Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hemangiosarcoma (Is NOT Your Friend)

While every bit the wallflower compared to her life-of-the-party friend Shiva, Katy chose not to take a backseat to her in her choice of cancer. The Red Dog's presentation of osteosarcoma all those months ago left us reeling, but nothing prepared us for the "gift" dear, sweet Kate gave to us in December. As I mentioned in a previous post, hemangiosarcoma is the real bad boy member of the canine sarcoma family. My description of the blood-borne beast bears repeating:

"these tumors usually start on the spleen, though they can also originate on the liver, heart and lungs, and they grow quite quickly and like to involve as much of your dog's vascular network as possible. German Shepherd Dogs and Golden Retrievers have the dubious distinction of being the most common victims of this variety, although it can strike any dog at any age."

This stuff is nasty and extremely aggressive. Once diagnosed, choices are limited to immediate surgery (if the tumor's operable) or an all-too short wait for the inevitable end. If it's on the skin (dermal or subcutaneous), that's better. If it's on the spleen, not so good. If it's on the heart, that's bad. In any case, the odds aren't great. The worst aspect of it, however, is the insidious and stealthy nature of its approach.

The first obvious sign dog owners often see of the internal varieties (splenic, heart-based or other) is when their dog collapses from weakness due to blood loss caused by the rupture and subsequent hemorrhage of the mass. Due to their vascular nature, the tumors grow quickly and then burst with devastating results. Many of these dogs die, while a lucky few (like Katy) get better (temporarily) over time. This can provide us a diagnostic window in which the scope and operable/inoperable nature of the cancer can be determined.

The good news (hey, we take it where we find it) is that the surgical removal of a cancerous spleen prior to visible spread to other areas of the body can buy a few to several months of survival...possibly more with chemotherapy.

In the case of heart-based tumors, evidence of cancer elsewhere at the time of discovery is very common. Removal of the mass is also more difficult thanks to its proximity to the heart and its lining. This is a tough diagnosis, but it still may be worth the effort. Surgery and potential chemotherapy should be considered. Take the same approach with tumors found on other organs as well. Listen to your vet, then get a second opinion or have a consult with a surgeon.

As one veterinarian said to us during this trying time: "Why wouldn't you prevent your dog from bleeding to death if you knew you could?"

In hindsight, there were subtle signs that something with Katy was amiss. It began with a gradual reduction in stamina on her walks. We chalked that up to her advancing age (now 12) and arthritic hips, but it was there nonetheless. She also had a harder time standing up, which we also attributed to the aforementioned factors of age and arthritis. Another was an occasional hacking cough, like she was trying to clear something lodged deeply in her throat. In fact, on the night of the tumor's rupture, we were awakened by that cough and actual vomiting.

Finally, she presented obsessive licking behavior. Although not discussed as such by veterinary medical experts, we have seen this occur in multiple dogs with undiagnosed (at that time) cases of cancer. Both Katy and Shiva did just that in the weeks leading up to their diagnoses, and Shiva repeated the behavior with her recent melanoma. We'll give this subject a more in-depth analysis soon.

One other tell-tale sign seen after a rupture is pale or white gum color due to concentration of blood at the hemorrhage site. We were unaware of this symptom, so we did not see it until Dr. Brandi examined her that morning.

After assessing symptoms, veterinarians use a combination of blood work, x-rays and ultrasound screenings to get a better picture of your dog's interior. If the cancer is limited to an operable area, a quick surgical decision should be made. Definitive diagnosis via biopsy is not an option due to the risk of tumor rupture. It must be removed.

After removal, the tumor should be sent for pathology testing. If you're really, REALLY lucky, you'll find out your dog had a benign hemangioma and is cancer-free. Luckily, removing it saved your dog's life, because they rupture just like their malignant cousins. If, on the other hand, it's malignant, be grateful you likely have purchased some more quality time with your dog. Recovery takes 2-4 weeks, after which you should have as much fun as possible while watching for a return of the signs mentioned above.

In summary, don't dismiss the potential symptoms of hemangiosarcoma, especially if your dog presents more than one. It's better to rule-out something like this by spending a little money on diagnostics than to have your dog suddenly die for no apparent reason. We were some of the lucky ones, and we hope what we've shared helps those unlucky enough to face this deadly disease.

Enjoy each extra day for the gift that it is, and never forget that your dogs (most of them, anyway) would do the same for you!

