Dermal Hemangio Information

[ahicks51]

Coco had his first two dermal hemangiosarcomas removed in March of '08. I started getting nervous about a couple of growths in the same region, and then I noticed his whole groin had these flat spots that really got me worried, so I took him in to the local greyhound vet.

 

Fortunately, those spots were in fact nipples. (Those of you who think I know anything relating to medicine can keep this in mind for future reference when I sound like I am making sense.) Unfortunately, there was another spot, on his knee, that I didn't see. Fortunately, all those flat spots were sebaceous excretions that come off with an alcohol wipe. (There's two things you can use to knock me down a peg.) The spot on his knee was tiny; the doc was great- no waiting (he doesn't take appointments), and removed it right there. $58 for everything, and I'm back home.

 

The reason I even mention this is that the doctor noted, as before, that he'd probably have more- but only one spot after 22 months was pretty darned good. I noted that we feed raw- predator model, very few carbs- and that perhaps the low carbohydrate diet played some role, and he thought this could have contributed.

 

Someone else noted on the greyhound mailing list that their hound was prone to dermal hemangio, and that the frequency seemed lower when fed a raw, low-carb diet.

 

So! Random, potentially useless anecdote #48 from AJ.

[dante2zoe]

Congratulations! My whippet (who will be 13 a week from tomorrow - woohoo!) had a dermal hemangiosarcoma removed in the fall of 2007. Had to have surgery twice because of poor margins. He has had a few hemangiomas since then, but no recurrence. I, too, feed raw. My adoption coordinator is thrilled that my little guy is still kicking. He has surpassed all expectations.

[greypuppyluv]

I will keep this in mind if any of our whippets get this. Our first whippet had horrible dermal hemangiosarcoma and I've since heard from other whippet owners and breeders that it occurs in the breed more than I thought.