Hemangiosarcoma Of The Spleen - Has Anyone Had A Dog With This Cancer

[labsrule]

My youngest Black lab boy Fitzy, who will be 10 in July has recently been diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma of the Spleen after an operation to remove his spleen & the tumour (Splenectomy).

I am completely devastated to receive the news that the tumour is malignant as this cancer, Hemangiosarcoma, is a very aggressive and highly malignant cancer of blood vessel cells and the prognosis is poor There is no cure and only treatment after the surgery he has had, is chemo, which will only slow down the spread of the cancer and delay the inevitable.

Between ultra sounds sounds and xrays, it was confirmed that the cancer has not yet spread to his heart and lungs and during the surgery the specialist surgeon was pretty confident it had not spread to his liver as yet either, and the tumour did not rupture before his surgery, so this all bodes well for lengthening his time and I am so grateful for that He has also recovered remarkably well from his surgery and is doing great

After his checkup and stitches removed by the specialist surgeon on Tuesday and discussions with the specialist vet who we had the original consult with and who did the ultra sounds/xrays, he organised a consult with their Oncologist. I am now dwelling on the Chemotherapy option as my major concern of quality of life vs quantity of life has been alleviated after discussions with the Oncologist, as the doses of Chemo given to pets is lower than that given to humans, therefore the side affects are fewer and less severe and a very high percentage around 90%, do not suffer side affects. The lower dosages compared to humans is to ensure the pet does have a quality of life, which is my absolute priority for Fitzy.

I will be having another discussion with the Oncologist today by phone to discuss the chemo option further and was wondering if there are any other dolers who have had dogs with this awful Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen, who did opt for the Chemo treatment after the surgery and can share their experiences with me. I know that if I decide to go down the Chemo route and if he happens to be one of the few that suffers any nasty side affects, that I can stop the Chemo. Even with the Chemo treatment, his life span is pretty limited based on the averages, as the chemo will only delay the inevitable

At close to 10 years of age, this very special boy is still a very lively, exhuberant and very happy boy and it is very hard to reconcile this with the aggressive cancer he has in his body and I owe it to him to ensure he can continue to live his life, the way he has for the past 9½ years since I have had him.

Edited May 6, 2009 by labsrule

[Staffyluv]

So sorry to hear your news - cancer is such a difficult thing to deal with.

Our lad has MCT grade two with no clear margins on excision of multiple tumours. Not curable but he is in remission.

We did chemo for six months and also treated (and still do) holistically. I believe the holistic approach has held him in good stead while the conventional medicines did their work on the cancer. He takes high doses of vitamin C, omega 3 and 6 oils, lymphodran to support his lymph system, milk thistle tablets and he did a course of chinese herbs a while back as well.

Diet also plays a bit part in the treatment of dogs with cancer - carbs feed cancers, so we have all but elimiated starchy carbs (apart from some rice when he is not well boiled in chicken stock).

Wishing you all the best

[Kelly_Louise]

No advice here, but just wanted to say how sorry I am - it must be horrid for you all to deal with. He looks a lovely, handsome boy.

We all send Fitzy lots of love and get well vibes, and hope he continues loving life pain free and healthy for a few more years to come.

Hugs to you all.

[Lizzy06]

Just want to say sorry and i hope you sort out a great treatment plan for him!!! Miracles can happen!!!!!!! He is so precious.

[Miranda]

I haven't had a dog with hemangiosarcoma of the spleen, but I have had a dog treated with chemotherapy. He was diagnosed with cutaneous lymphoma in October 2000 and was initially treated with high doses of cortisone, in January the cortisone became less effective and they started him on a chemotherapy drug (I'm sorry, but I can't remember its name) and then interferon. In retrospect I probably should have opted for euthanasia once the cortisone stopped working, the new drugs did knock him around and he probably only gained about three or four extra months of life. The treatment was also horrendously expensive, I think we probably spent about $4,000, although we didn't worry about the cost at the time, all we cared about was helping our dog and keeping him alive as long as possible.

Personally I don't think I'd do it again, I really don't think his quality of life was that good while he was on the drugs and I really should have had him pts much earlier. I kept him alive because I couldn't bear to let him go and the consequence was that the dog suffered unnecessarily. I should actually have thought more about the dog and less about my own feelings, but of course you just don't see it that way at the time. I still feel tremendously guilty about it now.

He eventually died at 11.45pm on the 14th July, 2001 from a massive infection, R.I.P. Razzle my beautiful boy.

