Hemangiosarcoma

[Guest Diablo]

Hi,

 

Mid september Zigane my 11yr old Grey suddenly had a bump in her neck, from nothing to a big bump. I thought it was very strange so I went to the vet. First he thought it was a bruise. He tried to draw blood from the bruise and filled a few serringes with old dark blood. He said it would pass.... it didn't.

I'm going to a new vet since I moved last year, and my 2 other oldies are also doing very bad the last year, one has massive renal failure and the other has the beginning of liver failure and I saw the vet thinking ow now not again.

I asked him if he could take X-rays and remove the bump, but he was very reluctant, i don't understand why.

So I called my old vet and asked him if he could take her to do some x-rays. He told me to come the same day. It was a bizar kind of growth, and he also saw that her spleen was 3x the normal size. 10 days later he operated her, 3,5 hours, he had to take out the entire muscle connecting the head to her shoulder. She had to stay 8 days at the vets until he could take out the drain.

Now the results of the tumor are in and it's an Hemangiosarcoma. So I started reading on the net, I shouldn't have done that ... I've been in tears for hours.

 

Has anybody had experience with an Hemangiosarcoma in the muscle? and possible also in the spleen.

 

thx Isa

[Blaidd49]

I had three wonderful, healthy years with my Lurcher after she had her spleen removed because of hermangiocarcoma

Finally lost her at fifteen plus

Pam

[TheFullHouse]

We lost a pup to hemangio. We didn't even know it was there until it ruptured. It was in his spleen and until he quit eating we had no clue it was there and by then it was too late. The vet said they could remove his spleen but since it had ruptured already, the outcome would be no more than 3 months so we opted to just let our boy go instead of putting him through the pain of surgery for just 3 months.

 

I'm so sorry for you received this diagnosis. I have no experience with Hemangio in the muscle though. You did everything you thought was best for your sweetie, you should have no regrets for that.

[Guest LoveSeniorGreys]

My first grey had a tumor (baseball size) rupture on her spleen at age 13. She had emergency surgery and lived just past her 15th birthday. We had no prior clue she was ill....it was hemangioscarcoma.

 

My current broodie girl (11 yrs) has the dermal (skin) type of hemangioscarcoma. Small tumors are popping up on her abdomen, hip, shoulder areas so far. It's always a "guarded" prognosis...but at least this time we know what's going on.

 

Hugs to you and your houndie girl.

[Guest Hoolyghans]

Our Golden had the surface hemangio tumors. Had them removed twice, age 10 & 11. At age 12 it traveled to the spleen. We opted for no treatment at that time due to her overall condition. We had several more good months keeping her comfortable then the tumor ruptured, we let her go that day.

 

Last month, we lost our 2 1/2 yr old GH Spike to what was most likely hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. It came out of nowhere and we ended up having him pts the day after the first visit to the vet because he was declining so quickly. The U/S showed both the spleen and the liver were heavily affected. It is possible it was another type of cancer but with the huge tumor on the spleen the vet was fairly confident it was hemagio. He didn't feel it was worth the cost of a biopsy since knowing the type wouldn't have changed the prognoses.

[Guest KennelMom]

My girl was diagnosed yesterday via xrays and ultrasound. We opted to bypass surgery as it's in her spleen and very large and, as Judy mentioned, the prognosis is about 3 months. 6 if you opt for chemo. The internist who saw Haley yesterday said he wouldn't opt for chemo for his own dog in the case of hemangio. There were no lung mets that they could see, but there were lots of suspicious areas on her belly that are most likely small tumors. The vets advised that often removing the large tumor/spleen sorta "plugs in" any small tumors in the body and they suddenly take off. Hemangio just sucks no matter which way you cut it.

 

I'm sorry

[Guest Stripeyfan]

No experience of this so no advice to offer, but just wanted to send you hugs, I'm so sorry about Zigane and to hear your other pups are having a tough time too.

[Guest vahoundlover]

No advice just wanted to offer my prayers and good thoughts.

[Guest EmbersDad]

i suspect my jed passed from a hemangiosarcoma similar to that. it all happened suddenly. he came in from last turnout and was in discomfort inside his mouth. a few minutes later he began spewing blood. the e vet could not save him. when i saw him after he passed, his neck was hugely swollen. i was soo stunned i didnt even think about a necropsy and i still regret it. :-(

[Guest Diablo]

Thanks for all the support.

 

The vet also removed some meds from some glands while he was operating.

Now I don't know what I have to do, do I go for the spleenectomy or do I wait

pft so difficult figuring this out.

I don't want to lose her, I've already Sabrosa who's getting worse by the day, she only has 20% of her renal function left. She has been on special diet and a ton of meds since may. The poor thing only weighs about 19kg. It's so hard to watch her. But she's still happy and waging her tail when I come home or when it's chow-time.

 

I love my dogs, but I hate them getting older and sick.

[Guest 4rooers]

Prayers and white light for you and your pup.

Edited November 1, 2010 by 4rooers

[tbhounds]

Sorry you got handed such a horrible diagnosis. Personally, I don't think I would go forward with the splenectomy unless the spleen has a large mass that may rupture. You could always contact Dr Couto or another member of the greyhound heath and wellness team at Ohio State to see what options you may have. Cancer sucks.

[Guest Diablo]

Sorry you got handed such a horrible diagnosis. Personally, I don't think I would go forward with the splenectomy unless the spleen has a large mass that may rupture. You could always contact Dr Couto or another member of the greyhound heath and wellness team at Ohio State to see what options you may have. Cancer sucks.

