A splenic mass in dogs may be just a blip on the radar for some senior dogs, and a life-threatening crisis for others. Integrative veterinarian Dr. Julie Buzby invites her friend and colleague, Dr. Jennifer Shepherd, to the blog to give you the scoop on splenic masses and share the stories of three of her patients.
When I think about Daisy, Bella, and Blue, I picture three different dogs with two things in common—loving owners and splenic masses. I also reflect on the heart wrenching conversations and difficult decisions that have to be made when I break the news to a pet parent that their beloved dog has a splenic mass. I remember the dogs whose lives have been cut short, but also those who emerged from the other side of the diagnosis happier and healthier than ever.
Before we can dive into a discussion of splenic masses, we need to lay the foundation. That means it’s time for an anatomy and physiology lesson.
What is the spleen? What does it do?
The spleen is an internal organ located below the liver and stomach. Although the spleen is not necessary for life, it plays an important role in the health of a dog’s blood. The spleen has several jobs:
- Keeping red blood cells healthy.
- Storing red blood cells and platelets.
- Helping produce red and white blood cells.
- Filtering microorganisms and antigens (foreign substances that trigger an immune response) from the blood.
The spleen has two parts— a body and a tail. A ligament attaches the body of the spleen to the outer surface of the stomach. The tail of the spleen is the free end that runs down the left side of the dog’s body.
What is a splenic mass in dogs?
This term refers to a discrete enlargement of a portion of the spleen. While the word mass might sound a bit scary, keep in mind that it doesn’t automatically mean your dog has cancer.
What causes splenic masses in dogs?
Because of the spleen’s role in keeping blood healthy, it has a very generous blood supply. This puts it at higher risk for certain cancerous and non-cancerous masses. These include:
- Hemangioma and hemangiosarcoma – a tumor of blood vessels, such as a benign hemangioma or malignant (cancerous) hemangiosarcoma. Hemangiosarcoma in dogs is the most common type of splenic cancer.
- Splenic hematoma – Trauma to the abdomen and damage to blood vessels in the spleen cause this large encapsulated blood clot to form.
- Lymphoma – This type of cancer can be found in the spleen but in most cases, the entire spleen is enlarged or swollen. There may be nodules within the spleen but typically not distinct masses.
- Other types of tumors – While uncommon, cancers such as leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and histiocytoma can all affect the spleen.
Are splenic masses usually cancerous?
As I mentioned above, finding a mass doesn’t equal cancer in all cases. Overall, studies report that there is about a 50:50 chance that a splenic mass in dogs will be malignant (cancerous) versus benign.
If the mass is an incidental finding and the dog is asymptomatic, one study indicated that 70.5% of canine patients are benign, which is good news. Of the 29.5% of patients who were malignant, 58% of the masses were caused by hemangiosarcoma. (For more about the study, please check out the abstract found on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s website.)
However, when the mass is bleeding into the abdomen, several studies show that approximately two-thirds of the masses are malignant. Approximately two-thirds of the malignant masses are hemangiosarcoma.
Which dogs are usually affected?
Splenic masses can develop in any age, breed, and size of dog. However, they are much more common in older and large breed dogs. Hemangiosarcoma more commonly affects German Shepherd dogs, Golden Retrievers, and Labradors.
What are the signs of a splenic mass?
In some cases, a dog may have absolutely no signs when your veterinarian finds the splenic mass on routine examination, X-rays, or an ultrasound. In other cases, the dog may show non-specific signs such as:
- Decreased appetite
- General lethargy (a tired, sluggish, lethargic dog)
- Weight loss
- Distended abdomen
If the splenic mass ruptures and causes internal bleeding, your dog may exhibit:
- Weakness
- Collapse
- Pale gums
- Distended abdomen
Many times there are initially no obvious symptoms that would tell you that your dog has a splenic mass, so don’t be hard on yourself if you didn’t realize something was wrong.
What are some ways to further assess a dog with a splenic mass?
After finding a splenic mass, your vet may use other diagnostic tools to get a better idea of your dog’s overall health status and to look for evidence of metastasis (spread). These include:
Blood tests
A complete blood count (CBC) can help determine if your dog is anemic, indicating the tumor may be bleeding. It also looks for the presence of abnormal red blood cells that could suggest an aggressive cancer.
If your dog is going to undergo surgery to remove the splenic mass, your vet may run a coagulation profile to make sure the blood can clot normally. A chemistry panel may also be run to assess the protein levels and kidney and liver function.
X-rays
Your vet may use chest X-rays to look for nodules in the lungs that could indicate metastasis of cancer from the splenic mass. He or she will also look for generalized heart enlargement because hemangiosarcoma can spread to the heart.
If a hemangiosarcoma on the heart ruptures, it bleeds into the pericardial sac, the thin membrane that wraps around the heart. Blood trapped in the space between the pericardium and heart compresses the heart. This dramatically decreases heart function and increases the risks of anesthesia.
Ultrasound
Your vet can perform an abdominal ultrasound to confirm the presence, size, and appearance of the mass on the spleen. If your vet suspects there is blood in the pericardial sac from a ruptured hemangiosarcoma, he or she may use an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) to assess the heart further.
If the ultrasound shows additional tumors on the heart, liver, kidneys, or elsewhere in the abdomen, your vet may not recommend surgery. These findings usually suggest an aggressive cancer and poor long-term outlook.
Biopsy
If the ultrasound shows nodular solid masses on the spleen, an aspirate or biopsy may help identify the mass. However, the majority of splenic tumors are blood-filled so a biopsy will not tell us whether the mass is benign or malignant.
Removal of the entire spleen and analysis by a pathologist is the best way to definitively determine the type of splenic mass.
What are the risks of a splenectomy (surgical removal of the spleen)?
The spleen is highly vascular, meaning it has a very good blood supply. The surgeon must carefully and precisely ligate (tie off or seal) all of the blood vessels going to and from the spleen. This will decrease the risk of bleeding after the splenectomy.
In addition, many masses on the spleen contain large amounts of blood and are very fragile. If the mass ruptures during surgery, there is a risk of significant blood loss. Dogs who experience significant bleeding, either because the mass had already ruptured prior to surgery or ruptured during surgery, may require a blood transfusion.
In some cases, surgery may reveal there are additional bleeding masses that the surgeon cannot remove, such as a mass deep in the liver. In these cases, dog parents may decide on dog euthanasia during the procedure because of the uncontrollable bleeding. Despite the veterinary team’s best efforts, some dogs may not survive the surgery and recovery period.
If you’re weighing the risks of surgery for your dear dog, Dr. Buzby has written two articles that may help you:
Ultimately, the best way to make that decision is to discuss it with your veterinarian.
Abnormal heart rhythms may occur during and after surgery
It is common for dogs with splenic masses to “throw PVCs.” PVC stands for premature ventricular contraction, an abnormal heartbeat that occurs when the ventricles of the heart contract too early. You may have experienced a PVC when you feel like your heart skipped a beat.
A few PVCs are not a concern, but if a dog has a large number in a row, it can affect blood pressure and oxygenation. They can also lead to ventricular tachycardia, a serious arrhythmia that needs to be treated. Because of the risk of PVCs, your veterinarian may recommend an overnight hospitalization in the ICU or at a 24-hour emergency clinic for monitoring.
What is the prognosis for dogs with splenic masses?
Dog parents often have to make the decision about surgery to remove the spleen without knowing if the mass is benign or malignant. Other diagnostic tests may give clues, but ultimately, a pathologist needs to analyze the removed spleen. This makes the decision-making process difficult because the identity of the mass is a big determinant of long-term outcome.
If the mass is a hemangioma or a hematoma, your dog should not need further treatment after the splenectomy. These are benign processes so we expect your dog to be able to live a normal, happy life.
Hemangiosarcoma, a cancer of the lining of the blood vessels, is the most common type of splenic cancer. Because it is already in the blood vessels, it spreads to other places very easily via the bloodstream.
By the time your vet finds the hemangiosarcoma, there is usually at least microscopic metastasis. This means that although other masses may not currently be visible to the naked eye or on imaging like X-rays or ultrasound, some tumor cells have invaded other locations. These cells will eventually form a detectable mass that may begin to bleed.
Survival times for dogs with hemangiosarcoma
Unfortunately, with hemangiosarcoma, a splenectomy stops the immediate source of the bleeding, but does not otherwise extend your dog’s survival time. With no other treatment, average expected survival time is about two months.
If a dog has follow-up chemotherapy from a board-certified veterinary oncology specialist, the median survival time increases to six to nine months. During that time many dogs can live normal, happy lives before ultimately succumbing to their disease.
Now, to help give all this information a furry face, I want to introduce you to three of my splenic mass patients—Daisy, Bella, and Blue.
Daisy’s story: A splenic mass as an incidental finding
When I saw Daisy for her annual wellness exam, her dad understandably thought her distended abdomen was from all the extra treats Daisy got when his mom visited.
But as I palpated Daisy’s abdomen, it did not feel normal. The cranial abdomen (just behind the ribs) had a distinct round structure, about the size of a volleyball. An X-ray confirmed there was a large mass on the tail of her spleen.
Her blood work was normal, as were her chest X-rays. An abdominal ultrasound showed a single fluid-filled mass approximately 10 inches by 6 inches on the tail of the spleen. We discussed the benefits versus the risks of surgery at length, then scheduled surgery to remove Daisy’s spleen.
Daisy’s tumor ended up being a hematoma (encapsulated blood clot). She lived an additional three years after surgery and was euthanized at the age of fourteen due to severe arthritis and mobility issues.
Bella’s story: A bleeding benign splenic mass
Bella came in with a two-day history of lethargy that was getting progressively worse. When she arrived, she was too weak to walk, her gums were pale, and her abdomen was distended. Since her abdomen was filled with bloody fluid, our veterinary team presumed that she had a bleeding tumor somewhere. We knew she was at a high risk for bleeding to death if we didn’t perform emergency surgery soon. A decision had to be made quickly.
We presented her family with these three options:
- Perform emergency abdominal exploratory surgery and a splenectomy if the bleeding was coming from a splenic mass.
- See if we could stabilize Bella with intravenous fluids and a blood transfusion then send her home, knowing that if the bleeding didn’t stop or started up again, she could die.
- Say their goodbyes and euthanize her now.
Bella’s family chose surgery. Our veterinary team started her on intravenous fluids to stabilize her while her baseline blood tests ran and then Bella headed to surgery. A blood-filled mass was found on the tail of her spleen, which had ruptured and was bleeding into the abdomen. We examined the rest of the abdomen and determined there were no other blood-filled masses that would indicate metastasis.
Bella’s story has a happy ending. Her tumor was a hemangioma (benign blood vessel tumor) and she is still full of pep today, approximately 18 months after her spleen was removed.
Blue’s story: Hemangiosarcoma and chemotherapy
Blue was a ten-year-old Australian Shepherd who, like Bella, presented to my clinic with a bleeding splenic mass. He was diagnosed with a splenic hemangiosarcoma after undergoing a splenectomy. Post-op, he received monthly chemotherapy treatments through a veterinary oncologist.
For the next six months, he continued to play with his brother and go for two-mile walks every day. Then he had an episode of collapse caused by a metastatic tumor on his liver that had ruptured and was bleeding. The family elected to euthanize him that day but said they never regretted the chemotherapy and enjoyed the additional time they had with Blue.
A caring message about decision making for dogs with splenic masses
Learning your dog has a splenic mass can be very scary. You must decide— sometimes almost immediately—whether or not to move forward with an exploratory surgery and splenectomy. To make it even harder, we cannot necessarily predict whether surgery will be curative or if your dog has an aggressive cancer with a poor long-term prognosis.
As a veterinarian, this is one of the most heartbreaking conversations I can have with my clients. There is no right or wrong answer so every family must decide what is best for their dog and their family.
Please know that when you face these decisions, there is no judgment—only empathy— from your veterinary team. We will comfort and support you no matter what path you take.
Have you ever had a dog with a splenic mass?
Please share your beloved dog’s story below. Knowing others have been there too can be comforting to those facing the same difficult decisions.
My guy is 6 and we found out Monday he has a mass on his spleen that is huge and bleeding.. They did an ultrasound and also told us they saw some cysts on his liver. They think it’s probably cancer because of those cysts and the bleeding spleen. I’m looking for any insight. He’s so young.
Dear Amanda,
I am sorry your boy is facing this unknown issue, and I understand your concern. I will attach links to other articles with more information. I hope you can find the answers you need to help when tough decisions have to be made. Praying for healing and comfort for you both.
1. Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
2. Can a Dog Live Without A Spleen?
3. Using a Quality of Life Scale for Dogs
Story time:
It started around 4:30-5am when I usually get up and get ready for work.. normally if he sleeps against the door and I pull on it a little bit, he has no issues getting up but on wednesday.. he looked incredibly lethargic, flushed and couldn’t stand up on his own..
So we took him to the vet and the local vet, they did X-rays and blood work.. they told me to take him immediately to the nearest hospital.. he was losing blood internally, very anemic and his stomach distended..
The vet and surgeon confirmed he had a large mass on his spleen that could possibly be malignant. He also had a heart murmur that could complicate the procedure.. could possibly require blood transfusion and CPR
So we had to wait for radiology to arrive to perform the ultrasound and the pathologist to confirm where he’s a good candidate for surgery or preparing to say out goodbyes to him.
He was on observation for a day, then the pathologist called us to tell us they will proceed with performing the surgery. Plus sign was that there was no fluid in the abdomen which then showed less risk and increase likelihood for success for surgery but it was still uncertain cuz of the bleeding..
I was waiting all day for the call from the surgeon while I was at work.. thinking about him.. he lives to help me as a best friend, son, and my service animal. He also helps out a ton in our community for elderly with disabilities and children with special needs.. when I broke the news to his regular clientele/friends.. and my therapist.. they all broke down crying because they all saw him as family.
Then we finally got the call.. that the surgery was a success!!
Currently he’s only on pain medication and the surgeon sent the mass to the pathologist for further investigation.
They removed the mass on his spleen; said it doesn’t look like it metastasized.. They also found a couple of nodules but she said they are benign.. The results of biopsy she said usually take 5-6 days.
Today.. he kicked cancer’s ass and I broke the news to everyone. He is so loved in our community and they can’t wait to see him again ☺️
Hi Gee,
This is such great news! I am so happy to hear the surgery was a success and your boy is still by your side. Thank you for sharing your experience with our readers. I am certain this will offer hope to others when facing a similar situation. Please give your sweet boy a hug for me and I wish you all the best!
My dog Lacey, 10 yo Lab mix, had an emergency spelenectomy last week. She suddenly was panting, and collapsed.. We rushed her to the emergency vet and within an hour she was getting a transfusion , had an ultrasound where they found her belly was full of blood, and xray (no sign of spread). The surgery, splenectomy and exploratory, was uneventful. The pathology determined it was a hemangiosarcoma..
Now my question..she was given yunnan biayao three times a day while she was in the hospital.. Should I continue a low dose of yunnan even though theres no active bleeding? I’ve read that it may kill the cancer cells. I’ve also ordered I’m-Yunity, a chinese mushroom that seems to improve life expectancy. (per a study at UPenn and on the NIH site). My vet has received the report from the emergency vet and VA Tech.. I’ve asked that she reviews this and calls me. Thanks for listening. Hemangiosarcoma is traumatizing for everyone.
Hi Sue,
I am sorry Lacey has received this devastating diagnosis, but what a blessing the veterinary team was able to stabilize her, and the surgery was successful. I do like keeping my patients with hemangiosarcoma on daily Yunnan Baiyao. I am not sure that it helps treat the cancer but do think it can prevent some bleeding episodes from occurring. Here is a link to another article that may offer additional information: Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
Try to make the most of the time you are gifted and find joy in each day. Wishing you and Lacey all the best and praying for comfort and peace.
In regards to keeping dogs on Yunnan Baiyao daily, do you recommend the 5 days on, 5 days off? My golden doodle had a splenectomy 3 weeks ago and diagnosed with HSA.
Hi Connie,
Thank you for asking for clarification! It is recommended to give 5 days on then 5 days off or it can be given every other day. But in end-of-life cases I have used it every day. One concern with daily long-term use is the possibility of elevated liver enzymes. But again, if I am treating a hospice case, the benefits usually outweigh the potential negative side effects. I am sorry your pup is facing this difficult disease. Best wishes to you both. ♥
My boy dexter 9 year old olde english bulldogge collapsed last Thursday I took him to the vets and the ultrasound showed he had a tumor (5cm) on his spleen that had ruptured and was bleeding into his abdomen. I was given 3 options, surgery (which my vet said wasn’t always recommended) high dose steroid tablets or euthanasia. I took him home over the weekend to have a think about surgery – whilst giving him the steroid tablets which made him need to urinate more often he was having accidents in the house which isn’t like him atall. so after careful consideration we opted for surgery as I needed to know whether it was benign or not – my vet said there’s a less than 5% chance that the tumor is benign is this true? I’m waiting for the results coming back and I am going out of my mind with worry. I’m just looking to see if anyone else has been in this situation and looking for a little bit of hope.
Hi Kirsten,
My heart goes out to you as you face this worrisome situation with Dexter. I understand your concern and need for more answers before making a decision about quality of life. Research actually shows that a splenic tumor has a 50/50 chance of being malignant or benign. Without being personally involved with your boy’s medical care it is hard to make specific conclusions as to why your vet thinks his chances are so poor. They may have seen something else on ultrasound that points to this tumor being cancerous. Here is a link to another article that may offer additional insight: Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
How are things today? Did you decide to move forward with surgery? Hoping all is well and praying Dexter can make a full recovery. Bless you and your sweet boy.
Hi Dr. Buzby,
I have come back to several of your articles multiple times because my baby had a splenic mass that ruptured 11 days ago and emergent splenectomy. The histopathology came back inconclusive and they’re now staining the cells (some spindle cells) for stromal sarcoma. I thought briefly this was a slightly better diagnosis, but there is hardly any info on these tumors and my anxiety is spiraling out of control. I have a consultation with oncologist tomorrow, but please let me know if you have any recommended resources.
Hi Whitney,
I am sorry you are facing this worrisome situation with your pup. Unfortunately, I don’t have much experience with this type of cancer as it is very rare. I did some research and was able to find one good article that was published by the journal of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology. Here is a link to the full free text: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vco.12941
Hoping your appointment with the oncologist went well and they were able to offer guidance and advice. Please feel free to keep us updated on how things are going. Praying for a positive outcome for your sweet pup and wishing you both many happy days ahead.
Hi Dr. Buzby,
Thanks for this great article! I’m hoping you might be able to provide a little advice or offer some suggestions for my situation. There’s so much information out there (some of it conflicting) and I’ve been incredibly distraught all day. Any thoughts you might have would be most appreciated.
My dog Pony, who is a ten year old Formosan mountain dog/Belgian Malinois mix, was just diagnosed with two splenic masses today. The finding was incidental; he went in for a dental two months ago and routine bloodwork showed that his ALT liver enzymes were slightly elevated. Two days ago at his follow-up appointment, those levels were significantly higher (around 600). However, all his other bloodwork was normal. Perfect red and white blood cell counts, platelets, bilirubin, all the other liver levels, etc. He also has not had ANY symptoms. He is highly energetic (he has more energy than most dogs half his age), plays regularly, loves to solve puzzles and chase squirrels and hike and run, is super happy, has been eating and drinking normally, no vomiting or diarrhea, no pale gums, no lethargy or odd behavior — absolutely nothing that would ever indicate he is anything other than the picture of health. Even the vets were surprised at how exceptional his general health is, especially for his age. Anyway, he had an abdominal ultrasound today, in effort to assess the liver and determine what might be causing the elevated ALT enzyme levels. That’s when the splenic masses were discovered. The liver and everything else looked perfectly normal. The vet seemed to think that one of the masses had bled at some point, even though his gums are bright and normal and his red blood cell count was perfect, and suspected that the masses could be why his ALT liver enzyme levels were so high. We’re taking him in tomorrow for a chest x-ray, and if it’s clear, they want to schedule a splenectomy.
A couple of questions: could his masses could be benign, even though one of them seems to have bled already? Does the fact that he has has been completely asymptomatic/not sick at all increases the chances of benign masses? Could a hematoma cause ALT liver enzyme levels to rise? If the chest x-ray is clear we will opt for the splenectomy but I am also worried about that procedure. If his masses are benign, it will be worth it, but if they are malignant, and he spends his last few weeks or months struggling to recover from surgery or restricted and in pain, I’ll never forgive myself.
Because he has two splenic masses, one of which has bled previously, plus the elevated liver enzyme levels, is hemangiosarcoma the most likely culprit? And if it is but hasn’t spread has the spleen, would the splenectomy effectively get rid of the cancer? Or because of the type of cancer, is there no chance that it wouldn’t have already spread elsewhere (even microscopically?) If he has a splenectomy and it is malignant, what are the chances that he’ll recover from the surgery with enough time to enjoy life a bit before he succumbs to cancer? Apologies for all the questions– I’m just trying to prepare myself for whatever decision I have to make tomorrow, and have received so much conflicting and uncertain information that I feel incredibly confused and unprepared. I have also been completely devastated thinking about it and cannot stop crying. This is probably the worst heartache I have felt in my entire life and I’m just looking for any additional information, advice or thoughts you might have on this situation. Truly, anything at all would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you so much in advance! <3
Dear Angie,
I am so sorry you are facing this difficult situation with your senior guy. I understand your concern and can see why you are searching for answers and advice. I will help as much as I can, but unfortunately tumors (benign or cancerous) are very unpredictable. It is possible for the masses to be benign even though one has previously bled. The lack of other symptoms really doesn’t help with predicting whether these masses are cancerous or not. A hematoma could cause some changes to liver values, but I would be a little surprised if your boy had two hematomas (still completely possible). While splenectomy surgery is risky and the recovery has its own set of possible complications and challenges, most dogs recover quickly and do enjoy some extra quality time with their loved ones. I would not assume Pony would spend his final days in pain from surgical recovery. Here is an article with more information on hemangiosarcoma and the statistics about this disease: Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
Praying for strength and clarity as you try to navigate this unknown path. Wishing you and your sweet boy all the best. Feel free to keep us updated on how things are going. Bless you. ♥
Thanks so much for a quick reply. I hope it’s okay if I ask a few more questions!
Is it possible that his masses are hemangiomas (one of which possibly bled in the past) and that could have caused the liver values to increase? Or that his elevated liver values are unrelated and the masses on his spleen are benign hemangiomas? Do hemangiomas usually occur as singular masses or can there be multiple?