It's different for everyone of course, your boy might do well on the drugs and he may have good quality of life for quite a while. I think you have to decide whether to just let him be and have him pts when the cancer spreads and he gets sick or opt for the chemotherapy and hope that it works for him at least for a while and that the side effects aren't too bad. It's the most dreadful decision to have to make and I feel for you, I do hope that everything goes as well as possible regardless of what you decide :rolleyes:

[alanglen]

Firstly, so sorry for your situation, he has a lovely kind face and 10 is still just too soon.

Unfortunately haemangiosarcoma is not a good one to have. When making your decision on chemo thou, talk to others with pets on the same proposed drug program as they are suggesting for your boy. Comparing chemo treatments isn't easy as the drugs are often different for each type of cancer and subsequently the side effects are different. Talk with the oncologist, they will give you the best guide as to what will happnen.

Will be thinking of you and your beautiful boy.

[puggy_puggy]

What a horrible thing to be faced with.

I have come across dogs that have had chemo or were going through chemo and their owners said that they had coped very well with it. So if you do decide on chemo I wouldn't be to overly concerend that it owuld cause your boy more bad then good. But from what I understand it only offers a few extra months in most cases.

I have cared for a pug in the last stages of cancer. His owners chose to use prednisalone. Apart from him not wanting to eat, having chronic diarrhea and wasting away he was a very happy boy. He let me know when he wasn't happy and that it was his time to go.

Make sure you remove carbs from his diet as they feed cancer. Omega oils are supposedly helpful as a supplement.

[labsrule]

Hi All

Thanks so much for your replies, kind words, best wishes, get well vibes and your own stories :D .

Further to my consult with the Oncologist on Tues, I had a telecon with her earlier this afternoon to discuss the chemo option further and I have now opted for the chemo treatment for Fitzy, as without the Chemo, the prognosis is so grim (2-3 months) :cool: as this is such an aggressive cancer :D . Also my boy is doing so great and has recovered remarkably well after going thru so much with his surgery and he is so full of life, that I can't deny him some extra good quality time and need to do everything in my power to to extend his life for as long as possible, if he is able to have a good quality of life, for as long as possible. I don't want to ever go thru life thinking what if , if I decided to not pursue the Chemo option.

He is booked in tomorow morning for his first chemo treatment, as time is of the essence and he will have 5 x fortnightly chemo treatments over a 10 week period. The chemo will slow down the progression of the cancer and minimise the discomfort the cancer causes, but the cancer will ultimately claim his life at some point If he happens to fall into that very small percentage of pets that end up with side affects through the Chemo, then I have the option to discontinue the Chemo, as I will not sacrifice his quality of life for quantity.

Staffyluv - sorry to hear about Ollie's MCT, but great news that he is in remission and obviously the conventional and holistic treatments that he is on are working very well Tks also for the diet info and I have already had discussions on Fitzy's nutrition with the Oncologist, as it plays a big part in the chemo treatment. His current diet is 75% RMB & fish and 25% super premium kibble (Artemis) and I have also added Fish Oil capsules. Was advised by Oncologist that his diet has to be high in protein and I have to increase the fish oil capsules to 3 a day and we are going to discuss his nutrition further during my visit tomorrow. All the best for Ollie's continued remission

Miranda - sorry to hear about Razzle's outcome with his treatment and his ultimate passing :p I believe there have been many advances in the chemo treatment in the ensuing years with better outcomes and less side affects. I seriously doubt I would have considered chemo, if my boy had not recovered so well from the surgery and wasn't doing the best and if there was any evidence it had already spread to his major organs. My decision to opt for the Chemo was made easier by the fact that my boy is doing so well after coming thru fairly major surgery and his remarkable recovery has even surprised the specialists and there is no evidence so far of the cancer having spread to any of his other organs and he is so full of life and virtually back to his normal, wonderful, happy and exhuberant self Because of the type of cancer he does have, I am not expecting miracles, but do hope and pray that he defies the odds and exceeds the average survival time

alanglen - tk for you reply. I didn't want to compare the cancer treatments with any other form of cancer, other than the Hemangioscarcoma of the spleen that my boy has and that is why I did include in my topic heading "Hemangiosarcoma Of The Spleen - Has Anyone Had A Dog With This Cancer, & treated with Chemo to share their chemo experiences". I had already had a consult with the Oncologist prior to posting this topic and I had a telecon with her today as well, but I just wanted to hear from any other dolers that had been thru chemo treatment for the same cancer as my boy, as there is nothing like hearing about it first hand from other dog owners in the same situation. Thank you for you compliment on my boy's lovely kind face as it is a true reflection of what is in his heart and the type of beautiful dog that he is and why he is so special to me. I had so hoped he would live a long and wonderful life and grow old with me, but he has been dealt a very cruel blow and will be taken ahead of his time :D by such an awful cancer and it is such a devasting blow for the both of us :D :D

