regular rider had gotten her own horse. This Arab gelding did not suffer fools gladly, and if a rider was not prepared to take extra tender care of his mouth that rider was a FOOL!!! (and he would bolt.) But he was perfectly happy living at Debbie’s stable.
I do think he had sent out a request to the Universe for a suitable lesson rider and I showed up. Debbie was going to put me on a 30+ yr. old blind Appy mare, her go to horse for doubtful riders. After talking to me she put me up on the Arab gelding, he was happy, took very good care of me, and I was ecstatic, I had never ridden such a GOOD horse, one of those you get on–“where to, how fast, got it” and the horse gets down to the job willingly.
All he wanted was a rider who would treat his tender mouth with consideration, even in an emergency. The type of horse that if your life depended on getting out of an area, well that horse would get you out of there, just hang on and don’t hurt the horse. So long as my contact was gentle and consistent he forgave me my horrible balance, weakness, lack of a proprioceptive sense, and in-coordination. That gelding took care of me.
Later that gelding decided he wanted to go back to the barn where he was born (he wanted to be Debbie’s personal horse but she was too busy then.) Lo an behold around a year later his breeder had tracked him down to Debbie’s stable and offered to take him back. He got to go HOME.
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You know, when I first met her she put her head on my chest and held it there quietly while I stroked her ears. I was so touched, as I’ve never had a new to me horse do this before. Maybe she just knew.
Yesterday she put her head in the halter for me.
Today was a big day for Rani. The large tumor was removed via laser and I got to watch! It’s an open wound but should heal uneventfully. She has a lump on her head that the surgeon says is another melanoma — this is inoperable and we will try the Oncept on it. He wasn’t too concerned with it, but we definitely do not want it to grow any more, so here’s hoping the vaccine will help.
She has a few other lumps — shoulder, neck, and one on her dock that will be removed in the winter.
Had her teeth done too. Massive vampire fang hooks, they couldn’t even file them completely down today, so that will be finished when she comes back in December for the smaller tumors. No ulcers.
No masses felt internally, and as soon as the bum heals up enough we got the clear to start her under saddle. She is staying at the hospital until next week for coggins, vaccines, and keeping an eye on the surgical site. She is in great shape otherwise and everyone was impressed with her attitude.
GRAPHIC pics below, be warned.
Head tumor (behind the hollow):
Bum tumor before:
During:
Teeth, including blurry pic of one of the points:
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Thanks for sharing this story, OP. I wish all the best for you and your new mare. I’m an Arab lover, too and also have a grey with melanomas, so this is close to my heart. Keeping you and Rani in my thoughts 
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Jackie_Cochran, that is an incredibly beautiful and eloquent post. And an insightful one.
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See, she KNEW you would take care of her and try to fix her problems.
Arabians KNOW people, they actually like most people (except cruel, harsh braggarts), they can have a goal in their minds, and they wait for you to appear.
I was raised to keep silent on horseback. But when I started riding Debbie’s Russian Arab gelding she told me that one thing he did.not.like was people talking while up on his back.
That wouldn’t do for me. My riding teacher was not educated in Forward Seat Theory and I often expounded on what I was doing and why I was doing it this way. My riding teacher was already GOOD but was not familiar with how the Forward Seat system of schooling and riding and schooling Forward Seat is different from modern hunt seat show riding.
So I asked Debbie’s permission, and I started telling the gelding out loud what I was asking for, why I was asking for it in this particular way, what I hoped his response would be, what the ideal response could be, all backed up by theory from Vladimir Littauer’s “Common Sense Horsemanship” and other Forward Seat authors.
This gelding was fascinated. He never misbehaved when I explained SERIOUS stuff to him, he was just sick and tired of inane giggling jabber. Riding theory however, well that was just fascinating to him.
He got to the point that one time as I was describing to Debbie how I was going to use my hand and leg aids to ask the horse to do something new, he did the movement while I was describing the whole deal to her, turn in place, pick up the appropriate hoof and put it down in the right place, and I was holding the reins on the buckle and I had my legs OFF of him on purpose. He did not wait for me to tell him “now Glow, this is what I want.” He just went ahead and did it without any overt aids, and then stood there with a smug look on his pretty face (“hee hee, you thought I did not understand you at all when you speak.”)
Talk to your mare. Tell her what is going to happen. Before you start training her sit down and give her a description of exactly you are going to do and why. Then repeat the explanation WHILE you are giving the aids.
Arabs can learn to understand English. They can learn to understand Equestrian English. Arabian horses are smart (of course some are smarter than others), which means that you can end up with an equine genius who is willing to work WITH you since you explained everything to them.
Just understand that you are HER HUMAN. She “owns” you, not the other way around. She called, you came, good girl.
You are going to have all sorts of fun to make up for all your valid worries. At least I have had lots of fun with Arabians. They can be SPECIAL and they know they are.
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I am crossing my fingers and toes that this is all gonna work out. She is a beautiful mare, seems kind and sensible, and I think you will have a truly nice horse after she heals.
If the vet wants to talk to someone about Oncept, have him/her call Dr. Teresa Burns at Ohio State. While Mr Ay-rab was patient #1, she has overseen about 50 (I think) Oncept horses now. She’s a great person and super helpful.
https://vet.osu.edu/burns-teresa
Big hugs to you and Rani and keep us posted!
PS Those teeth were actually more horrifying to me than the melanoma!
PSS: Just for fun, patient #1:
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@Jackie_Cochran I’m not familiar with those authors, or Forward Seat theory. I will definitely check them out. I have a tendency to talk to my mount while riding (my coach says it’s not technically allowed during tests, so I try to keep it down haha 
), but I constantly talk to all of our companion creatures regardless. I’m not surprised to hear that your Arab partner was able to demonstrate that he understood you so clearly. Rani was already sedated and being led into surgery when I got there, but I will try to narrate things more with her going forward.
Rani and the circumstances around her, including knowing the friend and trainer who helped me haul her yesterday, are products of a long and interesting set of falling dominos that I can only now recognize in retrospect.
We have three Arabians at home already, all retired now. It wasn’t really by design. I mean, I adore the breed, but they all sorta, showed up when they needed us. And happened to be Arabs. My mom’s mare, the first of our herd, is the only one we went and bought and got the PPE and all of that after seeing her ad, like what normally happens. Even she had an old wither injury sustained as a foal that has limited her, but to be honest we did not realize that until much later while some lameness was investigated.
I think Rani could’ve been any other breed on the planet and I still would’ve done this. But, again, another Arab joins our family. I think you are on to something, though. And after almost 15 years with Arabians (I am a new re-rider due to a lot of circumstances but have considerable experience with horses on the ground), I will say that they are definitely special.
Please keep the conversation going, I love reading your replies!
@oldernewbie so we are on the West Coast and were thinking of asking the small vet school at the university here, or UCLA or UC Davis. The docs at the hospital she is at currently were not incredibly helpful, but did say if we could source the vaccine and equipment and the other side was willing to work with them, it was a go. I will have our doc call Dr. Burns ASAP, thank you a ton for that info!! Heck, I might even reach out to her myself. Maybe she has connections out here.
I love Mr. Ay-rab, what a wonderful looking boy. The fangs were definitely shocking and among the worst the vet had seen. Miraculously her cheeks were ok, save for an old small scar.
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