tumor on his spleen

[TAZ CALGARY]

Help!! my Taz has a tumor on his spleen as seen on ultra sound but xrays on the
chest were fine no spread there but their not sure about the liver as it showed nodules
I have read that does not mean cancer present .

I don't know what to do next as this is a ticking bomb!!

If they remove the spleen and it is cancer he won't live very long i'm told
what if they remove the spleen and its benign how long could he live Taz is 7

Please anyone! help! I'm having sleepless night here not sure what to do..
worried to death that the spleen will rupture and I will get him to the hospital
and still not know the right decsion I'd rather not have him opened up unless
I know he has a good chance to live beyond 6 to 8 mths.

I hope some can help soon..
praying Chuck

[BowWowMeow]

I'm sorry to hear this. If he is strong enough and isn't currently ill, I would have it removed. How did you figure out there was a problem?

I have a friend whose dog had a tumor on the spleen the size of a football and it was benign! There are other people who have had the tumor removed and found out their dog had hemangiosarcoma but they still had months left and enjoyed every minute.

My dog Basu died of hemangiosarcoma. He had a tumor on his spleen but I didn't find out about it until he got really sick and I took him to the e-vet. At that point he was bleeding out and so I let him go.

I understand that it's a tough decision...

[TAZ CALGARY]

Thank you for the response. Taz is still doing not bad but is swelling more..

Terrified here.. if I do nothing it will rupture.. but if I take him in and it
really is the hemangiosarcoma I loose him right then there when he is
still good enough to go for his walks .

What I REALLY need to know is if it's not hemangiosarcoma would he
live londger then 6 mths? which he would have to recover I need to do
what is best for him and not think of me.. just torn here ..if the xray
would have shown this in his lungs I know it spread.. but even the blood
test and urine weren't bad ..did show theres been bleeding due to the
mass.
Anyone have any thoughts.... or experience with this..stressed out..

[TAZ CALGARY]

Pray we make it through the night.... maybe someone can help us tomorrow.

Taz and Chuck

[BowWowMeow]

Unfortunately hemangiosarcoma is very common in gsds. My friend scheduled the surgery for her rottie before the tumor got to a dangerous point. Her rottie did have a full recovery and is alive and well today. However, the chances of it not being hemangio are very slim.

If it is hemangiosarcoma then even with surgery and chemo he will most likely not live more than 6 months. I know that in at least one case she was very happy she had the surgery and did the chemo because she really enjoyed those last months with her dog. I also remember people on this board who opted to have surgery and their dog only lived a few more days.

It's a very tough decision. When I took Basu in he was very weak and when I was told the chances of him surviving I decided to let him go. It was heartbreaking and very sudden.

Big hugs to your and your boy.

[cpatrzyk]

Chuck:
In August 2007, my GSD Luger, had his (enlarged) spleen removed after a bloating episode.
A tumor was found on the spleen and at the time was found to be benign.
He made a full recovery rather quickly, was back to his daily Frisbee games, hikes, etc.
It was a FULL year later when he was diagnosed with HS, from which he succumbed.
So in retrospect, he lived a remarkable full year and the tumor was suspect as the cause of his HSA.

You asked if it isn't HSA would /could he live longer than 6 months.
From my experience : absolutely .
Of coarse, his current general health will play a key role, among other factors.

I know how terrifying this all is. It was H*LL on me..
But I want to offer encouragement to you, that Taz can recover, as mine did.
Cherish everyday with him no matter the outcome.
You both are in my thought and prayers tonight


CHRIS

[cpatrzyk]

By the way,
Luger was 9 years old at the time of his surgery, because the tumor was (mis) diagnosed as benign, chemo was never done...

I hope this brings some comfort to you.

<C>

[middleofnowhere]

I'd have a good talk with your pup and take the spleen out. This may sound bleak but it is my experience: If it isn't hemangio, you're ahead of the game. If it is, you're ahead of the game because you will buy him about three months, with chemo maybe six. Without the surgery, he will bleed out & die. Barker the Younger died of hemangio; had spleen removed, did chemo, bought her some time before the second bleed at which stage her liver was very involved. 12 yo. My bottom line - what would I feel like if I didn't take the chance on removing the spleen & doing chemo? That told me to do it.

[CaliBoy]

Chuck:

At a certain point with hemangiosarcoma (cancer on the spleen), the dog is too anemic for surgery and the blood cannot clot. If your vet says that your dog can still undergo surgery and get the spleen removed, I would personally opt to do that under the hope that the tumor is benign. Dogs with a benign tumor that is taken out can go on living a happy and healthy life.

If the tumor is not benign but is indeed hemangio, the cancer will continue to attack the blood and find some place else to lodge in the body. On the bright side, as the other posters said, you will have bought some months for you and your beloved Taz to prepare for the end to come.

By the time my girl's tumor was found, it was so advanced that surgery was not an option and she started to go downhill within days. I lost her in a week. Her death was so traumatic and life altering for me, that two years later, when I read about others and hemangio, I still begin to weep at the computer. If surgery had been an option to buy a few last months for me and her, I would not have hesitated to go that route.

As Chris said, going through this is h*ll. Hemangio is an extremely aggressive cancer. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[lylol]

My then 8 or 9 year old had a huge tumor on the spleen. I had just gone through the huge expense of cancer treatments for a younger dog with no success so I knew I was only going to be able to do a certain amount this dog... we removed the spleen (with several tumors on it) and I didnt even have them tested because I knew I wasnt going to be able to treat the cancer. Good news is he is still with us at 12... he bounced back immediately from surgery. I would do the surgery if he is healthy enuf... they have a high rate of returning to a normal life quickly with out the spleen