I just keep hanging on to that small chance that his masses are non-cancerous. I know you say that him having no symptoms doesn’t help determine whether or not the masses are cancerous, but if that is indeed what is causing his liver enzyme levels to rise, that would mean he’s had hemangiosarcoma for over two months. For a cancer as aggressive as hemangiosarcoma, is it possible that he could have it for 2+ months and still have no symptoms? Additionally, his masses are small (golf ball sized or smaller), all his labs were normal and his chest x-ray is clear, and he is not any of the breeds that typically get hemangiosarcoma (though I know it can occur in any kind of dog). I’ve also read some studies that say for splenic masses which are found incidentally in asymptomatic dogs, the odds can be as high as 70% that the masses are benign. And yet other studies say the percentage is much lower if the mass has previously bled– even though benign masses can bleed too. I’m just trying to get a bit more clarity, so I can feel somewhat prepared going into his splenectomy this Thursday.
Thank you so so much for your time and compassion <3
Hi Angela,
Of course you can ask more questions! I just wish I had better answers. It is possible the masses could just be hemangiomas even with the previous bleeding. Because hemangiomas are taking up space in the spleen, they can affect its function and also have an effect on the organs around it (like the liver). It is possible the liver issue is completely unrelated to the masses in the spleen. There is no limit to how many hemangiomas can be present at the same time. I don’t blame you for holding on to hope that your boy will walk away from this healthy and happy. You should! There is always hope that this could have a positive outcome. Praying for a successful surgery on Thursday and for peace for your heart. Please keep us updated on how things go. Bless you and your sweet boy. ♥
Hi there! I was wondering if you could provide an update on how things came about for Pony. My boy is in the exact same boat, literally everything is the exact same situation down the reason for the initial visit. Our splenectomy is scheduled for two weeks out!
Hi Brianna,
Praying your boy’s surgery is successful and that he makes a full recovery. Bless you both!
We lost our Ethel April 1st. She had a seizure out of nowhere 1130p the night before. The next morning she started seizing almost nonstop, couldn’t get into our vet till 4pm. She was already on gabapentin, so I gave her extra, hoping that would help. It didn’t. We got to our vet, xray showed a splenic mass. She was 14, we’d had her for 13 years. Her sister Lucy is 15 and we’ve had her since she was one yr also. Lucy didn’t get to say goodbye, as we opted for Ethel to go to dog heaven. Her ashes went to a farm to be spread and play outside forever. Ethel had the biggest personality of our 3 rescues, so it was an adjustment. Lucy followed us everywhere for a week, she didn’t understand lwhy Ethel was not around. Lucy has always been my favorite, she’s very sweet and gentle. I have dreaded her last day on earth, but I look at Ethel’s passing as getting me more prepared for my last day with Lucy.
Remember, DOG is GOD spelled backwards!
Dear Jane,
I am so sorry for your loss of Ethel (I love their names ♥). I can only imagine how much you and Lucy miss her but am glad she didn’t have to suffer needlessly. Thank you for being willing to share your experience with us. Praying for comfort and peace for you and your family.
My 14 year old hound recently had a 4 day episode of decreased appetite/lethargy followed by ultrasound that revealed a splenic mass. How long does it usually take for the mass to rupture after one of these episodes? I am wondering how much time I have to contemplate the surgery. At her age I am just not sure what to do. She is 85% back to normal now but I know the mass is there and vet has said surgery is an option.
Hi Amber,
I am sorry your girl has been diagnosed with this worrisome splenic mass. Unfortunately, there is no way to know how long it will remain stable before a major bleeding event occurs. I do think it would be good to ask your vet if they can give you a supplement called Yunnan Baiyao to have on hand. This supplement helps to stop bleeding and can be lifesaving in an emergency situation. Hoping you can find the advice you need to feel comfortable with the plan moving forward, whether that is surgery or palliative care. Praying for clarity and comfort and wishing your sweet girl all the best.
Thank you for such an informative article. I unfortunately lost my 11 year old male dachshund-chihuahua mix this week. I was completely shocked and very unprepared.
He had a history of IVDD for a couple of years with seeming more flare ups this past year. Over the past month or so, I noticed his belly seeming to be more “tight” to the touch and slightly bulging. I assumed the bulging was from the treats/more inactivity from back pain and the tightness was from his muscles tensing from the IVDD.
The night prior he was completely restless despite administering his IVDD medication the past few days. Very restless and not sleeping. And then, the following morning he had an episode where he fell over into the floor and howled. He became very rigid. I knew then this was not IVDD and something very serious.
Rushing him to the vet, he did not look well at all. An X-ray and an ultrasound confirmed he had a large mass on his spleen, a possible spot on his liver, potentially other smaller spots and a lot of bleeding in his abdomen. Pale gums. Blood work confirmed severe anemia and he would not handle surgical anesthesia well.
I have been very diligent with his annual physicals with blood work, since I come from a veterinary background myself. There was no indication of an issue. His most recent blood work was semi not “normal”, but he had an unrelated infection on his paw.
I was so taken back and immediately had to make a decision what to do. Unfortunately, I knew the situation was dire and painful and made the choice to have him move onward.
I wish there was better earlier diagnostics, like some circulating cancer biomarkers or something as part of a normal yearly bloodwork panel. I’m devastated but feel somewhat at peace knowing I made the right choice since it clearly was an aggressive splenic mass.
Dear David,
My heart goes out to you with the tragic loss of your senior pup. I can only imagine how much you miss him but am grateful you were given the opportunity to offer him a peaceful passing. Thank you for being willing to share your experience with our readers. Praying with time your heart can begin to heal and wishing you comfort and peace. May the memories of all the good times you shared stay with you as you continue life’s journey.
Hi Dr. Buzby, thank you for your words here.
I said goodbye to my beloved Cooper on Wednesday of last week and just found this article today. He was a beautiful black and silver schnauzer mix of 12 1/2.
On that Monday prior he didn’t eat his breakfast, but he came back to it around noon and ate it all, but then didn’t eat dinner. I thought it odd but wasn’t super concerned, especially considering we did an 2 1/2 mile walk that afternoon. He skarfed his breakfast Tuesday morning, Tuesday night, though, he just picked a bit at his dinner and seemed pretty lethargic as the evening wore on.
Wednesday morning he still wouldn’t touch his food, and he wouldn’t even eat eggs off of my plate at breakfast (a favorite). At that point I knew something was wrong and got him in to our vet later that morning. They quickly saw his pale gums and wanted to run a blood panel, which came back in about 30 minutes and confirmed he was anemic. His red blood cell count was low as was his platelet count, indicating internal bleeding.
We rushed to the animal hospital where they performed a chest x-ray and an ultrasound. The x-ray came back clear, but the ultrasound found a mass on his spleen that had burst, which they confirmed by aspirating his abdomen and finding blood.
She did offer that these kinds of splenic tumors are not always cancerous, but also that at his age she’d never seen one come back as benign. Given the poor outlook of a tumor that had just burst and spread cancerous cells throughout his abdomen, we made the decision to let him go.
Reading now that even a third of splenic tumors that burst are benign is tough to take. Had I known he had even those kinds of odds I 100% would have opted for surgery. If only I’d been of clear mind enough to find this article when I needed it.
Dear Adam,
I am so sorry for your loss of Cooper. It is easy to question all the decisions you made and ponder the “what ifs” while grieving. But please don’t let the burden of guilt weigh you down. You made a loving choice to offer your sweet boy freedom from suffering and a peaceful goodbye. I would have done the same for one of my own. I hope with time your heart can begin to heal and the grief will fade. May Cooper’s memory stay with you always and continue to be a blessing in your life.
Thank you so much for this post, particularly the case studies. My dog, Pancake, was rushed to the vet the other night after he suddenly became extremely lethargic. The vet found a mass on his spleen via X-ray and fluid in his abdomen. He was kept overnight in the ICU and scheduled for ultrasound the next morning to see if they could see any other abnormalities or masses. They did notice a hernia, but thankfully no other masses. His blood work is normal. We’ve decided to go ahead with surgery and keep him in the hospital until then since we have another very excitable larger dog, so we didn’t want to chance further rupture. We’re hopeful that with the normal bloodwork and lack of evidence of spreading that it turns out to be benign. He’s only 5 and has been a healthy guy all the years we’ve had him.
Hi Jordan,
I am sorry you are facing this scary situation with your beloved pup. What a blessing the veterinary team was able to get him stabilized and offer you a chance at surgery. Hoping Pancake’s surgery will be successful, and the recovery is smooth. Wishing you all the best as you anxiously await the pathology results. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance.
My 9 year-old Husky was diagnosed with a 8cm by 10cm splenic mass today. She has epilepsy and during routine blood work, it was found that her liver enzymes (which are already high due to phenobarbital) were even higher than before, and her pancreatic enzymes are off the charts. She has had pancreatitis in the past, and has exhibited those symptoms twice this year. Both times, she was given the “normal” round of medications and improved dramatically within 24 hours. I was assuming that these numbers and the pancreatitis were being caused by her epilepsy medications, as did her vet. The ultrasound was just meant to rule out anything else before simply weaning her off of phenobarbital (the suspected culprit) and replacing it with a different medication. Unfortunately, it did the opposite. I am now waiting for an appointment with an oncologist to explore our options. My heart is shattered, but I am fortunate in that the mass was found before it ruptured, giving me a chance to think beforehand. I know most aren’t fortunate enough to have time to do anything but make split second decisions.
I lost my 11 year-old mixed baby in a traumatic way (diagnosed with cancer, had surgery, and put to sleep within 5 days). I couldn’t save her and I can’t stand the thought of going through that again.
I know the odds aren’t in her favor, but they never have been. I’m praying and hoping she beats the odds one more time.
Dear Rayne,
My heart goes out to you as you face this unknown path with your Husky. What a blessing your vet found the mass so early and you are able to think through all your options. I am glad you planned to meet with an oncologist and allow them to help offer guidance. How did things go? Feel free to leave an update and let us know how your girl is doing. Wishing you all the best and praying for a positive outcome.
my 10-year-old pitbull mix was having some nausea and vomiting back in December so he was brought to internal medicine to have it explored and an ultrasound showed a very small splenic tumor that was asymptomatic. I had never heard of splenic masses before. The veterinarian told me we could just wait and watch it or we can do a fine needle aspiration to see if there are cancer cells. Fast forward to March of this year, before we could have his repeat ultrasound, a large splenic mass had ruptured and he was bleeding into his abdomen. During the surgery he had two masses on his spleen and it looks like very small, pinpoint lesions on his mesentery. I’m extremely angry and I am struggling severely with what’s happening to me and my beloved dog. I feel like if I was told the gravity of the situation with splenic tumors and the likelihood of it being cancerous, I would have elected to have the spleen removed in December and we wouldn’t be in this situation. I haven’t gotten the pathology back but I am beside myself with dread, grief and guilt. I feel like I should have been told how important early detection is and when there’s a splenic mass, you don’t “watch it “. Time is of the essence and you act now. I am inconsolable. To think this could have been avoided is destroying me and to think of losing my precious Luke is more than I can handle. Please offer any thoughts. Thank you.
Dear Jennifer,
I am so sorry you are facing this tragic situation with your senior guy. I understand why you are frustrated and angry and I wish I could go back and change things for you and your pup. We will never know if the outcome would have been any different had the surgery taken place in December, but I am not sure I would have done anything different if in a similar situation. You made the best choices you could with the information you had, and you kept your boy’s best interest in mind. I am glad the surgery was successful and am praying for favorable results from the pathologist. Feel free to leave an update and let us know how things are going if you have a chance. Bless you and your sweet boy. ♥
Thank you for your informative website. Could you tell me, if a spot on the spleen was noticed, but not removed, how long would the dog live if it were cancer? I ask because my dog had surgery to remove an external tumor that was found to be benign. Incidentally, the sonographer noted something on the spleen and recommended an ultrasound. Unfortunately, this note was lost in the system and didn’t make its way to me. About 8 months later, my dog (nearly 13 at this point) suddenly was having trouble walking and very pale gums. I rushed him to the ED and they informed me his spleen had ruptured. They stated that 9/10 times it is cancer and recommended euthanasia. I’ve been so upset by this decision because I’ve been reading that it’s usually 50/50 and there isn’t really a way to know unless a biopsy is done. I’m wondering, given what I now know from the spot the sonographer saw if this was the right choice. I know I can’t bring back my darling boy, but I want to ensure I make an informed decision should anything like this ever happen again. (I found out about the sonographer’s note after I had requested all the records wondering how I could have missed something. The primary and ED vet both acknowledged these things happen and so often are beyond anyone’s knowing. But now having seen the note, I just wonder if it was the right choice to euthanize. I’m heartbroken but do not blame anyone– I know they’re understaffed and things can happen.) I just am wondering, given he had a spot of something on his spleen in August and it ruptured in March, was that likely he had cancer or it would have been benign? He had a dental 2 weeks prior, but all his bloodwork was fine except his liver values were a little elevated but that said that was due to the Galliprant. Thank you in advance for any wisdom you may impart.
Dear Ella,
I am so sorry for the tragic loss of your senior boy. Unfortunately, there is no way to know exactly how long a dog will survive after a cancer diagnosis is made. There are definitely averages when it comes to making a prognosis, but each case is different, and it doesn’t always follow the book. It sounds like your boy may have had hemangiosarcoma. Here is a link to another article with more information that may help to clear up some of your questions: Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
I hope you can find peace in the fact that your pup lived a happy life by your side. You made a selfless choice to allow your own heart to break so he could avoid needless suffering and pain. I pray for your comfort and hope as time passes the grief will fade. Wishing you brighter days ahead and may the memories of all the good times you shared continue to be a blessing in your life.
A few times over the course of a month or so my pup had weird episodes like she was wanting to pass out, but wouldn’t. She would quickly sit down and then a few moments later she was fine. The last time we were at the Vet and she had rolled on to her back but wouldn’t get up for a moment or two ….. Doctor said we should month.
Two days ago, My puppers suddenly collapsed two days ago, pale gums, drooling and staring off into space. Took her into the ER and found out she has a mass on her spleen.
I did what I need dog dad would do and got us a 2nd opinion. Doctor did X-rays of her chest and an ultrasound ultimately finding a second Mass on her liver.
Her CBC came back great so we are currently thinking of doing he guided needle aspirate… however…. I’m not sure I want to put her though it……
having two masses is a good indication that the Mass on her spleen , which is a soft all size, has already metastasize and it’s malignant.
Neither doctor was 100% sure they saw a bleeding but they showed indications of it.
She’s hadn’t been eating, and only drinking water, very very tired and weak.
With having two masses on lover and spleen, it’s been tough to decide. Part of me wants to leave no stone unturned, part of me wants to have her pass in peace.
She has started peeing in the house and today in the car sometime she peed in her bed…,.Very not her.
I wish I had the answers, but I don’t. any insight from a professional would be well appreciated…..
Dear John,
I am sorry you are facing this incredibly difficult situation with your senior girl. It is hard to know what to recommend as the only way to know for sure if the masses are related and/or malignant is to pursue surgery and have them removed and sent for histopathological evaluation. I agree, the odds are not in your favor, especially if your girl has already experienced some bleeding episodes (pale gums and lethargy). I am not sure there is a definite right or wrong answer, but I will say that it is perfectly acceptable to pursue palliative care and focus on quality of life rather than quantity. My advice would be to make the most of the time you are gifted. Spoil her rotten and find joy in each day. Hoping you can make a choice that brings peace to you and your sweet girl. Bless you both. ♥
My NutterButter “Petey” has this nasty cancer. I just found out Monday January 22nd, 2024. I am so heartbroken. He will be 13 years old on March 28th, 2024. Will he make it? I do not know. This is so sad. His blood work for years has been all over the place with high liver enzymes. Thing is, no mention of it could be due to this that or the other thing. ALL they ever wanted to do was recheck it periodically. Now this!! Petey has been the best dog and my best friend in the universe to and for me. I do not know wth I am going to do without him. I will not let him suffer though and I sure hope he isn’t suffering now. This may sound morbid but, I hope he passes in his sleep because I do not want to make that final call. Omg, this is killing me inside!!!
Dear Delcee,
I am so sorry Petey has received this devastating diagnosis. I am glad you are planning to monitor his quality of life closely to ensure he does not suffer needlessly. Here are links to other articles with more information on survival time and how to know when it may be time to say goodbye.
1. Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
2. When To Euthanize A Dog With Hemangiosarcoma: A Vet’s Guidance
Make the most of each day you are gifted and spoil him rotten. Wishing you all the best for many happy days ahead. ♥
Thank you for your kind words.
unfortunately I chose to have his vet help him to eternal peace on February 15th.
He collapsed twice in maybe a 12 hour span. He staggered then collapsed onto his side with all fours straight outward with slight tremors like a seizure. He was sleeping upwards of 12 hours and his entire mouth was pale white, as was his skin and ears. His hind leg was swollen for a few weeks and had not quite a goofball sized lump at the back of that knee area.
He would lay on his bed and just stare into space. I was a mess watching him like this. He was hardly eating or drinking anything. he’d mostly turn his nose to food and water and walk away from it. He was always hungry and thirsty previous to the past couple of months.
about the last two years the vet and I thought it was his arthritis. But, looking back, that’s not what it all was. Petey was around 7 years old, approximately, when his blood work was coming back with readings off the charts. Not thinking, as the first time they did blood work and his symptoms at the time, his vet said about possibly cushions disease.
Then the next time the same readings, horrible and liver enzymes again, off the charts. all they kept wanting was more money for an additional test, then another test, etc. I’m poor and could only do so much and I feel so guilty as I feel I e lety dog down. At the same time, I think I may had given him more time because with experience, some times, less is more and had I gone forth if I had the money, maybe he’d had gone sooner in his short 12 years and 11 months on this planet.
Dear Delcee,
My heart aches for you with your recent loss of Petey. You made a loving choice to offer him peace and rest even though you knew it would break your heart. You definitely did not let him down and I would have done the same for one of my own. I hope with time your grief will fade and you will be comforted knowing your boy lived a happy life. May the memories of all the good times you shared be a blessing to you. Wishing you brighter days ahead. ♥
My sweetheart Jovi as in Jon Bon Jovi went 2weeks ago for a simple wellness check.She is 13and a half.They found a mass on her tummy and after an ultrasound it is the size of a baseball, she also has a tumor on her liver.Her spleen is affected of course..My peak a zoo has cancer and maybe 6 months?WTH She is with me 24-7 because I have health issues and hardly ever leave my home.Im having panic attacks and anxiety watching her and not knowing what to expect.But I do know I’m going to have to watch her die or have someone take us to the vet because I have to put her out of pain.Why her,this sweet little baby girl
Dear Orpha,
My heart aches for you as you face this difficult situation with Jovi. I am sorry she has received this terrible diagnosis and understand your grief and pain. Try to make the most of the time you are gifted. Spoil your girl and focus on making some happy memories. Wishing you comfort for your heart and strength to face the days ahead. Bless you and your sweet girl.
My dog, a beagle, has surgery scheduled for a mass on her spleen on Tuesday. This article and the testimonies were very helpful. Hoping for the best. Her’s was found on an ultrasound for another issue (upset stomach) – she is not bleeding and blood work looks good – so am trying to be optimistic. There is a nodule on her liver that will be biopsied but was told this could be regeneration (not exactly sure what that means) but hoping Tuesday gets her soon and she is OK.
Hi Lisa,
I am glad your vet was able to catch this problem very early and offer surgery while your pup was still feeling good. How did things go? Hoping the surgery was successful and praying you received good news from the pathology report. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance.
My beloved 13 yr old boxer had a couple of episodes where she suddenly became weak and was not herself. An X-ray showed a mass on her spleen and the mass explained all of her symptoms. Because of her age, surgery was not an option. My vet told me what symptoms I needed to watch for and being a scary prognosis we obsessively checked her gums.for two & a half wks. Then she stopped eating for 2 days, even her favorite food & treats, she was weak and her gums were paler than normal. She had a slow bleed happening and knowing a rupture was a matter of “when” not “if” it would happen we scheduled in home euthanasia.
Hi Dawn,
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved Boxer. I think you absolutely made the right decision to keep a close eye on her and then let her go when she started to decline. Thinking about you as you grieve this loss. ❤️
Hi Dawn, Sorry to hear of your loss. I just found out today the 23rd November 2023 that my service dog of 11 years Luke has a mass on his spleen He is well eating,drinking but came as a shock. I’d only took him to renew his medication for a bit of arthritis in his hip the vet said I’m concerned about the large mass in his stomache. I said I noticed it in late August 2023 but a vet said it was just an extended tummy because of his age. He call another colleague she agreed and I had to bring him in for ultrasound at 07.30am. After the ultrasound the vet said he is a great german shepherd and so passive but no treatment just keep an eye on the colour of his gums. If they turn white bring him in. He has never been on any medication until June 2023. Luke is a rescue dog had him from 6 months people beat him to become a guard dog wasn’t in him. He was trained to become a P.T.S.D. as I’m ex-army he has saved my life more times than words can say. Vet couldn’t give a time line so just have to keep an eye on him. Once again thank you for sharing. Dr. Buzby thanks for your blog it’s enlighten me and my wife we wouldn’t let him suffer.
Best wishes,
Harold
Dear Harold,
I am so sorry Luke is facing this uncertain future. He sounds like an amazing pup, and I can tell the two of you were made for each other. Hoping the mass will remain stable and your boy can carry on living his best life. Wishing you all the best for many happy years ahead. Bless you and your sweet boy.
Harold,
Thank you for your service. My life is better because of you and all others who serve(d) for this beautiful country.
All the best with Luke. Peace be with you both.
Jim K.
Just an update on Buddy. Shortly after writing my first post we headed to the vet to get the stitches removed and they had the lab results. Feeling so so lucky and grateful his sample was benign. We’ll go every couple of months for X-rays to monitor him but things seem very hopeful for a full recovery. Thank you all again and my heart goes out to those who don’t get this outcome and those pondering the best course of action for their loved ones.
Hi Jessica,
This is such great news! Thank you for leaving this update along with your previous post. I am so happy Buddy’s surgery was a success and his pathology report was benign. What a blessing your sweet boy is doing well and should make a full recovery. Wishing you both the best. Give Buddy a big hug for me!
