Please talk to me about Spleen Tumours

[jowly]

I can hardly write this.. it's almost as hard as saying it out loud.

Vet thinks an ultrasound has shown a tumour 'likely to be' a tumour on my dogs spleen. Surgery is booked for tomorrow but I'm very aware this may be too late if it's what she mentioned as it's very aggressive.

Please talk to me about any experiences you may have.

Is your dog old? They are a risk of rupturing. But in my experience they generally aren't nice. I assume they will send it away to find out what it is. You've caught it early enough to operate which is good. Too often the first sign is when the spleen ruptures

He's 10 so not very old, but not young either. I just don't know what to do for the best.

My Labrador was 11 when he had a spleen tumour removed. As long as it hasn't spread to the liver (in which case you would be advised to allow PTS on the operating table), the whole spleen is removed. Your dog should then have a normal lifespan. My dog lasted another 5 years. Rupture of the tumour is invariably fatal so don't hang around deciding.

My little lab had this last year , was operated on (age 11) . She has been fine since . We are just enjoying having her here as we never if know the cancer will come back .
Let us know how it goes🐶🤞.

You are lucky to have caught this, OP. As splenic tumours are prone to rupturing/catastrophic sudden bleeding, a lot of the time the first clue they are there is sudden death. So it's great that your vet has diagnosed this in time to operate.

What to expect afterwards will depend on what type of mass it is, and whether it has spread yet.

If it is a malignant (cancerous) type, and it has already spread (the vet will look around during surgery to see), then survival time post op may be short - possibly only weeks/months. However, if it has not spread, then your dog could do well for a very long time - months or years.

If it is a benign (non cancerous) splenic mass, then that is very good news and your dog could live years and years after surgery.

Statistically studies have shown that splenic masses are benign about 50% of the time. The funny thing about splenic tumours is that they can LOOK horrible and nasty, but still be the benign type; the only way to tell the difference is to send the mass to the lab for analysis. It might be a good idea to do this so that you know what to expect.

You are doing the right thing to operate as there is potential for it to be a very good outcome - fingers crossed. All the best to you and your dog, OP, I hope he flies through surgery and never looks back!

Thank you for your responses.

We are going to be led by the vets advise.. we know doing nothing is not an option due to the risk of bleeding. The only thing I am certain of atm is that we will not have things drawn out so he becomes unwell or in pain.

I am dreading tomorrow.

Hi OP, 50% of splenic masses are benign and so surgery will be curative. Unfortunately 50% are malignant, usually haemangiosarcomas, which are aggressive and will usually have spread by the time the primary splenic tumour is found. However removing the spleen is the best course of action either way as it removes any pain your dog will have been having from the tumour, greatly reduces the risk of a huge abdominal bleed and will allow your vet to diagnose if the tumour is benign or malignant. I wish your doggo the very best for their op tomorrow. And I hope you get favourable pathology results.

Don't forget to get some of their favourite treats to hide tablets in as you will get painkillers and antibiotics .

My old lab had a ruptured spleen tumour. He was about 12 at the time. He had to have it out, blood transfusion, a real emergency. I knew he might not survive the op but he was fit and otherwise healthy so hoped for the best. He recovered amazingly well! Lived a good few years after! His tumour was cancerous but unusually low grade. I am sending you a hug, I know how worried you must be. Xx

My late Collie had a tumour on the spleen. He was 11.
First we knew was when it began bleeding and he had symptoms from that.
The plan was to remove the spleen but that once anaesthetised he would be xrayed to check for metastasis. We agreed that if there was any spread they would not wake him up.
Sadly there was.
I wish you luck and a better outcome x