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by Vom Brunhaus on 11 November 2010 - 12:11
Have been reading alot of info on this subject Pros and Cons. Has any PDB members had this surgery done and wish to share experience. My dog was ultra sounded which found a mass on spleen, vet said small bout an inch and also showin mass or nodule on liver of small size. Vet suggested surgery to remove spleen. my regular vet injected Ab and drew blood into syringe, no blood showing in urine or feces. Dog is eating and mobile goes outside. Testing to date $1000 projected surgery price $1500 to $2000. Im not a bridge jumper just wish to find out as much as I can before a decision is made, my regular Vet was negative to having it done. No abdominal aspirate for biopsy was done yet to determine cancer cells, nor any pre-anestesia blood work to check liver / kidney values, nor urinalysis. Most distinguished factor that dog life expectancy after surgery is variable and usually short term by most accounts. My personal vet related he did a successful one on a Lab, dog went home and was dead 2 weeks later soooo. Any comments thanks VB
by beetree on 11 November 2010 - 13:11
How old is your dog? I think that has a bearing on your consideration if you want to expend the cost, and look at the risks. My dog 14 1/2 yo dog had a growth on his spleen and it spread to his liver. We choose not to have surgery and concentrated on keeping the dog comfortable until the time the disease progressed to the point he would not get up and started losing other functions. Best wishes for making the right choice for your dog and you.
Sorry, it does not sound too good.
Sorry, it does not sound too good.
by Vom Brunhaus on 11 November 2010 - 13:11
Bee, Hes almost 8 yrs, but very strong work linie. Never had a health issue his entire life only to vets for checkups and normal vaccinations. Runs like a deer and genetically No Sissy. VB
by beetree on 11 November 2010 - 13:11
I had a different dog with a different health issue but just as serious, and the vet was not optomistic at all. The dog was so young, I pursued more expensive tests because I was not able to give up on him. In the end there was no answer and my original vet turned out to be right. I remember being very upset with my vet at first, thinking he had to be wrong he wasn't trying hard enough.
I sure hope other people have more positive experiences for you, to help with your decision.
I sure hope other people have more positive experiences for you, to help with your decision.
by eichenluft on 11 November 2010 - 14:11
Depends on what is causing the masses - the one on the liver would be the main concern, and the one on the spleen will have to be removed if it's already bleeding/ruptured. If it's hemangiosarcoma, then removing the spleen will take care of that tumor 100%, it won't come back. But if the one on the liver can't be removed (you would have it removed if possible in the same surgery) then that could cause more problems sooner rather than later. If the cause isn't hemangio but is an enlarged spleen due to Lymphoma or other cancer that has spread already (to the liver, to the heart, lungs, kidneys etc) then the life expectancy could be very short. But as of right now sounds like hemangio, on the spleen and maybe a removeable one on the liver - if it were my 8 year old dog that was otherwise healthy, I'd go for it. You could get several more years with him.
molly
molly
by Nans gsd on 11 November 2010 - 15:11
Agree with Eichenluft; may I add that I would x-ray the lungs to see if has spread to the lungs yet; if NOT I would go for it also. 8 is young and I think at that age you have a better chance of the dog healing and having a quality life after surgery; sounds like both tumors are small at this point. However, I would not wait on this as if it is hemangiosarcoma it spreads and grows fast. Best of luck, Nanci
by yellowrose of Texas on 11 November 2010 - 15:11
Both of my vets HAVE same opinion as your vet.
Doing mega test shows a problem, check the levels of panels and go with the advice . The vet says probabliltiy is bad...I would not subject an 8 yr old to surgery. My main bitch had a huge tumor not known till the day she laid down in floor and by the time we got to vet...he opened her up and said....it is the size of a grapefruit and I deem she will die before you get her home...
I never saw her alive again...Saddest 1st day of my gsd life...Have been several since then.....
He could have removed it and sewn her up and spent days getting her to eat and live a few weeks but the end result, would have been fatal for the best BITCH I ever owned..