[dianed]

Sorry to hear about your boy, its a very stressful thing to go thru. Sophie my German Shepherd who is now 11 1/2 was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen 3 years ago this July, she had a splenectomy and recovered to her usual self in a few weeks. Her blood cell count returned to normal and she has never looked back, she eats better than she ever did and even put on a bit of weight.

Sophie was the third dog in as many weeks that my vet operated on for Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen, one was the vets own dog, her then 11 year old blue Cattle Dog, he is alive and doing well today. The third dog I believe is also alive and well. Sophie was the youngest at 8yo.

My vet did say it was very unusual to have 3 cases in as many weeks in a small town (Population 2700). There was nothing to link the dogs, they where all different breeds. I believe she was in contact with a teaching University in the USA where vets where doing a study on Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen after having so many close together.

None of these dogs had Chemotherapy afterwords, if the cancer was contained and your vet was confident that it hadn't spread as was the case with Sophie and the other two why put your dog through more trauma. Last year I lost my 10 year old to lung cancer. I have since decided it would have been kinder to her at that age to have not made her last days miserable with medication that made her unwell and carting her around the countryside seeking treatment.

I wish you both all the best and I will be thinking of you and your boy.

[labsrule]

dianed - tks for sharing your story and that is fantastic news that Sophie and the other two dogs survived and are doing very well despite not undergoing chemo. Do you know what Stage (Stage I, II or III) Sophie's tumour was? From what the Oncologist told me, Stage I is for any tumour under 5cm and Stage II is for a tumour over 5cm, and Fitzy is Stage II. Stage I has a better survival rate than Stage II, even without the chemo, so would be interesting to know Sophie's stage when the tumour was removed.

I have received the same grim prognosis from the Specialist Vet, the Specialist Surgeon and the Oncologist and all the research I have done on Hemangiosarcoma, all support their prognosis . The Specialist Surgeon who operated on Fitzy, also had a dog with Hemangioscarcoma that was treated with chemo and did not survive past the average chemo treated survival rate.

Did your vet recommend chemo as a treatment option for Sophie once she had been diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma? Were any other types of treatment and or advice recommended/offered for Sophie?

[dianed]

dianed - tks for sharing your story and that is fantastic news that Sophie and the other two dogs survived and are doing very well despite not undergoing chemo. Do you know what Stage (Stage I, II or III) Sophie's tumour was? From what the Oncologist told me, Stage I is for any tumour under 5cm and Stage II is for a tumour over 5cm, and Fitzy is Stage II. Stage I has a better survival rate than Stage II, even without the chemo, so would be interesting to know Sophie's stage when the tumour was removed.

I have received the same grim prognosis from the Specialist Vet, the Specialist Surgeon and the Oncologist and all the research I have done on Hemangiosarcoma, all support their prognosis . The Specialist Surgeon who operated on Fitzy, also had a dog with Hemangioscarcoma that was treated with chemo and did not survive past the average chemo treated survival rate.

Did your vet recommend chemo as a treatment option for Sophie once she had been diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma? Were any other types of treatment and or advice recommended/offered for Sophie?

I have spoken to my vet surgery and confirmed that Sophie's cancer was stage II. No other treatment was recommended as the vet was confident that it had not spread to other organs.

I was told also that the vets dog had recently passed away at well over 14 yo.

I researched like you and read all I could on the subject, it was very depressing reading. Sophie had two blood transfusions to get her cell count back up for the operation.

I could have had blood tests done on a regular basis to check her cell count to see if cancer had returned. A couple of months ago she had a growth removed from inside her lip. A photo of it is in another thread. They gave her a complete check up before giving her an anesthetic.

At her age I don't want to put her through anymore than I have to, shes exceeded the life expectancy time given.

I suppose you have to way up the pros and cons of chemotherapy, age and quality of life. He,s still young isn't he.

How did you pick it up, did Fitzy go downhill really quick, grey gums, no energy? and after surgery did he bounce back to his old self pretty quick( except for the stitches).