27 comments:

  1. I'm also blogging about my dog's struggle with hemangiosarcoma. http://doghemangiosarcoma.blogspot.com/

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  2. Here is our story through eyes of a dog!
    http://living-with-hemangiosarcoma.blogspot.com/

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  3. My 13-year-old beagle collapsed Friday, July 12. We rushed him to the vet and learned a tumor on his spleen had ruptured. The vet did not encourage surgery based on his findings. He said we could take him home, that he would just likely go to sleep and not wake up. And he thought, as did we from his condition, that it would be a matter of hours. His gums and tongue were bleach white. He laid on his side breathing fairly shallowly all night. We said our goodbyes Friday, stayed up as late as we could and then put him to bed between us. Saturday morning he was up, going out his dog door and going to the restroom on his own. Sunday he was a little better. He stayed outside with us and would move from favorite spot to spot, albeit slowly. This morning, our friend who is watching him while we work said he was begging for food and wagging his tail. Not doing backflips, but not at death's door either. So, obviously, I'm very confused and have no idea how this is going to progress. Has anyone seen this happen after an actual rupture? I don't see us doing anything differently than what we are. I don't want to put him through surgery to gain a few more months or to have him die on the table. The vet didn't think it was an option anyway. But is this thing going to rupture again? And then he dies? Any information would be welcome.

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    1. Monica,
      How is your dog doing? To somewhat answer your question, tumors can rupture and either bleed out, or clot and resolve on their own. Tumors also are not necessarily malignant -- they can also be benign. I'll bet that when your vet made the diagnosis he took your dog's age into consideration. If you think that he could have a good quality of life for a while longer, if perhaps he had the right treatment, then you might want to get a second ( or third) opinion.
      Good luck...

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  4. My 13 year old Dachshund died July 19th from this. We had no idea he was sick. He was never very active and loved being carried around. Thursday morning he was fine. Thursday night, all of a sudden, he was miserable and lithargic. We took him to the emergency vet around 10:00pm and found out he had a tumor in his spleen. I brought him home and he died in his sleep. I'm so heartbroken. However, I'm glad I found this blog because I felt like I may have missed something or done something different to help him.

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  5. Thank you for posting this. We just lost our beloved Jarko (GSD). Very shocking, devastated and heartbroken. Extremely heartbroken :(
    He showed no signs or symptoms up until the Friday that I took him to the park to play fetch. He was his usual self, wagging his tail and ready to play. I threw the ball and he went after it as he usually does and then just stopped. He didn't move. i called him and didn't get a response, he just looked at me as if something was terribly wrong. I went over to him and said "let;s go buddy" and still he wouldnt move. I checked his legs in case of injury and didnt notice anything out of the ordinary. I knew for sure aI would get a response if I said "Let's go home!". Nothing...he laid down on the snow and would not stand or sit. I carried him to the car and straight to the vets. Vet noticed the spleen look abnormal. Long story short. His heart could not take the stress from surgery and he passed away. His spleen was covered in cancer 'clusters'. Liver, pancreas and heart also had a few attached. I miss my buddy so so much and not sure how to deal with this pain. Hoping that telling my story would help my healing process.

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  6. My 10-yr-old best friend Keno, rescued one day before he would have been put down at a (then) kill shelter, has just been diagnosed with this nasty cancer.ultrasound showed the tumor on his spleen, and it was surgically removed within hours. The lab report is dire, however, as in most similar cases. The vet made it clear it is likely to return...perhaps in less than a month or two, to end my best friend's life. Don't know how long it was there but first symptoms I saw about three weeks ago were trembling, lethargy, and loss of appetite. I will try to enjoy every minute with him, hoping against the extremely poor odds he will survive this, but I will not let my beloved Keno suffer.

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  7. I just found out a couole days ago hiw unfair life truly is....Janko is 1yr 9mo...a week ago he started limping on his front left paw n has been getn worse since...he has a rumor on his left shoulder 9x5 inches...waiting on biopsy report which was done yesterday. Vet is leaning towards that disqusting hemangiosarcoma. ...my heart is broken, seeing him depressed...he walks a couple of feet n stops or lats down...he has always been a rapid uneven breather n ive told my vet numerous times, they just say "his heart n lungs sound good". Well then what else could it be? I am still hoping for a miracle, they do happen...and I have to believe...im not ready to loose my best friend bcuz a vet didnt pick up on his symptoms sooner...now im torn n idk if the tumor should b removed or not, so many risk involved....if I do he could blled out if I dont he can really walk well...one vet says if it is removed that the cells that havent attached yet will look for a new host and being so close to his lungs n heart is where they would attack....2 months isnt a long time nor would it be quality time since he only lays around other then to go out to the bathroom...I just dont want him to suffer...my pain hurts n I dont want to loose him, hes still a puppy but he doesnt deserve this life that God gave him..

