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Muffin has ground-breaking treatmentAdoption Muffin has been successfully treated for a sarcoid at the Animal Health TrustRedwings adoption favourite Muffin the Mule has received ground-breaking specialist treatment at the internationally renowned Animal Health Trust in Newmarket for a sarcoid under his eye. Muffin has been a resident here at Redwings for almost 20 years, since he was rescued from a horse sale with his mum at just a few days old. He is a popular member of our adoption scheme and normally resides at the Caldecott Visitor Centre, near Great Yarmouth, where his fans can go and see him during the summer months. Sadly, however, over the past two years, Muffin has needed to spend much of his time in veterinary care at Redwings HQ while his sarcoid was being treated.
Despite a variety of treatments, the tumour became more advanced and so the Redwings' veterinary team approached specialists at the Animal Health Trust to ask if they could help. Sarcoids are the most common form of tumour in horses, donkeys and mules worldwide. Some animals get just a single sarcoid, whereas others may have multiple tumours. The tumours remain within the skin, but can grow and become ulcerated. They can be painful and, if close to the eye, can have a significant effect on vision. Muffin's sarcoid was below the eye and was not affecting his sight. However, it was likely to be causing soreness and irritation and was a particularly aggressive form. Because treatment to date has not been successful for Muffin, the Animal Health Trust used a specialised technique known as brachytherapy, which is a form of radiotherapy. The AHT Equine Clinician responsible for Muffin's treatment was Meredith Smith who explained the process: "I inserted wires impregnated with a radioactive material (Iridium-192) into the affected area. This is a gold standard of treatment particularly suited to this type of tumour. I am very hopeful that it will improve Muffin's quality of life significantly. To date, we have had a 100% success rate using this therapy although, to the best of my knowledge, it has not previously been used on a mule". Sarcoids are notoriously difficult to treat and not only was Muffin's in a very tricky position under his eye but it was also a very aggressive form, which is why the Redwings vets decided more action needed to be taken. Muffin's vet at Redwings, Ruth Morgan, said "Muffin is an iconic resident at the Sanctuary and has been with us for a long time. We tried all the standard treatments, including creams and a course of chemotherapy; but when we heard that the oncology team at the Animal Health Trust had started treating these sarcoids in horses with iridium, we knew that would be Muffin's best chance." "We were very concerned to treat the condition effectively before it spread closer to his eye and became painful. This type of radiotherapy is a new and very exciting method that has been developed and fortunately Muffin didn't need to travel too far to receive it. We are so grateful to the Animal Health Trust for taking such good care of our special little mule during his stay in Newmarket and for all their assistance with this case." Redwings and The Animal Health Trust, both based in East Anglia, have very similar aims in the field of equine welfare, and both are delighted to be working together to ensure the best outcome for Muffin. The Trust has had a wide variety of unusual animals referred to them over the years, but Muffin is thought to be the first mule they have ever treated. Visit www.aht.org.uk for more about The Animal Health Trust. Muffin is now back at Redwings HQ in Hapton and we are very pleased with his progress so we hope he will be fully recovered and able to be back at Caldecott very soon.
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