 

Thanks, but I don't think I can contact Dr Couto, cause I live in Belgium.

And getting Zigane to the US for traitment would be kinda expensive

[tbhounds]

You can e-mail the team and usually they respond rather quickly. Have you had an ultrasound done yet?

[Annette]

Our second grey, Icabod had hemangiosarcoma. We didn't know until a tumor ruptured on his spleen. We had an emergency splenectomy. Icabod made it a year before the cancer spread to his spine.

 

Annette

[Guest OurGreytLife]

I am so sorry to hear about your hound's diagnosis. My cat was diagnosed last year at this time with the same thing. His tumor grew large very quickly. It was located on his right side and growing into his rear leg. My kitty is still with us one year later after his surgery to remove the tumor and doing well. I wish the best for you and your hound. You will be in my thoughts & prayers. Cancer has taken the lives of several of my beloved dogs. No other way to say it - cancer sucks.

[joejoesmom]

Sorry you got handed such a horrible diagnosis. Personally, I don't think I would go forward with the splenectomy unless the spleen has a large mass that may rupture. You could always contact Dr Couto or another member of the greyhound heath and wellness team at Ohio State to see what options you may have. Cancer sucks.

 

Thanks, but I don't think I can contact Dr Couto, cause I live in Belgium.

And getting Zigane to the US for traitment would be kinda expensive

 

Dr. Couto has taken a great interest in greyhounds from all over (Galgos in Spain for example), so I bet he would respond. He can work with your vet to determine what treatment, if any, is recommended. Just send all of the info, test results, biopsy results, digital ultrasound, digital x-ray, etc. to him at

 

couto.1@osu.edu

 

There is no charge for an email or phone consult. However, if you can afford to support the program, please do so. You probably would not be eligible for free chemo drugs though, but you can always ask.

 

They have been very short-staffed this past week but everyone is due back by Wednesday.

 

Jane

 

Here is complete info on the team (my standard info):

 

 

Here is info on how to contact Dr. Couto and his team. The email or phone consult is free, however a few people have been told they must sign up for the website ($50) and submit the request that way. Dr. Couto tells me that this is not true. However, if you are a member of their website, please submit your request that way because it will automate things and make record keeping for them easier. Certain chemo drugs are free; you would need to pay to have them administered.

 

Greyhound Health and Wellness Program

Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

601 Vernon Tharp Street

Columbus, Ohio 43210

Phone: (614) 247-6757 or (614) 247-8490

Email: greyosu@osu.edu

Website: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/GHWP.htm (registration and fee now required to get full access to this site)

 

This email goes to the team. If Dr. Couto is traveling, you may get a quicker answer from one of his team members. Drs. Marin and Zaldivar typically respond to greyhound owners. The consult is free but if you can afford to support the program please do so. You can sign up for full access to the website ($99 per calendar year) or donate through the giving page on the website. If you decide to donate, you can double your money by giving through the Greyhound Project. They will match the funds that you donate.

Just go to this website and scroll down to the appropriate donation button:

 

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/donate.shtml.

 

The Team:

 

Dr. Couto, Department Head, Greyhound Medicine, Oncology and Hematology

Dr. Lili Marin, Greyhound Health and Oncology

Dr. Sara Zaldivar, Greyhound Health and Oncology

Dr. William Kisselberth, Oncology

Dr. Cheryl London, Oncology

Dr. Cristina Iazbik, Blood Bank Director and Hematologist

Dr. Bridget Urie, Oncology Resident

Dr. Matt Sherger, Oncology Resident

Dr. Joelle Fenger, Oncology Resident

Dr. Roberta Portela, Oncology Resident

Dawn Hudson, Vet Tech

Ashley DeFelice, Vet Tech

Stacey Gallant, Vet Tech

 

Drs Marin and Zaldivar are originally from Spanish speaking countries. If you have trouble understanding them over the phone, you might ask for one of the other vets or vet techs to translate.

 

Dr. Couto's direct email is:

couto.1@osu.edu

His phone number is also 614-247-6757. If he is in town, he typically returns emails in the early hours of the morning.

 

You should know that (in my humble opinion) they need more staff. Unfortunately finances do not permit it at this time. They do 20 to 30 greyhound consults a day along with all of their "in canine" patients. Depending on their workload there may be a wait for the consultation. If you are contacting them on an emergency basis, please let them know.

If you want to make an appointment to be seen in person/canine, you can call the main number to set up a date/time. The main number for the veterinary hospital is 614-292-3551.

 

If you decide to visit OSU please contact me. I may be able to put you up in a local home, provide moral support, or just help with logistics:

 

Finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com

Edited November 2, 2010 by joejoesmom

[Guest Diablo]

Hi Jane,

 

Thanks for the info and your offer to help.

I will ask my vet for all the lab results and x-rays he has done and send them to him.

maybe I will have to get them translated

Hope he or anyone of his team can help, spanish is no problem

fingers crossed

[Batmom]

Just sending prayers for your pupper.

[maggiespet]

Prayers for your hound and a hug for you.

[Guest MZH]

Hi,

 

Our Cullen had a retroperitoneal hemangiosarcoma pushing into his kidney. It was in front of his hip; we could clearly see the bump was growing quickly. He had nothing in his spleen or other organs (that I know of). I contacted Dr Couto but never heard back so we went ahead and did the surgery. It helped for 3 weeks and then it metastasized. His was stage 3 and the surgeon told us that it's really not treatable with chemo unless it's stage 1 or 2. We enjoyed our three weeks more with him and he did too. Hemangio sucks.