Sarcoids: New Removal Technique Assessed

Does your horse have sarcoids? If he does, he’s not alone. Sarcoids are common, accounting for about one-third of all skin tumors in horses. Although many sarcoids do not cause health problems, some interfere with tack or create aesthetic issues in competition horses. Because of this, owners frequently wish to have them removed.

“Unfortunately, complete and permanent excision of sarcoids has proven challenging, as they often regrow after treatment,” said Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., an advisor for Kentucky Equine Research. “Further, sarcoids that regrow tend to do so more aggressively than they did originally, which only complicates matters.”

In light of this poor response to therapy, many different treatment options have been proposed in the hopes of improving outcomes. To date, none has been completely successful, and trying all the available options can be economically draining on owners.

Researchers recently described a novel approach to managing sarcoids called calcium electroporation.

“This technique involves injecting a tumor with calcium and then electrically pulsing the tumor so that individual tumor cells absorb the calcium, which kills the cells,” Whitehouse explained.

In a study describing the technique, researchers reported using calcium electroporation in eight horses with 32 sarcoids. In total, 44% of treated sarcoids responded to therapy, with 22% of sarcoids completely disappearing.^*

“This study, which followed the horses for 38 weeks after treatment, demonstrates that calcium electroporation is safe and can be effective,” Whitehouse said.

It should be noted, however, that this technique requires horses to be fully anesthetized and that calcium electroporation was not directly compared to other available treatment options. Moreover, treatment efficacy did not appear to be related to location, size, and type of sarcoid.

Maintaining a healthy coat and supple skin relies on optimal health and nutrition. While a well-balanced diet often supplies all of the nutrients needed for a high-gloss sheen, many horses benefit from biotin supplementation. Biotin is typically used for horses that have hoof problems, such as soft or crumbly hoof walls that are predisposed to cracks. Because hooves and hair are made of the same microscopic structures, they both profit from biotin.

When choosing a hoof and coat supplement, look for one that contains an array of ingredients, most notably biotin, methionine, iodine, and zinc.

*Frandsen, S.K., J. Gehl, T. Tramm, and M.S. Thoefner. 2020. Calcium electroporation of equine sarcoids. Animals (Basel) 10(3):E517.