Pedigree Query

My experience with greys and melanoma's is limited at best ...

We have a grey mare in the barn that is 20+ in years (this is NOT my mare - she belongs to another boarder). She has horrific melanoma's around her anal area, so much so that lately, she has trouble clearing her bowels. She strains and balls just hang there and eventually if she walks around enough they drop off, or she rubs her rear end against the walls I guess because it feels weird.

She is constantly rubbing up against anything. NO idea if it is because of pain, or if they itch, or if there is pressure building up there with manure sitting in the tract that cant come out easily. The melanoma's themselves are weeping this black, thick tar like substance which is totally disgusting looking and is staining and clinging to her legs as well

The owner is washing her anal area down every day, and vaselining her legs to prevent this stuff from sticking to it, and the vet has her on sulfa as well as penicillin to address the secondary infection that has also set in. Plus she said to spray her with Boroform on the melanoma's which I find totally strange ...

Has anyone ever seen this thick black substance oozing from melanoma's before and what the heck IS it???

sounds to me this mare needs a competent vet to look at this,how about Guelph?I had a mare with melanomas before that were removed under anesthesia at the university.

Had a strange discussion with the Iowa State amblitory veterinarian. She said that they now treated gray horse melanomas with Zantax--the human ulcer medicine. She didn't know how it worked. But she said it shrinks anal-rectal tumors so much they seem to go away. Anyone else heard this? Anybody know how a H2 blocker would work on a carcimona? Mary Syers

Mary - Cimetidine (a human ulcer medication) has been used with success on melanoma's in the past, but I think this mare is too old and the melanoma's too far advanced to even go that route with her

Sylvie - believe me - we have tried to get the owner to get another opinion, but so far she seems content to listen to what this one is telling her to do. Guelph is about 15 minutes away from this mare is, so its not like distance is a problem either ...

We just have no idea if the presence of this oozing thick black sustabnce means the end is near??? Or is it totally normal in melanoma's of this size?? (on the right side they are the size of about 2 large apples / small grapefruits and on the right of the rectum about the size of 1 grapefruit)

I would *think* that if they keep growing and she continues to have problems defecating, eventually the manure will stay in her bowels, she will go toxic and something will rupture internally and THAT will not be a pretty sight to watch ...