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Ps you need to update the title!!! :D

Nina I am so sorry. Nasty disease. Glad you could help him tonight to be at ease.

:thumbsup:

Bella had a lump on her head (6 months after her haemangiosarcoma diagnosis). The oncologist took a biopsy and told me it was nothing to worry about. I had my vet remove it anyway and it turns out it was a tumour, the first sign we had that her cancer had spread. So, I hate to differ, but a biopsy is not 100% definite. The only way to know, is to remove the lump, and in ninahartland's dog's case the spleen. Huh? Sure, remove the lump and or the spleen but you still have to have it biopsied to know if it benign or malignant. You can't tell by looking at it or through X-rays or ultrasounds. I assume, in your case, the lump was removed and biopsied again? Was it related to the haemangiosarcoma? How was this determined? My understanding is that haemangiosarcoma could only metastasise to the heart, liver and brain and internally. Also, I was told that this cancer originates in bone marrow, not the spleen so the fact that the spleen was removed doesn't bear a lot of relevance to preventing its spread if it is malignant. I simply stops the potential death from a rupture of the tumour on the spleen. I am far from being an expert though so anyone with questions should consult their vet. In my boy's case his 'lumps' that have been removed from various parts of his body are mast cell tumours. The lesions on his spleen could be related to the MCT or it may be completely separate and be a haemangiosarcoma. It may be benign but given more than half are malignant it's a touchy situation. If it is related to the MCT we have a slightly longer life expectancy and little chance of a rupture. Absolutely correct. I meant remove the spleen and have pathology done, not just an xray or ultrasound. They will metastasize internally, a secondary lump on the body will be a different and unrelated tumour, just bad luck for the poor dog (but unfortunately not unknown...)

Sorry Nina... unfortunately the only way to know if its the malignant form is with a biopsy. My girls spleen apparently 'looked' like the benign type, despite rupturing, but was infact a reasonably high grade malignancy when pathology was done. But hoorah, this week marks 12 months on, and she is doing wonderfully!!!!!! (She was given 2-4 months with chemo...). She had 6 months injectable chemo, and is now on daily tablets, and aside from mabye 5 days in that 12 months of not wanting to eat, she is happier and healthier than before we found the tumour!!! Whatever you decide good luck with your boy.

What was your vets advice? Short term while healing is happening then longterm for ongoing management?!

So true. Still not able to prescribe/use S8 drugs, surgical license revoked... What next.

Alas, so downright true...

http://m.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/vets-remorse-over-cat-painkiller-death-20130613-2o601.html?post_id=832586678_10151961995746679#_=_ A Canberra vet has expressed remorse after advising a man to give his cat Nurofen. But she says the pet was wrongly overdosed by its owner days before it died earlier this month. Experienced Hall vet Jan Spate said she advised Mark Sowden to give his six-year-old cat Saffy – which had undergone surgery earlier in the day – a 0.5 millilitre “half dose” of the painkiller after a late-night call for help. Advertisement Mr Sowden gave Saffy a two-millilitre dose, after calling at about 10pm on the Wednesday night. By Thursday morning the cat was bloating and Mr Sowden said kidney failure followed, with Ms Spate putting down his beloved pet the next Monday morning. “With hindsight I shouldn't have advised him to give it Nurofen, but he did give it much more than I advised – 2 millilitres is a big overdose,” Ms Spate said. “I wouldn't have prescribed it if it hadn't been after hours and very late, but it's something you can give as one-offs.” Mr Sowden has been devastated by the death, after he thought the cat was on the mend following an attack by two dogs in his front yard. “I don't want anyone else's cat to die like that, it was the worst feeling in the world,” he said. “I feel like an idiot, like I've killed my best mate.” Canberra vets contacted by Fairfax Media said they had never used Nurofen for pain relief for cats. Canberra Veterinary Clinic surgeon Vickie Saye said the clinic did not advise the use of ibuprofen – the active ingredient in Nurofen – for cats or dogs. “We would never do that at this clinic,” Dr Saye said. “We don't really advise ibuprofen at all – we have got a lot of pain relievers that have been tested for cats and dog and are much safer,” Dr Saye said. “It has a higher rate of causing gastric [problems] and perforation than the other ones we use, and kidney problems.” Dr Saye said cats were thought to be twice as sensitive to painkillers as dogs, and the operation of the after-hours' Animal Emergency Centre in Canberra meant there was no excuse to tell a pet owner to give their cat Nurofen, even late at night. “It's completely off-label use,” she said. The Emergency Centre senior veterinarian Madeleine Richard said she had never prescribed ibuprofen for a cat, even in a low dosage. Dr Spate said she had advised the use of Nurofen for cats on about four occasions at a “half-dose” in emergency situations without negative results, but said she was unlikely to do so again in the future. “Probably not for cats,” she said. She said she would have liked to have seen the cat – a Russian blue breed – on the morning after it was fed Nurofen, and also could have done a post mortem, with kidney problems possibly caused by the dog attack. “There was no indication of a kidney failure [on Wednesday], but a huge number of cats have early kidney failure – and the dog had the cat by the belly so I think it's 90 per cent likely that it had kidney damage,” she said. Mr Sowden said he didn't want compensation for the death of Saffy, which he bought at six weeks' of age; he wanted the public to be aware of the danger. “I don't want it happening to anyone else – I don't want money, I don't want anything,” he said. “When he was on the table, the last two minutes, it brings tears to my eyes.”

Will your vet sell you one?

Lovely boy!! Enjoy this special time with him :)

Great news! And how is Cooper??!!!

Yes, she had an original 6 month course, and is now just on ongoing till the end, or as long as she is happy and healthy :D

Sorry to hear. My girl had a splenic heamangiosacoma (ruptured) removed almost 11 months ago, and even with chemo was given 4 months. I can very happily report almost 11 months on I still have a very healthy happy girl, with almost no side effects from chemo. Please PM if you have any questions! My thoughts are with you...

Good to see an increase in pet insurance too!!

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Poor lad... Hope you get some answers from the X-rays..:

Glad you had a nice time!! Hooked yet!!!!! Good Booker only being a little bit naughty-)

LG I can't see your FB page??!!

So sorry to hear Kayla1... Hope your vet is keeping him comfortable and keeping you informed... Fluids under the skin might just help him along in the end stages. Quite easy for you to do at home painlessly... Anything to help the poor guys remaining kidney function. Hugs to you:)

Any updates on this little guy?? :)

She should have by now have been reunited! Pixel is at a local vet (unharmed) and owners have been notified!!! The power of sharing DOL and FB!!! :D Yay

Dr Sandra Hasset at Animal Medical Centre is the vet chiro in Canberra :)

I'd suggest referral to a specialist. Poor thing has been sore too long without showing any improvement. Mabye if you tell us where you are someone can suggest a specialist in your area!