I found this article and thread of shared stories so comforting and am filled with gratitude for this space. To preface, I’m an American living in a small town in France so perhaps veterinary procedures, etc are a bit different here but like so many others, we very unexpectedly found a mass on our dog’s spleen. Buddy is an 8.5 year old yellow lab/retriever mix whom I adopted as a puppy from the guide dog program in Romania. He just had his “senior” check up at our vet 2 months ago and it was declared he was in great health. My first red flag happened only a few weeks ago when he refused his dinner one evening. He was also acting a bit lethargic but this all passed that same evening and he quickly recovered his ravenous appetite so we didn’t think too much of it. Around the same time I noticed he was starting to look ever so slightly bloated. I asked my friends who see him often and no one could conclusively tell. I did some research online and most info came up about flipped stomach or stomach puncture (he eats lots of sticks) but he had no symptoms of these things and was otherwise acting normal. In hindsight, we did notice a very slight decline in his energy for the past few weeks but thought maybe it was just his age. We felt foolish going to the vet and nearly gave up our appointment to another dog with seemingly more urgent needs but no appointment. Within a minute of the exam the vet confirmed our instincts were correct and took Buddy for X-rays and blood tests revealing a large mass on his spleen. They also checked the lungs but said they looked to be alright. At this point the mass had not ruptured. This happened on a Wednesday and our vet recommended to have emergency surgery to remove the spleen on Friday morning so as to minimise risk of rupture. The surgery went smoothly and the vets said they were more hopeful than after the X-rays and blood work alone. The mass was 5 kilos/11lbs! (Despite looking slightly bloated, Buddy had actually lost 4 pounds in 2 months since his senior exam, the vet said this was because the tumour was absorbing energy). After the op they said they did not see any spread or lesions and the colouring and shape of the mass indicated potentially more hopeful results but that nothing is conclusive until we get the lab results. We are now 10 days post op. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing as during the recovery he has struggled a bit with some unsettled behaviour, excessive drinking, mild vomit & diarrhoea. In fact, 2 days post op we took him back to the vet for an ultrasound and check up to make sure things were healing correctly (all tests were fine so that gave us some peace of mind). He gets his stitches removed today. We’re still waiting for the lab results and it’s so excruciating. He is truly my soul dog and I haven’t left his side since we discovered the mass. I feel like this is breaking me. I’ll do my best to come back with an update. It’s worth mentioning that we feel quite blessed that vet care is significantly less costly here and our clinic is just minutes from our home. Wishing anyone who has been or is going through this the very very best.
Death from blood loss after a tumor ruptures is not always quick. I have now lost three Australian Terriers to Hemangiosarcoma. The first, Prince, was 8 1/2. The tumor in his spleen had ruptured and the ultrasound indicated lesions on his liver. My vet told me that if they operated and it was Hemangiosarcoma, they would euthanize him immediately. When I asked what would happen if I took him home, the vet assured me that if he had a catastrophic rupture, his passing would be quick and painless. It was not. It was extremely traumatic for Prince, me and my family. Lucy was 11 when her splenic tumor ruptured. Her abdomen was filled with blood. She was terrified and in great distress. The ultrasound indicted a lesion on her liver so my vet recommended against an immediate splenectomy. After a can of cheese whiz, Lucy died peacefully in our arms.that day. This week I lost 13 year old Ricky. His extremely large splenic tumor had not yet ruptured, but he was in severe distress. Although he was eating constantly, he had lost 3 of his 18 pounds in 4 months. His temperature was 104.7. The tumor was pressing painfully on his intestines. When the ultrasound confirmed there was a lesion on his liver, the vet felt Ricky would not be a good candidate for a splenectomy should they be able to stabilize his immediate medical emergency. After many hugs and kisses he passed peacefully in our arms. I have now been through this three times and each time the immediate decisions that had to be made were painful and always filled with uncertainty. The only decision that I have come to regret is the one I made regarding Prince because I made that decision based solely upon what I needed. I have learned that no matter when they die – today, tomorrow, next year – their passing will fill me with grief. But, if I have provided them with love and a good life, and made the best informed decision about their passing, I have been a good guardian to my beloved fur baby.
Dear Patricia,
I just read your comment on the hemangiosarcoma article. I hope you will see my reply there as well. I am so glad you thought to post your experience on this article too. Thank you for sharing your experience with our readers. This valuable information may be exactly what someone else needs to make an informed decision for their beloved pup. Bless you! ♥
I live in a rural area and our water is at maximum contaminants of course I didn’t know how it would come to rob me of my wolves. I took my baby Montana blu in because she has mammory tumors 2 and I lost her mate last year 2022 to an anal tumor. I thought we will do a hysterectomy and remove mammory tumors and be fine but she has some stomach distension and my vet knows about our water and I’ve had a filter put in a year ago and immediately she said I want to do a ultrasound and there it was a splenic mass I was broken as I lost 2 wolves last year to cancer and both my parents and I felt gut punched… no not Montana and I’m having to wait 6 days for surgery and her labs were good her gums aren’t pale but her white blood count is slightly high and yet no fever and every second is agonizing and thinking will I walk out and she not be moving. We are just removing spleen and leaving mammory tumors because the spleen surgery is so complicated and she’s 10 years old which to me is young but old to the vet. We are on amoxicillin and carprophen for pain. Her surgery is November 7th and I am a wreck. I will update her prognosis as we progress she is an incredible animal and my baby I’ve had wolves 22 years and they are my babies and I can’t imagine waking up and she not be here.
Dear Jennifer,
Goodness, you have been through so much in the last year. I understand your worry and concern for Montana. I am glad your vet is willing to offer surgery and hope this will give you more quality time together. Praying all goes smoothly tomorrow and recovery proceeds as expected. Wishing you strength and comfort as you navigate this emotional path. I’ll be looking for your next update. ♥
I lost my sweet Trinity 4/9/24. She wasn’t right 6 days earlier. She was wobbly and her gums were white. Rushed her to the vet and bloodwork showed low white blood count plus her temperature was 100.2. Couldnt see anything on xray because the food she ate that morning (this was 8pm at vet!) wasn’t digested. He gave her a steroids shot and antibiotics. I brought her home and put her under a heating pad and blanket and got her temp up. She seemed fine after that and gums turned a nice pink again. Then Tuesday morning her daughter woke me up freaking out. Trinity had just collapsed in the bathroom floor. Within seconds she was gone! Necropsy showed thumb sized tumor in her spleen, pencil eraser sized tumor in her liver and lymph nodes were constricting her intestines. Vet said her intestines were releasing neurotoxins into her body. Also said within a week her intestines would have ruptured. I am so lost and devastated without my sweet girl.
Dear Robin,
I am so sorry for your tragic loss of Trinity. I can only imagine how much you miss her but am certain she knew how much she was loved. I hope with time your heart will begin to heal and you will be comforted knowing she lived 10 happy years by your side. May her memory stay with you always and continue to be a blessing in your life. ♥
Our beloved Golden Retriever Izzy has had quite the year, and I want to share her story with others because this thread was very helpful during a traumatic time in our lives.
Two weeks before Christmas, we took our girls to the vet for a routine vaccine appointment so we could board them for the holidays. Our vet said that Izzy’s stomach felt enlarged and she recommended x-rays. Sure enough, the x-ray came back with a large mass on her spleen. Up until this point, Izzy was her usual, 10-year old self and showed no signs of illness. We scheduled surgery and an ultrasound for a week later right before Christmas. We knew that there was a possibility that the tumour could rupture during this time, but considering the size of the tumor, we thought surely she could handle one more week since it had already grown this large without being noticed. We also knew that the prognosis was not good for this type of tumor, but we were willing to take the risk of surgery since that would be the only way to find out if it was cancerous or not.
Sure enough, TWO DAYS before her scheduled splenectomy at 11pm at night, Izzy became lethargic and refused to get up to go potty outside. Her breathing was shallow, her gums were pale, and her mouth ice cold. We rushed her to the ER vet, where they confirmed that she was severely anemic due to her tumor likely having ruptured. The ER vet stated that she would likely need a blood transfusion, but they did not perform transfusions there. This was extremely disheartening as we knew her prognosis was already not good to begin with. We asked the vet if they thought she could make it overnight until we could speak with our vet in the morning. They said yes, and they were able to keep her stable through the night with fluids.
When we arrived back at the ER vet at a quarter to 8am the next morning, we felt we had no choice but to put her down. We were ready to say our goodbyes, when the new vet on shift told us that surgery could save her life, but still without a transfusion it would be risky. As soon as we agreed to the surgery, our regular vet called at exactly 8am stating she could perform the surgery AND the necessary blood transfusion. It was like the skies had opened and our prayers were answered.
Izzy was miraculously stable and able to walk into the regular vet on her own. The vet performed a transfusion, then successfully removed her spleen and a huge 9 pound tumor. She recommended we transfer her for overnight care to a different ER hospital that would be able to perform another blood transfusion if necessary. Izzy spent 2 nights there due to how anemic she was (15-16%), but she ended up not needing another transfusion, which we were grateful for. All of this happened during a 1-2 ft snow storm in the Pacific Northwest, and we live approximately 1 hour from the ER vet!
One week after surgery, we received a phone call from our vet. The tumor was benign. Our vet was shocked and ecstatic at the same time. This was exactly the news we needed after such a traumatic turn of events! Izzy just celebrated her 11th birthday earlier this month. Her red blood cell count is still not great (33%), and she is currently battling some sort of gut infection with high cholesterol, but we are so happy with our decision to keep her alive. She was back to her normal, peppy self about 1 month post surgery, and other than this gut issue, she is doing just great for her age.
Dear Rachel,
What a wonderful story! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with our readers. This is exactly what someone else may need to hear to offer some hope while going through a very tough time. I am so glad Izzy is doing well and was able to make a full recovery. I can only imagine how happy you are that she is still with you. I am hopeful your sweet girl has many happy years ahead. Bless you and your family.
Dear Dr. Buzby
My 7-year old golden doodle suddenly stopped eating and became lethargic. After 3 days I took him to the Vet. Blood tests showed elevated enzymes in the liver and elevated white blood cells. They did an ultrasound and found a large splenetic mass and multiple tumors all over his liver. The radiologist report said “poor prognosis.”
We were devastated. I decided to bring him to a well know and well respected oncologist in South Florida and got an appointment the next day. The Dr said surgery was really the way to diagnose the disease (and then chemo once we knew the type) but he wanted to try cytology first so perhaps we could avoid surgery. He did it that day and later called me to say the cytology showed a sarcoma but not the precise type and the only way to find out which chemo treatment to use was to take out the spleen and biopsy the liver. Scheduled for today, I met the surgeon for a consult. During the consult she told me all of the possible risks associated with the surgery (arrhythmia, etc.) and that since the cancer had spread it was likely aggressive (and thus treatment likely wouldn’t give us much time) even if it wasn’t a hermangiosarcoma. Also since my dog is clearly not feeling well as he’s not eating, the surgery wouldn’t make him better of course – in fact it might make him feel worse. Then he would have a one to two week recovery before any treatment could get started (plus it would take 7-10 days for results) and of course there was the risk of one of the tumors rupturing during that time. I asked her if she took the spleen out and we started chemo how much time would we have (quality time)? She said at the most it would be 6 months and probably closer to 3 given how aggressive it was already and how much space it had taken up in the liver already. Then I thought I am doing this for me not for him and getting 3 months of time with no guarantee that it would be pain free just didn’t seem like the right thing to do. I don’t want my dog to suffer. I don’t want to lose him but i don’t want him in pain and it seemed like pain was more likely than not.
She suggested i take him home and think over the weekend.
What is your opinion. Should i just let him live whatever time he has left or pursue the surgery and chemo option? I just don’t want him to suffer and if it’s only 3 months it’s just not enough to take the risk. What is your opinion? I need help. I’m devastated.
Thank you so much.
Sara
Dear Sara,
I am so sorry your sweet boy has received this tragic diagnosis. I know the decision you are facing is very difficult and emotional. I wish I could tell you what was best and knew how things would play out. I will attach links to other articles with more information and great comments from other readers. I am hopeful you will find the advice you need to make the best decision for you and your pup. Praying for your strength and a clear path forward. Bless you both.
1. Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
2. When To Euthanize A Dog With Hemangiosarcoma: A Vet’s Guidance
3. Preparing for Your Dog’s Euthanasia: 10 Thoughts for Peace
4. Using a Quality of Life Scale for Dogs
It’s been 10 days since my Maddie had her spleen and both eyes removed. A lot of surgery for a 13 yr. old Jack Russell. The good news is the mass was a hematoma and not cancerous. Eyes were necrotic from treating Glaucoma for the last 7 years and now she is pain free. I really worried I had made the wrong decision of putting her through surgery but it looks like she will make a complete recovery. I hope to have her for a few more years. All my other Jacks lived to 16, 17 and 18 yrs.
Hi Nancy,
This is such great news! I am so glad Maddie made it through all her surgical procedures and is pain free. Thank you for sharing your experience with our readers as I am certain this will give hope to others in a similar situation. Wishing you and your sweet girl many happy years ahead!
I am struggling so much after the decision I made yesterday to let my sweet Shelby go. Shelby was an almost 11-year-old bull mastiff, and she was the best dog ever. Over the past couple of weeks Shelby had intermittent diarrhea and a persistent cough. She was totally normal otherwise so we were just letting it run its course. Last Sunday, on our walk, Shelby stopped and looked at me, and then very slowly proceeded to get home. Once home she was trembling, going into the corner, and she wouldn’t eat or drink. I took her to the emergency vet where we discovered she had a splenic mass, and I was told to follow up with my regular vet for a more thorough ultrasound. We were sent home with pain meds, anti-nausea medication, and the Chinese herb to stop the bleeding. That night she seemed okay. She drank some water and ate some food.
Our follow up with the vet was where we learned that Shelby had fluid in her abdomen, and we talked about the options. My husband and children and I decided we would try the surgery, and scheduled it for a week out. Shelby had two good days, but on the night of the second good day, I noticed her breathing was rapid even when at rest. I felt so scared for her. The following morning, she stayed in bed longer than normal, and then when she came down, she was panting/coughing, she didn’t want any food, I couldn’t get her to take her medication, and she didn’t want to go on a walk. I felt like she also just had this far off look in her eyes.
Ever since that Sunday, I had been praying so hard about what to do, and I had been asking for signs. I couldn’t bare the thought of Shelby suffering, and even though we had opted for surgery, I felt like she was leaving us already. That morning, I felt like I got my sign, and I took Shelby in.
Now, I’m plagued with guilt because I don’t know how much longer she could’ve made it, and I fear I made a rash decision. I miss her tremendously, and I wonder if that was just a bad morning, and she would’ve bounced back again. I’m trying to trust the signs I received and the feeling I had in my gut that it was time, but the grief and guilt are just so unbearable.
Thank you for listening.
Dear Elaine,
I am sorry for your loss of Shelby. I can only imagine how much you must miss her, and it is normal to consider all the “what ifs”. I honestly feel you made the right decision to say goodbye instead of waiting for the surgery. There is no way to know that she would have made it through surgery or how long she would have survived after. You made the loving choice to free her from her pain and suffering and offer her peace. I know your heart is hurting without your beloved pup by your side, but I am certain she knew how much she was loved. May Shelby’s memory be a blessing as you continue life’s journey.
Elaine, you did perfectly giving Shelby a good death. She was near the end, at the end, in the winter of her life, and you were there for her in love the whole way. Even if she maybe would have lived a few more months or even a year (unlikely), the important thing is her life most of the time, and most of the time her life was good thanks to you. And the bad was mitigated because of your courage to give her a good death. My fur baby, Jack, was diagnosed incidentally with a splenic tumor last week, and I was wondering about my emergency plan which involves waiting until one of his two tumors burst and then having the splenectomy. But what I am learning from your story is that the ER might not do the splenectomy right away. I do not understand why. I will have to call around to ERs, because my plan won’t work if the ER won’t cooperate. My plan is to immediately have his spleen removed if/when he has obvious signs and symptoms of tumor rupture/internal bleed. Thank you for sharing you and Shelby’s story; it helps me to learn and help Jack.
My 11 year old hound dog mix Derp (he is in name and hijinks) suddenly started being so very uncomfortable at night. Tossing and turning, no way to get comfortable. This was in November. About 2 weeks after he started having small accidents in the house. Not full blown, but definitely out of character. I took him in on a Friday afternoon for a quick blood panel, urine sample, and check up. I figured it was just a simple urinary tract infection, no big deal, some antibiotics and home we go. The vet did a thorough exam and took him for a quick x-ray. Sure, why not. Maybe enflamed kidneys from the infection. She brought him back into the room, dropped the leash on the ground, and said “please follow me. I’d like you to see these x-rays.” My heart dropped. that’s not a good sign in any tv show, in real life less so. The infection I thought he had was a 9.5cm by 9.5cm tumor, roughly where the liver and spleen was, but not definitely on either organ. No way to do better diagnostics there. Small Town clinic, I get it. They gave me numbers to emergency clinics a couple hours away, and after getting home, I called. 24hr clinic, bring him in whenever, we will put him in the roster and get to him when we can.
I was off that Sunday Monday, so first thing on Monday I was going to take him in. Early morning, before the rush. I laid in bed that night, thinking to myself about what he would do in my stead. At 4am on Saturday, I loaded up a bunch of blankets and my pup and raced the 2 hours to the emergency vet. I was alone in the parking lot. I was alone in the vet office. I was alone in the waiting room. I hadn’t slept a wink. Derp was obviously nervous, fidgety. I took him outside to walk and pee at least 4 times in the 2 hours we waited. Finally a vet tech came to get him. They took him out and told me it would be a few hours to get an ultrasound scan. I had all the time in the world at that point. it wasn’t my time I was worried about.
I left to head home. I would try to get a couple hours of sleep if I could, leave my phone on high blast so as not to miss the call. The office didn’t call until 2pm. The ultrasound looked good. The mass didn’t seem to be affecting any other organs.
The next day the vet called, asking what I wanted to do. They had him mildly sedated. He had eaten well. He had drank water, all good signs. Now came the bill side of things. Surgery as we all know is extremely expensive. The emergency vet was going to be twice what the vet at my town would cost, but they couldn’t do blood transfusions if things went south, and they couldn’t do the surgery until at least a week and a half later. I hesitated for about 5 minutes, called the emergency vet back, and told them to take the tumor out. They had him in surgery in just two hours time, and it took about 2 hours, after which they had taken a tumor just slightly larger then 10lbs out of my less then 100lb dog. 10 percent of his body weight was just a piece of bloody chunky flesh that was going to kill him soon.
It is now a month and a week after his surgery. he’s healed well, they did an amazing job. Two weeks after the surgery, they called me back to inform me that the pathology came back for the tumor, and after ripping it apart into dozens of sections, they could find no cancerous cells. So it was the best possible outcome for such a scary thing. For all the dog parents out there, I am so sorry for your loss if it was so, and understand how you feel now. I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as I did as I drove away without my best friend in my car. I don’t know what I would have felt if I hadn’t seen him again after except the deepest loss. My appreciation for dog kind has increased ten fold, and Derp gets a lot more treats now. If anything, he just went thru the most aggressive weight loss program ever.
Hi Richard,
What an amazing story! I can only imagine the emotions and worry you must have felt while going through this difficult situation. I am glad your vet was able to find the mass which allowed you to act quickly to have it removed. What a blessing the surgery was a success, and the pathology report came back benign!!! Thank you for being willing to share your experience with our readers. I am certain this will be the ray of hope someone else is looking for. Wishing you both the best for a very happy future. Give Derp a big hug for me!
Thank you so much Richard. Your story about you and Derp really helps me to learn through your role modeling what I will do for my Jack, a 12 year old pibble who ended up with me during my working as a volunteer on an animal cruelty investigation (the previous “owners” were intentionally starving him to kill him cheaply. Last week, Jack was diagnosed with two splenic tumors during staging which included ultrasound, staging for surgery to remove a stable small mast cell tumor and removal of scrotum and testicles since each had a mass on it, and since he has a perineal hernia where relaxin, a hormone produced by the testicles, may exacerbate the hernia. So Jack’s tumors are incidental, and your story really highlights the fact that regardless of benign or malignant, a splenic mass can rupture and kill the pup pup. By reading all of these stories, I am able to formulate Jack’s plan. First, I am increasing his number of bloodtests and ultrasounds to several times per year, maybe even every 3 months, since they are non-invasive and do not involve radiation. I wonder what the doctor here, Dr. Buzby, thinks of that plan. Thursday Jack’s staples come out, but I won’t see the vet. The vet and I agreed to schedule the next ultrasound in about a month. I look forward to having Jack’s plan in place as currently it’s still in the making. Thank you Dr. Buzby and Richard and everyone here.
It’s been a rough day to say the least.
Our sweet boy, Buckles – an 11 year old blue nose – had just finished eating his dinner. This time, with a little chicken on top to help with some of his weight loss (as recommended by our vet).
He seemed to be drooling a little more than normal but I chalked it up to him wolfing down a surprise treat with dinner and soon he was fast asleep with his head on my lap.
He woke and began whimpering after maybe an hour or so and to try to diagnose the problem I attempted to coax him off the couch. After about 5 minutes of him not really moving much and staring I tried to slide him off and get his feet under him so he could walk around and “reset”.
Our poor baby let out a huge whimper and began hyper-ventilating, which lasted for nearly a minute sending us into a panic and preparing to rush to the emergency vet.
After the incident subsided he began walking around (slowly) and was responding to treats and our grabbing of his leash and collar for a walk.
A few minutes later he seemed to want to lay down, but couldn’t lay his torso all the way to the ground and from then we were out the door to the ER vet.
When we arrived, we could barely get him out of the vehicle as any pressure on his abdomen caused a great bit of discomfort and pain.
After the vet performed triage we were given the awful news, a mass on his spleen an abdomen filling with blood.
We elected for surgery to have the mass removed, as thankfully it had not spread to his liver or heart. He was able to come home earlier today (the same day) and is on pain meds while we await the biopsy from the lab.
It’s going to be a long 10 days.
There’s a 30% chance the growth is benign, but the realist in me has me prepared for the worst.
Whatever the case, I’m glad to have some more time with my little loaf, however short that may be.
These articles have been extremely helpful and informative and I feel like I much better understand our road ahead. I appreciate everyone that’s posted their experiences. While truly heart breaking it’s been helpful to understand the journey ahead. Thank you all for your stories, I know each word from them is soaked in tears and love.
Dogs really are the best, I’m not ready to lose my friend.
Hi Kevin,
I am sorry you and Buckles have been through so much lately. I am glad you were able to act quickly and get the medical attention he needed. What a blessing the surgery was a success, and he is at home recovering. Have you received any news about the pathology report? I am hoping the mass was benign and the surgery was curative. Praying for a positive outcome for all involved. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance. Wishing you the best!
Kevin! So sorry for the stress. Life is hard. Please, I am on the edge of my seat…how is Buckles? That is amazing hero work that you did for her.
My sweet girl Layla has had a rough time over the last 7 months. She is 13.5 and is the cutest border collie, Australian shepherd, and lab mix. She started having seizures in March 2022 out of the blue. The vet thought it could be Cushing’s due to high ALP levels, but she tested negative on the dexamethasone test.
