Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Horses

Has Symptoms

My pony Strawberry has recently had a lot of discharge and she will start pacing her pen. My grandma isn´t concerned about her, but I am. I don´t think being lonely would be the problem with her pacing, she has my two other horses to keep her company. My grandma doesn´t really get the dentist out there at all, so her teeth are pretty bad, along with the other horses. Do you think that could be the reason why she is pacing her stall all the time? She seems to have had a lot of discomfort lately, and will do anything in my power to try to help her. Do you think you could help me? Thanks

Thank you Dr. King, I hope she is okay too. I will talk to my grandma about it, and hopefully she will get the vet out there as soon as possible.

Has Symptoms

I have been doing quite a bit of research on equine cancer and became increasingly concerned about whether my horse has cancer around his eyes. He is a bald-faced APHA with one blue and one brown eye. We had taken him to professionals at a university near where we live when we first bought him and they ruled out cancer then. Ever since we bought him he has always had some degree of sunburn around his eyes with peeling skin (Not an excessive amount).He has also had discharge of both eyes but not enough to make me worry until now.His eyes have recently been releasing more discharge than usual. Other than that the skin around his eyes has stayed the same since we bought him and took him to the vet. I was wondering if the longer days, since winter is ending and spring is coming, where we live resulting in longer exposture of his eyes to the sun (Making his eyes discharge more) is what is causing it or if we should take him back to the vet for further evaluation. Thank you.

I am happy that he is OK.

Has Symptoms

Hi - My horse has a swollen area near the corner of his eye. My vet is relatively new - he said we could do a biopsy, but I asked if the treatment would be different and he said no. He seems convinced it's a squamous cell carcinoma because it's red and bumpy and there's lots of discharge. He said there were two alternatives, depending on what is found once we have the horse doped up and can do a thorough exam. If it's in the third eyelid, he suggests removing it. If it's just the flesh in the corner of his eye, he'd freeze it. Other people are telling me that I should have a biopsy in case it's not cancer and to find out what kind it is. Another barn mate has a friend whose vet did chemo drops in the eye and cleared it up without any cutting or freezing. I'm going nuts trying to figure out what to do. Any suggestions? What are the odds that it's not cancer? Would a biopsy help to find out what kind? Should I start with chemo drops? I don't know how severe it is. Has been building up with discharge and redness increasing.

Thanks Dr. King. I hope so, too.

Has Symptoms

Our mini mule has had 2 surgical excisions for squamous cell carcinoma on her hoof (frog area) and now above her coronary band onto her leg. She has been treated multiple times with cisplatin beads. We live in Northern Connecticut and are looking for other options, such as Fluorouracil, Bleomycin, mitomycin-C, teletherapy, cox-2 inhibiters, or laser therapy with Nd:YAG or diode. Do you know who would offer any of these treatments in an area which is not located on the other side of the country? We have been using Rhinebeck Equine in Rhinebeck, NY, but I don't think he has anything further to offer her. Thank you for any resources you can provide! Linda Scofield

I bought a black and white paint a year ago. He just turned 12 and I noticed his left eye had this red bump in it. At first I thought his eye was just bloodshot, but it wasn’t going away. I had the Vet come and check him out and I was told he had a Squamas Cell Carcenoma . We tried a Chemo cream in the eye which made it worse. My farrier recommended Nublada from Earth Angels, because it worked for one of her horses. I purchased the Nublada and after 3 months of putting the organic powder in his grain it burst open, drained and is gone. I know I caught it early and happy to say it has not returned. I also bought the Kensington UV fly mask which he wears daily. I am so thrilled that I didn’t have to spend $$$$$ on surgery and the $130.00 I spent on this product plus the $70.00 fly mask is the best thing I ever did for my boy Troy.

Hello, I recently bought a horse at an auction that was in very poor condition. She is a 10yr old paint. She was very thin and her back leg was scraped up and her right eye was pussy and had what i thought was a scab. Feeling sorry for her i bought her, making it my mission to bring her home and nurse her back to health. She has gained weight and the scraped leg has healed and hair has begun to grow back. I thought she was coming along nice. However, her eye has not gotten better even though i have been applying ointment mornings and evenings. I had thought because her leg was scraped that she probably bumped her eye at the same time which was the cause for the scab however, after doing some reseach Im afraid she has squamous cell carcinoma. She has a white face and her eyes are pink so i know she is at higher risk. My question is this, is there something i can do to heal her eye myself? If i must get a Veterinarian to perform a procedure to have the scab removed, what costs am i looking at?

My boy is a black and white with pink skin. A few weeks ago we noticed a growth beside his tail that was red, scabby, bumpy and about an inch long. We called the vet she came out and decided it needed surgically removed. She did a biopsy as well. Today we found out it was a carcinoma. Now our vet is in communication with OHIO State to see in he needs to go up there for more tests and possible treatment or if they can do it here. We’ve noticed no other bumps but he is losing hair on his hindquarters. I’m trying not to freak out but he’s my baby. What can we do?