Objective: To determine whether excision was an acceptable treatment for dermal melanomatosis in horses.
Design: Retrospective study.
Animals: 11 horses with dermal melanomatosis involving the perineal, perianal, or perirectal region or ventral surface of the tail in which treatment consisted of tumor excision.
Procedure: Medical records were reviewed. Follow-up information was obtained from owners through telephone interviews.
Results: 9 of the 11 horses were alive at the time of follow-up interviews. None of the horses had regrowth at the surgery site where the primary tumor was removed. There were no confirmed clinical signs of internal metastasis.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Results suggest that excision of dermal melanomatosis in horses may be a reasonable treatment option.