Are Splenic Masses in Dogs Always Hermangiosarcoma? Vlog 84 

My dog in surgery right now. Dr. said that there were some iffy spots on the liver seen from the pre-op ultrasound, but not ugly enough to not go in and do the spleen removal. I'm a wreck. Trying to be positive. Say a prayer for Eliza, our Treeing Walker Coonhound. We love her with all of our hearts.

For anyone watching this because you are learning more to make a decision about your dog I am so sorry. By the time I found out my little borkie was diagnosed it was too late. Within a few days I made the decision to put her in a better place. It happened so fast. This was a helpful video.

My vet has just diagnosed hemangiosarcoma in my 11 year old Cairn Terrier here in Australia based on ultrasound and X-rays only. I'd have gone along with this if I had not first googled splenic masses in dogs and found this very informative vlog (84) and the next vlog (85). It was incidental, i.e. the ultrasound was undertaken to check his liver as blood work showed his liver levels were just into the high range. He was in for x-rays to diagnose a suspected cruciate ligament rupture. He has no internal bleeding, is not anemic and the vet said from the ultrasound he cannot see any masses on the liver. There is a large mass on the spleen which the vet said is fibrous, so his conclusion based on this is hermangiosarcoma. I am currently waiting for the vets written report so I can figure out what to do next. Update: went to a different vet who did surgery. Found the mass was not on spleen but was on the liver. Called me to advise during surgery. Removed the mass because was isolated out on a lob of the liver, then found another small one, removed it too. Histology back today both are benign. I guess the moral to my story supports what is said in this video. Vets cannot diagnose hemangiosarcoma based on ultrasound and X-rays, nor visually during surgery. Again I am grateful to have stumbled upon these videos because it made me do further reading and importantly question the first vets diagnosis. This vet wanted to euthanize my dog. He is doing well and will be having cruciate ligament surgery in a few weeks.

I have a shitzu, she is the angel of my life and se is about to complete 13 years old. Last week she wasn’t normal so me and my wife took her to the vet and he found her spleen mass quickly. Today we removed the mass and I am hoping for the best. I’m praying so much to be benign so she can stay here with us for a long time . She is small and she had a pretty big mass but it wasn’t bleeding. Surgery was a success and she is responding really well. I just read at some websites that small breed dogs with large masses with no metastasis have a better rate to be benign . I love her so much and we are not ready for her to go.

Thank you for sharing this information! My dog Shadow, was on a beautiful last hike. A place where we both loved. On our way back his symptoms were tired and done! He was a rescue that I had the pleasure of sharing my life with for four years. No health issues until the very end! We went home and all the sudden he lost all circulation! He walked to me and fell on top of me! His face and gums were freezing cold! Thought he had a stroke! His face was ice cold. He could not walk. Temperature was scarcely low! Rushed him to the emergency vet and they found a tumor on his spleen. Through ultra sound. They told me he needed a blood transfusion and surgery immediately. He would be palliative care and last maybe two weeks. If I wanted to Go ahead with surgery. I never had any signs or symptoms up until the last minute. I look back at our wonderful time together and still cannot seem to see any symptoms! I choose to let him go. Broke my heart but I am now watching these videos and I feel like I made the right choice. Thank you for sharing ❤️

This video and some of the articles I've read are absolutely heartbreaking. 11 days ago I took my schnauzer mix to the hospital after checking him in with our usual veterinarian. He was anemic and very lethargic, and an ultrasound at the hospital found a splenic tumor had ruptured and was bleeding into his abdomen. The emergency veterinarian did mention that these masses aren't always cancer, but that at his age (12 1/2), she'd never seen one not be cancer. She also saw small nodules on the liver and suggested the cancer had spread. His heart and lungs were clear. Given her certainty, the poor prognosis, as well as the cost, we opted to let him go. Knowing what I know now, I would have opted for surgery without blinking. I hope others find this video before they feel rushed to make the kind of decision we had to make.

