I have a 3 yr old TB/Perch that began having small bumps appear on his neck, back and hind quarters. . I had them biopsied and the bumps turned out to be melanomas. Has anyone had any experience with melanoma in their PMU horses or in a horse so young? Usually this is found in much older grey horses and the tumors start in the groin or sheath area. I currently have him on tagament 3xday per my vets recommendation. Thanks for any imput.

Wow! I've never heard of that in such a young horse. Our 13 yr. old POA (leopard spot) had a squamous cell carcinoma removed last year. So far, so good. What does the tagament do? What does the vet think is the reason, outcome?

I'm not sure what the tagamet does on the cellular level but in some horses, the tumors shrunk, on others it didn't. The vets couldn't give me a reason why the tumors occured at this early age, but as long as they aren't impeding anything, he should be ok. I guess it's a wait and see. I picked up some information from UC-Davis vet school on equine melanoma which was helpful but from what I've read, there isn't a lot of research on skin lesions in horses. I'll keep you posted. He's been on the tagamet 3 weeks now. I haven't noticed the tumors getting smaller...but I haven't noticed any new ones cropping up either.

My 30 year old thoroughbred got squamous cell on her tail. I had to put her down 1 1/2 years ago. We battled it for 8 years. My heart broke she was my light. I think I'm ready to adopt. I found a black perch/QH I liked but she was adopted before I could get her. I'm looking...Dana your horse is a beauty.

Hope the tagamet works for your gelding, Tink. I've heard of something called "Indian clay" that is supposed to help with some growths also, not sure about cancerous ones though.

Thanks, Robin! He just seems to get more gorgeous every day Nice thing is, he has a gorgeous mind too

had a wonderful grey QH that lived to be 34 with melanoma. Melanoma was not the cause of his death and Tagamet does help. Some people won't buy a grey horse because of the melanoma risk as most grey or multi-pigmented ( both pink and black skin) horses get them. The vet told me that the cells spread when you start cutting around to try to remove the lumps as it is likely that some cells will be released into the blood stream. I was cautioned about removing lumps unless the lump was a true problem with functioning. Even lumps on the eye area are best left alone unless they are a true problem- not just cosmetic issue. The growths can form on internal organs when cells are released which can be bad.
My horse had lumps in his rectum and the colon area, which is common, but only had colic one time and was treated at OSU without surgery. I was careful about his diet and kept a close watch on his manure for signs of problems passing manure. This was due to the growths causing a constriction in the colon area.
I relate my experience to you because there are ways to manage this problem and to not be discouraged.