Horse Health (September/October 2010)

Page 1

01

20/8/10

11:52

Page 1

The UK’s leading equine health & well-being magazine

September/October 10 £2.95

Rare radiation method used to cure sarcoids By Louise Cordell VETS at the University of Liverpool have carried out a rare radiation treatment in an attempt to cure a rescue horse with sarcoids. Duke was one of more than 100 animals found seriously ill at Spindles Farm, Amersham in 2008. Since then, the five-year-old has been recovering at a Horse Trust home, but recently developed eyelid tumours. However, he has now undergone specialist radiation treatment at the university’s Equine Hospital – the only UK centre to offer the procedure. Professor Derek Knottenbelt, who carried out the operation, said: “Although sarcoids don’t spread to internal organs like many other cancerous tumours, they can be severely debilitating so it is important that they are treated quickly to ensure long lasting recovery. “We kill the diseased cells from within using iridium radiation treatment, where gamma radiation is delivered through wires inserted into the tumor.” Duke is fortunate to have received the treatment as the Equine Hospital is the only centre in the world that has substantial

experience in carrying out the procedure – which is essential for a positive outcome. Every other treatment for the condition has a much lower success rate whereas the prognosis with this type of radiation procedure is over 95 per cent. However, there are downsides to the technique, for example the cost of £4-5,000 and the fact that the person carrying out the procedure is exposed to small doses of radiation themselves. These factors make it unlikely that the treatment will become common practice in the near future, despite increasing demand. Prof. Knottenbelt added: “We currently receive ten times more requests for treatment than we are able to carry out, so we need other organisations to get involved or we will always be constrained. “Despite this, I wanted to try and help this horse in particular as he has had a very tough time. He has been punished by mankind and we have a duty to try and pay that debt back. “It is our responsibility to do right by him to go some way to giving him back his faith in human nature and fortunately a successful outcome to this treatment is very likely.”

Even superstars such as Oriental Express winner of the Queen Elizabeth Cup and, in excess of £1.4m, are finding it hard to find a retirement home. Albeit one of the lucky ones, he is at the Racehorse Sanctuary in Sussex, but with a waiting list of over 80

horses the pressure to settle him, and many others is high. Rescue homes across the country are struggling to care for their residents and the appeal is out for anyone who is considering a horse or pony to look to the centres first.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Horse Health (September/October 2010) by Script Media - Issuu