She had a couple more seizures that only lasted 10 seconds or so and seemed fine soon after. Then in early July, she had an episode where she was extremely lethargic and would barely move. She also has arthritis so I thought it could be pain. She ended up having 3 seizures within 24 hours.
The vet added a seizure med and we were more or less good until 2 weeks ago. She had another episode of lethargy and hardly moved all night. Took her to the vet the next morning and I had to carry her in. She was anemic and had a high WBC count, so there was some kind of infection. They also did X-rays and found a mass on her spleen. For the last 1.5 weeks, she has been so great. Playing, running around, being silly.
We already had an ultrasound scheduled for today to see if liver issues could be causing the high ALP numbers. Well, the ultrasound showed the mass on her spleen more clearly and the vet is pretty sure it’s hemangiosarcoma that has metastasized to the brain, possibly being the cause of the seizures.
The vet is very concerned about removing the spleen, as it could trigger any metastasized areas to get worse. And considering the seizures, it’s possible she wouldn’t even make it through surgery. And even if it’s not cancer, the non-cancerous tumor could rupture which is clearly also dangerous.
So now I’m faced with one of two decisions: wait until she starts to feel bad or for the tumor to rupture, or go ahead and euthanize. The idea of putting her to sleep when she’s feeling good seems crazy, but I can’t stand the idea of her suffering when the tumor ruptures (because it’s a when, not an if). And considering how long this has been going on, the likelihood of her surviving on her own much longer is probably slim. Gosh, this is hard. I truly feel like the right thing to do is to let her go before the suffering, but it’s heartbreaking.
It’s a comfort to be able to explain all of this to a community of people who get exactly how I feel. It was a comfort to read through these posts and know I’m not alone. Thank you for creating an environment where we can all grieve and share these hard times with others who get it.
Dear Lauren,
My heart aches for you and this difficult decision you are facing with Layla. I agree that if she were mine, I would want to say goodbye before she suffered needlessly and experienced a fatal bleeding event. I am glad your vet was able to give you some answers as to why her health has declined so rapidly over the last few months. I hope you can find the strength and clarity to make the best choice for you and your sweet girl. I will attach links to other articles with more information and great comments from other readers. Praying for comfort for your heart. Bless you both.
1. When To Euthanize A Dog With Hemangiosarcoma: A Vet’s Guidance
2. Preparing for Your Dog’s Euthanasia: 10 Thoughts for Peace
3. In-Home Dog Euthanasia: Heartfelt Answers to 12 FAQs
Thank you my GG has the tumor on her spleen. She only 11 but getting more issues with skin and know losing control of bladder.
She has been a loving pup for me
My husband just had cancer and is cancer free just a few months ago
I just can see her having all this if it starts to bleed So I just want her to have a happy day when I decide with us
Thanks again
Hi Lorraine,
I am sorry GG’s health is declining and you are facing some difficult choices in the near future. I am glad your husband is doing well and was able to overcome his cancer diagnosis. I am sure you will find the best ways to bring joy to GG’s last days. Praying for your strength and comfort.
Thank you so much for this article. It was very informative and easy to understand.
A few months ago we had to take my ~10 year old beagle, Clyde, to the vet for some pain he was having. After X-rays it ended up being a treatable disc issue. Incidentally they found that he had a heart murmur and heart failure that could easily be managed with medication. The X-rays also showed a shadow on his lung. The vet suspected it was fluid from his heart issues that would resolve with his new medicine but to be safe we had follow up X-rays a month later. We received great news that the shadow had resolved and everything was good. That visit was 3 weeks ago.
Yesterday I got up and let Clyde and our other two dogs out to do their morning business while I got their food and Clyde’s morning medicine ready. About 10 minutes later I went to the back door to let the dogs back in and Clyde was just standing there stock still. I was finally able to coax him to take a few steps inside and that was about it. I was a little concerned, but he had drank some water on his own when he passed the bowl and to be quite honest I figured maybe he tweaked something tripping over one of the many holes he and his partners in crime have dug this summer.
My concern turned to panic about a half an hour later only when he wouldn’t take his special treats for his medication. He is OBSESSED with his pill pockets. Even when he was in severe pain with his disc issue a few months before he wouldn’t refuse his pill treats. I called the vet with a vague “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m concerned and I’m not sure if we need to be seen.” They told me they wanted to see him and would work us in. When we arrived I gave them a brief rundown and they suggested X-rays to see if maybe he ate something he shouldn’t have during the brief time he was outside. It seemed like the most logical explanation given the very sudden change of condition.
Eventually the vet came in and said they noticed a shadow on the X-rays (maybe he called it a defect) and that it appeared the surrounding structures/organs were very obviously displaced. He performed an ultrasound and said he could visualize a splenic mass. It was explained to me that it wasn’t caught previously because these masses don’t show up on X-ray and his earlier X-rays did not show any structures out of place.
Clyde’s gums were still a healthy pink and it appeared there was only a small amount of fluid in his abdomen. We weighed all of our options (surgery, comfort measures and euthanasia) and opted for surgery. A few hours later they had Clyde in the OR and we’re able to successfully remove his spleen without any surgical complications or need for a transfusion. Our vet didn’t notice any major signs of metastasis, but did find and remove a liver nodule.
We’re 24 hours post op and it’s been a rough ride for my guy. You can tell he just feels miserable. But I have hope we will continue to see little signs of improvement each day. (Incidentally our high energy 70 pound boxer/American bulldog mix had to have his spleen removed 2 years ago due to a torsion and his recovery was so much easier.)
I’ll try and update when we receive the pathology results in 1-3 weeks.
Hi Megs,
You have definitely been though an emotional ride with Clyde these past couple of days. I am so glad his surgery was successful, and he is home by your side trying to recover. I am sorry he is uncomfortable and having a hard time. As you mentioned, he should start to feel a bit better with each passing day. Thank you so much for being willing to share your story with our readers. I hope this will help someone else in a similar situation and be the encouragement they need. Praying for good news from the pathologist. I hope Clyde will be able to rest and make a full recovery. Looking forward to your next update!
Two nights ago we lost our Zoe to a spleenic mass that ruptured. We also had been to the vet two days earlier cause my sweet girl wouldn’t eat her breakfast on Monday morning. We had so many questions what was going on upto this moment. I had taken her in for labs, and asked for x-rays and was told it was her age and perhaps her arthritis what was limiting her lack of mobility. Zoe was a spunky 12 year old lab. Walks everyday. Climbed stairs up and down the inside and outside pretty well. Over the course of months she started to digress. Didn’t want to do stairs, slept a lot. I had Her on all the good supplements, Galiprant for her arthritis. Nothing seemed to help. Her walks became labor some and she just wanted to go home cause it was too much. That’s when I knew Something was seriously going on. I assumed It was perhaps a tumor that was pressing on her heart or lungs. I advocated for my Zoe one day earlier and was sent home with no answers or no X-rays to find the mass. Bloodwork was normal only a slight elevation in her glucose but the vet said it could of been from stress. I had a choice two nights ago to so the surgery to buy her perhaps another month or let her go. Her labored breathing has been going on for months and I assumed it was food related or anxiety cause she was a dog who ran a high energy, high anxiety life. Not one time did my vet say yes I agree with you let’s do an X-ray one day earlier it may or saved her life or her suffering. Her heart sac filled up with fluid and she was dying before my very eyes and I had no choice but to let her go as we held her and said good bye. Will I ever Know if she would of found this months earlier or not because my best friend didn’t get a proper diagnosis. The reason I’m on her tonight was I needed to speak up for Zoe and all the dog parents out there. When you know a vet doesn’t take what your saying serious, leave and take her somewhere else. If I had maybe she wouldn’t of collapsed in my house that night and maybe it wouldn’t of had a different outcome but we all could or given her the proper good bye. I don’t know how one minute they’re here and the next minute they’re gone when you have a vet say it’s nothing. My hearts broke for everyone who ever goes through this. My Zoe is no longer here but we did have the best 12 years together and that night cannot be rewritten for us BUT for someone else it may. Dog parents trust your instincts! It may have a happy ending for you!
Dear Trish,
I am so sorry for your recent loss of Zoe. I can only imagine the emotions you must be going through in this time of grief. Unfortunately, splenic masses can be very tricky and hard to find until they rupture. I am glad you were able to be by Zoe’s side through it all. I have no doubt she knew how much she was loved. Thank you for the reminder about the importance of advocating for your dog’s health and wellbeing. I hope with time your heart will heal and you will be comforted by all the memories of 12 wonderful years shared with sweet Zoe. Bless you.
Hi, our dog Sampson just passed from what the think is what you all are describing here. In reading the story of Bella, the veterinarian who wasn’t his regular vet said that during the ultrasound she couldn’t find the spleen because he had to much blood in his abdomen and gave us the option of surgery but felt it was probably cancerous. 1. How could she make that assessment without finding it or checking other places, 2. How can they check for these in the future during an exam because we have discussed with them about his labored breathing in the past and they never mentioned this as a possibility? I feel like they forced us into putting him down without a true look at the ultrasound. Should we hold these veterinarians accountable for not catching this earlier in his annual physical being as that he was a Shepherd/lab mix.
Hi Tom,
I am sorry you lost Sampson in such a tragic way. I can only imagine your grief and the “what ifs” that must be running through your mind. You are correct that there was no way to know for sure if this internal bleeding was due to a cancerous process without surgery and sending samples to a pathologist. With that being said, we see so many cases like this that after a while you can get a decent idea of what is happening even if no definitive evidence has been presented. With a large amount of blood in the abdomen there would not have been much use in looking for the spleen in other places. The blood will obscure any organ you are trying to visualize. Many times, splenic tumors can form rapidly and without any warning a bleeding even can occur. The spleen may have felt normal upon abdominal palpation during a physical exam that was preformed even just the week before. I know you are devastated that you had to say goodbye to your beloved pup, but there would have been no reason your vet would recommend euthanasia if he was not in a critical state with every option leading to a poor prognosis. The decision was ultimately yours to make, and your vet gave you their honest opinion and guidance. If your dog’s abdomen was already filling with blood, then the odds of a successful surgery to perform a splenectomy were slim. You made a choice to give your sweet boy peace and rest and end his suffering. I feel like you made the right choice, and I would have done the same for one of my own. We can’t prevent everything or plan for every variable. We just make the best choices with the information we have at the time. I hope with time your heart will heal. May Sampson’s memory be a blessing.
I’m so sorry to read of your experience with Zoe. I too just had to euthanize my Golden Retriever suddenly because of a ruptured splenic mass (hemangiosarcoma). It was quite a massive bleed & his platelets were so low they said he had little time left without at least one blood transfusion, maybe two. I couldn’t watch him experience any more pain as he was older. He would only maybe have 2-6 months if he survived & if they didn’t find more tumors elsewhere if we put him through surgery. It’s was too sudden & there were no telling symptoms beforehand. It’s only been a week tomorrow & it’s hurts so to not have him here beside me. I miss him! (Yet we do what is best for our pets, although painful for us to let them go).
Dear Susan,
I am sorry for your recent loss of your Golden Retriever. Thank you for being willing to share your story with us. Praying for comfort for you heart. Bless you.
Thank you for posting this article, Dr. Buzby. I have found the numerous stories and comments by others to be very comforting and informative. Our “splenic mass” story started with our 12 y.o. Labradoodle being diagnosed with Cushing’s disease a several months ago and after being on Vetoryl for some time, we noticed a significant drop in her activity level, lethargy, decreased appetite, shaking of the back legs and severe immobility…but her Cushing’s symptoms were improving as well as her liver and kidney function! I suspected increased blood cortisol levels prior to taking Vetoryl may have been masking her debilitating arthritis symptoms. Our vet completed x-rays of her chest and abdomen which confirmed spondylosis of 3 vertebrae as well as a mass most likely on her spleen. An u/s confirmed she has 2 splenic masses, one ~ 3.5 cm and the other ~ 1-2 cm. There was no evidence of metastasis or abdominal fluid and her blood work did not indicate anemia. However, hemangiosarcoma was our greatest fear and due to her age and other health issues, we have opted to not undergo surgery to confirm and enjoy “quality” time with our fur baby versus “quantity” time. We have lowered her Vetoryl dose, started gabapentin and carprofen for the arthritis, look at each day we have as a gift, and have made arrangements for home euthanasia when the time comes.
It has been almost 3 months since the splenic mass was first detected during her x=ray. We have not noticed any “collasping” type events but our loyal companion does have good and bad days related to mobility and energy levels…but overall improved with the arthritis meds. We will be having a follow up abdominal u/s in a few weeks to see what’s going on with the tumors: have the grown; is there sign of abdominal fluid; are new masses seen; etc.
In your experience, would you suspect our dog has a benign mass versus malignant? Everything I have read about hemangiosarcoma suggests a rapid decline and I am surprised our dog is still with us, 3 months later. If benign, I am hopeful we will have more time with our girl and am trying to prepare mentally for the unforeseen future. Thanks for any insight you can offer.
Hi Marie,
I am glad your senior girl is happy and enjoying each day with the ones that love her most. “Quality” time is so important, and your girl is lucky to have you advocating for her wellbeing. Without having the splenic masses evaluated by a histopathologist, there really is no way to know if they are benign or malignant. You are correct that the majority of dogs diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma decline rapidly, but not all. Also, your vet found the splenic masses by chance while taking x-rays for arthritis. If these x-rays had not been performed, then the masses may not have been found until a bleeding event occurred, or your dog was starting to show signs of an issue. At this point, a presumed diagnosis would have been made and her health may have rapidly declined from there. So even if your girl has cancer, I suspect you bought yourselves some extra time due to your diligence in having her thoroughly evaluated. Either way, try not to stress over the “what ifs”. What a blessing to have your girl with you to be able to continue making memories. I am glad you have in-home euthanasia already planned. You seem to have taken care of every detail and are doing everything in your power to make sure your pup is comfortable and at peace. You are doing a great job. Wishing you both the best and give your girl a hug for me.
It’s been exactly 14 days since my precious Lily 9 year old German Shepherd had a huge knot balloon type mass pop out on her right side. Literally within hours it came from no where. We took her to the closest emergency vet we could find about 1 hour away and they told us they would check and aspirated a little and said it was an abscess. Sent us home with antibiotics and said she would be fine let the meds take their course and return if the area gets bigger. Lily at this point had no idea she even had anything wrong. But by the 7 day mark I was concerned because now the mass was really hard like a balloon that was about to explode. So we went back to the vet and they told us this is normal for an abscess and to give it a few weeks. Well by day 9 her breast began to sag and she was panting and whining for no reason. She was yelping like she was hurting in her sleep.(Day 11) So I rushed her to the emergency vet hospital 2 hours away and we waited they told us it was for sure not her bowel that they thought it was a mass or fluid collection. I couldn’t wait any longer so we brought her back 24 hours later day 13. We waited all day long and she had blood work, X-rays and sedation for examination. Here we are thinking they would drain the pus she would be happy and we were headed to McDonald’s for a cheeseburger treat. Hours passed and finally they call us to a room. The vet starts to explain what the ultrasound showed nodule like areas and that the good news is her chest X-ray is clear. But the swelling on her chest/abdomen area was bleeding or hematoma under her skin. And that they think she has Hemangiosarcoma but the only 💯 way to know is to keep her over night and do a dedicated ultrasound and a biopsy. Possible splenectomy and then after that possibly chemotherapy and cat scans etc. and even with that she may still die during surgery or only live a few months due to her age and her breed. And due to the fact she was already a little anemic. Our world was just crashing in front of our eyes. This is our baby!! Our baby who saved our lives in a house fire only 3 years ago. She is our protector and now we are faced with these decisions and no matter the outcome she dies. So we decided to come home with palliative meds and as I’m typing she is asleep beside me. This was only yesterday. My husband and I are crushed and only have borrowed time that she’s here. She may live an hour, a day or even a month. And if by some miracle we may get months. I’m sitting here with tears falling knowing she will not be here with us much longer. But we will give her the best last moments beside us and with us. Not in a hospital where we aren’t.
I pray if this is just a hematoma and she heals that she lives for a very long time but I also pray that god takes her peacefully and she isn’t In pain for her last moments if that’s his Will. As a fur momma you know they won’t be here forever but when it comes down to choosing it’s hard. I will update as to the outcome of my precious Lily.
I really appreciate your article I had no idea these masses were common in senior German shepherds.
Dear Tammy,
My heart aches for you and this tragic situation you are in with Lily. I am glad she is home with you surrounded by the ones who love her most. It might be a good idea to reach out to a vet in your area that does house calls/hospice care/in-home euthanasia so you will have the support you need should an unforeseen situation arise suddenly. I hope Lily can make a miraculous recovery or at least gain some extra quality time to make memories. Give your big girl a hug for me. Bless you both. ♥
I put down my 10 year old lab with internal bleeding and a mass on his spleen last week. He had an erratic month energy wise before he passed. I did notice abdominal swelling that went up and down in this time, I was told on the day he passed that the blood would be absorbed and then the bleeding would happen again. I understand this is a common for the breed and I’ve accepted it. Other than this happening he had a lot of life left in him.
What has been bothering me is the possibility of him ingesting some sort of rat poisoning. I live in a city, and over the past day I’ve been kicking myself for possibly allowing this to happen. Would the poisoning have caused this kind of bleeding? Would there not have been a mass? I put him down at a large animal hospital and i feel that my chances of getting the very competent vet to answer my queries are slim. My best to all those coming to this post for comfort and answers
Dear Adam,
I am sorry for the recent and tragic loss of your senior Lab. Please don’t beat yourself up about the “what ifs”. This was definitely not a result of rat poison as it does not cause masses in the spleen. Also, rat poison usually causes widespread bleeding to the point that you can see blood in the urine, feces, nose bleeds, unexplained bruising, and ruptured blood vessels around the eyes. I hope this new information will help bring you some comfort and peace about your dog’s passing. May his memory be a blessing.
Hello, my dog Yogi is a 10yr old bichon/shih tzu mix around 18 pounds. He was suffering from a blood in his urine so an ultrasound was ordered. The good news was that his bladder infection is fine and should clear soon. Coincidentally as part of ultrasound they found a 2cm mass on his spleen. The vet gave some options to just monitor the mass in a month or to do the needle biopsy which she mentioned the bleeding risk and that it may be inconclusive. I was wondering if you know at what size is a tumor at risk to rupture? Can I just do ultrasounds frequently to see if it has grown? And, should we do a biopsy if the mass is this small? What other tests do you recommend we run before we opt for surgery? He hasn’t had any other symptoms before the non related bladder issue and seems to be very healthy. We are open to surgery as well. We care so much about him and want to figure out the best course of treatment!
Hi Yogi’s Mommy,
First let me say that Yogi is lucky to share his life with you and have you advocating for his health and wellbeing. I am glad his bladder infection is resolving and doesn’t seem to be an issue. As far as his splenic mass is concerned, these are all good questions! There is really no way to know for sure at what point a mass will rupture, but generally the risk increases with size. Yes, you can continue to monitor the mass with ultrasound. The tricky part is trying to guess when to make the call for surgery. You would much rather have the surgery done prior to a rupture than after. I am not sure that a biopsy is possible. Just like there is a risk for bleeding with a needle aspirate, the risk for bleeding with a biopsy is extreme as the surgeon would be taking out a large piece of the spleen. This is why the spleen is usually just removed and then the whole thing is sent in for pathological evaluation. I don’t think there are any other tests that would be beneficial prior to surgery. If you need more advice or have other unanswered questions and concerns, I highly recommend you talk to a veterinary surgeon (specialist). They can give you their opinion about Yogi’s specific case and let you know if there are other options to try. I hope you find the answers you need to make the best decision for you and your sweet boy. Praying for a positive outcome and many happy days ahead!
Hello,
I came across this article today as i’ve been searching about a mass in spleen, earlier today my dog chow chow 12 year old was diagnose with spleen mass. After being sick for about a month, couple of blood test, X-ray and ultrasound. At the beginning, he vomiting yellow fluid often so the doctor thought it was kidney problem and the blood test was good just a little anemic, so doctor suggest meds for anaemic and other meds so my dog won’t vomit and gets couple of IV to stop him from vomitting and his diarrhea. I felt relieved that we finally know what the problem is, but i’m also scared of what might happen next. The doctor said it was not cancer and will talk to his colleagues about further action. So i’m still waiting for the call, is there anything i should know about or what i should prepare in advance? can my dog get surgery safely even he is 12 year old? Thank you so much and sorry if theres any grammar mistakes, english is not my first language. Other information, the previous doctor said here, where i lived we don’t have any chemo for dogs.
Hi Mercy,
I understand your concern for your senior dog and this new splenic mass that was found. Surgery is usually the best option even if the mass is benign. The goal is to remove the mass before it grows large enough to rupture and cause bleeding into the abdomen. Once bleeding has started it can be a life-threatening situation. You are correct that older dogs do sometimes have other issues that make anesthesia more risky or complicated. That is why pre-operative lab work is recommended to make sure any risks are known, and measures can be taken to prevent possible issues. I will post links to other articles that may offer additional information. I hope you can find the answers you need to make the best decision for you and your sweet girl. Praying for a positive outcome and that her health can be restored.
1. Is My Dog Too Old for Surgery?
2. Is My Dog Too Old For Anesthesia?
3. Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy
Quick update on my dog, the vet suggest surgery as soon as possible when my dog condition is stable. Now my dog keeps vomitting and still had diarrhea, more than five times a day. The vet gave the meds for the next 3 days hoping the vomitting and diarrhea stop so we can start surgery. Any advice for this condition? I dont know why my dog didnt respond well and keeps vomitting but the dog seems to have less diarrhea than before. Today the vet add another meds for the next 3 days. Is the vomitting and diarrhea common symptoms for this condition? Is there any med or anything that can prevent the mass to rupture?
Thankyou so much for the reply and links
Hi Mercy,
I am glad your vet is recommending surgery. I am sorry your pup is struggling with vomiting and diarrhea that is causing the surgery to be delayed. It can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of GI upset since it is a symptom of almost everything. I am not sure why your dog isn’t responding well to the mediations. Unfortunately, the surgery may have to take place even if conditions are not perfect. There really isn’t any medication that can prevent the splenic mass from rupturing. There is a supplement that your vet should be able to provide called Yunnan Baiyao that is wonderful at helping to stop the bleeding once the mass ruptures. There are many people with dogs that cannot undergo surgery and are living with a splenic mass that keep this herbal supplement on hand in case of emergency. It may not completely stop the bleeding, but it may buy enough time to get your dog to the emergency vet. I hope your dog will be able to overcome these difficulties and get back to loving life. Feel free to leave an update anytime you want! Best wishes.
