Grey Horse Melanomas

Disentangling Symptoms

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:49:36 -0400

I had the vet out last week on a hunch to give Katie a lameness check. She has never limped, but has been showing a stiff-legged gait for a few years now.

Once the swelling in her mammary gland disappeared, following treatment for Onchocerciasis, I started to think that perhaps I am letting the melanoma lead me astray as to the cause of Katie’s occasional depression and reluctance to move.

There is no swelling, or obvious indication of problems, but the vet concluded that she has early onset and mild arthritis. He prescribed an injectable form of hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin, which is marketed under the name ‘polyglycan’. After her first injection, there was already a remarkable change in Katie. She is running up and down the hills, and looks much more attentive and bright.

We will be administering 50ml 2x/week for 4 weeks (at a cot of about $400), then 50ml 1-2x/month thereafter. The cost is well worth seeing her so happy.

I believe this to be a cautionary tale to others battling melanomas. It is possible to have concurrent health issues, so don’t rule out conditions external to the spread of melanomas.

Onchocerciasis? Really? What’s next???

Sat, 22 May 2010 12:56:34 -0400

The good news: the swelling over Katie’s mammary glad has significantly decreased.
The bad news: she now has lumps all over her underbelly. The vet says it’s onchocerciasis.

So, one more disease I get to learn about first-hand. And this one, though curable, is pretty disgusting.

Here’s what I found:
Onchocerciasis (Ventral Midline dermatitis) is a skin disease caused by a hair-like worm called Onchocerca cervicalis. The adult worm lives in connective tissue of the horse's neck. The majority of horses in the United States are infected, but a few develop a dermatitis. It is believed that the skin response is due to an allergic reactionn to the dying microfilaria (prelarvae stage of worms released by female worm into the bloodstream).
The filaria migrate under the skin and settle primarily on the midline of the abdomen from the chest to the groin, especially around the umbilicus. Other sites are the withers, face, eyelids, and legs. At these sites the parasites produce an itchy skin disorder with redness, moist shallow sores, crusting and scaling, and patchy hair loss. Spots up to 10 inches in diameter can develop. Scarring and loss of skin pigmentation may also develop.
These open sores attract Culicoides gnats and other flying insects. Gnats feeding on the open sores pick up filaria and introduce them to a new host. Biting flies and other insects aggravate the skin disorder and create pyoderma.
Treatment of Onchocerciasis
Ivermectin paste is completely effective in ridding the horse of filaria within 2 to 3 weeks. Minor reactions can occur with the use. Veterinary supervision is advised.
Adult worms are not affected by deworming agents and therefore serve as a reservoir for recurring infection. To keep the skin free of disease, ivermectin must be repeated at 4-month intervals. A deworming program incorporating ivermectin will effectively control the onchocerciasis.
NOTE:The filaria are capable of penetrating the eye and producing uveitis, a leading cause of blindness in horses.
I gave all the horses a dose of Ivermectin, and will repeat in two weeks, per my vet’s suggestion. I also gave Katie some Banamine to help reduce the swelling and minimize any pain she might be feeling. Now that the swelling has subsided over her mammary gland, I am a bit encouraged at the shrunken and stabilized size of the nodular melanoma (see photo).

Worried

Thu, 13 May 2010 10:33:51 -0400

Yesterday, the vet came to immunize all the horses. I had her check Katie’s melanoma, and she pointed out to me that, although the nodular growth on her udder has shrunk a bit, there is a swelling in the mammary itself that appears to be attached to the growth, and this seems to have grown. It also is seeping a yellow liquid.

Obviously, this melanoma is invasive and certainly explains Katie’s discomfort and stiff-legged gait. The vet discussed de-bulking the mass, but she would do it ‘in the field’, which concerns me. I have sent her an email to see if she will refer me to the UGA Veterinary Hospital.

I am so very worried that I am going to lose Katie. I have been praying for many more happy years together (riding or not), and hoping that all my efforts have bought her more time. I fear that surgery will reveal more extensive growth, or that the growth will become more rapid as a result.

I may put her back on Cimetidine, as much as I hate to do it. I just want to give her every possible opportunity for a pain-free, long life. For now, I’m trying to process this information and develop a plan.

Stopped Cimetidine

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:25:15 -0400

My experience with Cimetidine is that there is a 90 day window at the end of which Katie begins to display sluggishness and discomfort. Because the shrinkage of the tumors has leveled off, and because I intend to use the herbals indefinitely, I have stopped Cimetidine treatment. This time, treatment continued for 8-1/2 weeks (since February 23rd).

