Hemangiomas - When To Worry?

[kudzu]

My spotty boy, Soleil, has another spot that appears to be a hemangioma. This is his 2nd or 3rd, depends on whether the first two were really the same one. (It disappeared & later reappeared on its own.) Vet removed one via freezing. Just made an appt for him to look at the latest spot. If it were on me there would be no docs appt. I've a large port wine stain, a type of birthmark on my back that periodically gets spots just like this. I know what these are. On Soleil though there is no birth mark to show the prior location. Is this right where the prior spots were? Is this really another hemangioma or is it something more sinister? Last time vet said if there a recurrence we might want to think about a biopsy just to be safe.

 

So the question is, if we determine with some certainty that these spots are hemangiomas do I just assume another one, in a new spot is still hemangioma? What if it keeps coming back in the same spot? Is this a case of looks like a duck & quacks like a duck so it's a duck? Or should each hemangioma-ish spot be treated like a possible evil duck poser?

 

You know there are a lot of things I enjoy sharing with my dog but this isn't on the list. Not a big deal in the grand scheme but still something I could do without & not miss a bit.

[tbhounds]

You can't tell the difference between a hemangioma vs a hemangiosarcoma without a biopsy. I would definetly excise it.

Edited to add-you can most likely have it done with a local and a light sed.

Edited July 26, 2012 by tbhounds

[Xan]

Sending good thoughts to you both!

 

My Pogo keeps getting these, and is at the vet right now to get some off, including one on his EYEBALL. : These are going to pathology this time. Even though the treatment is the same if they are hemangiosarcoma (remove them), I want to know what we're dealing with, and understand the risks for it going internal.

 

Best luck to Soleil!!

[NevadasMom]

Trolley just recently had one removed & we sent it to pathology to be sure. Vet said that they will re-occur. Apparently pretty common in Greyhounds. She has since had futher ones & they disappear on their own. The Vet said that they will come & go and should not be an issue unless they get very large. Then it's really a matter of them rupturing & being bloody. To me they look like little black mushrooms....

[kudzu]

Hope all is fine, Xan.

 

Then it's really a matter of them rupturing & being bloody.

BTDT & had to throw out more than one shirt. It was particularly embarrassing when it happened at work. Have had to have some spots on my back cauterized to keep me from springing a leak. I have cutaneous & subcutaneous hemangiomas in addition to a cluster of them in my spleen. (MRI in orthopedics was very concerned about that finding. MRI in internal medicine was very concerned about the state of my spine. )

 

Yes, the one on Sol right now does bare some resemblance to a black mushroom about 5 mm diameter but his has a red circle around making the whole area about 1.5 cm diameter. Was the same way last time. Each time I look at it & initially wonder if it is a tick. This time though I had to do a count & comparison to ensure it wasn't a boy nipple gone bad. It's not.

Edited July 26, 2012 by kudzu

[Xan]

Wow, Kudzu! I hope YOU'RE fine, too!

 

Yeah, those boy-nipples can be confusing when you're looking for little black spot-bumps, eh?

[Guest TLH0739]

My last grey had them all over his chest and abdomen. I had them laser offed but they came back. The first time they were sent to pathology and they were not cancerous. I would find new ones almost every few days.

[JJNg]

As tbhounds mentioned, it's always safer to remove/biopsy to make sure you know what you're dealing with and catch it early if it is a hemangiosarcoma instead. However, if the growth is tiny (less than 5 mm diameter or so) and not growing, I think it's reasonable to monitor and not remove them right away. Willow had one on her back foot that didn't get any bigger than about 6-7 mm. I was pretty sure it was a hemangioma and just watched it. Finally removed it after a couple years when she was under for a dental, and the biopsy confirmed hemangioma. Wiki has a tiny one on his front leg that is only about 2-3 m and hasn't changed. It's been there for a few months, and I'm just watching it for now.

[silverfish]

Just had one removed from Jeffie's lip. Not a good place to let a tumour grow very big, and since it was growing rapidly, he went in for removal when it was half a centimetre. They sent it off and that's what it was, but apparently mast cell tumours can look remarkably like them when they're small so we didn't want to risk it.

 

It was also getting crusty and looking as if it would ulcerate, and the vet said it bled like stink while she was cutting it out.

[kudzu]

Thank you all for the input. The appt is set for this Wed. Wanted to give it a week to go away on its own. Right now the reddened area is a little bigger. Will likely have it removed & sent off. I'd rather the comfort of knowing for sure that it is indeed a hemangioma.

 

Xan, thanks. I'm just fine. It's a congenital thing for me. No worries.

[Xan]

Thank you all for the input. The appt is set for this Wed. Wanted to give it a week to go away on its own. Right now the reddened area is a little bigger. Will likely have it removed & sent off. I'd rather the comfort of knowing for sure that it is indeed a hemangioma.

 

Xan, thanks. I'm just fine. It's a congenital thing for me. No worries.

Well, good!

 

Sending good thoughts for Wednesday, and for the diagnosis.

[LisaB]

Sorry I just found this; hoping I can alleviate some worry for you. Your description sounds exactly like what our Moody has been having. The first was back in 2009; had the ones earlier this year removed and tested. Diagnosis is HAMARTOMA, rather than hemangioma. Check it out. Just found another one on him today. Just leaving it alone, if it breaks open, keeping it clean and putting a little antibiotic cream on it, and putting a t-shirt on him. They "re-absorb" and all is well. We're supposed to go have them looked at again if their nature changes or frequency greatly increases.

 

 

(I have pics, but I'm not sure I remember how to post pics here; I do remember that it was kind of "involved.")

Edited July 29, 2012 by LisaB

[kudzu]

Lisa B, that's actually very interesting. The multiple small masses in spleen were listed by the radiologist as either hemangiomas or hamartomas. Those are being considered hemangiomas primarily because I have multiple other known hemangiomas. In my reading it seems some believe there is a fine line between hemangioma & hamartoma. Though that was in relation to visceral tumors, not cutaneous. Either way it's not a big deal as long as those do not get bigger or rupture, just like the cutaneous version.

 

Will be interesting to see what Sol's turns out to be, assuming we choose to have this one removed. This vet said he's had other Grey patients who were prone to this. It's one of those times I'm glad to have a Grey experienced vets. That's for mentioning hamartoma. Hope all stays minimal & benign with your pup.