Comments on: Help! My Dog Has A Splenic Tumour

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 19:23:39 +0000

In reply to Lauren. Hi Lauren. I don’t think you can make any good judgements from the appearance of the mass itself. It is a good sign that no other ones were found though.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 18:21:48 +0000

My 9 year old bulldog mix just had his spleen and a mass removed. His symptoms were loss of appetite. He was pink and his chest films were clear. No hemoabdomen. They sent it out for pathology and we should hear in about a week or so. My question is, do the masses look different to the eye and feel different? The surgeon mentioned the mass was “firm” and that seemed to indicate a poor outcome to her but she said best to see what pathology shows.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 02:56:07 +0000

Hi my 11 yr old Cairn terrier (male nuetred) was in the 2, 2/3 category of most likely benign mass (Dr Sue Ettinger “cancer vet” videos and readings) back in Feb 2023. A visit to the vet for suspected cruciate ligament damage was the catalyst for X-ray then ultrasound. Despite this local vet diagnosed hemangiosarcoma (HSA) of spleen based on x-ray and ultrasound. He called and said there’s a large mass on the spleen. I did quite a bit of reading over the next 2 hours when the vet said to come in to discuss. Armed with some very useful information I questioned how he knew it was HSA. Replied because it looks like it. Also said could do a fine needle aspiration which based on my reading was not recommended due to potential to induce a bleed of the mass of was HSA. Dissatisfied I sought a second opinion and long story short surgery revealed was not a splenic mass but a large and small tumour on the liver. Pathology result both benign hepatocellular hyperplasia. Nine months on I’m again waiting to hear from a vet re surgery outcomes. Same deal as above inadvertent discovery of masses on spleen when investigating potential UTI late last week. Pathology report from previous surgery did state “this dog may be predisposed to hyperplasia”. Let’s hope so. I did coincidentally find and read the Leyva et al. (2018) paper you have listed above and it gave me some hope re this latest incident. I love my wee Cairn, best friend. Thanks

By: Joanne Robertson

Joanne Robertson — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 15:00:53 +0000

Hi Andrew. I found this article very helpful. Our girl had a large mass at discovery and had a malignant mammary gland removed in December. We are going to keep her comfortable as long as possible. I don’t want her to undergo a major surgery with the odds not in her favor. I really appreciate your perspective our vet hasn’t been super supportive.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:01:24 +0000

In reply to Francisca. Hi Francisca. There is probably a reasonable urgency as (although I don’t have evidence of this) it is likely that as the tumour grows the chance of it spreading increases. In my opinion, all splenic tumours should be removed as soon as they are found. An ultrasound is necessary prior to surgery to ensure that the tumour is only in the spleen.

By: Francisca

Francisca — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 22:54:08 +0000

My 10 year old Aussie cattle dog went to emergency vet for what turns out to be mild pancreatitis. Blood tests all normal except mild pancreatitis and very mild elevated liver enzymes. All vital signs were good. The ex Ray showed a very tiny growth on the spleen. So small the doctor didn’t see it only the radiologist. ER vet in too much of a hurry to talk to me but said get an ultrasound. I don’t have a vet. I got her shots from mobile vet. Is there a rush and is ultrasound always necessary and will it tell me if cancer or benign when so tiny? I live in US. Any info you can provide would be appreciated. Thank you so much

By: J Scott Smith

J Scott Smith — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:54:00 +0000

My 8 year old Havanese had an episode of syncope on Friday, and has been diagnosed with a spleen tumor. He was given a transfusion, and his RBC’s are good, but platelets only improved from 31k-35k. Tomorrow I need to decide risky surgery or just take him home. Worse, there’s no way of confirming malignancy without surgery.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 22:43:39 +0000

In reply to Jenn. Hi Jenn. That is true.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 10:52:29 +0000

Hi Andrew,
Echoing Meke’s question, it’s my understanding that if a spleen mass is benign, it can still be dangerous if left in situ because it can rupture. Is this correct?
Thank you

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 07:35:36 +0000

In reply to Meke. Hi Meke. Vets aren’t much into gambling so this sort of information is not available. We usually only discover the nature of the tumour retrospectively so we can’t really say what would happen if it was left in situ.