Very informative, thank you Dr Sue. My 13-year-old, seemingly healthy Maltese girl died of Hermangiosarcoma on April 22nd this year, just 9 weeks after my vet first felt a mass in her abdomen. I had no idea she was ill - I thought it was a routine vet visit because she had temporarily gone off her food - but it turned out her sudden loss of appetite was a symptom of a large tumour. I had never even heard of Hermangiosarcoma! I suspect most dog owners have not. And yet it seems to be quite a common cancer in older dogs - is that the case? Her sudden cancer diagnosis, surgery and death were a big shock - I am still puzzling over it all, and if there are lessons to be learned for the future, then I want to learn them. I am just grateful my dog's tumour didn't have a sudden, massive bleed that made her collapse and have to be rushed to the vet for emergency surgery, as I understand that can be the first symptom that tells you your apparently healthy dog has this cancer. The first vet who felt my dog's mass on February 14th and then did an ultrasound scan, incorrectly identified it was in her spleen. I sacked that vet because he made it clear he had given up on my dog and her prognosis, before we even knew if the lump was cancerous or benign. He simply did not want to do a splenectomy, which he said was a complicated operation (the next vet I consulted said the opposite, that it's a very routine op). His advice to me was simple - you can have her euthanised today or in a few weeks time, if you prefer. Charming! I immediately left his practice and found a new vet. The next vet I took her to scanned her again, and picked up that the tumour was not on her spleen at all, but was actually on her liver. Thankfully it was on the easiest side of the liver to remove, and she had the surgery promptly. The decision to have the tumour removed was a no brainer, because as you say, the only way to know for sure what the abdominal mass is, is to have it surgically removed and then sent away for biopsy. This was a shock to me - in this day and age, I assumed vets could tell what a tumour was with some kind of test. But not even blood work will tell you it's cancer. So at least that meant she had to have surgery - there was no alternative, my only decision was to find the best vet surgeon available to take it out. This was all a very steep learning curve for me! I located a great lady vet who worked out of a high tech animal hospital. My little dog got the best medical care, and thankfully she sailed through her surgery and her tummy healed beautifully. But when the biopsy result came back as Hermangiosarcoma, it was clear her time with me would be limited. The vet surgeon who removed her liver tumour told me it was huge - bigger than my dog's head - and because it was so big, she could not be confident she had left a decent, cancer-free margin around it. This cancer spreads like wildfire through the blood vessels, so the surgery had likely triggered metastases. I feel with hindsight, my vet surgeon's suggestion that my dog next have a course of very expensive, intravenous hospital chemo (costing as much as the pricey surgery she had just had), was primarily to get more money out of me. Because she was clearly very ill and near the end of her life at that point - hospital chemo was not going to save her life, and in fact as she weighed just 2kg by that time, it may have hastened her death. The fact that she died just 9 weeks after surgery to remove the tumour, reassured me I made the right decision in not putting her through the stress of hospital chemo. I was tempted, because the vet said it might buy me 18 months with her. I did not have pet insurance and had to borrow money to pay for all her vet treatments, a struggle as I am not currently working. But I would have found any amount of money, if it were a cure or had a chance of significantly prolonging her life. I gave it a lot of thought, and in the end I decided against the hospital chemo treatments. I knew her cancer was a nasty one that was incurable, so common sense told me to favour quality of life over quantity, and keep her as happy as I could at home, for however long she had left. I did give her a one a day, metronomic chemo tablets at home, on the vet's advice. I will never know if the chemo tablets prolonged her life, shortened it, or had no effect at all, but I felt I had to give them to her, as the vet told me she would go downhill very quickly without them. On the last day of her life she deteriorated rapidly - suddenly she could no longer stand up in the garden to have a wee, her gums were pale and she was weak. I suspected the tumour was growing back and bleeding. I had been syringe-feeding her for the last 9 weeks, and for the first time ever, she vomited it up. I had hoped when the end came I could call a vet to put her to sleep at home. But sadly she became ill on a public holiday, when I could not get a vet to come to the house. So I carried her around like a baby and comforted her through the night. At 5am her breath quickened, and I knew she was about to die. I told her she was a good girl and that I loved her, and we were looking into each other's eyes as she died in my arms. I was very close to my dog, and although I know she was not young at 13, to me she was always a puppy. Losing her was a terrible shock. The cancer diagnosis came out of the blue and since she died, I have been puzzling over how I could have missed it. I bathed her every week, and carried and cuddled her all the time, yet I had never noticed a mass growing in her belly. If I had only known there was a tumour growing inside her, and I had been able to have it removed in its early stages, presumably she would have lived longer? Or would it always have simply grown back? I am not anywhere near ready, but I hope one day to get another dog. I have decided next time, I will have her belly scanned to check for masses at least once a year from the age of 7 or 8, and twice a year after the age of 10. Do you think that is sufficient? Are there any other preventative measures you advise dog owners to do, to prevent Hermangiosarcoma and other cancers in their pet, and to identify them faster? While I know I did everything I could to save my dog's life after the mass was found, I am left with the niggling feeling that I could have done more - and should have been aware of Hermangiosarcoma. I wish my vet had mentioned the various cancers to me that my dog might get, as she got up there at the ages of 9, 10, 11 and 12... I'm not blaming my vet btw, it was my responsibility to take care of my dog and to face the fact she was getting elderly. But I think it would be great if more vets were like you, and worked to educate dog owners better on these various cancers. I know you can't comment on individual cases and I don't ask you to. I would just like to hear your views on the best and most advisable preventative measures people like myself can adopt to detect/prevent cancer. Thank you so much for your wonderful work for animals and the humans who love them. XXX