My 11yo English Setter just had a splenectomy due to large tumor. Pathology report is that it is a liposarcoma. No indication of metastasis. He is recovering nicely. I am not finding much on this type of spleen tumor and waiting to hear from oncologist about recommendations for chemotherapy or other treatments. Not sure if chemo works well with this type of malignancy. Do you have any information on the liposarcoma?
Hi Cindy,
I am glad your Setter is recovering well from his splenectomy. Also, glad to hear the tumor was not hemangiosarcoma! I understand why it has been difficult to find information about liposarcomas. They are a fairly rare tumor. After reading your comment I did some research. From what I can find, the recommendations about follow up chemotherapy or monitoring really depend on the stage/grade the tumor was given by the pathologist. For low grade tumors with no sign of metastasis, it is generally recommended to monitor for signs of metastasis (usually in the liver) by abdominal ultrasound every 4-6 months. For higher grade tumors, chemotherapy is usually recommended. I also saw that for dogs with low grade tumors, the average survival time after diagnosis is over 2 years. I hope you hear back from the oncologist soon. Praying you can all decide on the right treatment for you and your sweet boy to give him the best and longest life possible. Bless you.
Hi there.
Perhaps you can look into the benefits of Astaxanthin. Sisters pup takes 40mg daily to help keep cancer cells from proliferating, and to protect other cells too.
Apparently very beneficial when combined with non toxic chemo.
All the best ☆
My precious ZoeBear, a 10 year old Black Lab rescue, had X-rays in November 2021 as part of her annual visit, to check the Arthritis of her Hips & knees and showed NO signs of any other illness. Then on July 2nd, 2022 things changed very fast! She had a good day & even chased a squirrel in our yard and played with our other dog. Then I noticed she was more tired, panting hard and wanted nothing to do with dinner. She could barely walk and then suddenly couldn’t walk. She started whimpering and kept getting worse. I decided she had to go to a Vet ASAP so my husband took her to the 24 hr Vet. Our other dog was so upset that u stayed home with her but was in constant contact. The Vet determined that she had a hemangioma that ruptured and her abdomen was full of blood. He did a quick ultrasound to confirm it and said she was dying and needed to be euthanized. I had already said my goodbyes since I just knew before she left home that I would never see my girl again. My husband was with her as she passed and said it was very very fast. She would have been 11 years old in 13 more days! I miss her so much and our other girl, Kaci Yoda does too. It’s so shocking that there was no sign of a tumor or cancer in late November and now in early July, she’s gone. I’m so devastated and confused since she showed no signs other than her arthritic condition. I’m so happy that most of her last day was a good one.
Dear Ann,
I am so sorry for the recent loss of your sweet ZoeBear. Unfortunately, with this type of issue, it usually does happen quickly and without much warning. If a splenic mass is detected before it ruptures and begins to bleed, it is usually an accidental finding. Most dogs show no signs or symptoms of this condition prior to the bleeding occurring. You did everything right and I would have made the same choices given your situation. I understand the heartbreak you are going through but hope that you will be comforted knowing you gave ZoeBear a lifetime of love. May her memory be a blessing to you and your family. Give Kaci Yoda a hug for me. ♥
I hope this helps someone in my situation. I have a 27 lb Blue Heeler Rat Terrior mix. His name is Freddie and he is 12. In the last 6 plus months maybe longer, I noticed his back legs were shaking when trying to poop. Also they would shake after some mild exercise. Around the same time he was panting more than usual too. My vet and I chalked it up to age and maybe some arthritis setting in. The last few months about 3, his water intake increased and he was peeing more. Then it happened. A week ago his back legs gave out and he couldn’t go up or down the stairs. Now I was concerned. I made an appointment with the vet but couldn’t see her for 10 days. Wiithin a day or two of his legs not working, I went to the kitchen where he was insatiably drinking water and peeing at the same time. He had never had an accident in the house before ever. Then it happened again the next day and off to the emergency room I went. The first thing they did was run blood work where it showed that he was anemic. His red platlet cells were low but still within the normal range. They performed an ultrasound and saw the mass on his spleen. There were no signs of any other organs showing tumors or masses. His blood work was mostly normal except for the red platlet cells which were on the low end of the scale. I was devastated. The vet said the tumor had been bleeding and some blood was in his stomach. They scheduled surgery for him Monday, ER visit was Saturday which cost $1500.00. The surgery was going to be $6000.00-$7000.00. A non 24 vet rate for the same surgery is about $2000,00. My heart dropped. I had to find a day clinic asap. My options were that since it was bleeding it could rupture and kill him if I did nothing. Or have a splenectomy and remove the mass and get it biopsied. Or put him down there if I couldn’t afford the surgery because the rupture would be a painful death. I was frantic about the options. Monday morning I got on the phone to my regular vet who unfortunately was in Hawaii on vacation. She couldn’t do it and no one else at the clinic there could do it. They referred me to another respected clinic about an hour away. I was in Chicago when this all happened. My regular vet is near my farm in Central Wisconsin. I called the referred vet at 9:30am praying they could see me. They told me that they had a vet that did splenectomies and he could squeeze me in at 1:45 pm that day to see Freddie. I loaded up my pickup and drove 3.5 hours and arrived in time. We had the ER tests transferred there. The new vet did a chest X-ray and saw no growths in his lungs and his heart was beating healthy and didn’t appear to have any growths on it either. The ER room in Chicago did send me home with a herb called Yunnan Baiyao which is prescribed to stop any internal bleeding. Also Gabapentin for pain. From Saturday morning to Monday afternoon those two drugs really helped. Freddie’s gums had gotten a little more pink and when they redid the bloodwork at the new clinic his platlet cells were up a bit from Saturday. That made it good to proceed to surgery. The vet cleared his morning Tuesday for my dog and had his spleen out with a large golf ball sized tumor.. They showed it to me and I could not imagine the pain my dog had endured for months. They also came out to see me mid surgery to tell that they couldn’t find any visible signs of metastisi while he was cut open. If they had noticed growths I was prepared to put him down at that point during surgery. My dog was a champ and pulled through the surgery with minimal bleeding. He stood up almost immediately after surgery and the vet felt that the relief of the tumor was obvious for the dog. The spleen and that miserable angry tumor is off to Madison for biopsy. It will be about a week or so for the results. Fred has been home for a full day and one very long night as I write this. He is peeing normally, His back legs are not shaking. He is eating cooked chicken although it wasn’t until 2am in the morning. That’s when I felt his wet tongue lick my arm and noticed a cold wet nose.. a great sign. I got up and feed him and I slept with great relief.. He ate a few small meals today took all his meds and is still on the Yunnan Baiyao, the Gabapentin for pain and an anti inflammatory and anti nausea drug. You would never known the guy had had major surgery 24 hours ago. I feel I made the right decision even if the tumor comes back as cancerous. He is feeling so much better with the tumor out and it is obvious. If it’s benign, fingers and toes crossed, I’m confident he will go on to live several more years. If it isn’t I’ll be heartbroken but okay knowing I did my very best for best friend. I hope everyone dealing with this got something out of my post to help make their decision easier. Losing a pet is the absolute worst but having them for the years we can is the absolute best.
Hi Kelly,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with our readers! I am glad Freddie was able to stabilize and proceed with surgery. What a blessing they did not find any signs of metastasis. I am praying the pathology results show the mass was benign and give your sweet boy a good prognosis for a long and happy future. Best wishes to you both!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am going through the same thing right now. My girl is going in for surgery at 8 am tomorrow. I feel much better about my decision after reading your story.
Hi Colette,
I am praying for your girl today. I hope the surgery was a success and she is now resting during her recovery. Bless you both.
I thought I’d share my experiences with splenic tumours. Last year in March it was a normal morning, my handsome old boy acted completely normal but in a blink of an eye he had a full blown grand mal seizure. We rushed him to the vets after he’d come round, bloods showed everything normal apart from anemia, then a scan showed a mass on his spleen. We were given the option of surgery but with him having the seizure, his blood pressure was dropping, we decided to break our own hearts and say goodbye to my boy. It’s thought that the mass was malignant and it had spread to his brain, in turn causing the seizure. Leading up to that day he had zero symtpoms of anything like that, he was almost 14 years of age when we said goodbye.
Earlier this week my 11 year old little old lady staffy girl had an ultrasound scan as her bloods are showing she has a bleed somewhere internally but isn’t anemic. It has shown a 2.65cm mass in her spleen, she is booked in for surgery this coming Friday and I’m just hoping and praying that the mass is benign and she recovers well from the surgery.
Hi Mrs,
I am sorry you had such a difficult experience last year and had to say goodbye to your senior boy. I hope your staffy girl will have a much better outcome. I am glad you were able to detect the splenic mass before it was an emergency. Praying surgery went well yesterday and your girl is recovering and resting comfortably. Fingers crossed the pathology report shows the mass was benign. Feel free to leave an update if you get a chance. Bless you both!
Thank-you so much for your kind words. Surgery went well without too many complications (her heart rate went erratic on one occasion as did her BP) on Friday and she was allowed home a couple of hours later as she was getting distressed in the vets. We’re now coming up to 72hr post op and she’s doing really well, better than I thought with recovery wise. The surgeon said that the mass was well within the spleen? Not sure if that’s good or bad, but he did so whatever it is then he hopes we’ve caught it early. No obvious signs of metastasis but he didn’t go looking either and said that there was quite a lot of fat within the abdomen. The mass was more towards the head of the spleen, which I’m not sure is an indicator for malignancy or not?
Histology should be back within 7 days now (as was 10 days on Friday), so just a case of waiting and hoping right now, trying to get her recovered well at home.
Hi Mrs,
Thank you for the update! What a blessing that the surgeon didn’t see any obvious sign of metastasis. I am glad the surgery was completed without severe complications and your sweet girl was able to come home to recover. Still praying for good results from the pathologist. Keep holding on to hope and give your girl a hug for me!!!
I thought I’d give an update on the lab results. I’m so happy to be able to say that the official diagnose of the mass is “splenic nodular hyperplasia”.
I can’t actually believe I’m able to say that! My old boy had an aggressive form of cancer so I was preparing for the worst outcome but hoping for the best.
Wanted to update for all the people frantically scouring the internet, like I did, just to show that not all spenic masses are malignant and some are indeed benign, even in an almost 12 year old girl.
Hopefully the splenectomy will prove to be curative and we can have her for a few more years yet!!
Good luck to everyone on their journey’s with their furbabies.
Dear Mrs,
YAY! That is such wonderful news! Thank you for taking the time to share your update. Give your sweet girl a hug for me. ♥
My 8 year old mini Aussie was fine Wednesday, playing in the water and running around. Thursday she had woken up a little off but still are her bones. I got home from work and she was a little more lethargic. She ate some chicken and barked at the TV once but mostly just layed around. I checked her gums and they were white so we rushed her to the hospital where did a u/s and found a mass on her spleen. The mass had ruptured and there was free fluid and blood in her abdominal cavity. When they did her surgery they removed her spleen but also found a few nodules on her liver so we are waiting for pathology. Abby had a growth develop on her face within a few hours that ended up being sterile nodular panniculitis. She develops things literally over night. Her under eye was swollen so she was on clindamycin when the mass was found. She also has blepharitis. I’m praying and staying hopefully that it is all benign!
Hi Britney,
I can only imagine how stressful the last two days have been for you. I am sorry your Aussie girl is having so much trouble. It is great that you were able to get her to the vet so fast and get surgery started. Praying that her pathology results are benign and you can look forward to a long future together. I hope her other issues will resolve quickly and she can make a full recovery. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance. Best wishes to you both!
On June 12/2022 I had to make the hardest decision of my life, my boy went all night suffering, puking not being able to walk and very weak until the morning when we seen what was happening, rushed him to the vet and she explained that he had a Solomon mass that ruptured and his belly was full of blood and she suspected Hemangiosarcoma, she said surgery would by him only a little time but she also said because how sick he was and went all night like that he wouldn’t make it through surgery. I sadly had to say goodbye to my bulldog that had just turned 8. My heart is broken and I feel I didn’t make the right decision. I feel depressed and just wish I could have my boy back
Splenic** mass
Dear Ashley,
I am so sorry for the loss of your Bulldog. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to make the decision to say goodbye on such short notice. The vet evaluated your boy and concluded that he was very critical and too weak for surgery to be successful. With their expert opinion and the knowledge that the mass had already ruptured, I have no doubt that you made the right decision. I also know that just because it is the most loving option, it doesn’t make it any easier or less heartbreaking to let go. I am sure your sweet boy knew how much he was loved. Your decision allowed him to have the peace and rest he so deserved. Praying with time your heart will heal and the grief will fade. May his memory be a blessing.
This article is the most informative and explanatory article I have read. Thank you so much.
Today, Friday June 3, 2022, we were told my Labrador cross has a tumor on her spleen. LuLu is 11 years old, a rescue from people who lived down the street from us. We took her when she was about 6 months old. Two weeks ago she had a decreased appetite and not as active. I was not too worried. One week ago she had a hard time standing up. I attributed all of these symptoms to getting older. Then Monday May 30 I noticed her eyes were swollen, red, watering and she kept rubbing her eyes on my pants leg to scratch, plus she had thrown up. The vet said it was an allergic reaction to something and LuLu was given Previcox. Tuesday her eyes were swollen again, and she was vomiting. At midnight she woke me up to go outside. I checked her stool which was diarrhea so I stayed all through the night to let her in and out of the house. Off to the vet we went again, on Tuesday morning. LuLu was kept two days at the vet with an IV. Friday morning I called the vet office to check on LuLu and we were told to come in so the vet could talk to us. We were shown the XRay showing the spleen tumor.
The vet explained everything and the odds of surviving a spleenectomy if the mass is not cancer, explained what happens if it is cancer. It is a gut wrenching decision. We brought LuLu home with us Friday morning.
( I look at LuLu and I think of all the animals, both wild and domestic who do not have anyone taking care of them and the abuse too many endure at the hands of evil people, and I start bawling. Then I get angry and cry some more because there are people with enough money who use their money for bad things instead of good. I can only help a few animals at a time. I go through this every time I have to put my pets down.)
So we must make a decision about LuLu by Sunday morning. If we go with surgery LuLu must be taken to the vet Sunday afternoon so that surgery can be done first thing Monday morning.
Thank you again for the informative article. It was very helpful.
Dear J.R.,
Thank you for the kind words about the article. I can only imagine what a difficult decision this must have been for you. I am curious to know if you decided to pursue surgery or not. Praying Lulu is stable and comfortable no matter which choice has been made. Feel free to leave an update if you get a chance.
Hi J.R. we are in the same predicament with our 11 year old lab mix. Did you explore doing an ultrasound and biopsy, or just kept the decision to surgery or no surgery. Praying you are at peace with wahtever decision you had to make.
We are struggling to prepare ourselves as we wait for the results of biopsies for our 11 year-old dachshund Penny. On routine exam, the vet discovered a mass on her anal gland and referred us to a surgeon. In preparation for surgery, two other masses were discovered in her spleen and one in her adrenal gland. After walking through many different scenarios, we opted to remove the spleen and anal gland and leave the adrenal gland for future evaluation, knowing a poor result on the spleen masses would send us in only one direction. No other signs of obvious spread were detected in surgery. Penny did very well and is home resting and comfortable. My question is, does the presence of more than one mass in the spleen signal higher likelihood for malignancy? One was 1cm and the other 4cm. The surgeon said the masses in the spleen and the anal gland could be related, but also may not be. We’re holding out hope that the spleen masses could be benign and then we could get a few more years with chemo for the anal gland, if it ends up being malignant (which we know is very likely). Any insight you can give about scenarios of multiple masses would be helpful to understand. Thank you!
Hi Courtney,
I understand how worried you must be while you wait for biopsy results. I am so glad Penny seems to be recovering well and is resting comfortably at home. The good news is the presence of multiple masses in the spleen does not increase the chance of malignancy. Here is a link to a good article from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons:
I hope you receive positive results and wish you many more happy years with Penny. Feel free to leave an update if you get a chance!
My 10 year old golden retriever was feeling extremely lethargic today . Usually my shadow ,I couldn’t even get him up for a treat. All seemed well yesterday. After he stood and collapsed I knew something was seriously wrong . I rushed him to emergency center in tulsa where I was told he has a ruptured mass on his spleen that was bleeding into his abdomen. A decision needed to be made quickly . He is currently In Surgery to have his spleen removed . I am a mess . This was so sudden. not knowing if he will even make it through surgery and if he does how long then ? Is it cancer ? Will he have to go through this pain again if he has another rupture ? Will I get to say goodbye ? He is family and has been through so much with me , I couldnt imagine if I hadn’t opted for surgery and it turned out to be benign .
Hi Liz,
I can only imagine what a scary and stressful day you must have had. I am glad you were able to get your golden boy to the emergency vet quickly and I think you made the right choice opting for surgery. Praying everything went smoothly and now he is stable and headed toward a full recovery. Feel free to leave an update if you get the chance. Bless you both!
So, my dog had spendic surgery along with removing a mass on it just 3 weeks ago, i slept with him in hospital overnight. This boy is my soul mate, my world my life before i go on. He just turned 11 last week he is a yellow lab my squishy bear. So we were going every week after surgery to get blood taken and checked, it was going up which was good so our hopes were rising. Then yesterday he looked very lethargic , i said lets go back to hospital they looked at him did ultrasound, and said hes bleeding again, i almost fell over and found out results which were the bad hemogisarnoma, so she said to monitor his breathing and watch him, not sure how long he has but i am devastated, not only going thru the surgery of worrying and stress, but now this again only 3 weeks later. I have him on yuaan biayo to control the bleeding not sure if its working, i love my boy so much and i am freaking out as basically they told me to just watch him until its time, this is just horrible.
Dear Gina,
My heart goes out to you with this tragic situation you are facing with your beloved pup. I am so sorry he has received this devastating diagnosis and his health is declining so quickly. You may want to get in touch with a hospice vet that can make house calls. They are very good at helping you navigate this emotional path. I hope when the time comes, your sweet boy will pass peacefully with you by his side to comfort and love on him. Make the most of these last days together. ♥ Praying for your strength and healing for your heart.
I need some advice or encouragement. Last Thursday, my 13.5 yr old Westie, Leila, suddenly started vomiting. Took her to the vet where they administered fluids and anti nausea meds. She was dehydrated but after fluids seemed a little better so I picked her up later that day. I had a trip planned and left town the following morning because I felt comfortable with her being in the care of my stepmom. Leila seemed to do okay on Friday & Saturday. Sunday it all went down hill. She could not get Leila to eat any food, treats or take her meds. (She takes Proin & Selegiline) I came home Monday and spoke to the vet who advised me to bring her back in to be evaluated. I unfortunately did not make it in time before they were to close so I was advised to take her to the ER vet. They brought her back and did the exam. Stated she was severely dehydrated, pain in abdomen and would need to be admitted overnight possibly for 48 hrs. While she was admitted they ran some tests. They kept her on fluids and pain meds around the clock. She was going to be seen by an internal medicine doctor while she was admitted. They did an ultrasound of her abdomen where I received the horrible news that Leila had a mass on her spleen. Thankfully it was a lucky catch I was told since it had not ruptured and would have otherwise gone undetected had they not been exploring to figure out her GI issues, lack of appetite, lethargy, etc. They suggested I have a needle aspirate biopsy done while informing me sometimes those tests don’t always come back conclusive either way. I told them to proceed with the needle biopsy. The next day I got the call that it came back with abnormal cells (or cancerous cells). I felt like I had been kicked in the gut and had the wind knocked out of me. I asked what I should do and they suggested surgery to remove the mass & spleen. It was explained that the only for sure way to know what type of mass or sarcoma was on the spleen was to remove and send off for biopsy. Then depending on those results would determine next steps. They discharged her Wednesday evening with anti nausea meds but no pain meds. They said she no longer seemed to be in pain. I was told that all of her issues I brought her in for (vomiting, extreme lethargy, loss of appetite) we’re all completely unrelated to this splenic mass. However, everything I research says the opposite? I am not sure what to think as I have asked Leila’s normal vet the same and she agrees it is most likely unrelated. It is now a week and two days since this all started and Leila still refuses to eat. She may eat a few bites of something but that is it. Thankfully she is drinking water but most of the time it’s if I provide it via syringe. She went back to visit her normal vet to be examined on Friday (yesterday) and she did another ultrasound to make sure the mass was not bleeding and she did not find any indication that it was. Leila is scheduled for a splenectomy with her vet on Wednesday pending her feeling better by then. When she was checked out again by her vet she said she seemed lethargic and unlike herself however she was hydrated and did not seem to be in any pain. From what I’ve been told, this surgery may not extend her lifespan but would still be advised to remove the mass before it ruptured. I am going to proceed with the surgery as long as Leila is well enough to have it. A big part of me feels like her refusing to eat and the continued lethargy has to do with this (most likely) cancer inside of her. But I’ve been told by both her vet and internal medicine vet that it is highly unlikely. I’m not sure what else to think as neither of them were able to come up with a reasoning for her GI issues, lack of appetite & extreme lethargy. I want to do what is best for my baby girl. She is my whole heart and I am not ready to say goodbye, but no one ever is. I can not bear the thought of her suffering or being in pain (I have been assured she is not in any pain) but her demeanor makes me think otherwise. On Thursday, Leila was so pitiful and lethargic I was as preparing myself to say goodbye. The next day & today she seemed perkier, wagging her tail, more alert. But still will not eat. She has not cried or attempted to eat grass (her usual indications of nausea) What would your advise be? I love her with all of my heart and don’t want to be selfish because of that. I am so conflicted. If it does turn out to be cancer, would doing chemo extend her life while providing a good quality of life? Or would she just be miserable and suffering just so I can keep her around a little longer for my own selfish reasons. Please help!!!
Dear Morgan,
My heart goes out to you as you walk this difficult path with Leila. I too am puzzled by her anorexia and lethargy and am not sure what the cause could be if it is not related to a cancerous process. Since I haven’t examined your girl myself, it is hard to make specific conclusions. I am curious to know if the surgery was performed today to remove her spleen. Feel free to leave us an update if you have a chance. To answer your questions about chemo, it does not typically cause the severe side effects we see in humans. So, I do feel like a dog can undergo chemo and still have a good quality of life as long as they are a good candidate for the treatment. It might be a good idea to have a consult with a veterinary oncologist if you still have any unresolved questions or concerns. Praying your Westie girl is stable and comfortable and that her issues will be completely resolved. Wishing you both the best.
