‘He feels amazing’: horse with life-threatening tumour saved by pioneering surgery
A horse who underwent “pioneering” surgery to remove a life-threatening tumour from his stomach is back in work and “feeling amazing”.
The owner of 15-year-old warmblood Valtano had asked Rainbow Equine Hospital to investigate suspected gastric ulcers last autumn and was shocked to hear he had a 12cm growth in his stomach. The team at Rainbow used a keyhole technique to remove the mass, and a scan six months later showed it had not regrown.
Katie Boddy, who has owned the 17.1hh gelding for seven years, said: “I’m so grateful to Rainbow for all they’ve done for Valtano. It’s so exciting that Valtano has a future ahead of him and it’s all thanks to the team at Rainbow.”
Vet Lizzie Cullen, a European specialist in equine internal medicine, discovered the mass. A follow-up a few weeks later showed it had grown “significantly” to the point it was life-threatening.
“It was blocking food material from passing through the digestive system and causing it to build up in the horse’s oesophagus and stomach,” a Rainbow spokesperson said, adding that Valtano’s stomach was at risk of rupturing.
Gastric surgery is uncommon in horses but the Rainbow vets used the advanced keyhole technique; they made an abdominal incision and were able to pass instruments through smaller incisions in his stomach wall. Two surgeons, guided by a camera fed down Valtano’s throat, were able to cut the mass away.
“The Rainbow team has specialists in multiple disciplines, so Lizzie was able to discuss the case with her colleagues to find a solution that would save Valtano,” the spokesperson said. “Her husband and colleague Matthew Cullen is a European specialist in equine surgery and he suggested keyhole surgery.”
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Mr Cullen, who performed the operation with fellow surgical specialist Jonathan Anderson, said the procedure combined techniques that have been used before, but not together.
“Gastric surgery is not common in horses as the stomach is deep inside the abdomen, making it difficult to access,” he said. “The keyhole approach allowed us to get bigger instruments into the stomach and also improved our access to the base of the mass so we could remove more of it.
“Valtano was anaesthetised and placed on his back for the surgery, then his abdomen was opened using a J-shaped incision to make it easier to access the stomach. Small keyhole incisions were then made in the stomach so laparoscopic instruments measuring 1cm in diameter could be inserted to operate on the mass. At the same time, Lizzie passed a gastroscope into Valtano’s stomach so we could see the mass and the surgical instruments.”
Mr Cullen said the team was very pleased with the surgery; they were able to remove most of the mass, cutting it close to the wall of the stomach.
“As well as successfully helping Valtano, this surgical method could be beneficial in the future by giving us another option to operate on the inside of other hollow organs inside the body that are difficult to access, such as the bladder, uterus and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract,” he said.
Valtano was kept under observation at Rainbow Equine Hospital for two weeks after his surgery in October and a six-month follow-up gastroscopy in April showed no regrowth of the mass.
Mrs Cullen said: “Valtano made really good progress after his surgery and everyone was delighted to see him recover – he became very popular with all of the team.
“We had been concerned that the mass was cancerous because it looked quite nasty, but a sample was sent away for analysis and we were delighted to find out it was benign. The lab report said it was benign hyperplasia, an overgrowth of normal tissue. This is not something commonly found in horses.”
Valtano underwent a rehab programme at Katie’s Sprixton Grange Equestrian Centre.
“It was a huge shock when Lizzie told me about the mass inside his stomach, as I’d been expecting a diagnosis of ulcers based on the signs he’d been showing and because he’d suffered from them before,” Katie said.
“At first, the mass appeared quite small but I took Valtano back to Rainbow a few weeks later because he’d started to eat intermittently and pass droppings infrequently, and that’s when we found out it had grown quite rapidly and was now causing serious issues. I needed to make a big decision quickly; have him put to sleep or have the surgery.
“Rainbow talked me through all the options and what I needed to consider, and while at that point we didn’t know if the lump was cancerous or not, I wanted to do what I could to save Valtano. He’s such a lovely horse with a big personality and I knew that he was in safe hands and Rainbow would do the best for him. After the surgery he was bright and alert straight away and it was such a relief when we heard that the mass wasn’t cancerous.”
Valtano had 12 weeks’ box rest, then progressed to a pen and a small paddock.
“He’s done really well, I’ve brought him back into work slowly and he’s now being ridden and rebuilding his fitness,” Katie said. “He feels amazing to ride and I’m hoping to go out competing in dressage soon.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.