Thank you for the videos on this cancer. My mini poodle had an emergency splenectomy over the weekend and is currently recovering from the surgery. I have spent hours crying since this weekend but this video series is preparing me for the upcoming biopsy results. Thank you for informing pet owners about this horrific situation. With your videos, I feel like Im adequately prepared for a course of action in case we get negative results.

My 10 year old Golden Retriever had a splenic tumor. I decided to go ahead with the surgery and the vet removed a 10 pound spleen! The best news was it came back benign! I am so glad that I went ahead with the surgery!

My dog had a ruptured spleen & had a splenectomy last week. I was worried sick because of 2/3 rule. Luckily, the biopsy showed a benign mass & inflammatory cells in her liver. ☺️

My Basset had a 2-3mm nodule in his spleen. I started ultrasounds at ago 6 based on my last basset and surprising discovery of cancer! I decided to monitor it with 4 month ultrasounds. It wasn't growing much and tech had a strong thought it was benign. About a year in... I was boarding my dog and I got an urgent message about my dogs behavior! Grey gums and weak legs! Took him to emergency... found out it went into his belly (blood). After surgery they said it was benign! Before they said 2/3 chance... I was fearful! Imagine that... benign! He's still with me at 10 years old. This happened when he just turned nine. He was also slated as anemic upon intake. He had a VERY tender belly too.

Excelente presentación. My daughter’s dog was diagnosed yesterday and we are devastated.

Hello. Coming to see you in 15 days so I wanted to educate myself beforehand. Thank you so much for these videos.

My now three-year-old dog was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma of the bone in October 2020 (2 months before his 2nd bday). We amputated his leg, did a course of chemo, and put him on metronomic in April 2021. I originally watched this video sometime last year when looking to learn more about hemangiosarcoma. He's been doing great! Last Thursday we went in for regular x-ray and ultrasound to check for metastasis. Unfortunately, a mass was found on his spleen. We have a consult, and likely surgery, scheduled for tomorrow. In re-watching this video, I suspect that this is most likely hemangiosarcoma. But I'm hoping it's something else. Whatever it is, I want it to be something that we can still treat and continue to give him the longest, best life we can, which I already know will be far too short for my sweet boy. Thank you Dr. Sue for all that you do. You've helped me be a more confident Dog Mom in advocating for my baby.

Just had a pup go through a splenectomy and I so appreciate these videos. Thank you!