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  8. my baby Sweetie is a rat terrier chi, she was sleeping next to me a month ago and woke me up curling up to her right drooling and not able to walk. first I thought it was a seizure or stroke. we rushed her to emergency and by then she was trying to walk but crooked and unable. would just stop and stand still. the vet (Horrible exp) she has hd for 3 yrs diagnosed her upon symptoms and called it VERtigo. sent us home with meds. day 3 I was still not confident that it was vertigo and brought her back. ultrasound of abdomen. The vet said that there is a bleed or a tear on her spleen and did emergency surgery to locate problem. She told me she is expierenced and had done tons of these sugerys..so upon opening her it seems spleen not involved at all it was her liver and a orange size tumor was attached, The worst part..this vet is not expierenced enuf to remove so we opted to rush her to a speciality hospital. tumor removed and sent to biopsy. she did great after surgery and her belly now was the size it should have been ..this vet also had my dog on cardiac meds for 2 yrs..Lasix vetmedin and enapril and hydrocodan. I made apt with a cardiac speicialist and she did ultrasound too..said my dogs heart was normal size and did find a small tumor in her r atrium. most probly hemosarcoma. so all these heart meds were discontinued on a schedule..how horrible is that..devastating all these meds I gave her. anyways we got the sad news that the tumor is hemosarcoma a week after surgery..we were told to give her Yunnan Bayiou..we did not want to pursue chemo. but we have a new vet and are giving my dog some herbal supplements. Maxs Formula and Wei Qi Booster..they are all to help with plateles and circulation. I have never been one to use herbs my self. but I have done great research and feel its worth a shot. to date she has had a bout of red urine(blood) 3 days..it was scarey antibiotics given..platelets were low and gave predisone..now all urine is clear. I believe Yunnan baiayou is a wonderful drug .it stops bleeds and helps clot them .its not a long term fix. but I truly believe it has given us more time with my dog..do the research. educate yourself..its a tuff journey so far. but she has good days and some bad where she is tired. and breathing hard..doesn't show any signs of pain yet and its been over a month since surgery..we do not plan on any tests ect to figure out things anymore..we are just loving her..giving her some foods she loves..btw her intake has been 100% everyday//so I do dread the outcome..but we take it a day at a time..and I don't get upset and cry around her..i tell her how much I love her and we have been spending long days side by side watching tv and enjoying our time..i am thankful to have this time with her.

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  9. I don't think my post went. So will repost. I am just learning about this cancer now 1 week, and thank you for creating this blog. I may do the same. My dog licked for 3 weeks at night - then was diagnosed with this illness. Although I took her to the vet weeks ago, the licking was not a concern at the vet. I guess I have learned more thanks to this info.

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  10. I just lost my wonderful companion last week from this disgusting cancer. Jake was diagnosed in March after a ruptured spleen almost killed him. At the time of surgery we were told that the cancer had spread to his liver. He was give 1 day to 1 month to live without chemo and possibly 2-3 months with chem. We opted to try chemo but it obviously did not work. The beginning of my story sound just like the one above. Jake was only 9 but I noticed a general slowing on walks which I attributed to getting older or it being hot. I noticed a harder time getting up or holding the leg up to pee-which I contributed to possible arthritis. Jake also did a lot of licking his front paws--which I though was either arthritis or boredom. Jake went to the vet in August with a small spell but since his blood profile looked great at the time, the spell was contributed to possibly eating a mushroom in the back yard. I miss my buddy so much. We only got a month after diagnosis and that month was filled with good and not so good days. The final episode was a total collapse. My heart goes out to everyone reading this as I know what you are going through. Just enjoy everyday with you buddy now.

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  11. Hemangiosarcoma is something dreadful just to hear the word, but this is something that can be included in every pet parent’s life. We should understand this condition and what supportive management can be done. I have a friend who’s dog is currently being treated for this illness and I can really say that it is heartbreaking. I just want to share this article that I found which can educate other pet parents out there: http://dogsaholic.com/care/hemangiosarcoma-in-dogs.html

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  12. My 13 year old boy, Bozley, just passed away from this on December 26th, 2016. It is the worst. I noticed a month ago he stopped sleeping with me and he never doesn't sleep with me. He acted sick a few days but after that he was fine. He just never sleep with me again all night. He preferred to sleep in his dog bed every night. I knew something was wrong but everyday he was acting normal. two weeks later, his left shoulder started looking bigger and you could feel a mass around his bone. This past Friday, Dec. 23rd 2016 night he was perfectly happy and then he started limping and not using his left front foot. Since then the tumor/blood created swelling around his arm pit and later through his stomach. They mentioned amputation but said it would only help for 3-4 month and then if I did other treatment then maybe 5-8 months. I couldn't amputate his leg.... two night later, Dec. 26th after being at the emergency hospital all day on dec. 25th he couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep or lay down and the tumor was growing every 4 hours. Yes! that evil and fast. We had to put him to sleep Dec. 26th- two days after the limping started. So heartbroken. This cancer is just horrible.