Hi there,
I just wanted to provide an update on Leila & thank you for your initial response. Leila finally had her splenectomy at the very end of May. The surgery went well & they were able to remove her spleen & tumor before it ruptured or started bleeding. They sent the tumor off for biopsy & the initial biopsy came back inconclusive after waiting for 3 weeks. We were then referred to an oncologist who ordered a second opinion biopsy. In the meantime, Leila was prescribed an herbal supplement to help support her immune system called Cellular PSP. Since having her surgery, Leila has returned to normal! She has been eating normally, no more nausea or vomiting, lots of energy (she seems to even have more energy than before she started showing symptoms of being sick). She has been running and playing and seems to be better than ever! So we are super thankful & grateful for that!! Finally, just earlier today, we received the results from the second opinion biopsy. She actually had two tumors- one was benign… As far as the other tumor, they were able to rule out a hemangiosarcoma (or any super aggressive type of tumor) which is fantastic! Leila’s vet was very surprised by that and said she’s actually never seen a splenic tumor come back & not be that type in her career thus far. What they found is that her tumor was consistent with a stromal sarcoma. The oncologist mentioned when they look at cell counts anything at a 9 or above is considered aggressive and Leila’s is at a 4. So all things considered, it’s fairly decent news. She has suggested starting Leila on a low dose at-home chemotherapy pill called Chlorambucil for 1 -2 years, along with CBCs every 6 weeks & physical exams with X-rays/ultrasounds every 3 months to watch for any effect in bone marrow as well as possible spread to the liver. The oncologist has assured me that the patients she has treated with this drug very rarely (if ever) present with any harsh side effects such as hair loss, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. She also mentioned that there are not a lot of studies done on stromal sarcomas & treatment as far as if it helps prolong the lifespan with treatment versus without. She did feel like her past patients lived longer than expected while taking the chemo pill. I just feel so torn on what to do because I have had people tell me they know dogs that have gone through chemo & it’s hard on the dog. But the oncologist says otherwise, and I would think she would know first hand. What is your advice? On one hand, I would hate to do anything to cause Leila to start feeling poorly when she has been doing so remarkably well post surgery, but on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to not provide her with a medication available to her that would potentially extend her life. Of course, my first priority is making sure Leila has the best quality of life as possible. And aside from some arthritis pain (limps a little while walking, has trouble walking on hardwood floors, trouble jumping onto sofa, etc.) that we haven’t been able to treat (she has had bad reactions to NSAIDS) she seems happy & healthy. Any advice on her arthritis pain as well as your thoughts on the recommendations from the oncologist would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
Morgan & Leila
Hi Morgan,
Thank you for the update on Leila! I am glad the surgery was a success and you received hopeful news from the pathologist. Also, I am excited her nausea and vomiting have resolved and her appetite is back! What a blessing to have your sweet girl feeling well again. I can understand how you might be hesitant to start chemo since Leila is just starting to regain her energy and joyful nature. I do think the oncologist’s plan sounds like a good idea, but ultimately the choice is yours. It would not be a bad decision should you decide to forgo the chemo and continue with palliative care when the time comes. As far as the arthritis pain is concerned, there are many different things to try that would allow you to avoid NSAIDs. Here are some links to other articles with more information:
1. How to Relieve Arthritis Pain in Dogs: The Ultimate Guide
2. Osteoarthritis in Dogs: Everything You Need to Know
3. Adequan for Dogs: Don’t Just Treat Arthritis, Slow it Down
4. 8 Ways to Help a Senior Dog with Arthritis at Home
I hope you can find the answers you need to make the best decision for you and Leila. Praying for relief from pain and many happy days ahead to continue making memories together. ♥
Thank you so much for such an informative post and the option to share our stories, it has been strangely comforting to read other people’s experiences with this issue.
My beautiful 14 year old Maltese Zoe started acting strangely on Tuesday night when we got home from work. She was panting and shaking so we rushed her to the emergency vets. The vet was so kind and caring and rushed her in where she had a basic ultrasound in which he discovered a mass on her spleen. He came back out to us and advised us he had found the mass on her spleen and discussed with us all options. He wanted to do a more advanced ultrasound and X-rays to make sure there was no bleeding from the spleen and to check for any other masses. We wanted to go ahead with what was discussed and spent a very sleepless night at home while she spent the night at emergency. He phoned us around 5am to let us know that he did a lot of scans and thankfully there was only the one mass (that may or may not be cancerous) everything else looked good.
I picked up a very sleepy and anxious Zoe that morning and took her with me to work (I work at a pet supplies store with a vets attached) I am close with the vets and took my Zoe in to spend the day there while I was working. She was booked in for a splenectomy the next day. We kept her on methadone incase she was in any pain. She was in great spirits when she got home with me and I brought her roast chicken for tea lol. Her doggie brother and sister (greyhound (11) and lively foxy (17) were very happy to see her.
The next day was her big day, I spent most of the morning crying at the thought of her having her surgery- pets are much stronger than us! I just felt terrible at the thought of her having surgery at 14. I need not have worried as the surgery went smoothly and the nurse rushed out to me to give the big thumbs up. I rushed out once she was awake to sit in the surgery with her while she was in recovery. Dr May – my vet friend advised me the surgery went well and she checked out a few other things while Zoe was open and saw nothing else suspicious that she could see. It’s now two days on and Zoe is recovering well. She is more alert today and is walking around and also resting well. I’m just so thankful to have her in our lives still. I was physically sick with the stress of how quickly this all happened. Although she has been with us for 14 wonderful years and has moved countries from NZ to Australia with us and our foxy we just weren’t ready to say goodbye!
Her mass was around the size of a ping pong ball inside the tail end of her spleen, she’s a tiny 3.95kg so it did seem pretty large!
We personally decided against getting the mass tested as either way we don’t want to put her through chemo at her age, and the fact that even if it is cancer it won’t be a cure.
I take comfort in the fact that everything looked very good otherwise with her liver etc and she seems to be recovering well and that we got the mass out before it burst. I’m just thankful to have her here with us 🙂
Hi Nicole,
I am so glad you acted quickly and took your girl to the emergency vet last week. Zoe is lucky to have such a great team of people making sure she is well cared for. I am happy to hear her surgery went well and her recovery has been smooth. Praying she has a complete recovery and many happy days ahead. Thank you for sharing your experience with us as it may help someone else in a similar situation. ♥
Our 7 year old Golden had an emergency splenectomy 16 days ago. We are currently awaiting the pathology report. His recovery from the surgery has been good until yesterday when we noticed weakness in his rear legs and him having difficulty standing up. We called the emergency vet and they said he may be having some residual effects from the surgery. I just checked on (it’s 4 AM) and the weakness and difficulty standing up is still present. I feel he needs to be seen again and plan to take him in today.. I am beside myself with worry. These past 2 weeks have been so so hard. I don’t know what’s causing this weakness and was wondering if anyone else’s pup has
Had the same issue.
Hi Michelle,
I understand your concern and worry for your pup. Like the emergency vet said, it could be residual effects from the surgery, but it could also be something more serious that needs attention ASAP. I am glad you had planned to have your boy examined by the vet just to be safe. What did you find out? Praying everything is ok and your sweet guy is at home resting comfortably. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance.
WOW! I am truly grateful for this article & all of the stories/experiences shared. I’m going through this as we speak & reading through these have helped tremendously. To me, it feels nearly impossible to comprehend everything you’re being told while it’s all happening & emotions are soring. Mine definitely are.
Hallie, my 11yo black lab had her spleen removed today. It all started early this week when she didn’t have any interest in her food (Hal has an endless appetite & big love for feeding time). I then started noticing the swelling in her abdomen & her being lethargic – which is not like my girl at all. We went to the vet, then to the ER for an ultrasound. The vet told me the news (which is truly a shock) and after hours of talking with my family, decided to proceed with surgery along with the necessary blood transfusion.
The surgeon called me at 5:23am today and said they were about to take Hal back for her operation. She went over everything with me again – the potential positive & negative outcomes – and told me if she calls back in 30-45 minutes, that it would (most likely) mean she found something (negative). If she called back within 1.5-2 hours, that would be good indication she was wrapping up surgery. I kid you not when I say I watched the clock all morning hoping I didn’t get a call before that 1.5 hour threshold. She called me back just shy of 2 hours to let me know Hal was done with surgery & doing well. I don’t know how I had any tears left, but did and they poured out of hope/joy.
I got an update on her this evening (waiting has been truly excruciating) and Hal is awake & did get to move a tiny bit. She doesn’t have an interest in food just yet, but is stable. Heart, blood pressure, electrolytes all are good. She’s getting lots & LOTS of love from everyone there. They’re enamored with Hal & I can’t blame them.
Now, our current concern is getting her red blood cell count back up & this still has my nerves on edge. She was at 12% prior to everything, and is now at 19%. I had to ask what a normal/healthy percentage was (clueless here) and was told it’s usually 35-55%. She’ll continue to be monitored and I’ll get an update tomorrow. I have tried to find out how “quickly” this count can improve, but haven’t found anything yet. I just hope & pray her body recovers the way it needs to. I can’t wait to have her back. Everyone misses Hal pal & my other dogs are certainly wondering where she is & sleeping in her bed.
I can’t express appreciation enough for this article & feel for each & every person who posted or has gone through this – no matter what the decision made was in the end. It’s never easy. Our pets are family & deserve all the love & compassion we can give them. They love us unconditionally & it’s truly a great privilege to have them in our lives.
I’ll post another update on her once I hear back – as of right now, no news is good news while she rests and recovers.
“Go Hal go…but rest Hal rest”
Hi Amber,
Thank you for being willing to share Hallie’s story with us. I am glad your vet found the splenic mass and was able to get Hallie into surgery quickly. How are things going with recovery? Praying your sweet girl is resting and doing well. I hope her red blood cell count has come back up to a more normal level and is stabilizing. Feel free to update us as you have a chance. Bless you both!
Hello, my name is Jason and I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Tulsa, OK, Samantha, my sweet 8yr old English Pointer is recovering from a splenectomy performed yesterday. She was never lethargic, always alert. I took her to my vet because of her loss of appetite and weight loss. Surgery went wonderfully, nothing else was seen on ultrasound or during surgery, but this is killing me. It had ruptured in her abdomen. If it does come back as cancer, I’m wrestling with the chemo decision. I would love to have more time, but I don’t want to be selfish. Is a few months really worth it? Just not sure what to do. She’s part of my heart and I don’t want to cause her any more discomfort. Thank you
Hi Jason,
I can only imagine how concerned you must be for your pointer girl and rightly so. I am glad to hear her surgery went smoothly and no other signs of metastasis were noted during the procedure. I am praying you receive good results and that cancer won’t even be an issue. If you do end up having to discuss chemotherapy with your vet, here is what I want you to know: dogs typically do not have the severe side effects with chemo like humans do. Most dogs tolerate the medications very well and display a good quality of life while going through treatment. So as long as it fits with your budget and time, chemotherapy may be able to bless you with extra time together that you would really cherish. Praying Samantha has an easy recovery and will be back in your arms very soon. Feel free to leave an update if you have a chance. Wishing you both the best!
My 14 1/2 year old Australian Shepherd has not been feeling well for the last week, She was not wanting to eat, was lethargic and collapsed but recovered. I took her to the Vet yesterday and he found a mass in her abdomen which he said had a pretty good chance of being a hemangiosarcoma. He wants to do surgery next week and at first I was ready to go ahead. but after coming home and reading all the information on the internet I am really torn. She is eating better at times but now has liquid diarrhea probably due to the food I gave her trying to get her to eat.
My Vet seemed to think surgery would give her a better quality of life but seeing it does not usually lead to a cure. I just don’t want her to bleed out as I have gone through that with 3 other Aussies (non related). I really just don’t know what to do.
Hi Marty,
I understand your concern for your Aussie girl and not wanting to put her through a surgery that may not improve her prognosis. You are correct that if she does have hemangiosarcoma, the surgery may not be curative. On the other hand, it is possible the mass is benign but bleeding and if removed would resolve the problem. I wish we could see into the future and have some certainty about the decisions we make. I hope you have found the answers you need to make the best decision possible for you and your sweet girl. Wishing you both the best!
Hi, can anyone please recommend a top Cancer facility for Dogs in the U.S. and/or close to NY. My 14 yr old shih tzu has a tumor in his spleen and 1 kidney. Internalist only did a needle aspirate on the spleen and said it was inconclusive bc the sample was mostly blood and only few splenic cells, not enough for a definite diagnosis of what type of cancer. They said next step is surgery to remove the spleen and do biopsy but then they said Surgeon will probably advise against it because of the age and the nodules found in 1 kidney and in lungs. My dog’s blood test results are normal and the ultra sound showed heart was good and no muscle wasting in his body. The only thing that ailed him recently was tachypnea (fast breathing) which couple of days of prednisone (5mg twice a day) helped alot. I really want to give him the best fighting chance and treatment. He is alert, eating, Normal bowel. I need to find a cancer doctor that can think outside of the box and know more about uncommon cancers. My dog has many small skin bumps, which we biopsy 5yrs ago and they said it was like skin tag (overgrowth of skin). I think this may be related but typical internalist just don’t want to make the link. Please any help guidance would be great.
Hi Lily,
I am sure there are veterinary oncologists in your area, but I do know of Dr.Sue Ettinger that practices in Norwalk, Connecticut. I understand your concern for your senior guy and wanting to find him the best of care. It sounds like your vet is giving you sound advice. Ultimately, it is your decision to pursue surgery or not, but it may be difficult to find a surgeon willing to proceed knowing there is a possibility of metastatic cancer. I am very concerned about the lung nodules and would be curious to know if they are in fact due to a cancer that has spread from some other part of the body (spleen or kidney). I am not aware of any cases of skin tags causing nodules to form on internal organs. I hope you can find the answers you need to make the best decision for you and your pup. Best wishes.
Thank you so much for the complete information on this post. My 10 year old boxer/mastiff/mutt went into the vet 2weeks ago. She was having what appeared to be gastric reflux (burps and swallowing) and the small pea sized growth on her ear suddenly started bleeding. The growth was seen by another vet a year and a half ago and I was told “ Just like people, old dogs grow things”. He said it did not need to be biopsied. Well it turns out that growth is a mast cell tumor according to needle aspiration. Given the GI symptoms they did an abdominal ultrasound and found 2 nodules in her spleen, 30mm and 22mm. One of which is misshaping the tail of the spleen. The ultrasound showed no enlarged lymph nodes but they didn’t check her chest at all. The vet has advised surgery to remove the spleen and the mass on the ear. I was told they don’t do needle biopsies on the spleen because of bleeding risk. So now I am facing the decision of what to do. My question is do you often see metastasis of mast cell tumors to the spleen? If it is are her odds as grim as with hemangiosarcomas? I also was told we won’t know what grade the mast cell tumor on the ear is until it’s removed. I don’t know if it’s advisable want to put her through 2 surgeries in order to grade the tumor hoping for more information to decide on removing the spleen. If I knew the cancer was widespread I would not want her to suffer through the surgery. And unfortunately cost is a consideration since I lost my job, but she is my baby. I’m beside myself trying to make the right choice. Do you have any advice?
Hi Taylor,
I am so sorry you are dealing with such a difficult situation with your senior girl. I understand your concern and how hard it is to make these decisions especially with financial constraints as well. It is not common for Mast Cell Tumors (MCT) to spread to internal organs, but when they do, the spleen is one of the most common sites. Of course, the nodules on your dog’s spleen may not be related to the MCT on her ear. The splenic nodules may be benign and hemangiosarcoma is always still a possibility. Please know that if you decide not to pursue surgery, that is ok, and it doesn’t make you a bad dog mom. The goal is to make sure your sweet girl has a good quality of life and is loved. We don’t know what the future holds, but if at some point your pup’s health starts to decline you may want to look into a vet that practices palliative care or hospice services. They can help make sure she stays pain free and comfortable as long as possible. I hope you can find the answers you are looking for to make the best choice for you and your girl. If you do pursue surgery, I pray you receive favorable results and she has a full recovery. Best wishes to you both. ♥
I came across this article because I’ve been Googling and researching like a crazy woman the past couple of days. This past Friday morning I took my Rocko, a 15-year-old cocker spaniel mix, to the vet for a simple pre-op exam and labs. He was scheduled to have his teeth cleaned next Thursday. His bloodwork came back mostly normal except for some signs of infection which the vet assumed was a gum infection. During the exam she noticed some swelling in his abdomen and recommended an xray, which showed a mass on his spleen. She gave me my options, and I went ahead and changed his dental to a splenectomy for next Thursday. After speaking with some friends who have been through similar experiences (and sadly some poor experience with the same vet), I’ve decided to try and get a second opinion before going forward with surgery. He has had no visible symptoms, he eats well, and has an insane amount of energy for his age. I’m terrified and don’t know what to expect going forward. He’s my baby and I can’t bear the thought of losing him so suddenly.
Hi Jaylyn,
I understand your concern and hesitation to put Rocko through such an invasive procedure. I am glad the splenic mass was detected early before any issues had developed. It is never wrong to ask for a second opinion. I encourage you to seek out as much advice and information as needed to feel comfortable with your decisions. I pray Rocko will remain stable and have a positive outcome. I hope you can find the answers you need to make the best choice for you and your sweet boy. Best wishes and keep us updated.
We just had our sweet girl put down two days ago. I don’t even really know what happened. I just started to look up spleen issues and found this post.
Our girl was fine on Tuesday afternoon. I came home a couple hours later and her belly was swollen on both sides lower down her body. She started to come down some stairs and started to shake – I knew there was something really wrong with her.
I took her to the vets and they did an ultrasound. The vet told me ultrasounds weren’t her specialty but could see parts of her spleen in places it shouldn’t be. Ness also had a low fever. She said we could wait a couple days till the vet that specializes in ultrasounds was in. We decided not to do further testing and euthanized her. We did not see any happy ending to the story for Ness. She was in pain and likely very ill. Our girl was almost 11 and was also just starting to have mobility issues and slowing down. The vet wondered if she had a tumour but didn’t know.
Wondering if she did have a tumour on her spleen or a partially ruptured spleen?
Our hearts are aching missing our sweet precious girl. We are thankful that we had our faithful girl for almost 11 years. Ness was a gentle Shepherd and the Walmart greeter of the dog world.
Dear Sheila,
I am sorry for the tragic loss of Ness and how quickly her condition deteriorated. It does sound like she may have had a ruptured splenic tumor and that you made the right decision to let her go. I understand the heartache that comes with saying goodbye. I hope you will find comfort knowing you made the most loving and unselfish decision to give her peace and rest. Praying that with time your heart will heal. May her memory be a blessing.
It’s been really touching reading all of these posts. I’m not unique in that I just found out my senior dog has a splenic tumor. I’ve had her 13 years and she was a rescue so she is likely around 16. She was dehydrated and weak from the heat and I took her in as she was so lethargic.
The vet said her heart and lungs sounded and looked good but on the X-ray he could see the mass on her spleen. I can also feel it now. Kidney function is a little decreased and he saw slight anemia. He gave me Yunnan Baiyao to take each day. Surgery wasn’t given as an option due to her advanced age… At least the vet said he wouldn’t do surgery if it was his dog. So now she is home and seemingly back to normal. But I feel devastated! I feel like I’m on edge just waiting for her tumor to burst and have her pass away. I have no idea how much more time I have with my sweet girl. He did said it would be painless and she would decline quickly and go but my god. It’s killing me.
Hi Sabrina,
My heart aches for you and this difficult situation you are in with your senior girl. I highly recommend you look into a house call vet that can offer hospice and palliative care. Also, I know the decision to say goodbye is hard and different for everyone and each situation. If you decided to go ahead and schedule euthanasia prior to a bleeding event, that wouldn’t make you a bad person and it could offer your sweet girl a smooth and peaceful transition. I will post some links to other articles that may offer additional advice and great comments from other readers. I hope you can try and make the most of the time you are blessed with. Bless you both.
1. When To Euthanize A Dog With Hemangiosarcoma: A Vet’s Guidance
2. Preparing for Your Dog’s Euthanasia: 10 Thoughts for Peace
3. Grieving the Loss of a Dog After Euthanasia (& Finding Peace)
My 7 year old Golden boy was stricken with hemangiosarcoma 6 weeks ago and it has been so stressful, He had been completely fine until one morning when he just was acting off, so I took him to the vet to have them look him over. By the time we got there, he couldn’t get out of the car. We were sent to an ER vet hospital where they confirmed a bleeding splenic mass and did a splenectomy. The pathology showed hemangiosarcoma of the spleen with metastasis to the liver. An oncologist told us that chemo wasn’t an option due to the liver metastasis, and told me we should make an appointment to euthanize him as he didn’t think he would live more than a few more days. This was 5 weeks ago and he is still very much alive and doing quite well, He is followed by a hospice vet who has him on several meds, including prednisone and yunnan baiyo. The hardest thing for me is that I am terrified to leave him alone because I don’t know when or how he is going to succumb, and I don’t want him to be by himself. I haven’t left him now in 6 weeks . It’s a blessing to have this extra time with him but also so stressful to know we are living on borrowed time and to feel like I never know what is coming each day. I don’t know how other people handle this. It’s just an extremely cruel cancer because they can be completely fine until they just aren’t.
Dear Pam,
I am sorry your Golden boy received such a devastating diagnosis. What a blessing to still have him with you 6 weeks later! I understand your worry and the constant stress you must feel. My best advice is to try and focus on the positives. Plan special things each day to bring joy to you both. Make some amazing memories and fill these last days with love. This way when his last day arrives, there will be no regrets and you will feel comfort knowing he was happy. I am glad you are working with a hospice vet to keep your pup stable and comfortable. I hope that your sweet boy will have a smooth transition when the time comes and praying for peace for your heart. ♥
I lost my dog last night from a ruptured mass on her spleen that was likely a hemangiosarcoma. The doctor said she was in grave condition and surgery might just buy a little time with her. Reading some of these stories made me wonder if I should’ve tried the surgery and see if she was ok after. I felt like she was in enough pain, but I didn’t realize there were so many good outcomes. I guess I just miss my girl terribly and wondered if I made the right choice.
Dear Tammy,
I am sorry for the tragic loss of your girl. I feel like you made a good decision, and it relieved her pain and suffering. Even if you had pursued surgery, there were no guarantees. You made the best choice you could with the information you had and with the advice of your veterinarian. Please don’t carry around the unnecessary burden of guilt over the “what ifs”. It is always better to let go one day too early rather that one day too late. Your sweet girl was able to find peace and rest. Praying for comfort for your heart and may her memory be a blessing.
Our 12-year old Ace, Great Dane mix, was diagnosed with a splenic mass in October 2021. Given his age and the major surgery involved, we decided against surgery. It is now April 2022 and, while he has lost some weight, he eats 4 cups of kibble a day, lots of treats, poops and pees normally, and walks 45 minutes daily. We are thankful for each day with him.
