Grey horses are genetically predisposed to have tumors called melanomas. They are actually 80% more likely to develop a melanoma than the average adult horse of any other color (Philips and Lembcke, 2013). Currently it is thought that the higher likelihood of melanomas in grey horses is due to a cis-acting mutation that is correlated to the greying coat color (Spugnini et al., 2011), it is also suggested that increased UV light exposure causes melanoma growth (Philips and Lembcke, 2013). On initial presentation most melanomas are benign but if left untreated as high as two thirds of all melanomas become malignant (Philips and Lembcke, 2013). If theses tumors become malignant they can cause a multitude of problems ranging from ulceration and infection to impaction and colic depending on their size and location (Philips and Lembcke, 2013). For this reason it is important that melanomas be treated especially in younger horses. Some current treatment methods for melanomas include surgery, radiofrequency ablation, cryotherapy, brachytherapy, and chemotherapy (Scacco et al., 2013). Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug that shows promise in the treatment of equine melanomas. Cisplatin can be administered by intratumoral injection with or without electrical pulses and by surgical insertion of drug containing beads (Philips and Lembcke, 2013). Continue Reading 

The equine body is an intricate network of systems that work together to produce a common goal: to create an athlete with phenomenal running abilities. Of these systems, one cannot neglect the importance of the cardiovascular system and, of course, the equine heart. The equine heart weighs roughly 1% of overall body weight and, at rest, pumps 25-40 L/min (Thomas, 2006). For an athlete, cardiac ability and health is vital to their performance. Thus when there is an issue with the heart, the horse is going to have major consequences. Fortunately, horses don't suffer from as many heart conditions as humans. However they are not exempt from every disorder. Several cardiac disorders common to the equine species are murmurs and arrhythmias. The scientific article entitled, "Recommendations for Equine Athletes with Cardiovascular Abnormalities" by Reef et al. further discusses different cardiac defects within the broad spectrum of murmurs and arrhythmias. The following report will discuss the impact of common murmurs and arrhythmia conditions, as well as, recommendations for the equine athlete.

 f you have done this and can't get him scoped, there are herbal alternatives, Aloe vera juice, at 60 cc twice daily (brand name Georges if you can find it) for 60 days, and there is a great herbal product from Jing Tang herbal called Stomach Happy that you could do at 30g twice daily for a month.

Sounds like your diet is not hurting the ulcers, so I would definitely check your dosages, get scoped and then add in the herbals --- which are ok to add with the medicines.

In a study done on ulcers, the two most common horses to get ulcers are Thoroughbred race horses and Quarter horses that competed in rodeos and barrel racing. The surprise in this was not the Thoroughbred but the easy going Quarter horse, and the assumption was that the travelling and withholding food could add to the ulcer problem. So, make sure he always has hay in from of him and you always give ulcergard and /or aloe vera juice before you trailer him anywhere. Carole Holland, DVM, Juno Beach, Fla.  AAEP