Re: melanomas in greys

[CMNewell <reshan@deyr.ultranet.com>]

Melanomas in grey horses are *very* common. As a rule of thumb, most greys 
over the age of 12 have 'em, whether you can find them or not.
Most of the time they are benign in greys. Occasionally a benign melanoma 
in a grey will undergo a transformation and become malignant. this is 
relatively uncommon.
They seem to occur due to some change in the dermal melanocytes which are 
also responsible for the greying out of the coat.

Cimetadine (aka Tagamet) works in a relatively small percentag of cases to 
retard growth or shrink melanomas in greys. Since it seems to have no 
severe side effects, the worst it is likely to do is cost considerable $$.
Dose  is 2.5 mg/kg q 8 hrs

FWIW, I have known a *lot* of grey horses in my life; none yet have died of 
melanoma, and many have lived into their twenties, some into their thirties.

I would be more concerned about a melanoma in a non-grey horse.
			--CMNewell, DVM