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  Discussion on THROAT LATCH MELANOMA - Vyborg's Triangle
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New Member:
cbauer

Posted on Saturday, Jul 18, 2009 - 12:41 pm:

8/2008 Shadow 6 yr TB mare had what I thought was a blown vein from the race track. 1/2009 my equine chiropractor said it was melanoma & I should try cimetidine to shrink the area. Tried it for a couple of months. Seemed no change. 3/2009 vet came to remove growth on third eyelid. Histology report indicated Squamos Cell Carcinoma. He also aspirated throat latch area. Diagnosed as melanoma due to black aspiration fluid but no histology report.

July 7 I realized the mass was considerably larger & started seeking answers. In addition it was difficult for her to swallow. I began soaking her hay to make it easier for her to eat.I contacted at least 15 veterinarians & attached a photo. Most declined to take this case on. A couple never responded. I received very helpful information from 2 in particular. It was general consensus that it is a delicate area due to all the converging veins arteries, thyroid, salivary glands. One vet said that I should choose Board Certified surgeon. That was a great call. UCDavis was suggested more than once.

I spoke to Dr. Fischer from Chino Valley Equine Hospital 7/13/09. They are affiliated with Western University School of Veterinary Medicine and provide education and training for students, in addition to offering externships and internships. He said to continue the cimetidine as per previous vet instructions: 15 tablets 800mg 2x per day. Laser surgery was a day earlier than planned, 7/16/09. Their tests showed that the mass sat right on top of her carotid artery so I was cautioned that this was not an easy surgery. There was apparently no obstruction. He said that she could end up with paralysis of her larynx & become a roarer. There is a surgical correction for this should that could occur. The other concern was that she could be a bleeder and if that were the case would not make it. There is no test for this. He said said due to the size & complication of the area she would have to stay a few more days. After the drain has been removed.

I asked about the melanoma vaccine. That is apparently custom made from excised tissue & must be immediately sent out. Approximate cost would have been $2000. Was too late for this option as surgery had already been done.

Surgery was approx 2 hours. He said it went better than expected. Great news & the positive side of a 7 yr old with melanoma. Their call at the end of the day Friday 7/17/09 I was told that her recovery was also coming along faster than expected.

Histology reports are not yet back. Monday they will scope her to see if there is any paralysis.

I only really had 2 options, Chino Valley Equine or UC Davis. I didn't try UCD because of the distance but no one else really wanted to do this surgery. I do understand that it is a complicated surgery. Haven't seen the bill. I'm expecting around $3,000. Not a good idea to wait.
Member:
infiniti

Posted on Saturday, Jul 18, 2009 - 8:51 pm:

Cyndi, Im glad you posted the above. Sometimes I feel misery loves company. I also have been through the gambit with Vets too. I hope your horse comes through this surgery with flying colors! Please keep posting with anymore info and I will do the same. By the way, I'm the owner of the horse that was treated with the cisplatin beads.

Pam
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Sunday, Jul 19, 2009 - 10:12 pm:

Pam,
I had hope the cisplatin beads were an option but I already waited too long. I'm just thankful that Dr. Fischer is so good. He also removed the melanoma on her tail area. Have photo but having trouble attaching. The melanoma went from small to large & deemed inoperable by most vets. In January I perhaps could have done cisplatin beads.
Member:
infiniti

Posted on Monday, Jul 20, 2009 - 11:28 am:

I'm glad you were able to find a good surgeon who would undertake these type of surgeries. Please don't beat yourself up about not taking care of things sooner. I felt many people at my barn thought I was over reacting by having the small melanomas under my horses tail removed by laser. And then they looked at me like I was crazy when I told them about the cisplatin beads. I'm surprised that nobody on this site has encountered the "curse of the melanoma's".

Please keep me informed about your horse's recovery. I questioned my vet about some swelling in the same area and he told me it was just his salivary glands! I may need to have a second opionion (again)!
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009 - 1:58 am:

Pam,
Forgot to mention that the wonderful vet who suggested the importance of the board certified surgeon also suggested Alamo Pintado. It has a great reputation and in your neighborhood. The vet who removed the stone from my mare prior to this horse said he wouldn't recommend surgery!!