[Diva]

I lost a ten year old dog to this disease but it happened too quickly to consider chemo, so I am unable to offer more than best wishes.

[oakway]

Firstly let me say, we all feel for you, but I am not going to say what you want to hear.

We all know of cases that when people are in hospital under going chemo being so ill.

You hear the family say in such sorrow...you wouldn't let it happen to a dog would you ?.

And no, I wouldn't let it happen to a dog, even if I was billion air.

JMHO, but I do wish you well in what ever you decide to do.

[Dogsfevr]

My biggest advice.Dont believe them when they say the chemo doesnt affect the dogs.

I wouldnt put my dogs through & we have been involved with a number of very young dogs who have had chemo.

We have picked up alot of cancers in dogs we groom.

Of those who had chemo only one has lived 4 yrs after.The others where very sick dogs due to the chemo whilst recieving the treatment & didnt live much longer afterwards.

They spent longer with there owners but there was no quality

[labsrule]

What a horrible thing to be faced with.

I have come across dogs that have had chemo or were going through chemo and their owners said that they had coped very well with it. So if you do decide on chemo I wouldn't be to overly concerend that it owuld cause your boy more bad then good. But from what I understand it only offers a few extra months in most cases.

I have cared for a pug in the last stages of cancer. His owners chose to use prednisalone. Apart from him not wanting to eat, having chronic diarrhea and wasting away he was a very happy boy. He let me know when he wasn't happy and that it was his time to go.

Make sure you remove carbs from his diet as they feed cancer. Omega oils are supposedly helpful as a supplement.

puggy_puggy - tks for you reply with positive feedback on dogs coping with chemo . The pug you cared for in the last stage of cancer sounds like he was a real little champion :rolleyes: and obviously his happy disposition carried him through what the poor boy had to face and yes we owe it to them to be aware, when enough is enough and it is their time Yes carbs are definitely a no no and he has to have 3 x 1000g Fish Oil Capsules a day.

[labsrule]

I have spoken to my vet surgery and confirmed that Sophie's cancer was stage II. No other treatment was recommended as the vet was confident that it had not spread to other organs.

I was told also that the vets dog had recently passed away at well over 14 yo.

I researched like you and read all I could on the subject, it was very depressing reading. Sophie had two blood transfusions to get her cell count back up for the operation.

I could have had blood tests done on a regular basis to check her cell count to see if cancer had returned. A couple of months ago she had a growth removed from inside her lip. A photo of it is in another thread. They gave her a complete check up before giving her an anesthetic.

At her age I don't want to put her through anymore than I have to, shes exceeded the life expectancy time given.

I suppose you have to way up the pros and cons of chemotherapy, age and quality of life. He,s still young isn't he.

How did you pick it up, did Fitzy go downhill really quick, grey gums, no energy? and after surgery did he bounce back to his old self pretty quick( except for the stitches).

dianed when you say "your Vet was confident that it had not spread to other organs", does that mean that the tumour was not sent for testing to determine via Histopathology whether it was a benign or malignant tumour? Histopathology (microscopic examination of specially prepared and stained tissues sections by a Veterinary Pathologist at a specialised laboratory) is the only conclusive way to determine whether the tumour is benign or malignant. If benign, then it is a Hemangioma and no further treatment is required after the Splenectomy and the dog will live a normal life. If malignant, then it is Hemangiosarcoma and a totally different ball game, as even if the cancer has not yet spread to other organs, the cancer is in the body, as due to the nature of the cancer, it is a cancer of the blood vessel cells and will ultimately spread to the organs and throughout the body and that is why the prognosis for Hemangiosarcoma is so grim. This will happen with or without chemo, as the chemo will only slow down the spread and minimise the discomfort the cancer causes .

Prior to his surgery, Fitzy had an ultrasound, which detected the mass on his spleen , then he had chest xrays to see if the cancer had spread to his lungs, which it hadn't and then during the surgery the specialist surgeon who operated on Fitzy, was able to check liver and other closeby organs and was confident that it had not spread to his liver or other closeby organs :rolleyes: and then during his checkup after surgery, he had another ultrasound (Echocardiography) to check if it had spread to his heart and it hadn't Even though it was determined by xrays, ultrasounds and surgeon that it had not spread to all these organs, it was determined through Histopathology, that the tumour was malignant, hence him having Hemangiosarcoma.

