Ace Also Has A Spleen Problem

[krissn333]

Ace had xrays and an ultrasound this morning...everything showed that her spleen is enlarged He didn't say anything about a *tumor* per se. He's conferring with the other vet (who is actually our usual vet)...it's pretty likely she'll have surgery to remove the spleen and do some more looking around. They would send the spleen off to be checked out too.

 

He mentioned that normally, an enlarged spleen would protrude from the abdomen a little (like Mo's girl Bailey's did) but in Ace's case, her spleen has just kind of...spread out I guess, and it's crowding her intestinal area. I was present for the ultrasound but those things are so confusing for me to see...I was able to see her liver when he pointed it out to me though.

 

So, naturally I'm worried, but, we won't have a course of action until at least Monday. He mentioned that it's good that she seems perky and in good spirits, but, given what Mo is going through with Bailey right now, I know that her attitude is not necessarily indicative of whether or not there's a serious problem.

 

I really hope that, if it's something malicious, that we've caught it early enough to be able to eradicate the problem.

Edited January 12, 2010 by krissn333

[TheFullHouse]

Many prayers for Ace.

[Chicocat]

Ace had xrays and an ultrasound this morning...everything showed that her spleen is enlarged He didn't say anything about a *tumor* per se. He's conferring with the other vet (who is actually our usual vet)...it's pretty likely she'll have surgery to remove the spleen and do some more looking around. They would send the spleen off to be checked out too.

 

He mentioned that normally, an enlarged spleen would protrude from the abdomen a little (like Mo's girl Bailey's did) but in Ace's case, her spleen has just kind of...spread out I guess, and it's crowding her intestinal area. I was present for the ultrasound but those things are so confusing for me to see...I was able to see her liver when he pointed it out to me though.

 

So, naturally I'm worried, but, we won't have a course of action until at least Monday. He mentioned that it's good that she seems perky and in good spirits, but, given what Mo is going through with Bailey right now, I know that her attitude is not necessarily indicative of whether or not there's a serious problem.

 

I really hope that, if it's something malicious, that we've caught it early enough to be able to eradicate the problem.

 

There seem to be many reasons for an enlarged spleen in greyhounds, so keep the faith that it is not anything malicious.

 

My boy Chico's enlarged spleen was found when he had a dental - they noticed it appeared very large when he was on the table for the dental. We scheduled an ultrasound and the day before he had a partial torsion of the spleen which corrected itself by the time I got him to the vet. At that point, we just scheduled the surgery to remove his spleen the following day. They kept him overnight after the surgery and when he came home he did absolutely great! The diagnosis was a name I have since forgotten, but meant "spontaneous production of red blood cells". His spleen weighed 5 pounds! Chico was 12 at the time and had no problems from the removal of the spleen.

 

Sending prayers and white light for Ace.

[Guest argolola]

I will pray for your sweetie.

[Guest Energy11]

Sending prayers and good thoughts for Ace!

[Devotion]

Your vet should be able to tell if tumors are present. TBD can and often cause enlargement of the spleen. In this case, you would treat the TBD and not remove the spleen. Best wishes for your Ace.

[krissn333]

Ace was tested for TBDs the last time we were in the office, and she was treated with Doxy for whatever infection she had going on...so, no TBDs at least.

 

Ann, thank you for sharing that. It's worrisome any time our kids have to go under for anything, but very encouraging to know that Chico did well, and that Bailey, in spite of her diagnosis () is doing very well post-surgery. I hope my little peanut can be strong for this - we need her here. She left the exam room today to have her xrays and Pinky just whined and cried until she came back As soon as she heard Ace's tags jingle in the hallway, she perked up right away.

[Burpdog]

Ace was tested for TBDs the last time we were in the office, and she was treated with Doxy for whatever infection she had going on...so, no TBDs at least

 

Doxy won't treat babesia. Wouldn't hurt to retest him. Send a panel to Protatek.

[krissn333]

Ah, I didn't know that. What is used to treat babesia, and how long do they have to be treated before checking to see if the spleen has gone back to normal? I will talk to them on Monday about that!

Edited January 10, 2010 by krissn333

[krissn333]

Our vet called this evening. They want to do surgery. I'm not so sure I want to do that yet. I told him I want blood sent to NC State to check for Babesia. Vet says that the snap test tested for Lyme disease, so babesia would have been included there (huh? ).

 

I emailed Dr. Couto and he said he would NOT remove the spleen at this point in time, and suggested a couple of tests...flow cytometry and PCR. I also asked the doctor to consult with Dr. C. They're not cutting into her unless Dr. C says so!