Watching these videos as I lay on a cot next to my pup's kennel after her having the splenectomy because of a burst mass in her spleen. Our vets are great and did try to explain everything to us that they could in the decision phase. But, things get lost in the panic and emotional tidalwave. Our 10yr old girl didn't show signs of any other masses in her x-rays and all her bloodwork came back great except anemic from the burst.. so we opted for surgery. Doc found lesions on her liver while they were in surgery, so that's being biopsied as well as the spleen mass tissue. 2nd day home and her appetite has picked up again. She's upset she's in her kennel, but she's my 0-60 dog that never did settle into a calm adulthood or older phase. She'll have her bloodwork checked again tomorrow to see if she's gaining in red blood cell count still and check her staples. She had gained before they sent her home with us.(They removed 2 liters of blood from her abdomen and transfused two bags of blood after surgery) After that, we're just waiting on the biopsies to point us to the right direction. This may have only prolonged her life by a few months, if its bad news, but she's a fighter and was otherwise healthy. We felt she deserved that chance and it was the right choice to make at the time.

Thank you for explaining this. We grew up with dogs and none of them ever had any health issues. They all died of old age . I had one dog die of a large mass in her chest that metastasized to her lungs and other organs and it was beyond depressing having to make the choice to let her go because the vet would not do surgery to remove it when I first found it and then it grew to the size of a football in a months time and she could not breathe or sleep. I have another dog now that just presented with multiple tumors inside and out, and again will need to be put to sleep because of how fast this has spread inside him. He can barely breathe and is possibly bleeding internally because his abdomen is so bloated. When I first took him to the vet about 2 years ago because I suspected a mass in his abdomen they sent me home saying he was just obese and needed to be put on a diet. He ate as much as my other dog and I knew it was not correct. I felt awful and switched vets but they all know each other and communicated and the new vet just reiterated the same. I find it difficult to trust them now. I knew something was wrong I had the feeling he was not right and maybe something could have been done earlier instead I have to watch him suffer until his time comes,

Hi Dr. Sue. So very pleased you are back! I found encouragement from this particular video. My 14, now 15 year old gal Slinky had a mass removed along with her spleen. 3.9 lbs of non cancerous material & organ. Cavity clean! This was August of 2020 it is now February 2021 and she is FANTASTIC!!! Best part of my 2020 for sure!! much love for your information and explanations.

Dr Sue, Thank you so much for this information. I’m waiting for the results of a biopsy and knowledge helps me feel calm even without knowing the outcome. Our 12 year old chocolate Labrador started a periodic limp a month ago, was increasingly lethargic and then was not able to hold down his food for 5 days. He’d eat but it would come out 6 hours later then he’d want to eat again. The ER Vet took X-rays and found a large mass on his Spleen. Bloodwork came back good in every area except it indicated Anemia. The ultrasound confirmed no other bleeding from the Spleen at the moment, no other tumors or masses and all other organs looked healthy. The surgeon removed his spleen and a very large lipoma that was unusually positioned between his stomach and ribs and had caused a herniated muscle. No other nodules, bumps or masses were found. Now we wait for the biopsy results. Post surgery, he’s eating well, walking like a drunken sailor (from the pain meds) and is doing well. Whatever the outcome, I’ll be forever thankful for my boy and thankful that I have the pleasure of taking care of him.

Hi Dr Sue! I am said dog owner looking for information on a splenic cancer that is rare. I can't find information on Stromal sarcoma to save my life! My dog's symptoms are very similar to HSA so I am learning about it! Thank you for this information!

My dog just recently die, and the vet diagnose, with large splenic he pass away a week later, they did offered a surgery, I couldn't afford it he was 1o yrs old German shepherd

Another great video. Very helpful to better understand a common disease in dogs.

My 10 year old Golden Retriever had his 1st seizure Sunday 11/8/2020, found out on Monday he had a splenic tumor the size of a cantaloupe. I brought him into the vet the next day Monday 11/9/20, and they did the ultrasound and found the mass, it was not draining into his belly, and it was still very well encapsulated, we did blood work and his labs were good. He was anemic, while waiting in the car for the bill, and deciding wether to do surgery or not, he started having seizures and they were pretty bad. I chose to make the hardest decision ever. I had our vet humanely put him down. I am questioning myself if I did the right thing or not. I don’t know where the seizures fit in, and I don’t know if I would have chose the surgery option if the seizures would have went away or not? It his past spring before finding the mass, his lymph nodes in his neck were a bit enlarged, so we sent off samples but that came back negative for cancer.

