Oliver has Hemangiosarcoma...

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ssquicksilver

Discussion Starter · 26 d ago

Hi all, my beloved Oliver was 100% healthy and happy three days ago, then he had a strange kind of syncope event. He went all stiff and cramped up and his eyes were flickering. It only lasted about 30 seconds, but he was very confused after and couldn't walk without falling over. I took him to the vet the next morning and they did x-rays and bloodwork and he was anemic and had low platelets (31k). They did a transfusion and his RBC's are at 40%, but his platelet count has only gone from 31k to 36k since Saturday. He has a mass on his spleen which had fluid, but has since absorbed back in his body. I have to make a decision to go with a risky surgery, which he may not survive, and the subsequent chemo and recovery, to get maybe 4-5 months more, or bring him home today and give him a loving sendoff. I'm torn apart making this decision. I can't risk losing him in surgery, but even if he made it I don't want to put him through all that. Without the surgery his tumor could rupture at any time, so I would have to say goodbye in the next few days to not risk that.
Has anyone had this situation with their dog? I'm just beyond heartbroken. He's everything to me.

Dog Dog breed Carnivore Companion dog Working animal

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BoosDad

· #2 · 26 d ago

I am so sorry to hear about Oliver. These decisions are very difficult to make. I lost Boo to acute pancreatitis on 3/17/23. Although he was 20.4 years old and lived a long life, I opted to hospitalize and give maximum treatment. His symptoms appeared over night. At the tme, I brought him to the hospital my vet gave a 50-50 chance of recovery with a five day hospitalization, due to his advanced age. They did do extensive workup and supportive care. However, he only lasted one night.

Looking back, I dont think I would have done anything differently, as a 50-50 chance was enough to give me hope of even another six months or year with him. Further, he had totally recovered from a hospitalization for a stroke at age 19. So, I thought that he could fight the pancreatitis.

In your case, with very risky surgery, it would be a more difficult decision to make. Have you considered home hospice? if you decide surgery and chemo are not a good option. I have met several people, who have opted for that route, when there is cancer. It involves providing supportive care in the home with the assistance of a veterinarian and veterinary technician.

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krandall

· #3 · 26 d ago

It is a very tough decision, and one everyone needs to make for themselves. Do know that the DOGS have no concept of length of life, only quality of life. So there is that aspect. I will be thinking of you and your sweet Oliver, no matter what decision you make. As long as the decision is made with love, as I know it will be, It will be the right one for the two of you. 💗

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Johanna

· #4 · 26 d ago

I faced a similar situation with my French Bulldog Boris a couple of years ago. He was 12 years old. I realized that his gums were suddenly very pale (a sign of anemia). My vet checked him over and suspected a mass on the spleen... an ultrasound confirmed that there was indeed a mass and it appeared to have spread to surrounding organs. He couldn't say with 100% certainty that it was malignant but we was almost certain that it was. He said with surgery, it would still probably only give him a few more months. I opted not to put him through a hard surgery and recovery and the vet told me that he wasn't in pain at that point and would probably drift away peacefully... but also told me what signs to look for if he took a sudden turn for the worse. I just didn't want him to go through additional pain that he wouldn't understand to buy him a few more months. Had he been younger and there was a guaranteed recovery and promise for a quality long life, I would have done more. I brought him home and spoiled him not knowing if he had days or months. The vet had me give him Yunnan Baiyao which is a chinese herbal supplement that helps with bleeding internally and got the anemia under control. I kept him on that for the rest of his life. He was also on other meds for other pre-existing conditions.

He managed to surprise us all and lived almost two years longer. We just lost him this last February. So it probably wasn't cancer and we'll never really know because we didn't do the surgery to verify. At the end, we don't know what exactly was wrong as the blood work and other tests didn't show anything obvious. But he was very sick and we knew it was time to let him go peacefully. He was 14 which is quite old for a Frenchie.

I know it's a hard decision.

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mudpuppymama

· #5 · 26 d ago

I am so sorry to hear this news. Such a terrible disease that comes on so quickly. I am sending hugs and prayers that you will be guided to make the best decisions for your sweet Oliver.

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ssquicksilver

Discussion Starter · #6 · 26 d ago

BoosDad said:
I am so sorry to hear about Oliver. These decisions are very difficult to make. I lost Boo to acute pancreatitis on 3/17/23. Although he was 20.4 years old and lived a long life, I opted to hospitalize and give maximum treatment. His symptoms appeared over night. At the tme, I brought him to the hospital my vet gave a 50-50 chance of recovery with a five day hospitalization, due to his advanced age. They did do extensive workup and supportive care. However, he only lasted one night.

Looking back, I dont think I would have done anything differently, as a 50-50 chance was enough to give me hope of even another six months or year with him. Further, he had totally recovered from a hospitalization for a stroke at age 19. So, I thought that he could fight the pancreatitis.

