Hemangiosarcoma And Splenectomy

[wuffles]

Here are some pics of the big man. :) Sorry they are a bit big.

On Sunday after coming home from the vet.

Never too sick to go for a walk!

Still demanding pats...

[persephone]

Awwwww

[~Anne~]

Lovely pics. He looks like he is recovering well.

[wuffles]

Here's another. I think he's comfortable enough for now :p

[Xyz]

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

[Bindo]

Satch looks like he is recovering well and enjoying all the attention - gorgeous boy! Hope the long term outcome is good and you enjoy many more years together. :)

[White Shepherd mom]

I am so glad you still have Satch with you. The outcome with an internal bleed could have been a lot worse had you not got to it on time. Have you consulted with an oncologist to find out what they recommend? They might suggest a chemo drug that you administer daily at home. Bella was on cyclophosphamide and piroxicam which I gave her at home for about 6 months before we found out her hemangiosarcoma spread. I don't know if it helped in her case but I believe it can help slow down the spread of the cancer.

Big hugs for your boy.

[dianed]

My GSD Sophie had her spleen removed due to hemangiosarcoma at the age of 8 years. She lived till she was 13.8, passing away 2 years ago this July. She had no follow up treatment,I was told at the time that the cancer had not spread as far as the vet could see. She was a very lucky girl considering her condition before the spleen removal.I feed her a mainly raw diet after, whether that helped I dont know.

[ninahartland]

My Rottie boy has just been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma a couple of days ago. He hasn't been right for about 2 months now but blood work said all normal and my vet couldn't feel anything. However last week as he's lost so much weight the vet could then feel a lump so did xrays, showing mass on his spleen and also a grape sized lump on the chest. He wasn't sure about the chest but said it didn't look good.

Have got him on prednisolone to try and get him eating again but its not looking good, he has regained his appetite a bit.

Choices are to remove the spleen and during surgery to have a look for other growths and if need be not wake him up or as long as he's not in pain just keep going and hope the vet is wrong....he has given him 3-4 weeks

Seeing your post Dianed makes me wonder if I should go ahead and remove the spleen as there is always the chance that it hasn't spread.

[Tara8430]

2boxer, on 05 June 2013 - 10:59 PM, said:

My old boy had the same, his spleen was removed after it ruptured. We did not do chemo. After recovering from surgery, he had a very happy three months, where he was spoilt rotten. He suddenly collapsed and had to be pts. But those last three month were very happy for him!

Same again here, my old girl black lab was 14 when here spleen ruptured, unfortunately it was cancer and it went through her bloodstream. We had her spleen removed and she came back so well for 5 months, even got back to walking nearly 1km she was a very determined dog, but then she had a bleed somewhere in her system became anaemic and had to be given her wings, so she was 14 1/2 year old black lab. Hardest thing I've ever been through.

All the best woofles he's such a cutie pie.

[kelpiecuddles]

I have lived without a spleen for 13 years now, life without a spleen is ok. I get a few more colds than usual since it's involved in fighting bacterial infections but other than that it doesn't really affect me.

Fingers crossed it hasn't spread and he's got a long time still ahead of him :)

[labadore]

Sorry to hear your beloved boy has been diagnosed with this awful cancer. I lost one of my beloved lab boys to this cancer at 10 years of age.

This cancer is an extremely aggressive one and unfortunately by the time it is detectable, most of the damage is done. My boy had full blood tests (CBC) and urinalysis done and full examination a couple of months prior to his diagnosis, not by our normal vet, and was given a clean bill of health. A couple of months later he seemed depressed, not full of life like he normally was and the final clincher was showing no energy or enthusiasm for chasing his beloved ball at the park. Took him to our vet the next day and during an extensive examination vet could feel a lump and did full blood tests and results next day showed he was anaemic and we booked him in for a an ultrasound with the Specialist the next day where the mass was detected on his spleen. He had the Splenectomy which he recovered extremely well and quickly from and there was no evidence of metastasis. He did undergo chemo which I tossed and turned over but proceeded with it to try and give him the best chance at an extended life given that he recovered so well from the Splenectomy and showed no evidence of metastasis. Unfortunately the chemo did knock him around, so stopped it after the 4th treatment as quality of life rather than quantity was so important to me for my beloved boy and I had him put to sleep when the cancer spread to his lungs five months after his initial diagnosis.

I don't think I would go down the chemo route again if ever to be unlucky enough to have another dog be diagnosed with this awful cancer. Apart from the risk of an adverse reaction to chemo, like my boy had, I think I also got caught up in the whole chemo treatment and what it entails and worrying so much about how it was knocking my boy around and second guessing myself as to whether or not I had made the right decision to go the chemo route. I think that time could have been better spent with more quality time with my beautiful boy. How much time that would have been without the chemo, I don't know, may have been shorter, may have been longer.