Hi Susan,
I am glad your sweet boy has been doing so well and loving life. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I pray you have many more happy days together. Give Ace a treat for me!
Thank you for this posting. Our wonderful rescue hound, Joey, is 9 years old and we have had her for 8 amazing years. She is a healthy and happy girl, but on a routine exam and our vet palpated a splenic mass. After xrays confirmed it was there, we had an ultrasound-guided biopsy that came back benign. Then it grew fast and we chose to have her entire spleen removed one month after discovery. The mass was about the size of a baseball and protruded outside the spleen, plus 6 or more smaller ones were found in her spleen that were not seen on ultrasound. She did great in surgery and is recovering really well. We are lucky to have an amazing vet who is also a good friend; she is very concerned that Joey’s tumors are cancer since there are so many. We are awaiting the pathology report now and very nervous that the original benign diagnosis was wrong. I suppose I wanted to post here because a biopsy is not always correct, nor is an ultrasound (that only showed the one tumor). As we wait for the path report, I am comforted to read your article and other posts. We may have decisions to make soon and somehow it helps to read about others who have gone through this. We have loved so many dogs over the years who have given us so much joy and comfort…… we just hope Joey will be with us a little longer…..
Hi Kristen,
I am glad you have such a great partnership with your vet and that the surgery was successful. Thank you for sharing your experience with our readers as it may help someone else in a similar situation. I hope you get favorable results and don’t have to worry about making any hard decisions at this point. Praying Joey has many happy years ahead! Bless you both.
Thanks for posting this article! In the spring of 2019, our 10 year old corgi Sadie started displaying the symptoms of blood in the abdomen; lethargic, pale gums and also wanted to be off on her own. When I went to pick her up, she would yelp in discomfort. After an ER visit, we found out she had a splenic mass that had leaked some blood into her abdomen. We elected to move forward with Surgery and had her spleen removed. The surgery was a success and a few days later she was home recovering. More good news came later when we received the call that the tumor was benign.
Fast forward almost 3 years later and she was still an energetic and active senior dog at 13+ years old. Sadie recently passed in February due to a mass on her liver. We had been watching a benign mass on her liver since February of. 2021. We discovered the mass after her liver levels were high during her senior blood work. An ultrasound revealed a 1” growth on her liver. We decided to not to proceed with any surgery at that time and do another ultrasound later that year to see if anything had changed, and the tumor remained the same size.
In February of this year we headed out on a road trip to GA. On our way back, Sadie started displaying the symptoms of blood in her abdomen. We were able to get her back to the animal hospital where she had her splenectomy. An ultrasound revealed that the tumor had grown to over 4” since July of 2021. We were again faced with a few options and again elected for surgery since taking her home would risk the chance of the mass rupturing again. Sadie did well with surgery but had complications post surgery most likely due to her Cushings disease.she had for almost. 3 years. Sadie ended up passing away a few days later. We miss her very much and were fortunate to have her in our life for almost another 3 years after her splenectomy.
I normally don’t post but was inspired by this article and wanted to share our story.
Dear Jim,
Thank you so much for sharing Sadie’s story with our readers. She was such a lucky pup to have shared her life with you and have you as her advocate. I am glad you were blessed with 3 extra years together. May her memory continue to be a blessing to you and your family.
I had no idea this condition existed until January this year. I had a beautiful Beagle girl named Tilly who was 11 years old, and she unfortunately passed away from this. The night before, which was the day after my birthday actually, I went to bed straight upon arriving at home after getting in late due to birthday celebrations. The next morning my mum found her dead. The vet took her in and agreed to have a look and see what the cause was, which turned out to be a tumour on her spleen that had ruptured and she had just lost too much blood overnight. It was horrendous, but it brings me a little peace to see everyone else’s stories and to know more information about this. It was something we could have never known she had and the vet says she would have passed away peacefully. There were no symptoms the night/day before either, the timing was just extremely unfortunate.
Dear Daisy,
I am sorry you lost Tilly so suddenly, especially right after your birthday. I am glad she did not suffer and passed peacefully in her sleep. I hope with time your heart will heal. May her memory be a blessing. ♥
Thank you for all of this information. Last May, we found out incidentally that our sweet Trixie had a splenic mass. At over 17 years of age we struggled weighing to have surgery but ultimately decided against it. She lived 6 more good months. On the day after Thanksgiving, we sadly helped out nearly 18 year old toy poodle to rest. I still wonder whether age or the mass ultimately ended her life and I struggle with that daily. But I know we gave her the best life we could , I just am sad she’s not here to celebrate her 18th on Saturday. Hug your pets for me!
Dear Trish,
I am glad you found the information in the article to be helpful. I am sorry you had to say goodbye to Trixie this past November, but it sounds like you made the right decision and allowed her to find peace and rest. I hope the passing of her birthday brought happy memories and comfort for your heart. ♥
Hi thanks for this really helpful article. My Springer spaniel Obi was having pre op bloods taken 5th Jan 2022 to have a large fatty lump removed as it has grown quite considerable in his groin, his liver enzymes had tripled since his last bloods 18 mths earlier which they were taken for a urine infection. Because of the worrying raised liver enzymes my vet did an ultra scan and found a mass on his spleen( not sure malignant or benign, but his liver was severely diseased, he said it was full of nodules and no part of his liver was healthy.. this has been such a devastating shock as you can imagine. The only symptom he had was more tired than usual, he’s still eating perfectly with great appetite, he has no ascites or jaundice .. the vet said he can’t have his spleen removed because his liver is so compromised .. he’s having milk thistle, immune support and Denamarin Tablets for his liver.. is there anything else we can do to help him, he’s having his bloods done again end of this month to see if any change in liver enzymes, he seems to be more lethargic last few days, loose light coloured stools.. and his eyes are slightly blood shot.. he’s 9 and been healthy previously always been given the best food no commercial dog food, all white fish, salmon , breast chicken , sweet potato, green veg, berries etc I’m so sad, we’ve given the best of everybody even bottled water, not from the tap, we don’t use chemicals to clean the house all eco friendly , I just feel so frustrated and helpless that we can’t help him. The vet thinks spleen mass could possibly cancer that’s spread to his liver already. Is there any other way of knowing this without biopsy? Also his platelets were only 23 but the vet said this sometimes reads low when there isn’t a real problem.. so confused.
Thanks any advise appreciated!
Hi Dee,
I understand your concern for Obi and this scary new diagnosis he has been given. Unfortunately, without a biopsy or removing the spleen, there really isn’t a way to get a definite diagnosis. I am concerned that you mentioned he is more lethargic and his eyes are blood shot. These could be signs that an active bleed is occurring in his abdomen and that he is in an emergency situation. I highly recommend you talk to your vet and let them know what you are seeing. I hope you can find the answers you are looking for and pray for clarity to know when to say goodbye. My heart goes out to you as you navigate this difficult road and I wish you both the best.
Hi Dr. Buzby,
Thank you for this article. My fiancé and I are still reeling and devastated over the loss of our pug mix (maybe Boston terrier, maybe beagle, maybe Pomeranian lol), Boh. We came home after choosing a wedding venue to find Boh a little extra tired but nothing alarming since he loves to sleep. He ate his dinner and then proceeded to want to stay cuddled with me on the couch. Normally, at this point, he would want to go for a walk, but we just thought he was cozy and wanted stay in the warmth. Over the course of the next two hours he seemed to get progressively more lethargic, cold to the touch, and could not lift his head. He was having a very hard time walking so we took him to the emergency vet. They took his vitals and his temp was 95, very low blood pressure, pale gums, etc. The vet did an ultrasound and shared that he had a lot of fluid/bleeding in his abdomen most likely due to a ruptured mass on his spleen.. She said there was more than one mass so she could not see exactly which spot it was coming from. She said we could opt for surgery or it would become a question of his quality of life since his temperature was so low and he had lost a lot of blood at this point. She shared that he would need a blood transfusion to see if he could even withstand going through surgery. We opted to euthanize him and I’m still feeling so much guilt over the decision and do not know if it was the right one, especially after reading some success stories. Boh would have turned 11 next month. He’s a February baby just like me and my fiancé <3 We got him when we were seniors in college off of Craigslist from a family that did not like him and desperately wanted to get rid of him. He was only ten weeks old and he became the love of our lives and the best cuddle bug in the world. He has seen us through so many stages of our lives over the past almost 11 years, and I think he was holding out long enough to see us get engaged in order to know that we would take care of each other for the rest of our lives and that he fulfilled his purpose on this earth. He even made it just past midnight on New Years Eve so he left us the year that we will get married. He was the best punkin boy in the world and my fiancé keeps reminding us that we are holding his pain now so that he did not have to.. Thank you for offering a space to share. We humans truly do not deserve the pure goodness of our pups.
Hi Rachel,
I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to your sweet boy in such a sudden and tragic way. I feel like you made the right decision for Boh, and I have no doubt he knew how much he was loved. Please don’t carry this burden around with you. You made the decision to give him peace and rest and save him from additional suffering. Boh was lucky to have you both in his life and I hope his memory will continue to be a blessing in yours. Best wishes on your upcoming wedding!
Thank you for this great article which explains this scary condition so well. I had never heard of it before until we had to deal with it recently. But I am very happy to say we are one of the lucky families! Our 13 year old English Bull Terrier, Stella, had been acting just fine lately. But when our holistic vet came over about 6 weeks ago for her regular treatments (acupuncture, chiropractic, massage) to keep her feeling good in her old age, I coincidentally had noticed that day that Stella’s belly felt oddly distended so I mentioned it. She examined her and thinking it may be an enlarged liver, or worst case a mass on her spleen, she suggested we get Stella an ultrasound as soon as possible. We got her in to an imaging facility the next week and the ultrasound did indeed show show a 7 cm mass on her spleen. They recommended a splenectomy. Fortunately everything else on the ultrasound looked normal so we were hopeful for a good outcome….
Right away we started her on Yunnan Baiyao which our vet recommended to help with any possible bleeds that might happen before I could get a surgery scheduled. Fortunately again, we were able to get one scheduled relatively quickly. She was operated on last Tuesday and it went very well. The surgeon just called today with the results of the pathology on the 2 masses on her spleen – they found a second one during the surgery – and they came back benign!!
We are so thrilled Stella doesn’t have cancer and that she is healing up really well. It was very lucky that our holistic vet was scheduled over that day for a house call or I may have just chalked up Stella’s full-feeling belly to a big meal or something. But I had a feeling it was not normal so I mentioned it. I am so glad I did, considering what could go wrong even with benign mass if it were to rupture before being diagnosed! Just wanted to share our good news! Never feel bad about asking questions if you have a feeling something is off… you are the best advocate for your pup!
Hi Victoria,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am so glad Stella is doing well and that she received a good prognosis! It sounds like you have a great working relationship with your holistic vet and a good team of specialists backing you up. Stella is lucky to have you in her life. Enjoy every moment of these senior years together. Best wishes!
I am very glad to find this information online in such detail. My basset Bella had started losing weight in September, and I thought it was because she didn’t like the new food I purchased. But she continued to eat very little no matter what food I tried. She seemed lethargic and started to refuse walks outdoors, she would walk 20 feet, then stop and resist going any further. She was also having diarrhea which was yellow in color. I took her to the vet in October, and they did a blood test which showed her pancreas had very high values, a sign of infection, so they decided to treat her for pancreatitis and she was given a special diet. It made little difference. She continued to lose weight and increasingly weak. Then I started to feel something hard and long in her belly. By Thanksgiving, I knew it had to be something other than pancreatitis. On Nov 29, I returned to the vet, when she laid down after a short walk outdoors, She was also having terrible diarrhea. they did an ultrasound and found a large tumor on her spleen. The vet said I could do exploratory surgery, but I felt she had suffered enough. I had her euthanized and it completely broke my heart. I light a candle on her grave every night, but it still hurts terribly….I don’t know if I did the right thing, but when she looked at me with such pale and listless eyes, I knew she had had enough. I hope wherever she is, she forgives me.
I just wanted to add that my basset Bella was 9 1/2 years old and a simply wonderful dog, and she had a great life full of love. That is my comfort. Her sister Rosie is still with us and very healthy.
Hi Mary,
I am sorry that things progressed so quickly and that you had to say goodbye to your sweet girl Bella. It does sound like you made the right decision. I have no doubt that she knows how much you loved her. I am glad you still have Rosie by your side. I’m sure her company is a comfort while your heart is healing. I pray you have many more years to love on Rosie and that Bella’s memory will be a blessing.
I am devastated. I had a 7 year old Black Mouth Cur who acted like she was 2. She was so full of life. But two weeks ago she started sleeping a ton. I figured it was because of the winter, but then she collapsed one night. We took her to the ER but they said she was fine. Then she stopped eating for two days. She seemed off. Then she was leaking diarrhea. We took her in immediately and we found out she had a grapefruit sized bleeding mass on her spleen. The surgery was $6,000 and the prognosis was not good. We had her euthanasied 20 minutes later. It happened so quickly. We are in shock. I so appreciate this article. I can’t believe my baby girl is gone. Two weeks ago she was vivacious and thriving. This came out of nowhere and ended so quickly. This is a nasty cancer.
Dear Elizabeth,
My heart aches for you and the loss of your sweet girl. I am sorry everything progressed so quickly and didn’t give you time to come to terms with the situation at hand. I know making the decision to say goodbye was difficult. It sounds like you made a choice to give your beloved girl comfort and peace even if it meant leaving you heartbroken. I hope as time goes by you will find comfort as well. May her memory be a blessing to you and your family.
Our little Baxter (mini schnauzer age 8.5) had his spleen removed yesterday. It had two golf ball sized tumors growing on it. He is home resting comfortably today, and in 2-3 weeks we will get the results from the pathologist.
Our story is this: I took him in for a well visit because I wanted to have his ‘lumps’ checked out to ensure they were ‘fatty’ tumors and not anything serious. During that exam, the vet found a mass near a lymph node and that led to aspirating that mass and doing an x-ray and ultra sound. The mass near his lymph node came back as ‘reactive’. The x-ray was unremarkable, but the ultrasound showed a splenic mass and enlarged liver.
Our last dog Jack died because his splenic mass ruptured. We decided to have Baxter’s spleen removed. The vet mentioned seeing nodules on his liver during surgery and so samples of those were sent out to pathology along with his spleen mass samples. It is a waiting game now, but come what may, we know the spleen masses will not bleed out and cause an emergency. Our little fella’s blood work is good, and little glimmers of his ‘big’ personality are already appearing. We of course are hoping for the best outcome.
Hi Martha,
Wow, you have been on a wild ride with Baxter these last few weeks! I am glad he is recovering from surgery well. It sounds like your vet is staying on top of things to make sure you have as much quality time with him as possible. Thank you for sharing Baxter’s story with us. I’ll be praying for good pathology results! Keep us updated.
We received good news yesterday. Pathology reports indicate the masses were benign! Baxter is doing well and bloodwork indicates good health.
Hi Martha,
I am so excited to hear that Baxter’s report came back benign!!! Yay! Thank you for the update. I wish you both the best for many happy years to come.
So being under a lot of stress as yesterday’s ultrasound of my 12-year-old female JRT showed a small splenic mass (measured in centimeters), I’m having a hard time understanding your article. Please to forgive if I missed something with cancer worries all of this new to me I’m having trouble focusing on details. Are you saying in this article that the ONLY way to determine if a mass on the spleen is malignant or benign is to surgically remove the spleen entirely? If that is the case, then why is my vet telling me to have the needle aspirate done on my dog’s spleen to determine whether the mass is malignant or benign? I went along with everything my vet told me today and scheduled the “ultrasound guided needle aspirate” for Friday which is when the surgical tech is next available. My vet said the results telling us if the mass is benign or malignant would be available three days following submitting the sample. My dog is healthy and very active and pretty much non-symptomatic (typically Jack Russell high energy, and no digestive issues) though with slightly elevated liver values and some, but not much, ascites – the ascites concern is why there was a complete abdominal ultrasound done yesterday. The ultrasound reviewer “expert” indicated no further diagnostic needed for my dog’s liver, not concerned about elevated liver values and no increase in the size of the liver, and said my dog’s heart, lungs, pancreas, etc. all were “just fine.” So I’m a little confused – why go through the extra discomfort for my dog and the extra expense for a needle aspirate if the ONLY way to figure out about malignant vs benign is to proceed with splenectomy? I’m asking here because my vet is out of office and unavailable to talk further with until after this coming Friday’s procedure. Thank you in advance for helping me understand the usual process for these things. I appreciate the website information very much and have subscribed to the senior dog info.
Hi Roxy,
I am glad you asked! Sorry for the confusion about making a diagnosis. An aspirate may very well give you the results you are looking for, but sometimes the results are inconclusive. If the results come back inconclusive, then removal of the spleen with analysis by a pathologist will be the only way to definitely confirm if the mass is benign or malignant. Your vet is probably wanting to start with an aspirate since it is much less invasive and less risky than surgery. I hope the procedure went well today. Keep us updated on your girl!
Our beautiful Esme left us one week ago. She was a pure bred American Black Labrador. Although Esme was 12 years and 7 months old, she had very little gray hair and she still had plenty of puppy energy. The day before we took Esme to the ER she took a four mile walk with us.
On that afternoon, I came out of the garage after working on the car. I saw Esme walking close to the ground; so, I got closer. I could see she was puking up a thick, white, foamy mass. Esme had diarrhea for two or three days prior. You see, she had a habit of scrounging in our garden. She appeared to have difficulty swallowing and she was constantly licking. We decided to take her to the ER vet clinic at Purdue (Westville) because it was Sunday.
Her CBC and fecal were normal. The X-rays showed a circular mass in her esophagus and one in her stomach. There was also a circular mass on her lung that they could not identify.
They did and endoscopic procedure in an attempt to remove the esophagus mass. They were unable to; so, they pushed it into the stomach. The vet said the remaining objects could digest, but he was not particularly confident that would happen. He also added that either mass could make its way into the intestines. A surgical removal from that area is more difficult. They suggested surgically removing the masses from the stomach. I was concerned that Esme would be under sedation for too long. About 80 minutes later (and I still don’t know why it took so long) the surgeon vet said he discovered lesions (tumors?) on the spleen and a few spots on the liver. He recommended removal of the spleen for biopsy or euthanasia. We lost our previous lab to hemangiosarcoma and we knew just what our dog went through. Very reluctantly, we had Esme euthanized. I still don’t know if that was the right thing to do, and I am profoundly sad. One day she is out taking a long walk with us, and the next day she is dead. I still do not understand. I will relive every moment of this over and over, probably for the rest of my life. I miss Esme so much.
Dear Alan,
I am so sorry for the tragic loss of your beloved Esme. It sounds like she had multiple issues that compounded her original set of problems and concerns. Even though the decision to say goodbye was difficult, I think it was a wise and loving choice. Don’t let the way her story unfolded bring you unnecessary guilt. You did what you could to keep her from suffering needlessly and allowed her to find peace and rest. We always have the hardest road, being the ones left behind. I hope her memory will be a blessing to you and your family.
Here is a link to another article you may find helpful: Grieving the Loss of a Dog After Euthanasia (& Finding Peace)
So firstly can I say how much your article truely helped me through a very scary time.
So my story or that of my 8 year old English Springer Spaniel, Ozzy.
I’d noticed recently he looked a lot slimmer than he should, and put it down to the kennels mixing the food between him and our other dog Henry (2yr old sproodle), and hence not eating enough.
A couple of weeks later he was quite lethargic and not himself at all, and I worried as to what to do. I was able to get to the vets that morning and he did have a temperature, and he had lost 3kgs between end of July and November. Nothing had changed. So we did a quick course of antibiotics, and I booked him in to have blood tests 3 days later. The results came back in 48 hours and he had high liver enzymes, so we agreed to get a scan and further blood tests to try and find the issue. So 36 hours later he was having a scan, and I got a call from vets after the scan, and he had a mass on his spleen.
The vet talked me through the concerns, probably worst case scenario. So we decided to go ahead with immediate surgery to remove the spleen and mass, plus take biopsies of the liver and pancreas.
I must admit I was so scared, never having a dog go through such surgery, we didn’t sleep even though we were told the surgery was textbook.
So he’s been back home, had his post op check up, and he’s on course to recover fully. And 6 days after the op, we have the results back, and I’m glad to say the mass was benign and the biopsies are totally clear. We are over the moon, we still need to monitor his weight and fingers crossed it was his body’s reaction to the mass.
I’m fine he’s gone through the operation and I’m happy with mine and the vets decision as we don’t know what could have happened in weeks or months.
So as I said your article was so helpful at a time when I didn’t understand fully what was happening, and I don’t regret reading it even though it was upsetting, it helped me understand the risks and benefits. Thank you so much xxx
Hi Sharon,
Thank you for sharing your story with us. That is such good news for Ozzy and I know how relieved you must be! It sounds like you have a good partnership with your vet. I am glad you found the article helpful during a difficult time. I hope you and Ozzy have many more years together to keep making memories.
Hello, Doctor,
Thank you so much for the information here, as I’ve just been confronted with the same situation as so many others as I read your article and everyone’s comments. My 13 year old pug/beagle mix started slowing down a lot over the last couple of days, and yesterday morning was much slower eating his food than normal. Throughout the night he was clearly uncomfortable and in pain, but it wasn’t clear where it was coming from. By the morning, he could barely stand on his own, let alone walk. I took him to the vet, expecting a neurological issue, but when they took the x-ray for his hind-legs, they saw the tumor. While unrelated, he has a pinched nerve that is causing the pain in his hind legs, as well as hip dysplasia. The tumor was completely unexpected for me and I had to shift gears on decisions/concerns immediately. They did the ultrasound and found that it was a 7cm tumor on his spleen, and while the left side of his liver looked okay, the doctor said she couldn’t see the right side due to the size of the tumor. She took his bloodwork and is recommending surgery for tomorrow morning right away. I’ve been frantically searching online to find out more information, and this post has been such a help, especially your recommendation at the end. Euthanasia was not given as an option for me (I’m currently living in Germany and they have much different philosophies/thresholds for when to stop treatments for pets) so I felt extremely guilty even bringing it up. However, with the leg pain, and the fact that he also has had Cushing’s Disease for about 3 years, I’m not sure if I want to put him through an intensive surgery for him to just still be in pain on the back end. At this time, I think I have decided on the surgery, but I’m still very distraught about the decision. I will keep the blog updated, though, and I thank you and everyone else for posting their stories, it has helped me immensely.