getting lump on spleen taken off as we speak on my pug Leonidas Dr Rapp is doing the surgery he is going to send out a biopsy to check if its benign !!subbed dr sue

Hi Dr. Sue, thank you for all your knowledge and help and all that you do. I am so crushed your practice is so far away. I feel better knowing that my 11-year-old Australian Kelpie mix Willow may not have cancer, and better prepared if she does. I’m absolutely floored that she is awaiting emergency surgery at the moment but I need to be strong for her and find the best vets in my area. Do you happen to know of an awesome vet or two in the Orange County, California area? If anyone else reading this does, please please let me know. Thank you in advance.

Thank you thank you. This was an excellent video.

Thank you for this. My boxer is in surgery right now with a splenic mass. Yesterday I asked if it was palliative and they said they are hoping that it is curative. I’m not so hopeful now. 😢 It was a very rapid growth. I’ve been crying for the last 3 days so now I will be a real basket case. On to part 2.

Thoughts on a myxosarcoma of the spleen, miotic index of three and yet metathesized to the liver. The vet is baffled.

Our Lab was diagnosed with a bleeding splenic tumor a few months ago and when we took him back to his regular vet that sent us to the ultrasound that found it, BOTH times, she didn't know what to tell us to do. Ryleigh started groaning and whining today and had his head down like he was sad/mopey so we stuck close to him to see if he had weird symptoms. There were a couple of times that he seemed to be trying to push something out and his breathing was really fast. So we took him to the local emergency vet and they are giving him a blood transfusion and will then do surgery. I pray to God it's not cancer but because it's a bleeding tumor, I'm not too hopeful. He's 10 1/2 years old so definitely a senior doggie but I'm not ready to say goodbye to him. They said he has a 50/50 chance of making it through surgery though so I'm preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best. Surely he has another couple of years in him. :'( Thank you so much for the informative video.

My dog has tumours in the spleen(6cm) and liver. He has lost 15lbs and hardly eats. Has no appetite. He is too week to go to surgery. Is there another way to find out without surgery if the tumours are malignant? Some Vets are telling me he is near the end. Listening to you there seems more of a chance that my dog can survive a few more months than the one month I being given. Tests done were ultrasound xray blood test.

Worth to mention : the three injections taken daily for 7 days so far are cortisone, amoxicillin and i dont know what's the third one. Worth to mention that his gums got pink almost and hour after taking the medication. Do you think it's a cancer? Taking into consideration the alt and alp are doubled. And the wbc is 123 thousands :(

Thanks for your video...you are inspiring...I hope one day I can meet you! ...See you soon!

Hi. I was told my dog has hemangiosarcoma. He is 12 years old and has had a very healthy life. He is a miniature wiener dog. I took him to the vet because he just seemed a little “off”, the vet found a heart murmur grade 3 and did a chest X-ray. This is where he saw the “large abdominal mass”. His WBCs were 28k, his platelets and LFTs were a little elevated. Also, was slightly anemic. I had an US done the following day and I was told that his liver had plaques on them which meant metastasis. Also, he initially said that his right kidney was 5x it’s normal size, but after the US, he said that was actually a lobe of the tumor and was pushing the kidney out of view. I have already set an appointment for an in-home euthanization (vet said if it were his dog, he would put him to sleep in a few days). I’m absolutely crushed. Should I try for a second opinion?

As a vet it should be your responsibility to educate owners on potential diagnosis based on common problems with specific breeds and aging dogs. We didn’t get that unfortunately. Instead of assuming that “it’s too expensive” to X-ray or ultra sound, let owner decide that. It’s not up to the vet to determine what our budget is to help our dog. There are too many shitty owners out there that give vets a hard time about costs and therefore vets are scared to recommend services. It goes both ways. The most frustrating part is that the more I’ve researched this, the more I’ve realized it’s common, and never once mentioned to us as a possibility when we originally took our dog in 2 weeks before he finally passed. Hard to trust anyone. Guess I’ll just become a vet so I can educate others.

