here - Australian College of Veterinary Scientists

Assessment should be made on the following grounds:
1. The value of the animal - actual or sentimental.
2. Previous treatment and history, i.e. likelihood of chronic granulation tissue
from old wire cuts or refractory granulation.
3. The cost of each avenue of treatment and the likelihood of a successful
outcome to that type of treatment, i.e. repeated single local medication may
eventually be much more expensive than surgical removal, radiation therapy
or cryosurgery.
4. If at all possible, the results of biopsy should be known before the final
prognosis is given.
5. Likelihood of further spread of the condition if treatment is:
(i) not undertaken
(ii) delayed
(iii) not correct.
6. The possibility of a contagious nature of the sarcoid and the further
transmission to other horses in the group.
Overview of modalities for treatment of sarcoids
1. Ligatures
Elastrator rings, lycra or even heavy elastic bands can be used. Application
can easily be made, even on fractious horses, using a twitch or tranquillizer.
This works best on single sarcoids where loose skin on body or neck is
available to allow proper placement of ligature.
2. Local medication
Moderately successful on single small sarcoids:
- use of podophyllin 50% applied daily for > 30 days.
- 10% arsenic trioxide in aqueous solution for 5 days. Causes heavy
scab formation which may be difficult to remove.
- 5-fluorouracil applied under a bandage.(Roberts 1970)
3. Vaccination or stimulation of immune system
Bovine wart vaccine has been used and found to be valueless.
Pox vaccines used into the actual sarcoid lesion were also unsuccessful.
Autogenous vaccines have been manufactured but results have not been
good: recovery in under 25% of animals treated (Wheat 1964, Page & Tiffany
1967). In 1977 the use of BCG vaccine was reported. Lesions were injected
with BCG vaccine, 1ml at 7-10 day intervals, and a good response claimed for
this type of treatment (Wyman et al 1977). A similiar type treatment was made
using a non-living wall preparation from BCG vaccine which was injected at
intervals of 2-4 weeks. Anaphylaxis had been reported following the use of
the living BCG vaccine due to proteins produced from the metabolized
vaccine bacteria causing the production of antibody which react when further
ACVSC Proceedings Dermatology Chapter Science Week 2005 71