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  13. My chihuahua has squamous cell carcinoma! Now I know why he has been licking so much! He doesn't have much time but he and I will spend every precious moment building more loving memories! I hate cancer! ����

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  14. This post contains huge valuable information on our pets. This article can help by preventing risk. Truly it’s a nice job. Thank you for sharing with us. This will certainly help all pet owners Excellent blog

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  15. Going through this horrible cancer with our 10 year old golden. Took him to emergency clinic and received the diagnosis. They wanted to put him down right there but being that my wife wasn't there to say goodbye, I opted to take him home. The way he looked, I was concerned that he wouldn't make the ride home. The minute we got home, he got out of the car and was back to normal self.
    Went to our vet who confirmed the bleed but took chest xrays. There were no lesions in the chest so he saw that as a good sign and sent us to another clinic for an ultrasound which showed a 7cm liver lesion and several small ones on spleen. Said that surgery was not possible and once again recommended immediate euthanasia in that he wouldn't make it through the night.
    We he was wheeled out to us, his eyes lit up immediately. We took him home and it's been 4 days and he is acting like himself.
    We know that if the diagnosis is correct, the end could come at any moment but for right now we are enjoying him and letting him enjoy us and his home which he loves

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    1. We just lost our lab boxer mix Maggie May on July 21st. She started the evening before I let her outside to go potty and she collapsed. And she couldn't walk my husband took her to the emergency vet that night and they said will it will be $700 before we can do anything to look at her so he brought her home the next morning we called our vet and they gave us a 3 appointment by noon Maggie had went downhill and we took her in they rushed her right in for ultrasound and x-rays and it was a huge mass around her heart she was in heart failure it was the most devastating news that we could have had we had to put her down. To top it all off it was our 26th wedding anniversary. I am still in shock as to how this happened and that there was no signs. She was totally active and totally herself up into the day before she died. I don't wish anyone going through this

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  16. Your site contains much other information that gives more knowledge and many more ideas about the topics you have given in your site. Good Job

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  17. My nine year old cockapoo was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma the first week of December. I was playing with him when he stopped and just stared at me. It was like he was in a trance. I picked him up and she was shaking terribly. I thought he may have had a seizure. I rushed him to the vet and they did bloodwork and found his red blood cells were elevated. They did an ultrasound and found a mass on his spleen. They told me I had to decide immediately if I would put him down or opt for surgery. If I opted for surgery it was 50/50 it was cancer. He had the surgery and sadly it was cancer. The specialist said he had 1-3 months. I read on a number of entries that licking was a sign. He started licking like crazy a few months before he was diagnosed and it has continued. For now, he is very happy and doing well. The thought of losing him is devastating but I am grateful for the extra time surgery provided him.

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  18. AnonymousJune 05, 2018

    My almost 13 year old precious white lab passed away from hemangiosarcoma about a month ago. She went in for a cough in the beginning and her vet said she had bronchitis, I thought that was weird, but she recovered, then one day I noticed she was spitting out her kibbles and not eating, I had also noticed she had been very lethargic, I just figured that was because she was 12.5, so i took her to vet & they did a splenectomy where they found 2 tumors on her spleen & then I got the horrible news it was cancer, a very aggressive cancer, I was crushed. She took a while to recover from surgery but I put her on a all protein diet, no kibbles and started giving her I'm Yunnity and Yunnan Baiyou. She was getting her appetite back and was walking around the house great, following me around again and greeting me at the door. Then, one day, I was putting on her harness to take her to the lake and she just collapsed, I knew this was probably it, I took her to vet and they saw a mass on her liver, plus fluid in her lungs. I will forever miss my sweet girl. If anyone needs Yunnan Baiyou, I have 10 packs that I am giving away to someone in need of it for their beloved pet.

