Sarcoids are the most common tumors seen on our equine companions. While they are non-malignant, they do grow and often will spread and multiply locally. Depending on location, these can interfere with tack and vary in level of irritation. We’re going to share the journey that a user of Omega Horseshine went through with her horse, which concludes with the elimination of a nasty sarcoid with only a change in nutrition.
The Sarcoid Journey
Equine sarcoids can occur just about anywhere on the body but are most commonly found on the head, under the belly, and around the sheath, chest, ears and lower limbs. They are thought to be initiated by a virus infection, though it is not known for sure how sarcoids first appear. Treatment options include freezing, laser surgery, chemotherapy, and more. Regardless of treatment, it is common for sarcoids to recur at the original location or nearby. Because of these factors, many owners will opt to let a sarcoid be if it is not in a location that interferes with the horse’s quality of life.
Such was the case for Tucker’s owner, Rachel. Tucker is a grey Appendix Quarter Horse gelding, who first saw the signs of a sarcoid when he was about 11 years old, in 2013. It was a tiny thing, and Rachel didn’t even notice it until she looked back at photos. She started to really take notice a couple years later, and eventually learned from her vet that it was a sarcoid. Since it was located on his chest and did not appear to cause Tucker any pain, she opted to let it be and simply try various topical remedies.
Rachel shares some of the experience: “By 2017, the sarcoid became quite the eye sore and I was actively trying to hide it or edit it out when taking photos. We take a lot of photos together, so it was really annoying! But I thought it was just part of him now, and something we had to live with…it was a little tricky during summer, because flies loved the bare flesh and swat would melt right off.”
Trying Omega Horseshine
In 2018, the sarcoid reached its peak size, and even developed some lumpiness around the area beneath his coat. Rachel describes it as “looking like he had a hole in his chest”. By this point, she had tried many topical solutions with no change.
Towards the end of 2018 is when everything would change for Tucker! We reached out to Rachel via her Instagram page to see if she’d try our products. We had no idea about Tucker’s sarcoid at the time, and she had no reason to expect our products might help with this chronic issue. In fact, no one really thought there would be much visible difference, as her horses were already in good health. The benefits discussed were more performance and gut related.
By the following year, the sarcoid that had grown and festered on Tucker’s chest for over 5 years started to change. The lumpiness went away, and little hairs started to grow throughout the sarcoid. Once he shed out that spring, Rachel was surprised to realize it had faded away.
“I honestly didn’t notice for a month or so, because he always grows a long winter coat that partially covers it. But once he started shedding, it became more obvious. I remember the day I realized that there were little baby hairs growing in the sarcoid. It wouldn’t be until a couple months later that I actually believed it was going away, and connected it to the addition of Omega Horseshine to his diet.”
How Flax Helped treat the Sarcoid
These results were amazing to everyone, and even more exciting was seeing the sarcoid completely disappear by the following year, 2020, when Tucker was 18 years old. While the results were amazing to see, it is not surprising that the extra support from Omega Horseshine was able to assist Tucker’s immune system in fighting the sarcoid. While science doesn’t know all the details of sarcoids just yet, it makes sense that the power of omega-3’s and other components of flaxseed are able to help. This is because omega-3’s work at the cellular level by stabilizing the membranes of the cells, promoting healing of existing cellular damage and helping to prevent further damage.
An Experiment for the Skeptics
If we weren’t convinced already, Tucker’s story continues to test the power of the flax used in Omega Horseshine specifically. After a full year of no signs of the sarcoid, Rachel switched Tucker to a different brand of flax-based supplement just to try something different. After only a couple months, the change was obvious – and not in a good way! The sarcoid had started to return, and once she realized what had happened, she put him back on Omega Horseshine.
“I switched supplements in 2021 because you just never know for sure what is working and what isn’t, and I was convinced by someone that maybe I was missing out on something even better – boy was I wrong! I’m glad I did this experiment, because now I know FOR SURE that Horseshine is the right choice. I put him back on Horseshine and it took a couple months to rectify my mistake. I was panicking that it wouldn’t go away again, but of course it did. It was totally fine for his 20th year in 2022 and his chest is still perfectly smooth today, in 2023.”
The Flax Source Matters
Flaxseed for Omega Fields is contracted for and purchased from northern Canadian producers. Because of the rich soil and short, intense growing season, the flaxseed from northern Canada contains a higher percentage of Omega-3 than other flaxseeds. Our high quality standards also mean that we reject more seed than we accept. The rejected, inferior seed is sold to other companies. The other ingredients in Omega Horseshine were formulated to enhance the nutritional benefits & bioavailability of the flax, so combined with the highest quality flaxseed your horse is able to maximize the benefits of this rich source of omega-3’s.
Testimonials are for informational purposes only. The information is not a substitute for expert veterinary care. Testimonials are written by actual customers and represent their own observations. These observations are not guaranteed, are not medically substantiated, and may not be typical for other animals. Blog posts have been approved by customers to correctly portray their stories and testimonials.
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