 

I'm kicking myself for not taking Ace to Sutra's vet (he was seeing our group's vet before he came to my house, so I've continued to take him there for his followup care)..but he's a half hour away and the vet we've been seeing is only about 15 minutes away. I just have a better feeling about Sutra's vet as far as surgery goes...would it be completely jerkish of me to take her to Sutra's vet and tell the vet that's been handling her case that we want Sutra's vet to do the surgery if she needs it? I really need to be comfortable with this if that's what's needed. Our vet seemed a little...crabby I guess...when I asked him if he would contact Dr. C and talk things over.

 

I hate not having a game plan here and I wish I were closer to OSU...I'd just take her to Dr. C. Maureen (TinyMityMo) has brought up visiting OSU, but, I don't think I have the kind of $$ I'd need for travel expenses (it's roughly an 8 hour drive)...nor do I have the luxury of much vacation time at work...but I kind of think now MAYBE if we could go down on a Friday and she could come home Saturday or Sunday, maybe we could swing it. I'd have to take someone with me though...I don't travel all that well anymore.

 

This whole thing is just making me so nervous and I feel helpless and completely unable to make any kind of a decision about anything.

 

On the plus side, Ace acts like she's perfectly fine. Playing, wagging, eating and drinking like normal again...still a little bit picky with the food but she'll eventually eat it after a few minutes of staring at it . I would really like to repeat her bloodwork now that she's had the course of doxy. I really think we'd see a reduction in those WBC numbers....

Edited January 12, 2010 by krissn333

[Guest eaglflyt]

No, the common SNAP4 test done in vet's offices does NOT test for Babesia, nor several other variants of TBD's. A Snap4 tests for Lyme disease (spirochete bacterial infection), Heartworm infection, 'one' strain/type of Erlichia (at least 4 strains can affect dogs) and 'one' strain/type of Anaplasma (at least two are commonly known to affect dogs). Erilichiosis and Anaplasmosis are both types of rickettsial infections.

 

Babesia is a protozoal infection. There are a few strains. Here's a quote about treatment from the linked Babesia information site:

 

"Current chemotherapeutic agents used to treat canine babesiosis are incapable of completely eliminating the disease; they only are capable of limiting mortality and the severity of clinical signs (2). Two injections of Imidocarb diproprionate at 5.0 to 6.6 mg/kg given subcutaneously or intramuscularly at an interval of 2 to 3 weeks are reputed to be effective (8). Another possible treatment is a single intramuscular injection of Dimenazene aceturate at a dosage of 5 mg/kg (2). For a more exhaustive list of potential antiparasitic drugs, consult table 77-3 in Greene's Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat (11). Supportive therapy such as intravenous fluids and blood transfusions should be employed when necessary.

 

Owners should be aware that animals that have survived babesiosis remain subclinically infected. These dogs may suffer a relapse of disease in the future or serve as point sources for the further spread of disease in a given area (2). In addition, dogs that have recovered from babesiosis should never be used as donors for blood transfusions because the recipients may develop the disease.

 

Currently, an effective vaccine is not commercially available to protect dogs against babesiosis. The previously mentioned vaccine against the soluble plasma antigen produced by Babesia organisms limits the clinical signs of disease, but does not affect the development of parasitemia. This vaccine is not available in the United States (11)."

 

 

Good Luck.

Edited January 12, 2010 by eaglflyt

[joejoesmom]

I wanted to let you know that there is a small support group in Columbus for people who have to bring their greyhounds from a long distance to see Dr. Couto. We would likely be able to put you up in one of our homes, saving you the hotel bills. If you prefer to stay at a hotel, we can help you with logistics. You can PM me or email me at:

 

finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com

[Batmom]

There are fast-panel PCR's available from both IDEXX and Antech, I believe; turn-around on these is a couple days. NCSU are the experts, of course, but one of the fast panels would likely tell you what you need to know.

[krissn333]

Eagleflyt, thanks for that info, especially on what the snap test does and does NOT detect. The more I think about what he said, the more it angers me. He talks to me like I'm some kind of moron who will just believe whatever he says. Granted I do not know a WHOLE LOT about TBDs, but, I'm able to search the Internet and do research, as well as talk to people here that know a lot.

 

Joejoesmom, thank you...that's a very wonderful thing for you to do! If we need to pursue an appointment with Dr. C, I will most definitely contact you.

 

I emailed Dr. C last night and told him I'd spoken to my vet and had asked him to consult with Dr. C. I also told him that I will not allow anyone to do surgery on her until Dr. C says she needs it. It's that simple. I'm not putting her under and having her spleen taken out if that won't fix whatever is wrong (if anything is wrong). As someone said, if the spleen is enlarged but has no tumors, it's enlarged for some reason. Taking the spleen out won't take care of WHY it is enlarged.

 

Can dogs get mononucleosis? I know that when people get it, the spleen is enlarged, and their bloodwork will show a high leukocyte count. I tried googling "canine mononucleosis" but I didn't really find anything.