My Sweet Little Frannie Has Hemangiosarcoma

[cristar]

In January I took her into our vet because she had some bright red spots on her abdomen that I was kind of concerned about.

She looked at them and didn't now what they were so she took a picture of them and sent it to a dermatologist.

Two days later she called and said that they both recommended to just watch them. I watched them.

In February at her annual checkup she looked at them again. All had disappeared except one, about the size of a dime. Again she said to just keep an eye on it. I did.

About three weeks ago it started changing color and had a 'bullseye' ring around it underneath the skin.

I took her back in again. She looked at it and said "this is probably something that will never go away".

At that point I asked if maybe a biopsy might not be in order. She said fine and did one the same day.

 

Seven days later the biopsy results came in -

Stage II cutaneous vascular endothelial neoplasm

 

Ultrasound and x-rays were done. All was clear so far.

 

We're seeing the oncologist at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday.

 

I didn't go with my gut feeling. I didn't want to seem like a know it all to my vet in the beginning and tell her to

do a biopsy right away. I trusted her knowledge.

My trust has let the most precious greyhound we've ever had down and with everything I've read about this disease, we might have her for another year - maybe.

 

 

 

[Batmom]

With cutaneous you might have her for a good bit longer. Will keep fingers and toes and everything else crossed for the best possible outcome.

[cristar]

Thank you Jey, you're always the first one to offer comforting advice.

[tbhounds]

Honestly, this is something that is brought up here with some frequency--hemangioma's vs cutaneous hemangiosarcoma. These buggers pop up a lot on our hounds and without doing a biopsy one can not determine the pathology of them. With the change in that ones appearance you were so right in pursuing the surgery. I think the odds are in your favor assuming your vet achieved clean margins. You might want to contact Dr Kellogg at Ohio State to get their input in this.

[Charlies_Dad]

We will all keep your sweet little girl in our thoughts and send white light that she is healthy and happy for a long time to come!

[dante2zoe]

If it brings any comfort, my whippet had cutaneous hemangiosacrcoma twice. Both times, the mass was removed with decent margins. He has since passed but not due to the disease or any variation thereof.

 

Good luck and good thoughts for your girl.

[Finnsliz]

My Wink had one removed about 7 years ago. They got clear margins and it has never returned. She will be 14 in July.

[EllenEveBaz]

You have not let Frannie down. You made the best decisions you could. We'll all be hoping for good news from the oncologist on Tuesday.

[IndyandHollyluv]

Oh gosh. Hugs for you and your sweet Frannie. Wishing a very positive outcome for your little girl ...

 

And I'm sorry for those of you who live in "stinky, cold Minnesota." Saw some weather video on the news this morning. Hurry spring!!! Here in Michigan, freezing temps are predicted for tonight but we might hit 80 degrees later this week. Go figure.

Edited May 12, 2013 by IndyandHollyluv

[schultzlc]

Sending good thoughts to your Frannie and to you!

[DesiRayMom]

Best wishes for Frannie......hoping for decent news from the oncologist.

[Xan]

Hey, I hope you're over beating yourself up for this!!

 

My boy Pogo had a bunch of things-that-could-be-hemangiosarcoma, which we had removed while he was under light anesthesia for other reasons. We didn't even test them, since treatment is remove and watch in any case, and we're always on the fine edge of broke. Then, one showed up on the white of his eye. That one, and a few others, were all removed at one time, and we had that and the most suspicious other spot tested. The skin one was benign, but the eye one was hemangiosarcoma. That was last June, so it's been nearly a year, and while skin spots have come, and even gone (one after getting all scabby and nasty), we've seen nothing more on or near the eye, despite one vet's opinion that he "expected to see the tumor return on the optic nerve, and be pushing the eye out in 3 to 4 months." (Mr. Bedside Manner, eh? )

 

Anyway, cutaneous hemangiosarcoma isn't necessarily a quick death sentence, or even a death sentence at all. Hang in there! You did the cautious approach, and removed the one spot that turned out to be a problem, so your instincts actually are pretty darn good!

[cristar]

Yeah, I'm done beating myself up now .

Just got home from the oncologist. They need to do another biopsy. Seems there wasn't enough surrounding tissue to declare it clean margins

with the first one.

Plus the fact that the ultrasound we had done last week was supposed to be sent to the specialist to read today - they never got it.

 

I'm done beating myself up....not to say I wouldn't like to do it to someone else....