I chose to let her sleep .
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by Vixen on 11 November 2010 - 17:11
Hello VB, Very sorry to hear that your dog is unwell, and obviously you are trying to find out as much as possible about the situation.
Could I ask what are your dog's symptoms of being unwell? Wondering if they are similar to my dog.
I will briefly share with you that one of my GSD's had just turned 9 years old. Her symptom was panting. Although everything else appeared normal. Her heart and chest were checked and clear. Eventually had blood test that indicated a tumour, my Vet explained that this was most likely to be on the spleen, and added that although this sounded very bad, providing it had not spread the spleen could be removed and my dog would recover well.
After being prepared for surgery the Vet felt there was an internal blood leakage. He injected her chest, and was alerted by the blood that was withdrawn, he took an X-Ray which showed extensive tumour over her chest. (Apparently, this is normally detected when listening to the chest by a gurgling of the leaking blood, but this was not so in her case, although she was declining quite quickly, so perhaps the leakage was not obvious at the time of listening to her heart and chest area, but got worse during the brief period of waiting for the blood results.
I immediately went to the Surgery and remained with her while she was given final sleep.
(Not sure if our above information will be helpful to you or not).
My kindest regards to you and your dog that you will be able to make the best decision for your loved dog.
Vixen
Could I ask what are your dog's symptoms of being unwell? Wondering if they are similar to my dog.
I will briefly share with you that one of my GSD's had just turned 9 years old. Her symptom was panting. Although everything else appeared normal. Her heart and chest were checked and clear. Eventually had blood test that indicated a tumour, my Vet explained that this was most likely to be on the spleen, and added that although this sounded very bad, providing it had not spread the spleen could be removed and my dog would recover well.
After being prepared for surgery the Vet felt there was an internal blood leakage. He injected her chest, and was alerted by the blood that was withdrawn, he took an X-Ray which showed extensive tumour over her chest. (Apparently, this is normally detected when listening to the chest by a gurgling of the leaking blood, but this was not so in her case, although she was declining quite quickly, so perhaps the leakage was not obvious at the time of listening to her heart and chest area, but got worse during the brief period of waiting for the blood results.
I immediately went to the Surgery and remained with her while she was given final sleep.
(Not sure if our above information will be helpful to you or not).
My kindest regards to you and your dog that you will be able to make the best decision for your loved dog.
Vixen
by GranvilleGSD on 11 November 2010 - 17:11
Sorry you're going through this, but I have to agree with your vet that the prognosis is not good. I worked in the veterinary field for over 10 years, and the longest I saw a dog live after this surgery was a little over a month, and that month was miserable, with further testing, blood transfusions, drugs, and force feeding. If they didn't die on the operating table, the majority of the dogs passed or their owners elected euthanasia within a week of the operation because the recovery was so miserable, or something else went wrong. This is a surgery I decided I would never put one of my own dogs through.
by Vixen on 11 November 2010 - 17:11
Not wishing to argue, but somewhat mystyfied by the prognosis of having the spleen removed as described by GranvilleGSD.
I am not sure if I have missed something, or is this prognosis because of a further indication of a problem with the dog's liver? Or something else?
I can only base this on my Vet and my dog that gave the impression of being a tumour on the spleen only, which the Vet was optimistic could be safely removed, resulting in a full and good recovery.
It was only the alert of the internal leaking blood that showed the extent of the problem. Tragically and sadly resulting in my lovely dog being given final sleep.
Vixen
I am not sure if I have missed something, or is this prognosis because of a further indication of a problem with the dog's liver? Or something else?
I can only base this on my Vet and my dog that gave the impression of being a tumour on the spleen only, which the Vet was optimistic could be safely removed, resulting in a full and good recovery.
It was only the alert of the internal leaking blood that showed the extent of the problem. Tragically and sadly resulting in my lovely dog being given final sleep.
Vixen
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