Thank you! We are taking out 10 year old doberman/lab for an ultrasound this week to see a more detailed picture of his splenic mass. Do you think they might be able to tell via ultrasound if it has metastisized?

Huge thank You for this detailed material. My 3,5 years old cocker spaniel has 3 tumors in the spleen? Is it common to such w Young dog has 3 ? We have surgery in 2 weeks :( we are going to remove the spleen, would You suggest to make a biopsy First?

Hi Dr. Sue. When one of these large masses ruptures and a dog has serious internal bleeding, is that painful? My dog had a tumour on the liver which ruptured. By the time the vet came to my house to put her down about 2 hours had passed. She had pale gums, was in shock, was breathing heavy and irregularly, had a pulsating stomach, was limp and would collapse if she tried to sit up. The vet said she would have been "uncomfortable" due to her abdomen filling with blood, but she seemed to be suffering. Whats your opinion. Did I make the right decision in waiting for the vet? Should i have picked her up and taken her to an emergency vet, which would have been quicker? Would she have been in serious pain? Would she have been aware of her surroundings and that I was there her side (she couldnt look me in the eyes, and couldnt blink for that matter)?

Dr. Sue can a hemoabdomen present as a nose bleed without any more extreme symptoms like collapse? Our dog has a nodule that is being biopsied as we speak, but several weeks ago had random overnight nose bleeds 3 nights in a row after sniffing all day (apparently trying to manage the dripping feeling). Vet couldn't identify a cause at the time and he went back to normal (possibly absorbing the rest of the bleed). Now he has had diarrhea for days, which is what prompted his current visit at the internal medicine specialist. These things put together are seeming like Hermangiosarcoma :(

Please reply for my comment I have a 3 years labrador .. vet told me that he has a tumor or abscess In his spleen (on body) (size 0.67). Vet told me that 99% it is a tumor or 1% it is a abscess . Does a 3 year labrador get tumor in his spleen??? I'am so depressed kindly reply my comment

And. He died. It was hemangiosarcoma in surgery it was everywhere. I asked for ending his life. He was really critical

Hi Sue, my dog has been diagnosed with splenic stromal sarcoma? What do you know about this cancer? My vet did not know much about it.

Hi dr. Sue! I have a question about my dog. They found hemirgiosarcoma in my dog in her leg. The vet removed some tumors and did biopsy. Does it mean they diagnosed it early? Does she need ultrasound of her spleen? He was very shocked to find it in the leg. She never exhibited any signs aside from limping. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Thank you!

Hi doctor Sue! We discovered my golden back home has a spleen/liver growth that is inoperable and internal bleeding has occurred (blood in her stool) I was wondering if we should get a second opinion and/or if you have heard of anything like this and about how much longer we could have with my little angel?

My dog 12.5y died for this maybe in 5min, with no symptoms. all happened so fast.

Doctor. Please help asap. My dog 13 years old never got sick. Literally never taken any medication. Recently i noticed a pale gum and body parts. I ran to the vet. Until that point he was eating well. The alt and alp were high. They gave him medicine but in couple of days only the abdomen swelled a little. Now i feel his left side seems to be the spleen. I can feel the inflammation. However something to mention recently in about a month we got tick infestation. First time ever. The spleen got massed in only 3 to 4 days. Before that his belly and appetite was just great. Please advice i am worried... Is that cancer. Only in 2 or 3 days the spleen massed. I can feel it

Like Felicity Jung below, my dog has been diagnosed with a splenic stromal carcinoma (just on Tuesday 17 March). I can't find anything about it on Dr Google. Do you have any information? I am looking into chemotherapy for him. There is no sign that it has spread to any of the other organs, and the mass and spleen were removed last week.

Pictures please

He is a labrador retriever. Very very healthy dog and powerful all time. History wise. Never ever had to give him any medicine

What about having multiple spleenic masses? Would having 3 masses increase suspicion of it being cancer? My dog also has a mass on his pancreas. Dr. Is not sure it is related.

Today is his surgery

Listen, the video was great. Put a warning for the organ on the screen. I almost fell off my chair.