sarcoid

Sarcoids are a common condition of horses and other animals, and can be very serious. A sarcoid is a tumor much like cancer in humans. It affects the skin of horses, mules and donkeys and is caused by Bovine Papilloma Virus Infection. Sometimes mistakenly referred to as warts, they account for nearly 40% of all skin tumors found in horses.

The tumors or growths are characterized by thickening of the skin around the sarcoid itself and are usually just above the skin, meaning they do not affect the horse’s internal organs. However, although it only affects the skin, it can be quite serious for horses and ponies, especially. Sarcoids can occur in any type of horse, regardless of breed, color, or type, and will occur in horses all over the world regardless of environment. They appear all over the body, but are usually found in areas where the horse’s skin is thin or where there is no hair covering the skin.

There are six types of equine sarcoids that can occur. They include occult, warty, fibroblastic, nodular, malevolent, and mixed sarcoids. The wart is the most common and that is why sarcoids are often called warts. They grow very slowly and develop a dry, crusty, hardened top that makes them look like a wart. The fibroblastic form will grow much faster and can be found mainly on the head, legs, and abdomen. This is also a very common way. Sarcoids generally increase in number during the summer months, but increase in size during the winter months, as once equines have one they will generally have more later on.

Sarcoid treatment with neem oil

There are several ways to treat equine sarcoids. They include surgically removing it, freezing it, using radiation as you would human cancer, laser surgery, and chemotherapy. However, most of these are incredibly invasive to the horse and can cause unnecessary side effects. That is why more than ever, more people are turning to the natural remedy of Neem oil. Neem oil can be put directly on the sarcoid to shrink the tumor and in turn prevent it from growing further. Ideally, this should be done when the sarcoid is small and easily treatable. Neem leaf in general is excellent for the horse’s immune system, so Neem leaf extract can be put directly into horse feed to help with sarcoids in the future. At the same time, it can help with a number of other immune problems, such as gastric problems, and it also works as an anti-inflammatory. By using Neem oil directly on the sarcoids and the extract in the feed, there is a strong chance that the sarcoids will decrease and the horse will soon be sarcoid free.