Treatment of Cutaneous Lipomas in the Horse. Kamm JL. Veterinary Associates Equine, Auckland, New Zealand.
Cutaneous lipomas in horses occur primarily in young animals and can occur on the trunk or limbs. There is little information regarding these tumors in the literature, only one manuscript that stated that the masses resolve with complete resection though one horse was euthanized as the mass entered the joint (Bristol and Fubini 1984). Three cases of cutaneous lipomas presented for surgical resection to our clinic over a three-year period. Two of the cases were on the abdomen and one was on the tarsus. The masses on the abdomen were extremely large measuring up to 40 cm in length. One of the abdominal cases resolved with resection while another recurred at the point where a drain had been placed. The horse was treated unsuccessfully with cisplatin. This horse returned to surgery and the second mass was removed leading to an acceptable outcome. The final horse had a lipoma that communicated with the tarsocrural joint. This mass was incompletely resected as complete removal would leave insufficient tissue for joint closure. The mass did not grow further and the horse went on to normal athleticism. Cutaneous lipomas should be resected as completely as possible. An active suction drain should be used on large masses to prevent migration of adipocytes and recurrence. The single case on which we used cisplatin did not respond to chemotherapy and required repeat resection. All horses returned to normal use.