I continue Nublada’s Cure and my own herbal mixture

Herbals

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:43:03 -0400

I have made an herbal mixture of the following human-grade, organic herbs and have been feeding this to her along with the Nublada’s Cure and Cimetidine. I will stop the Cimetidine at the end of 90 days, since that has always been the length of time the Cimetidine reached full effectiveness. I do not like to keep her on Cimetidine long-term because of the side effects on the liver.

Mix equal amounts of the following ingredients, and feed 1T 2x/day with feed.

Milk Thistle Powder - liver detox - do not feed along with steroids or other strong prescription drugs
Burdock Root Powder - detoxifies the bloodstream
Dandelion Root Powder - purifies blood & liver, maximizes the performance of the kidneys, pancreas, spleen and stomach
Fenugreek Seed Powder - improves glucose tolerance, lowers blood glucose levels, lymphatic tonic and stimulates digestion
Astragalus Root Powder - used for immune enhancement

Cansema Tonic

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:47:04 -0400

After reading about the apparent success of the Cansema tonic treatment that Marion L has been experiencing, I am going to see if I can order some for Katie. I had used the Cansema ‘black salve’ on Katie a couple years ago, but it was very caustic, and the discomfort it caused was not worth any advantage it may have had.

Marion’s vet told her that Cimetidine works best on active melanomas, and that appears to have been my experience, as well. Since I am reluctant to mix too many medications, I will probably have to make a decision to either continue the Cimetidine and herbs for at least 60 days, in order to make a fair assessment of its continued effectiveness, or just quit those entirely and switch to Cansema tonic.

I did a Google search for Cansema tonic, and what came up was ‘Amazon’ Tonic III. I have emailed Marion to see if this is the product she is using.

Shrinking?

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:53:26 -0400

I am noticing shrinking of the melanoma on Katie’s right udder. Not as quickly as I would have liked, but some. The best news of all is that she appears to be feeling very well. She is now getting 2000mg of Cimetidine AM & PM, grape seed extract, burdock root, dandelion root, red clover, MSM, and Astragalus powder daily.

Follow Up On Anna in Australia

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:56:03 -0500

Hi Sue
Just writing to give an update on Anna.

We had not heard anything about the Ecobiotic trial so decided to start the Cansema Tonic III treatment. We started the Cansema tonic on Feb 20th giving 4mls twice daily for two days and on the third day increasing to 4ml doses three times daily (7.00am, 4.00pm and 11.00pm) This is twice the recommended human dose. We have some exciting news, the pea sized lump near her tail has gone and the parotid lump has reduced by about ¼ in size.
I have attached photos with dates for you to compare. I was very nervous giving her the tonic and kept a close eye on it as it has some normally toxic plants in it. To be truthful, I didn’t sleep well for the first night thinking she might have a reaction to it and thinking I would have to fess up to my regular vet what I had given her. Everything the supplier said has happened, he said the small lump would probably go and the main lump reduce and that is what has happened. Jim who supplied the tonic rang the Alpha labs to see if it had been used on horses and specifically Melanomas. They also said it will hopefully prevent more appearing. (time will tell) She will continue the course which goes for 40 days so fingers crossed we will get more reduction in size. Anna has had no ill effects and seems to have put on weight and her appetite has improved. She completed a one day event and performed well apart from losing her rider on the cross country phase and going from 1st place to elimination in one swoop. Her performance seems to be the same and she takes the tonic without fuss even though it is very bitter.

I am going to have some bloods done to check liver and kidney function so will let you know that they are in normal ranges.
I have asked the vet to prescribe Cimetidine but had a similar reaction to Melissa’s (email) saying it is expensive with mixed results and that it seems to work best in active tumours. I haven’t given her any as yet as wanted to try the Cansema first. I haven’t used the Cansema salve as I the mass is so big and has so many nerves and blood vessels around it I was scared of infection. I have been slack about getting her the immune tonic. (the homeopath has been away) but I am getting onto that this weekend. In a way I am glad she has just been on the Cansema as otherwise I would be wondering what she was responding to.

I have attached some photos that I have taken, The second photo is when we started the Cansema treatment.

My naturopath has ordered some frankincense oil for her as well. Have you noticed Katie responding to that Sue ?

Sorry to hear Katie has had a little set back during her endurance ride, I hope she is improving now.

Regards Marion

Anna’s Progress - Part 3

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 20:42:12 -0500

Anna’s throatlatch after 2-3 weeks of Cansema tonic treatment.

Nublada’s Cure

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I started Katie on Nublada’s Cure again today. This is an herbal blend in powder form that is fed twice a day for 20 days, then 5 days off. I believe I will maintain this regimen indefinitely. I am going to cut back the other herbs because I am concerned about interactions. Katie seems to like the taste, which is a plus.