In your case, with very risky surgery, it would be a more difficult decision to make. Have you considered home hospice? if you decide surgery and chemo are not a good option. I have met several people, who have opted for that route, when there is cancer. It involves providing supportive care in the home with the assistance of a veterinarian and veterinary technician.

I think I'll be providing home hospice myself. Without surgery he'll be vulnerable to sudden rupture and bleeding, so I can't drag it out just for my own sake. They're going to send me home with the Chinese supplement to help with that, and some pain meds. I just want to give him lots of treats and have his other human friends with him at the end.

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krandall

· #7 · 26 d ago

ssquicksilver said:
I think I'll be providing home hospice myself. Without surgery he'll be vulnerable to sudden rupture and bleeding, so I can't drag it out just for my own sake. They're going to send me home with the Chinese supplement to help with that, and some pain meds. I just want to give him lots of treats and have his other human friends with him at the end.

I think this is a loving and thoughtful decision. 💗

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Tom King

· #8 · 26 d ago

So sorry he has this. I had never heard of it, that I remember. He's lucky he has you.

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BoosDad

· #9 · 26 d ago

ssquicksilver said:
I think I'll be providing home hospice myself. Without surgery he'll be vulnerable to sudden rupture and bleeding, so I can't drag it out just for my own sake. They're going to send me home with the Chinese supplement to help with that, and some pain meds. I just want to give him lots of treats and have his other human friends with him at the end.

Given the circumstances, I am sure you made a caring decision. I think home hospice is a good third option in a circumstance like here.

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krandall

· #10 · 26 d ago

Tom King said:
So sorry he has this. I had never heard of it, that I remember. He's lucky he has you.

Hemangio is quite common, and for a long time it was thought to be somehow related to large breed dogs. Then it started to be seen more and more common in smaller breed dogs as well. Now there has been found a high percentage of Hemangio tumors have Bartonella bacteria (a tickborn disease) in them, even when there is no evidence of Bartonella in the dog’s blood.

The theory now is that the disease was seen more in large dogs first, because they are exposed to ticks more than small house dogs” are. Now that ticks are SO bad in many places, even little dogs are getting exposed to infected ticks, and more cases of Hemangio are showing up in smal dogs too.

An 8 year old Havanese belonging to a Veterinarian/breeder friend of mine died of Hemangiosarcoma last summer here in the Boston area. 😢

news.cvm.ncsu.edu

Bartonella Bacteria Found in Hemangiosarcoma Tumors from Dogs

Researchers find more evidence of a possible connection between persistent bacterial infection and blood vessel cancer in dogs.

news.cvm.ncsu.edu

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Molly120213

· #11 · 25 d ago

Thinking of you and Oliver during this difficult time.

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ssquicksilver

Discussion Starter · #12 · 25 d ago

Molly120213 said:
Thinking of you and Oliver during this difficult time.

Thank you 🧡

Johanna

· #13 · 25 d ago

krandall said:
Hemangio is quite common, and for a long time it was thought to be somehow related to large breed dogs. Then it started to be seen more and more common in smaller breed dogs as well. Now there has been found a high percentage of Hemangio tumors have Bartonella bacteria (a tickborn disease) in them, even when there is no evidence of Bartonella in the dog’s blood.

The theory now is that the disease was seen more in large dogs first, because they are exposed to ticks more than small house dogs” are. Now that ticks are SO bad in many places, even little dogs are getting exposed to infected ticks, and more cases of Hemangio are showing up in smal dogs too.

An 8 year old Havanese belonging to a Veterinarian/breeder friend of mine died of Hemangiosarcoma last summer here in the Boston area. 😢

Bartonella Bacteria Found in Hemangiosarcoma Tumors from Dogs

Researchers find more evidence of a possible connection between persistent bacterial infection and blood vessel cancer in dogs.

news.cvm.ncsu.edu

That's interesting. I know someone that lost a very young (maybe 2 - 4 year old) Pug last year to this. This person is a breeder/owner/handler that takes every precaution and is quite over the top in every thing they do for their dogs and in breeding . The young one just collapsed one day with no warning and sadly passed away. There was no warning, no suffering... she was fine one minute and gone the next. They were beside themselves and had a necropsy done to try to get some answers. The results were surprising to say the least and they were trying to figure out any and everything that could have caused it. She was questioning wether the imagining done on potential breeding parents for hips, patellas, hearts etc could be a problem. She was just really beside herself and looking for answers as to how this could happen to such a young, healthy dog and never wants it to happen again. They do go camping with the dogs often and when traveling to shows and like to hike (where ticks can be...)

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CarolineS

· #14 · 25 d ago

I went through this in March with my Miniature Poodle, Cali. She was 11 1/2 years old. She had an episode of violent vomiting and then a semi collapse. By the time I got her to the vet, she seemed back to herself albeit weak. Bloodwork showed her to be extremely anemic. A week later, an abdominal ultrasound revealed a mass on her spleen. My vet said she was bleeding internally and that the spleen could rupture. There was no way to know when that would happen.