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    1. I am so sorry to hear about your dog. Ours was jusy diagnosed 10 days ago. It is so hard! :(

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    2. I am so sorry for your loss. I am heartbroken as our 12.5 year old girl was just diagnosed, similar story as yours. We had a $1500 blood transfusion due to the extreme anemia she was in from the internal bleeding in hopes to give her a boost for just a few more good days at home. She is eating a wonderful protein rich diet of eggs, turkey, fish along with avocado and coconut oil and we have started her on yunnan baiyou. I would be so thankful if you could send those 10 packs our way, if still available. My email is RLCuomo@gmail.com thank you - rachel

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  19. On June 21 my 10 year old Chorkie was fine, hadn't exhibited any signs of being sick. On June 22 I left for work and he was his normal self. 2 hours later my daughter called me and said she thought he was dying. I rushed home and found his abdomen very distended and painful to touch and he had vomited several times. I figured he had eaten something he shouldn't have because he had a history of chewing and swallowing everything from wood to plastic, and I thought he might have an intestinal obstruction. I took him to the vet and he did an ultrasound and found a tumor on the spleen. He told me he could do surgery and remove the spleen if it was confined but without surgery he didn't have a chance. After the surgery he told us the tumor had metastasized to the pancreas, aorta, and stomach and asked if we wanted him euthanized. My daughter and I decided to take him home and love him until the end. This was selfish on our part because he could not eat, drink, or sleep and hi IV pain meds were only helping a little. On June 25 we took him back and had him euthanized. I will never forget his last breath and his head slumping over as I held him in my arms. A part of me left when his spirit left and I miss him terribly. This is a horrible, extremely aggressive cancer and I hope there is a cure found soon.

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  20. Thank you for sharing this. My beloved Ginger died with no symptoms and sign about this deadly disease, we just found out when we bring her in our vet, then we admit right away, after 2 days, we end up in pet cremation houston it's so hard to accept that our Ginger just passed away just like that, I remember the last we played and watching together.

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  21. My 9 yr old cockapoo died suddenly 2 weeks ago. Never sick ever. But had an elevated breathing rate for few days and occasional slight cough which I thought was a cold. Was eating, drinking, active until that day. Suddenly collapsed and died on way to vet 30 minutes later. Post mortem showed pericardial effusion most likely due to hemangiosarcoma arising in heart. All other organs were healthy. She was robbed of her life and our hearts ripped apart. Miss her so much.

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  22. Hi I was interested in sharing my experience with yunnan baiyao. On May 25th of this year my English setter Oliver (8.5 years old) collapsed. After rushing to the vet he was found to have a ruptured spleen. He was dying but I wasn't willing to say goodbye that day. We rushed him off to an emergency clinic where they removed his spleen, gave him transfusions, and later confirmed the worst. He had Hemangiosarcoma. He was given 1 to 3 months to live, even though there was no other evidence of spread. He was a candidate for chemotherapy which would extend his life expectancy, only slightly, to 4 to 6 months. We opted for any extra time we could get. He came home from the hospital with yunnan baiyao and we were advised to give him 2 capsules, twice daily. He did well for a while but after around 9 weeks his ultrasound came back with sad news..some nodules were found in his abdominal cavity. From what I understand, by the time the spleen ruptured it had Likely spread or a few cancer cells hid out. We were told to increase his yunnan baiyao to 3 times daily because he had some fluid, Likely bleeding, around his liver. We changed chemotherapy meds 3 times and added metronomic chemotherapy but the nodules have continued to grow and more have formed. He had a total collapse 1 month ago and we were prepared for the end. We gave him the emergency pill for the first time that night and again in the morning and brought him to our vet. She confirmed the worst...his belly was full of blood. This was the end..she didn't think he was in pain but expected death was imminent. We took him home to love him as long as we could or until he seemed uncomfortable. We gave him another emergency pill with each of his 3x day doses of yunnan baiyao that day and the next morning. 5 total emergency pills from Friday night until Sunday morning. Then a miracle happened 🙏 he stood up and walked to the door. He sat outside much of that day watching the birds and enjoying the sun. He got stronger each day! A week ago he had a similar event and his oncologist confirmed significant spread. We canceled further chemotherapy treatments and treated him the same as the previous time. He improved again although not fully. He is still declining and his tumors are growing and we use the emergency pill if he is acting "off" but it's needed more often now. I know his time will be coming to an end soon but I am confident that if we did not use the emergency pills he would have died a month ago, a week ago and even last night. It is truly incredible the way it has worked for him. Is it toxic in high doses? Maybe...but the alternative was worth the chance. I want people to know that they must save these tiny pills. You cannot buy them separately but they are SO valuable! Save them from every pack and use it if you have ANY suspicion of bleeding.

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