Sarcoid survey clarifies owner experiences

Almost 70% of horses have at least one sarcoid, according to a recent survey that collated responses from over 800 owners, riders and professionals who work in the equine industry, suggesting this is one of the most common conditions to affect a wide range of breeds of horses and ponies of varying ages.

The survey, carried out online by microcurrent technology experts ArcEquine, asked respondents for their experiences with different aspects of sarcoid diagnosis, management and treatment, with the greatest concern reported as the welfare implications for affected horses and ponies, followed by the potential impact on athletic performance.

37% said they would consult their vet if a horse developed a small sarcoid, but 42% would just monitor closely and when it comes to purchasing a horse with sarcoids, 32% would consider such a horse, but 45% would not and 96% think that the commercial value of an affected equine is less.

83% of people consider information about causes, treatment and the prognosis for affected horses is only satisfactory at best. 50% admit to not knowing the type of sarcoid their horse has, yet 71% consider that early diagnosis and effective treatment is the best policy.

When it comes to the available treatments, success rates reported are very variable, with no one treatment modality standing out as widely effective. The best option reported by 45% of owners as producing very good or excellent results is laser excision, with topical treatments, including cytotoxic creams at 39% and rubber band ligation at 34%.  Poor or very poor success is reported in 46% of horses treated with radiation therapy.

Given the growing evidence sarcoids are likely to be caused by the bovine papilloma virus, which is able to evade the horse’s immune system, the survey also asked about the proximity of cattle to affected horses and about methods used to control flying insects. 58% of people believe that insect transmission is a moderate, high or very high risk, with 71% of horses affected by sarcoids known to have been within a three kilometre proximity to cattle.

Incidence of sarcoids around the country from survey responses

There was little consensus about the best way to control flies around horses, but numbers of horses affected by sarcoids reported in different areas of the country indicates higher numbers in the warmer, more southern areas, where the fly season is longer.

Finally, it’s interesting that only 61% of owners know that there is currently no vaccine to prevent sarcoids, which if it existed, would offer the potential for an immune-mediated response to what is a widespread problem in the UK.

Find out more online at www.arcequine.com, join the ArcEquine community on facebook or follow @ArcEquine on Twitter.