[Batmom]

Beating someone else up would be *much* more satisfying. Imagining doing it would even be legal!

 

Lots of hugs. Hope the margins were already clean.

[cristar]

Yeah, I suppose I better take the legal road and just imagine it.

Aaaaacck anyway.

Needless to say, I'm changing vets. She'll be going to the U of M for all her vetting now.

[Xan]

Yeah, avoiding jail is probably a good call. You know. Timing is everything.

 

It's hard for us on our side to take it in stride when vets/vet staff make mistakes, with so much riding on it! I hope for all the other critters' sake still under their care that the mistakes weren't deep incompetence, anyway.

[sobesmom]

You did Nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong. Got it?

 

My dog had the other hemangio - it presented as a lump on his leg. The vet said it was probably a pulled muscle, but I didn't think so. I went back after 2 weeks - insisted they do a biopsy. Hemangio. Already through the organs. Way too late before the leg lump even presented. I felt like crap. I blamed myself. But - I finally realized - I did nothing wrong. I didn't cause it - I didn't screw up by not fighing the vet the first time - it was already done. It wasn't my fault - it wasn't the vet's fault. Crap happens.

 

With your type - it could really be OK. But no matter what - YOU DIDN'T screw up.

[ahicks51]

We never had a biopsy done, but Coco had dermal hemangiosarcoma, as judged by a local greyhound vet with 30-40-some years of experience, just little black dots on the skin, maybe 2mm diameter. He removed them with local anesthesia, and were told to expect them to come back.

 

Something like 16 months later, I found another bump on him, and took him in. THAT wasn't it, but doc found one, right on the knee, that I'd missed. Also tiny. Doc noted it was highly unusual for it to take so long between hemangios, and I commented that Coco was on a zero-carb, BARF diet. He noted that *could* be one reason why it took so long.

 

The next time I took him in was over a year later- no skin bumps at all. We lost him this past September from an apparently unrelated issue, at about 10-1/2 years of age, with no apparent dermal lesions, 1-2 years after the last time we took him in for skin bumps.

 

So- the takeaway from this is 1) it may not have actually been dermal hemangio (no biopsy performed) and 2) the diet may have had absolutely nothing to do with it, and anecdotes are worth what you pay for. But I thought it was interesting.

 

You might look into low-dose chemo. And double-check with an oncologist as to whether there are any experimental treatments in the pipeline that might be options.

[cristar]

Thank you everyone for your kind words.

Frannie had her revision last week and the margins were clear. They took another 'bump' off her leg

and that was clear too.

So for now, we just watch. They said no special diet and no chemo but to bring her in every 3 months

to be checked and maybe an ultrasound and x-ray just to see what's going on inside.

 

Boy, I gotta tell ya, I have a whole different outlook on skin cancer now...

Whew. I'll never rest easy though. Every time I see a spot on her now I'll be worried.

What the heck, I've been worried for the past 17 years - that's when we adopted our first grey!!

[Guest WhiteWave]

Casper my Dogo has it too. He has them removed several times, but they come back in other spots. He had one rupture the other day and he bled everywhere but I was able to get it to quit and he is on antibiotics to prevent infection. He has other concerns and last time didn't do too well with surgery so I don't know whether to put him through it or not. Leaving them, they said there is a 30% chance of them spreading internal, but they may already be there. We've been battling them for 4 yrs now. He has dozens of little blood blisters on his groin area and then 2 big ones on his leg. He had a huge one on his butt and when it ruptured he had to have surgery b/c it wouldn't stop bleeding and he was losing too much blood.

Edited May 31, 2013 by WhiteWave

[cristar]

I've been reading everything I can about this now and a lot of it

doesn't sound too promising. Even when the vet was doing her ultrasound,

he said he didn't find anything unusual, but that didn't mean there wasn't

something starting up inside, just that it wasn't showing up yet.

I know. One of my friends has had 4 greys with it and they all did differently.

Yup, that's what Frannie's look like, little blood blisters. All but the one had

scabbed over and went away on their own. Sure wish they all would, but that's probably

not going to be the case.

We'll just keep plugging along and hope for the best.

My best wishes to your boy Casper. This sure isn't easy.

[Xan]

Well, be grateful for now, and that things look good at the moment! Frannie doesn't know anything about hemangiosarcoma, and ignorance can be bliss. Hang with her in that blissful state as much as you can. It's hard when we fear the future, but that fear can poison all the good of the present! Hugs to you both!!! :bighug