Eclipse’s Success Story – by owner
Sarah
Before I purchased Eclipse from an equine shelter in
Ellerslie, GA, he had a tumor in his left ear. It was about the size of a dime,
and it was located on the inside of his ear. It had been removed at least once
by a vet simply by being cut off; however, it had already grown back by the
time I purchased him. After a year of owning Eclipse, I noticed some more small
tumors had begun to grow at the base of the ridge of his left ear. Over the
summer of 2009, that clump of new, small tumors began to grow rapidly and
became bloody, scabby, and very large. Eclipse was quite bothered by them and
would not let me touch his ear. Dr. Barrow came and inspected it and said that
it was a sarcoid tumor, and it had begun to grow throughout his ear from the
spot where it originated. After researching and consulting with Br. Barrow and
Dr. Thomas, we decided to remove Eclipse’s tumor and use a new technique to try
to prevent recurrence.
Dr. Barrow sedated Eclipse and removed his tumor as previously, but she took the tumor and cut it into small pieces and froze those pieces in liquid nitrogen. She then made four incisions along the left side of Eclipse’s neck and inserted pieces of the frozen tumor into each incision. While there was some reaction to the insertion of the tumors, Eclipse was a great patient and his immune system won the battle.
In the end, Eclipse came out triumphant! It has now been over a year and Eclipse’s ear looks fabulous! The four incisions that were made in his neck are barely recognizable and his ear is tumor-free. The removal of the clump of sarcoids not only prevented more from recurring but it also shrunk the original tumor in the middle of his ear. Though having this experimental procedure was more expensive than just cutting off the tumor, it has proved to be a safe, more effective way to remove the sarcoid tumors and keep them from growing back. I am sure Eclipse appreciates it, and now whenever Dr. Thomas visits Eclipse, her term of endearment for him is “Pretty Ears”!
Dr. Barrow sedated Eclipse and removed his tumor as previously, but she took the tumor and cut it into small pieces and froze those pieces in liquid nitrogen. She then made four incisions along the left side of Eclipse’s neck and inserted pieces of the frozen tumor into each incision. While there was some reaction to the insertion of the tumors, Eclipse was a great patient and his immune system won the battle.
In the end, Eclipse came out triumphant! It has now been over a year and Eclipse’s ear looks fabulous! The four incisions that were made in his neck are barely recognizable and his ear is tumor-free. The removal of the clump of sarcoids not only prevented more from recurring but it also shrunk the original tumor in the middle of his ear. Though having this experimental procedure was more expensive than just cutting off the tumor, it has proved to be a safe, more effective way to remove the sarcoid tumors and keep them from growing back. I am sure Eclipse appreciates it, and now whenever Dr. Thomas visits Eclipse, her term of endearment for him is “Pretty Ears”!
Click photos for slideshow with captions -
Ear photos- Before and Follow-Up (click photo for dates)
Surgery site - Before and Follow-up (click photo for dates)
