This month we have a heartwarming story to share.  Cinco, an eleven year old gray gelding owned by Terry Dunlap, came to Garner Equine as a referral last December.  Cinco had an extremely large melanoma tumor in the Viborgs triangle of the throat (a junction of major arteries, veins and nerves with the guttural pouch lying deep below these structures and covered by the salivary glands).
Since the therapies the referring veterinarian had attempted were unsuccessful, Cinco was left facing a very risky surgery or leaving the tumor, which would soon impinge considerably on Cinco’s quality of life.
The Dunlaps made the decision to go forth with the high risk procedure.  The tedious surgery took one hour for Dr. Seale to complete.  Once in surgery, he found the melanoma had attached to the jugular vein so close it looked as if it was painted on, and had completely surrounded the salivary glands and ducts.
Dr. Seale removed as much tumor as he could and closed the incision leaving drainage at the bottom.
After debulking as much tumor from the vital structures as possible during surgery, the follow up visits consisted of performing cryotherapy on a few remaining spots, packing and letting the incision site heal.
We are happy to report Cinco is doing great.  The incision has been completely healed for some time, the tumor is gone and the Dunlaps can enjoy Cinco for many more years to come.