Hemangiosarcoma Or Hemangioma?

[Guest BobJones]

Yes! Another one of these worriers.

My greyhound developed a small spot around the abdominal area two years ago - I had no idea what it was but I took him to the vet. The vet was also unsure - she said it looked like a nipple! - but to keep an eye on it and if it got any bigger then to bring him in again and they'd look into it further.

Now, fast forward to two weeks ago and the spot started bleeding, I don't know if he'd done something to it or what but it was bleeding. Then a few days ago I noticed it was bleeding again but that it had been knocked off.

What I wanted to know is:
A ) If it has originally been hemangiosarcoma would he likely just have - to put it bluntly - died by now and would the spot have continued to grow?
B ) Is it possible that a "Hemangioma" spot could have turned into "Hemangiosarcoma"?

 

I should also note that he's been ill twice in the last two-three months and that he's around ten years old.

 

I'm going to the vets this evening but I'm absolutely bricking it! Any help would be much appreciated!

Edited August 28, 2015 by BobJones

[tbhounds]

I think the fact that you noticed this lesion 2 years ago is a good indicator that it's most likely benign. You will need to biopsy that area and have a pathologist interprete the cells. You might be able to excise the area with just a local and/or a short acting or reversible anesthetic.

[kudzu]

Agree with tbhounds, if it has been there for two years, especially remaining approx the same size, it would seem highly likely it was just a hemangioma. Have never heard of hemangiosarcoma appearing & remaining the same size for any length of time. Hemangiomas can hang around for years. They can get larger then smaller again. They can & often do spontaneously bleed. If it was my hound I would not worry, but would get a biopsy as a precaution.

 

One of my hounds is very prone to hemangiomas & I have my own collection of them. It's a real annoyance, and sometimes rather embarrassing, to suddenly spring a leak. On the positive side, it doesn't happen often, doesn't hurt at all & cauterizing usually stops the problem for an extended period of time. If the spot is small enough it can just be frozen off. There really is no way to tell, just by looking at the spot on the dog or person, whether it is hemangioma or hemangiosarcoma. If the spot suddenly starts growing rapidly then it might be time to worry a little. Though I have a spot on my leg that can rapidly grow 4-6 times its normal size, stop growing for a while, then inexplicably shrink to an almost imperceptible dot. My motto with my dog's hemangiomas is, "When in doubt, cut it out." Admittedly, we've only done that once.

Edited August 28, 2015 by kudzu

[sobesmom]

My Sobe died of hemangiosarcoma. He developed a large lump on his leg (elongated fist-sized) within a matter of weeks. That was our first indication of disease. We took him to the vet a week after it appeared (egg sized at that time), he said wait and see. A couple weeks later it was nearly fist-sized. We had it biopsied, determined what it was, and were told that by the time it presents in a visible tumor like that it's already invaded the organs and is in end-stage. He was given weeks to live but made it a few months, with astonishingly quick loss of condition. What you're describing sounds nothing like that (Thank goodness!).

 

I'm certainly no expert, but just from my personal experience, I think you can cross hemangiosarcom off your list of worries.

 

Hemangiomas I know nothing about so I'll defer to others.