Dear Holly,
These decisions are so difficult to make without knowing what the exact outcome will be. I don’t think you would have made a wrong choice with either option you were considering. I hope that the surgery went well for your sweet boy. I am anxious to read your update. Best wishes.
My puggle, Babe, is a rescue so her age is really unknown. I have had he about 10 years and she was full grown at adoption. Babe needed dental work and had blood work done in prep. The test result showed some anemia so my vet took an X-ray which showed a large abdominal mass. My vet suggested a sonogram to assess which organs might be involved. The sonogram showed the mass was attached to the spleen. Through surgery, my vets removed a 3 1/2 lb. smooth mass in addition to the spleen itself from my 32 lb. dog. Pathology indicated that the mass was a giant hematoma! Babe is doing well and has gotten back her spunk.
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for sharing Babe’s story with us! I am happy to hear that she did well during surgery and it was curative. Babe is the perfect example of what every veterinarian hopes for once a splenic mass is diagnosed. I hope you will enjoy many more years of making memories together.
Hi, Doctor!
First and foremost, thank you for the most valuable information I’ve found to date. It’s much appreciated. My 13.5 year old Jack Russell had emergency neurosurgery on his spine 5 weeks ago. He’s doing GREAT. However, the MRI indicated a mass on his spleen. He had his spinal surgery at a specialized veterinary hospital. His regular vet is an angel on earth and has been deeply involved in his recovery despite not being involved in the neurosurgery. She is recommending a splenectomy as soon as he’s recovered from the most recent surgery. He’s had an MRI and an ultrasound and there are no indications that the mass is cancerous. He has no additional symptoms. My question is this: do you think he needs to have the splenectomy immediately or should I suggest waiting? I wake up at night terrified that his spleen is minutes away from exploding. He’s still confined and his exercise is limited to our rehab and going to the bathroom. I would have never known about this mass but for his spinal surgery. Should I be in a constant state of fear that the spleen is minutes from exploding?
Dear Mary,
Glad to hear your dog is doing so well after spinal surgery! It is a lot to process that they also found a splenic mass on the MRI. I’m glad to hear that the vet doesn’t think it is cancerous. Both cancerous and non cancerous masses can sometimes bleed but there isn’t really a good way to predict when or if that would happen. One of the benefits of having the splenectomy once he has recovered from his spinal surgery is that you would be able to have a bit of peace of mind knowing that the mass was gone. That could help reduce you waking up at night terrified the mass would rupture (and eliminate the risk it would actually rupture). Additionally, removing the mass would allow your vet to submit it for a biopsy to get final confirmation that the mass was indeed benign. Plus the surgery is less risky if performed when the mass is not bleeding. However, I also understand that looking at two major surgeries close together is a bit daunting. Perhaps it would help to speak with your vet again to run through the pros and cons of surgery now vs later, discuss your concerns, and ask any follow-up questions. I hope the answer becomes clear and your pup continues to recover well!
This article and your website was the most helpful source I have found when we were faced when this most difficult decision on Monday. My French bulldog vomited in the morning, wouldn’t eat breakfast, and seemed a little bit off. Within a couple hours she had a loss of coordination, pale gums, and felt cold to the touch. I knew she was experiencing a circulatory collapse, so I raced her to the specialty vet immediately. They were able to stabilize her long enough to let me know that there were no other masses seen, besides the obvious bleeding mass on her spleen. We took a chance and opted for the surgery for whatever time we could have left. It was just in time, her blood pressure starting falling as she was hemorrhaging to death. They needed to give her blood transfusions and medication to keep her blood pressure up during the procedure. We made it through. The last 4 days our dog was a bit sedate after the procedure, but today she was up and trying to run around chasing after my kids. It was also today that we got the news her mass is benign! We are soooo happy to have more time with our precious baby!
Dear Lisa,
I am happy to hear that the article was able to help you with your French Bulldog. What a scary situation for everyone involved. I’m so glad you got her to the specialty hospital in time and that the surgery went well. That is fantastic news that she is starting to feel better and that the mass was benign! Yay for having more time with your precious baby! Thanks for sharing her story with us.
I came home one day to my sweet girl, a 12 year old white blonde lab/terrier/mutt mix, acting slower than normal, her ears were cold and so I checked her gums and they were pale. After X-rays, my vet transferred us to the emergency vet for a splenectomy, and after that I was told she did have bleeding from her spleen and it had numerous masses including two baseball sized ones. Unfortunately, her post surgery dysphoria wouldn’t go away no matter what they tried, and I was told what most likely happened was a blood clot went to her brain. So 8-9 hours after her surgery I had to put her to sleep. They told me it’s most likely hemangiosarcoma, but I opted not to have her spleen tested since she didn’t recover.
Dear Martyna,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You did the best you could for her and there was no way you (or the vets) could have know that she would end up throwing a clot to her brain during surgery. I am so sorry that you lost your heart dog under such difficult circumstances. I will include a link to our blog, Grieving the loss of a dog after euthanasia.Grieving the Loss of a Dog After Euthanasia (& Finding Peace) I hope it is able to help you find peace, and that her memory is a blessing. You are in our thoughts.
Charlie our 11 year old Labradoodle is having her surgery today to remove her spleen. After decreased appetite and lethargy, an ultrasound revealed the mass on her spleen. Your web site has given me (dad) some comfort and more information leading into the surgery and I’m appreciative of the content you have here. I’ll try to update the group later this week on the outcome but am certainly hoping for a benign mass of course.
Dear Tim,
We are so glad to hear that our website content was able to help you during this difficult time with Charlie. Yes, please update us later in the week. We wish Charlie a speedy recovery, and you are both in our thoughts.
So, the update is – Charlie did well thru the surgery and will stay for 2 nights. They did an X-ray ahead of time and her lungs were clear but they did find some nodules on her liver, one of which was removed for biopsy too. Seems common in older dogs BUT not considered benign until pathology comes back. So not out of the woods yet.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the update! I’m glad she did well during the surgery. Fingers crossed for good news on the pathology report!
Hi Dr Buzby,
Unfortunately we learned a week ago that Charlie does in fact have cancer in her spleen that has spread to her liver. She did great with the surgery and has recovered well from that and is otherwise seemingly happy and healthy. We don’t have any regrets for having done the surgery as we’d not have known why she was not eating (which has been one benefit).
We’ve opted not to do any chemo and are just enjoying the time we have with her and striving to keep her comfortable.
I’m following up with the blog in hopes that others will be able to learn what we’ve done. It is great comfort seeing that she shows no sign of any pain – but we do know that she’ll start a slow decline overall in health.
Thanks again for hosting this blog and for the kind notes.
Hi Tim,
Aww I’m so sorry to hear that Charlie didn’t get the good news that we were all hoping for. Finding out a beloved pup has cancer is always so difficult. I am glad though that she has recovered well and is feeling great right now. It sounds like you definitely make the right decision for her, and I am glad that you have no regrets about the surgery. Treasuring the time together and making all the memories you can while keeping her comfortable sounds like a perfect plan. I’m sure this wasn’t an easy update to write and I really appreciate you taking the time to let me and all the other readers know how things turned out. Give your sweet girl a hug for me! ❤
My 11 year old Spinone Italiano Pino has a small splenic mass discovered during an xray for an intestinal problem he had 4 months ago. A month later an ultrasound showed no growth in the mass, but his last recheck xray yesterday showed growth (from 18mm to 26 mm). Although the radiologist said it appeared to be benign, they could not be sure. Should we have a fine needle aspirate or splenectomy done at this point or wait and continue to monitor it? He has no obviously related symptoms, but did have a manic episode recently where he was pacing, panting, and continually looking around for something, ignoring voice commands for hours, and no vet has been able to pin down why that happened.
Hi Betty,
So sorry to hear that your pup had a small splenic mass as an incidental finding. It is always hard to decide what to do in these situations where the mass doesn’t currently seem to be causing any problems. Some people decide to err on the side of caution and have the splenectomy and biopsy while others take a more conservative “wait and see” approach. Unfortunately it can be hard to tell for sure if a mass is benign or malignant on a fine needle aspirate since it is a much smaller sample of cells than a biopsy. Sometimes seeking a second opinion with a veterinary specialist (oncologist and/or surgeon) can be helpful when trying to make these decisions. It brings in a new perspective from someone who has seen numerous cases very similar to your dog’s. I hope that you are able to reach a decision that you feel comfortable about.
My dog also had a mass found on his spleen and is getting it removed in two days. We have had four episodes in six weeks of him frantically searching the room for something at night right before having a seizure. Do you have an update on how your dog is doing?
Thank you for this story.
I cried reading the end about the decision-making process, since I was just in that position yesterday. (Although I did NOT have the experience that I would be met with empathy by the vet …. I was at one of the most famous veterinary hospitals in the country, and they were focused on one thing only: if I could pay the bill or not).
My 13 year old pug/beagle mix presented quite suddenly, and the emergency room doctors found a rather large splenic mass that was bleeding, as well as some nodules on the liver and a mast-cell lesion on his chest. We are still waiting for biopsy results to know about the metastatic situation, but they say it will most likely show hemangiosarcoma. My main focus for doing the surgery was relieving the discomfort he was in for now while we found out what the deal was cancer-wise. He has never had anything else wrong with him in his life, which they said certainly helped him survive he operation given his age.
So now we recuperate at home and wait for his verdict. He’s a bit shell-shocked at the moment but is on good pain meds and mostly I think he just hates the cone!
Hi Paul,
So sorry to hear that your pug/beagle needed an emergency splenectomy. I’m glad that he is recovering well at home and his pain is well managed. I hope that even if the diagnosis is hemangiosarcoma, you are still able to enjoy some wonderful time together and make some more memories. If you haven’t already, you may want to read our blog, Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: Symptoms, Treatment, and Life Expectancy. My friend Dr. Irish wrote about her own dog who had hemangiosarcoma for that blog, and I think it may be helpful to you as you navigate this time. Please keep us updated on how he does and what the verdict is. Hoping for good news for him!❤
Hi Dr. Buzby,
Great information on your page. I recently just lost my 10 year old pitbull Roman. He became ill one day out of the blue, wasn’t eating anything, had a fever, diarrhea and was not himself. I brought him to the ER first thing in the morning where they ran their tests (blood work, chest x-ray and ultrasound) and they found a splenic mass measuring 8cm. The ER Dr. recommended a splenectomy to be performed that day because it wasn’t bleeding. I was scared, schocked, but agreed because she said Roman could function without his spleen. Surgery went fine but the next day in recovery he contracted a blood clot which they then called me and said he wasn’t going to make it. It was awful and I am heartbroken that he suffered through that surgery only to not make it. I am awaiting the results from the mass being tested for cancer.
Hi Rosie,
I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet pitbull. How difficult to find out that he has a splenic mass, decide to go forward with surgery, then lose him to an unforeseen complication. From what you said in the comment, it doesn’t sound like anyone would have expected him to throw a blood clot after surgery so please try not to blame yourself for deciding to have the surgery performed. You did the thing (i.e. splenectomy) that seemed like it would give him the best possible chances of continuing to have a good quality of life. So sorry again for your heartbreak and loss. ❤
Hi Dr. Buzby. My 10 1/2 year old german shepherd was diagnosed with the following on an abdominal ultrasound “Spleen: the spleen is enlarged and heterogenous with multiple variably well defined, up to
10.5 cm diameter heterogenous masses present. Some of the masses are cavitary in nature.” Also from the 2nd radiologist “Heterogeneous spleen with multiple splenic masses and large volume of peritoneal effusion. The
most likely diagnosis is malignant neoplasia such as hemangiosarcoma. Hematomas or benign neoplasia are less likely.” He has been slowly bleeding from the largest mass., but it hasn’t ruptured. We are being told that it is most likely hemangiosarcoma, but would need to proceed with surgery to get the tumors biopsied and tested in orrder to confirm. There is a possibility that it has metastasized, but there hasn’t been a way to confirm that yet. The surgeons/vets that we have met with have informed us that due to his age/pre-existing arthritis that he may be at high risk for complications with anesthesia or post-surgery issues. He is asymptomatic as of now (except for his abdomen being swollen due to the internal bleeding. He has a great appetite, weight is good, is active, and seems otherwise healthy. He is still wanting to go on walks and play with his toys. Would you recommend that we proceed with a splenectomy (knowing the risks of anesthesia and his age etc?
Hi Zohra,
I’m so sorry to hear your dog has multiple splenic tumors which are thought to be hemangiosarcoma. What a difficult situation for everyone. Unfortunately, like your vet said, the most definitive way to diagnose hemangiosarcoma is by removing the spleen and doing a biopsy. It sounds like you may have already had him examined by several vets to get their opinions, but if you haven’t, this is a place where sometimes a second opinion can be helpful in decision making. I appreciate you including the ultrasound report as it gives me more information, but without actually being able to examine your dog I am still hesitant to give you a recommendation one way of the other with the details I have. This may also be a situation where you would want to make a pros and cons list for surgery to the best of your knowledge and also ask yourself what sort of risk vs reward you are comfortable with. It is great that he is feeling so good right now, but that almost makes it harder because you don’t know (and I don’t either) how surgery will impact his quality of life one way or another. It is also hard to know how long he will keep feeling good because sadly, his tumor could rupture at any time and cause life threatening bleeding. Hard decisions all around. I wish I could give you a straightforward answer but I don’t think there is one in this case. No matter what you decide or what the outcome ends up being, I hope you can remember that you made the decision that you thought was right for your dog based on what you and anyone else could predict, and that your dog knows he is loved by you. ❤
Hi, My 7 year dog Dune (German Sheppard/ Rottweiler cross) recently started having sezuires and after an x ray ot appears he has a tumor on his spleen. He has a upcoming exploritory surgery with spleen removal of needed. I was just curious of the aftermath. A lot of research has been suggesting less than a year of life post operation. My main question is does this extend to a tumor that hasn’t spread/ is benign? Or are we talking 2 to 3 happy dog years? Is his quality of life going to go down? Also will the sezuires likely persist? My main concern would my dog be better off to be put down if the likelihood of an invasive surgery is going to deminish his quality of life just so I could selfishy have maybe a year or less with a dog who isn’t physically the same anymore?
Any info would be great, thank you.
Hi Chris,
Sorry to hear that Dune has a splenic tumor. Unfortunately, without more information (especially what type of mass this end up being) I can’t really give you a great idea of how much time you would have left with him or what life would look like for him after surgery. I have had seen some dogs who recover great from a splenectomy for a benign mass and have a great quality of life for years. But then there are other dogs who end up having a cancerous mass where the outlook isn’t very good. I understand that not being able to have a good idea of the identity of the tumor prior to surgery definitely makes the decision making process a lot harder, but unfortunately having a pathologist examine microscopic sections of the tumor is really the best way to identify the tumor type.
In terms of the seizures, I can’t really say for sure if they are related to the splenic tumor or not. Theoretically, a hemangiosarcoma could spread to the brain and cause seizures. But it is also quite possible and probably more likely that the seizures are not related to the splenic tumor (assuming the are true seizures and not collapsing events from a bleeding tumor).
You could definitely consider seeking a second opinion prior to the surgery, either from another general practice vet or from a veterinary oncologist. Those doctors could examine your dog, perform other tests such as an abdominal ultrasound (if they think it would help), look at the X-ray, etc and then potentially answer some of those questions for you a bit better than I can. However, like I said, the biggest determinant of outcome is the tumor type and unless they find evidence that it has spread, they may not know what kind of tumor it is prior to surgery either. Best of luck as you wrestle with these difficult decisions.
Our beautiful 8 year old Cocker Spaniel Lily had a bladder infection. We treated with antibiotic 2 weeks and revisited. At that time the vet wanted her on two more weeks then a recheck and possible x-ray to check for any stones. Urine sample looked like all was well said the vet, but the X-ray showed a possible mass she couldn’t really tell. Asked to send to a radiologist to check. Also ran full blood panel to check and that all came back great. Today she called with results. It is a mass on the spleen. A traveling ultrasound person will be in town on 9/9/21 and they recommend we do that and based on what is found determine next steps. That is over 2 weeks away. Is this too long to wait? Should we bring Lily elsewhere? She is still active and eating normally so just wondering what would be best. Thank you!
Hi Julie,
What a crazy series of events to go from thinking your beautiful girl just had a UTI to finding out she has a splenic tumor. I’m sure that is a lot to take in! Since I can’t evaluate your dog myself, it is hard for me to say if you should wait the two weeks or go elsewhere sooner. With a benign tumor, waiting two weeks probably isn’t going to make a difference. However, with a cancerous tumor, that two weeks could potentially matter more. There is nothing wrong with trying to see if you can get an earlier appointment for the ultrasound at a veterinary specialty hospital if there is one around you (or a clinic in your area that has the ability to do the ultrasound). I hope that whatever you decide to do, you get good news about your sweet girl. ❤
My 9 year old spayed female Whippet Savannah was diagnosed with a splenic mass, found incidentally during an ultrasound done after she was spayed at age 8 (retired show dog) The ultrasound was because she had a hyperplastic ovarian tissue and a mammary tumor. We have been watching it by re-ultrasounding her about every 3 months. Today it was determined that the mass has grown, and is a little textured looking, so a FNA was performed today, we will find out the cytology results in about 5 days.. A CBC was done also today and all was normal. Chest xrays continually are normal so far. If the cytology shows a potentially benign result, would you still recommend a splenectomy at this point? She is asymptomatic as of now, great appetite, weight is good, active and seems otherwise healthy.
Hi Karyn,
Sorry to hear that your Whippet has a splenic mass. It is good that it was an incidental finding and that your vet has been keeping a close eye on it. I will ultimately defer to the opinion of your vet because he or she has been following the mass all along and will be the one interpreting the cytology results, but I would potentially lean towards removing it just to be safe. I have definitely seen even benign splenic masses get pretty big and occasionally start to bleed, hence my recommendation to potentially consider removal. However, I can’t see your dog or look at the mass on ultrasound so my opinion counts for less than your vet’s does.
Fingers crossed for good news on the cytology! The fact that her chest X-ray and CBC are normal is definitely a good thing and hopefully makes the mass more likely to benign. I hope that the right answer about what to do becomes apparent and that you get to have many more wonderful years with your girl! ❤
My 9 year old Catahoula/Whippet mix Skeeter and her baby brother Monty (Pit/Lab mix) were playing in the back yard. Monty ran at her and head butted her front leg from the side and down Skeeter went. Her front leg was at an almost 90 degree angle and I just knew it was broken. Luckily my vet was close by and open. We got Skeeter to our vet in record time and the vet sedated her and did an x-ray. The good news was that her leg was just dislocated which he promptly fixed and splinted for protection. The bad news was that there was a very prominent splenic mass seen on the x-ray. I had recently noticed a very slight bulge on her side but never gave it much thought thinking I would mention it at her next checkup. My Vet was a good old boy, old school and elderly vet. This was around 1990 and he didn’t give me much hope. He said I should probably think about euthanizing her in the near future as the mass was probably cancer and she would likely bleed to death. We took her home and watched her and decided to keep her comfortable and hope for the best. I was always worried when these two large dogs would play. I was afraid that her spleen would rupture. Funny thing though, after the leg dislocation Monty seemed to play a little easier with the old girl. Skeeter lived life happily and seemingly pain free for over 3 more years. One day she seemed lethargic and didn’t eat or drink. The next day she wouldn’t stand up. I opened her mouth and noticed that her gums were very pale. We knew it was time to cross the rainbow bridge. She was 12 or 13 and while it is never easy to say good-bye I was so thankful for all the love and joy she brought our family. My vet couldn’t believe she lived so long after his initial diagnosis.
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks for sharing Skeeter’s story! I’m so glad that she was able to have three more wonderful years with you after your vet found her splenic mass. ❤
My soon to be 13 year old (on April 23rd) Australian Shepherd Jake had an ultrasound and chest xrays today. This past Saturday he had what we thought was a seizure. He was laying down but upright with head up then suddenly fell to side and was very stiff. He urinated but there was no loss of consciousness and no violent shaking that we experienced with our other dog. He recovered within a few minutes and seemed himself very quickly after. Was able to get him into our regular vet 2 hours later. He ate normally and had normal bowel movement before going to the vet. During his exam she heard an arrhythmia and suggested EKG where she then saw it. Said was “rare singlets” but because of that suspected it wasnt a seizure but possibly a syncope episode. Suggested doing ultrasound and xrays to see if something going on with spleen which she said could cause these arrhythmias. His blood work was all normal nothing, caused any red flags. Today he had the xrays and ultrasound. His x-rays were clear but found numerous masses on spleen and liver. She said no way to know if cancer unless biopsy. Also, said we could remove his spleen and biopsy liver during surgery to remove spleen. I don’t know what to do! If it’s cancer and that is what is also on liver would it be wise to put him through the surgery when liver has masses as well?? We dont intend to put him thru chemo or radiation if it would come back as cancer. However reading this most helpful article and thru all these stories I feel like we should remove it to prevent the rupture. I then quickly remember his liver has masses which I’m guessing can rupture as well? I just hate to put him thru a surgery that could also kill him if it won’t actually help him in the long run but then also think what if the masses are benign on both liver and spleen then maybe we would have more time with our baby? Knowing that both organs have masses does that seem more likely that they would be cancerous or could there be a chance for benign? We want to make the best decision but it seems impossible. All of this is happening only a month after finding out our Jack Russell Idgie also 13 has a grade 3 inoperable mast cell tumor on her anus and during her ultrasound found her abdomen was full of masses as well as her spleen and liver! They didnt even do the xray after finding all of that during her ultrasound. For her she is on lots of benadryl and now a maintenance dose of steroids. She was only given months. It is truly a nightmare. Our other Jack Russell Daisy also 13 had surgery last June to remove a lipoma (aspirated and tested as lipoma) on her back that suddenly started growing and being near her spine decided to remove before caused any issues. Once inside found it looked bad and not like lipoma. Sent to lab and came back grade 2 soft tissue sarcoma. No clear margins since didnt know going in what it was but she is doing well so far. These are my babies and it’s excruciating making these decisions. Any thoughts or advise for Jake would be greatly appreciated. If the masses on his liver weren’t there we would’ve told her to schedule the surgery asap. That is what is holding me up I think.
Hi Kristi,
Wow you have been through a lot in the past year with your pups. I understand what a difficult situation you are in with Jake. It is hard to know what is best and which option will cause less suffering in the long run. There is definitely a chance that the masses on the liver and spleen are both benign and may not even be related. Also, it is much less common for a mass on the liver to rupture and cause life threatening bleeding. Removing the spleen may very well give your boy more quality time with you and your family. I hope you can find the answers you need to make the best decision for you and everyone involved. Praying for a good outcome for jake and happy memories in the future. Keep us updated!