Just love on your boy and spend as much quality time as you can with him and I hope you get to spend a lot more time with him and I am sending lots of healing vibes and positive thoughts his way. It is a difficult journey that you are both on and I will keep both of you in my thoughts :hug:

[TigerJack]

My Rottie boy has just been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma a couple of days ago. He hasn't been right for about 2 months now but blood work said all normal and my vet couldn't feel anything. However last week as he's lost so much weight the vet could then feel a lump so did xrays, showing mass on his spleen and also a grape sized lump on the chest. He wasn't sure about the chest but said it didn't look good.

Have got him on prednisolone to try and get him eating again but its not looking good, he has regained his appetite a bit.

Choices are to remove the spleen and during surgery to have a look for other growths and if need be not wake him up or as long as he's not in pain just keep going and hope the vet is wrong....he has given him 3-4 weeks

Seeing your post Dianed makes me wonder if I should go ahead and remove the spleen as there is always the chance that it hasn't spread.

NinaHartland I am sorry about your boy. Similar happened just over 2 years ago to my boy Jack (ridgeback x Malinois.) In retrospect I know he had been getting pains for a few months and those were probably bleeds. He was fine, lively, eating well. A very lean dog (very much the Malinois physique) and he did flyball. A couple of times he just stopped dead in the race lane and looked back at me like I might be cross he didn't finish the run, jumping was hurting him and I knew something must really hurt as these were only 8 inch jumps and he was very tall. I could find nothing wrong, I was thinking shoulder injury, back, neck etc etc. Thing was, 5 minutes later he would be off for a gallop on the flat as if nothing was wrong. I think he had been having little bleeds for a while.

One friday he wouldn't get out of bed and didn't want breakfast. I knew something was really wrong when he wouldn't eat. Watched him that day and by evening his tummy looked a little swollen. Off to the vet and he was very flat, pale gums etc. The vet tapped the swollen belly with a needle and there was frank blood in there. He'd haemorrhaged. Quick ultrasound showed the lump on the spleen. Operated Monday with the advice it might be just the spleen and nowhere else and he'll be fine. Or it might be everywhere and we don't wake him up.

Jack was not woken up, it was everywhere and still bleeding. I didn't get the option to give him his last days at home and I hate that I wasn't there at the end. Given those options again I don't know what I would do. I have the unhappy memory of his worried face as I left him there at the vets for surgery. He must have wondered where I was.

Apparently there is a benign form and a malignant form. Jack's was malignant so he had no chance. He had also had a big bleed so wasn't going to get a few months at home.

If your boy has not had a massive bleed to make a decision urgent, I don't know that I'd operate again in the same situation. I'd let him have his time at home.

Hateful disease. Its a nasty one. Hope your outcome is better than Jack's

[White Shepherd mom]

I am so sorry about your boy's diagnosis ninahartland. Bella's oncologist explained to me that haemangiosarcoma is not a painful cancer. If the tumour bursts, she would just get very tired and pass away due to the internal bleeding. If there is a chance that only the spleen is affected, removing it could buy you more time if you get it done sooner rather than later. Dogs can live a long time without a spleen, Casper had his removed almost 4 years ago due to my vet feeling a lump (not cancerous) there.

Whatever you decide, don't ever second-guess yourself. There is no right or wrong decision here. I wish you lots of luck.

[Xyz]

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.

[ninahartland]

Reading these last posts has brought tears to my eyes.

I haven't done anything else at the moment, he doesn't appear to be in any pain but then how do we know Has anyone elses vet prescribed painkillers and if so what ? He's only on the prednisolone and he's still eating (Im hand feeding him though which in itself is telling me that he's not right ).

He still goes and barks at the bulls when they come up to the fence but not too excited about going for his walks anymore.

[~Anne~]

Boof goes for his 3rd ultrasound on Thursday. We should know then if he will undergo the removal of his spleen.

Has your boy had an ultrasound Nina? How was it diagnosed?

Ignore that, I just re-read your initial post.

As xyz said, the only way to know of it is malignant is to to a biopsy I am told. We are also in a state of query as to what Boof's lesions are.

Edited July 9, 2013 by ~Anne~

[White Shepherd mom]

As xyz said, the only way to know of it is malignant is to to a biopsy I am told. We are also in a state of query as to what Boof's lesions are.

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.

[~Anne~]

As xyz said, the only way to know of it is malignant is to to a biopsy I am told. We are also in a state of query as to what Boof's lesions are.

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.

[Xyz]

As xyz said, the only way to know of it is malignant is to to a biopsy I am told. We are also in a state of query as to what Boof's lesions are.

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...)