At her age, I was not going to put her through a surgery. I could have put her on Metacam which had been shown to slow tumour growth and hopefully keep her a little longer. My vet said that she could give me some medication to keep on hand so that if the spleen did rupture, I could administer the medication which would basically knock her unconscious until I could get her to the vet to be euthanized.

I had her put to sleep the day after I got the ultrasound results and talked them over with my vet. After seeing the pain she was in when she initially collapsed, I just could not take the chance of her spleen rupturing and her experiencing even worse pain. She was such a wonderful dog, she didn’t deserve to go like that. I opted for a swift, peaceful passing.

Only you can decide what is best based on your own dog’s condition. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through right now. I have a lovely new puppy, but the pain of losing my Cali girl is still with me.

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LWalks

· #15 · 25 d ago

I’m so so sorry to hear about sweet Oliver, but it sounds like you’re being very thoughtful about how to keep his best interests at heart, even though of course this isn’t a decision any one ever wants to make . Sending positive thoughts to you in this very difficult time. 💔

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Pucks104

· #16 · 25 d ago

I am so sorry to hear that Oliver has Hermangiosarcoma. We lost our Havanese, Rex, to this awful disease last year. He was not yet 7 years old. By the time we had a diagnosis it was too late to help him. Survival times even with aggressive treatments aren’t very good. Sending hugs and crying anew for my Rex and all the other dogs that are afflicted with this disease.

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ssquicksilver

Discussion Starter · #17 · 24 d ago

krandall said:
Hemangio is quite common, and for a long time it was thought to be somehow related to large breed dogs. Then it started to be seen more and more common in smaller breed dogs as well. Now there has been found a high percentage of Hemangio tumors have Bartonella bacteria (a tickborn disease) in them, even when there is no evidence of Bartonella in the dog’s blood.

The theory now is that the disease was seen more in large dogs first, because they are exposed to ticks more than small house dogs” are. Now that ticks are SO bad in many places, even little dogs are getting exposed to infected ticks, and more cases of Hemangio are showing up in smal dogs too.

An 8 year old Havanese belonging to a Veterinarian/breeder friend of mine died of Hemangiosarcoma last summer here in the Boston area. 😢

Bartonella Bacteria Found in Hemangiosarcoma Tumors from Dogs

Researchers find more evidence of a possible connection between persistent bacterial infection and blood vessel cancer in dogs.

news.cvm.ncsu.edu

I read about that connection also. Makes me wonder if he was tested for Bartonella, and treated, would that have prevented the tumor?

LWalks said:
I’m so so sorry to hear about sweet Oliver, but it sounds like you’re being very thoughtful about how to keep his best interests at heart, even though of course this isn’t a decision any one ever wants to make . Sending positive thoughts to you in this very difficult time. 💔

Thank you for the kind words. 🧡

ssquicksilver

Discussion Starter · #18 · 24 d ago

Pucks104 said:
I am so sorry to hear that Oliver has Hermangiosarcoma. We lost our Havanese, Rex, to this awful disease last year. He was not yet 7 years old. By the time we had a diagnosis it was too late to help him. Survival times even with aggressive treatments aren’t very good. Sending hugs and crying anew for my Rex and all the other dogs that are afflicted with this disease.

Your Rex was even younger than Oliver. It's such a gut punch to go from healthy and happy, to making arrangements to euthanize my beautiful little friend in less than a week. My life is turned upside down. Every time I start typing the tears are streaming down my face. I'm sorry you're also familiar with this heartache.

krandall

· #19 · 24 d ago

ssquicksilver said:
I read about that connection also. Makes me wonder if he was tested for Bartonella, and treated, would that have prevented the tumor?

Thank you for the kind words. 🧡

No, unfortunately, I don’t think it would necessarily have made a difference. This disease seems to have the ability to “go to ground”, be cleared from the bloodstream, but still be sequestered in the organs, where Hemangiosarcomas can grow. 😢

This is the main reason I have become much more careful about using tick prevention than I was even a couple of years ago. The other tick born diseases, while nasty, are curable. This one can become a silent killer.

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Pucks104

· #20 · 24 d ago

ssquicksilver said:
Your Rex was even younger than Oliver. It's such a gut punch to go from healthy and happy, to making arrangements to euthanize my beautiful little friend in less than a week. My life is turned upside down. Every time I start typing the tears are streaming down my face. I'm sorry you're also familiar with this heartache.

“A gut punch” is an accurate description for the shock of a HSA diagnosis for our beloved pups. Our choice for euthanasia was to have a vet come to our home. Rexy left peacefully in my arms. My thoughts are with you and Oliver. I “what if”d myself to bits for months. Don’t do that to yourself.

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