Hemangiosarcoma is one of the worst cancers a dog can get, as it is so aggressive and highly malignant, hence the grim prognosis by all the specialists and research . There are dogs with this cancer that defy the survival odds with or without chemo, but the chances of that are very slim That is why I question if your dog and the other two dogs' tumours were tested via Histopathology, because this test is the only way to conclusively and definitively identify, whether the tumour is benign (Hemangioma) or malignant (Hemangiosarcoma). It would be very helpful to know that.

In answer to your question, how did I pick it up on Fitzy. I noticed over a period of a couple of weeks that he was slowing down on our daily walks and wasn't his normal energetic self and he seemed depressed at times. Being a Lab, he is ball obsessed , and I would take his favourite ball with us to the park and throw it for him to retrieve and one day, he just wasn't interested in retrieving the ball and I thought, now that isn't like my Fitzy, something is not right as he normally goes 100 miles per hour after his ball . Complicating all this was that he had surgery on 25/2 to remove a couple of lumps up under his elbow which were detected during a physical conducted by Sydney Uni Veterinary Dept a few days earlier, when he participated in a Canine Aging Study and normally I don't worry too much about lumps as they age, but prior to this study, he had had the odd limp on this same leg and I took him to the Vet to get it checked out and they couldn't find anything wrong with it . Despite this, I followed Sydney Uni's recommendation to get lumps checked by my Vet. In addition to the physical Sydney Uni did, they also did a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and Urine Analysis. The lumps were removed, sent away for testing and results were benign and the blood count and urine analysis were also within the normal range. After his leg surgery, he got a fluid buildup that had to drained daily for a few days and between the surgery and recovery period, he was not allowed to be walked for a couple of weeks and when he was finally allowed to return to walking, I had to ease him back slowly into his walking schedule, so when I first noticed his slow down during our daily walks, I thought it may be related to an issue with post op recovery, so made allowances for that. During this period I did not take his ball with us to the park, as he was not allowed to jump and run too hard. When I believed that sufficient time had elapsed for his post op recovery, I started taking the ball on our daily walks and at first he would chase it, but not so energetically as he had done in the past and one day, he just never chased it at all and that is when I knew something must be wrong and took him to my vet. After lots of prodding and poking the Vet suspected an enlarged liver or spleen and they took blood as well and blood test results came back next day indicating he had anaemia. During all of this, he was eating and drinking as normal and his gums were ok.

The specialists told me that unfortunately the signs aren't always visible as the damage is being done internally and by the time the tumour is diagnosed, the damage is done and approximately two thirds of these tumours are malignant (Hemangiosarcoma). They also said quite often a dog with this undiagnosed condition will just collapse with internal bleeding, because the tumour ruptures and the dog may die there and then, or not long after or may bleedout in surgery Even though Fitzy's tumour had not ruptured, thankfully, a Splenectomy carries the risk of bleedouts during surgery, as I am sure you are aware of, with your dog having gone through the same type of surgery.

[Diva]

They also said quite often a dog with this undiagnosed condition will just collapse with internal bleeding, because the tumour ruptures and the dog may die there and then, or not long after

This is what happened with my dog - started bleeding, the vet had no diagnosis, dead in 3 days, hemangiosarcoma only identified on autopsy ( I know it's not called an autopsy on dogs, but you know what I mean).

He had no sysmptoms before the bleed, and because he had had IMHA a few years earlier I was always alert for signs of lethargy.

Edited May 8, 2009 by Diva

[labsrule]

I lost a ten year old dog to this disease but it happened too quickly to consider chemo, so I am unable to offer more than best wishes.

Tks so much Diva for your best wishes and I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your 10 yearold dog through this awful cancer

Firstly let me say, we all feel for you, but I am not going to say what you want to hear.

We all know of cases that when people are in hospital under going chemo being so ill.

You hear the family say in such sorrow...you wouldn't let it happen to a dog would you ?.

And no, I wouldn't let it happen to a dog, even if I was billion air.

JMHO, but I do wish you well in what ever you decide to do.

You're entitled to your opinion on chemo, even though I only asked for people to share their Chemo experiences for dogs with Hemangiosarcoma You cannot compare human chemo with animal chemo, which most of us tend to do if we have been fortunate enough to not have a dog in a life threatening situation, as up until this point, human chemo is all we really hear about and know about and maybe have had relatives or friends or colleagues undergo chemo and suffer numerous side affects. It is all very well saying you would never let it happen (chemo that is) to a dog even if you were a billionaire, and I hope to hell you are never put in a position to ever have to make that decision.

My biggest advice.Dont believe them when they say the chemo doesnt affect the dogs.

