Sunday, February 25, 2007

Equine Cancer

Many horse owners are unaware of the fact that horses can also develop cancer. Usually our fair skinned white equines are the ones that are more susceptible because they have sensitive white areas that can develop skin cancer easily. However, horses may develop internal tumors as well and this is something to watch for if a horse does not seem to be doing well, but doesn't really seem sick either. In the Equine Health section, you will find an article that covers the basics of what cancer horses can develop and the treatments used.As I was writing this article it reminded me of an Arabian mare that I briefly knew. I had been at my boarding barn for a month or so and a new girl arrived with a beautiful bay Arabian mare. Her parents had bought it for her and they believed that she was pregnant because of her round belly.In fact, we all thought the mare was pregnant and were happily awaiting the day she would foal. Unfortunately, a very short time later about a week or so, the mare had a horrible seizure. She busted through the wall in her stall and into a pen with some other horses. She also broke through a fence before she finally laid there dead. The event was tragic and happened early in the morning when the other boarders were arriving to throw the morning feed. The event was unbelievable and we didn't know what had happened.Shortly later, the vet came and confirmed that the mare was not pregnant. The mare had a tumor the size of a basketball in her stomach. This was the first experience that I had ever had with equine cancer. The mare was beautiful and it was a sad loss, but she never showed any signs of being ill. It just goes to show that cancer can creep up on our dearly beloved horses as well.

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