She was scoped today & not showing any paralysis in the larynx. Have been having trouble uploading the photos prior to surgery. Think I might post the after surgery. Looks great. No swelling. I'm amazed.

Have a friend who was horrified that I didn't put my mare down instead of spending the $$. That shocks me. I have owned horses for probably close to 40 yrs. I've had some wild & crazy horses the last 2 have been exceptional. Maybe because I have a better idea of what makes me happy I made better choices. Upload not working. Maybe tomorrow. Good luck. Hope you find your answers.
Member:
infiniti

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009 - 1:37 pm:

That's great news about your horses' recovery! I hope we can see the "before and after" pictures and maybe I won't stress as much.

My vet is a board certified surgeon. Alamo Pintado is a "state of the art" equine hospital. I chose the hospital in Somis because it was a lot closer and the vet there was a well known surgeon.

Did you have an ultra sound done on the area in question? If you did, was it helpful? I may need this done in the near future.
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009 - 2:00 pm:

Yes ultrasound was first thing they did. Not sure they know what all was removed in that mass. More later. She looks great. Didn't think the mass looked all that big. Wait until you see photos...
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 - 9:15 am:

Hello Cyndi,
Though we allow it, we caution members against posting their email address in public areas because it will be harvested by spam bots and greatly increase your email spam load.

Would it be possible to post your images here? We have a description of how to post images at Help & Information on Using This Site » Uploading Images and Files Into a Posting.
DrO
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 - 9:36 am:

Dr. O,
Thank you for the caution. Wonder if they can delets my past message? Have tried many times to upload photos & can't seem to do it. Would like to post as I think it would be helpful. The progress went from not much to larger quickly. Don't think it looked that large but probably should have been removed sooner.
Member:
dres

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 - 9:53 am:

https://webresizer.com/resizer/

This is the easiest way to resize your photos .. really ..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 8:46 am:

Cyndi have you read our instructions at Help & Information on Using This Site » Uploading Images and Files Into a Posting? I think folks tend to confuse "file size" which is the space it takes up on a computer drive and "image size" which is the size it is displayed on the screen. And while there is some loose relationship they are not the same thing and can be adjusted separately.

The trick to getting the best image is to first resize the image then resize the file. We recommend a image size of approximately 300 to 500 pixels wide (height not important) and require a file size under 64k.
DrO
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 9:12 am:

Here is a photo before surgery 7/6/09BEFORE SURGERY
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 9:40 pm:

BEFORE SURGERY 7/6/09TRIANGLE
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 9:52 pm:

3 DAYS AFTER SURGERYAFTER
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 9:55 pm:

3 DAYS AFTER SURGERY FROM THROAT LATCH & RECTAL AREA.3 DAYS 2 AREAS
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 10:13 pm:

Dr. O,
Now the photos are up. What do you think? The mass didn't look all that big or scary but I was sweating bullits during her surgery due to the fact that it was in such a difficult area. The mass sat right on top of the carotid artery. Is this large by your standards? Is it location first & size 2nd? Or is this really large & I didn't have a clue?

My vet didn't seem too concerned in March & consequently I wasn't worried. Wish I would have taken care of it sooner. She is staying longer due to the fact that she broke the drain. The swelling as result lasted longer than expected.
Member:
mrose

Posted on Friday, Jul 24, 2009 - 12:02 am:

This is all very interesting. Although I have a lot of grays, I've been very lucky an had only one small melanoma (so far!) which was easily removed.

I think quite a long time ago there was quite a bit of discussion on melanomas and possible treatments. Maybe it was so long ago the posts are no longer available.

I'm glad your horse is doing so good. She's a very pretty mare, btw.
Member:
cbauer

Posted on Friday, Jul 24, 2009 - 9:14 am:

Thank you for the compliment!! She's got a puppy dog personality..........just what I always wanted. Just hope we can keep this at bay.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jul 24, 2009 - 9:16 am:

It is hard to judge from your photos Cyndi but as your post indicates, it is not the size that makes this area tough it is all the delicate vital structures that have to be dealt with.
DrO
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