I wouldnt put my dogs through & we have been involved with a number of very young dogs who have had chemo.

We have picked up alot of cancers in dogs we groom.

Of those who had chemo only one has lived 4 yrs after.The others where very sick dogs due to the chemo whilst recieving the treatment & didnt live much longer afterwards.

They spent longer with there owners but there was no quality

I have weighed up the pros and cons of chemo very carefully and believe me the pros outweigh the cons, despite your experiences and I have put my trust in Fitzy's Oncologist and her team and the other specialists that were involved with Fitzy's diagnosis and surgery. As I have said in my posts above, Chemo will not cure his cancer as it is incurable :rolleyes: it will only slow down the spread of the cancer and minmise the discomfort the cancer causes. This is an aggressive cancer, time is not on his side and I refuse to sit by and do nothing to help buy him more time whilst he is so full of life and doing so well, despite what he has been through, providing he can have a good quality of life for his remaining time.

If he does suffer adverse side affects during the chemo that impacts on his quality of life, then there is no question that I will discontinue the chemo and this option was explained to me upfront, as they are very much aware of the value I place on quality of life vs quantity. I will never let my beloved boy suffer just so I can have him around longer to satisfy my own selfish needs, as his needs must and do come before mine. If there was any indication that the cancer had spread to any of his major organs prior to the surgery, then I would not have put him thru the surgery only to die a month or two later, so I would have had him pts as the risk of the tumour rupturing without surgery was too great and I would not have sat around waiting for it to rupture and for him to die from internal bleeding . If there was any indication during the surgery that the cancer had already spread to other organs, then I would have had him pts during the surgery. All these options were discussed at length with me by the specialists involved during our consult first for the ultrasound and then the xrays, then the surgery, so that I was prepared to make the necessary decisions, based on what they found. It was an extremely distressing and very confronting experience and I hope to hell, I never ever have to experience it again.

[labsrule]

They also said quite often a dog with this undiagnosed condition will just collapse with internal bleeding, because the tumour ruptures and the dog may die there and then, or not long after

This is what happened with my dog - started bleeding, the vet had no diagnosis, dead in 3 days, hemangiosarcoma only identified on autopsy ( I know it's not called an autopsy on dogs, but you know what I mean).

He had no sysmptoms before the bleed, and because he had had IMHA a few years earlier I was always alert for signs of lethargy.

Diva, this ordeal must have been extremely distressing for you and I know only too well how devastated you must have been :rolleyes: To just collapse without any warning and die without any diagnosis, is truly a nightmare and I was just so thankful that Fitzy didn't reach that stage. So pleased that you did find out what caused it though, as not knowing would not have given you any real closure. RIP Diva's doggie

[Fastgals]

Hi Labsrule,

I'm very sorry to hear about the diagnosis of your boy. Haemangiosarcoma is a particularly frightening and uncontrollable form of cancer.

Our elderly greyhound Girlie, now deceased, was diagnosed with a tiny, very early stage splenic haemangiosarcoma lesion at nearly 14 years old. It was a fluke discovery - a particular type of blood cell showed up in a full blood panel I had requested to check her organ function, etc. Even at such an early stage, her prognosis was only 2, maybe 3 months without surgery. We didn't go ahead with surgery and chemo for her - the post surgery prognosis was just not good enough at her time of life to justify putting her through it. She had also had surgery for LP earlier that year and I felt that enough was enough . (It was my intention to monitor the lesion's growth monthly if necessary via CAT scan so that I could send her, with love, to the bridge before she suffered catastrophic internal bleeding.)

I did a lot of research while making this painful decision and I think you are doing absolutely the right thing for your boy, at his age. And, as you know, there is no alternative. From the research I read, chemo is an absolute necessity following removal of the primary tumor or lesion. Unfortunately, this is one of those forms of cancer where it once the primary is removed (and it must be because of the risk of life terminating internal bleeding), secondaries tend to launch aggressively into growth. Chemo is the only thing that can slow this down - therefore it is vital.

I did put Girlie onto a course of herbals specifically targeting haemangiosarcoma, but we did not get and chance to see whether this would slow the growth of the lesion. Girlie also had undiagnosed and unsuspected osteosarcoma. Three short weeks after a CAT scan revealed haemangiosarcoma, she suffered a serious, spontaneous leg fracture and we had to say goodbye.

I sincerely wish you a great deal more time with your boy and believe that you are taking the right course of action for him.

Edited May 8, 2009 by Fastgals