Spleen Removal Anyone?

[3dirtydawgz]

My yellow Lab Kiz had an xray and they found a mass in his spleen, looks like it hasn't spread but has anyone had their dog's spleen removed? I get varying info on the internet on how long they are expected to live after the removal.

Thanks for any help!

[Annette47]

Sorry to hear this! I think a lot of how long they live afterwards depends on whether the mass is malignant or not. My neighbor’s elderly sheltie mix had her spleen removed and lived about 6 months afterwards, but she had malignant hemangiosarcoma which eventually spread to the rest of her body (lungs, heart, etc). The spleen removal itself did not cause her death.

I have heard of other people whose dogs had a benign mass removed and lived a normal lifespan, but those stories seem to be fewer. Jolie had what we think was most likely a benign mass (she had it for quite some time with no symptoms of spread) but because she had other health issues at the time (she was 14 when we found out about it) we opted not to put her through surgery. As far as we know, the mass never burst or spread but it did eventually grow large enough to make her feel lousy enough not to want to eat, move, etc.

So to answer your question, I think it depends on a) whether or not the mass is malignant and b) your dog’s overall health. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

[Charlotte K.]

Sorry to hear this!
[snip]

So to answer your question, I think it depends on a) whether or not the mass is malignant and b) your dog’s overall health. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

^This. In middle aged or senior dogs in otherwise good health, I have known them to live well for years after the touch and go recovery if it was benign and even in one Lab who was given 3 months but lived years. If it has spread, I might not put a senior retriever over 10 through the operation, which is a doozy from which to recover. Sometimes the operation is a success but the patient dies. Unfortunately, it is a tough call. I have had to make that call myself. In the cases where it had spread, we opted to give prednisone and palliative care. There are also Traditional Chinese Herbs that, from a vet, increase quality of life and act as a chemo for a while. I am so sorry that you are in this tough place.

[3dirtydawgz]

Thank you both for your input, much appreciated.

The problem for me is that you don't know before they remove the spleen if it is malignant or benign. I just honestly cannot see making a dog have that kind of surgery if they will only survive a few months after.

Charlotte K, the surgery really is a bad one?! He is 13 years old, pretty much a nervous/skiddish dog in general so i worry the surgery AND recovery will stress him out to no end.

It's so hard to choose what the "right thing" is to do for our best friends! I've been struggling back and forth on whether or not to put him through it.

[POPTOP]

So sorry this is happening. Wanted to send along mojo and support for whatever you decide.

[Charlotte K.]

You may wish to ask the vet the range of how many days after the operation the dog should be hospitalized and what treatment will be besides Iv and pain pills. Complications include needing transfusions before as well as sometimes after removal and throwing clots that end it all. It is hard to say what to do. Each case is different. For the 5 year old, surgery was chosen and successful after a rough couple weeks. For my older Labs and a friend's 10 year old golden mix, we chose to give them the best time at home that we could, including home cooking and every treat in the store, plus meds. It was better for us spending the last days or weeks that way since I could be home part time. The golden mix shook so badly at the vets that less time there was better for him.

There is no wrong answer. Do what seems right for the whole family or pack, especially the patient. We will support you.

[blacklabs]

My black lab boy, Fitzy, at 9½ years old had his spleen removed (splenectomy) after a tumour was detected during an ultra sound by a Vet Specialist I was referred to by my Vet who was concerned with a lump he felt during a physical examination along with blood test results coming back showing he was anaemic. I took my boy to the vet when he seemed not himself and didn't chase his ball during a fetch game in the park which was unheard of for this ball obsessed boy.

After his splenectomy, the turmour was sent to pathology and got the results a week later that my boy had Hemangiosarcoma cancer . He spent 4 days at the specialist veterinary centre for his recovery from the splenectomy and I visited him daily and after I brought him home he recovered extremely quickly back to the very happy and energetic boy he was prior to the vet visit which found the lump. The specialist surgeon was quite amazed at how quickly he did recover and bounce back and he then underwent chemo treatment about a week later after his full recovery from the splenectomy. The chemo did however knock him around and his Oncologist advised me from the outset that I could stop the chemo at any time if I was not comfortable with how things were going for him. I stopped the chemo for a couple of weeks to give his body a chance to recover and then started it again. Once the initial chemo treatment was done I decided not to put him through any more as quality of life was more important than quantity. I lost my beloved boy 5 months after his diagnosis when the cancer spread to his lungs and I had him put to sleep .

In preparing me for the splenectomy, the specialist surgeon advised me that if they find the tumour had spread to other organs, he would call me about making the decision to put him to sleep there and then as the surgeon advised it would be kinder to not let him wake up from the surgery if the tumour had spread to the other organs as he would only survive a matter of weeks if that was the case. There was also a risk of a bleedout during this type of surgery as the spleen's function is to filter for blood, so contains a lot of blood. Fortunately the tumour had not spread to any other organs and was confined to the spleen which was removed.

The two main issues with finding a tumour on the spleen is that there is a risk of a bleedout if the spleen is not removed and the only way to get a definitive diagnosis on whether the tumour is a malignant Hemangiosarcoma or a benign Hemangioma is for the tumour to be removed and sent to pathology. The tumour cannot be removed in isolation to the spleen as it contains a lot of blood as the spleen acts as a filter for blood, so the spleen containing the tumour must be removed. Unfortunately, if there is a diagnosis of Hemangiosarcoma (malignant cancer), the prognosis is very grim as it is a very aggressive cancer and by the time there are any symptoms, the damage has already been done, hence the grim prognosis.

It is a pretty stressful and traumatic time trying to decide whether or not to put your dog through a splenectomy. It is a major operation and probably not one that I personally would put a 13 year old through. My boy was 9.5 years old and had always been extremely healthy, very happy, outgoing and energetic and both myself and the specialist surgeon thought he had a very good chance of a great recovery from the surgery, which he did and exceeded the surgeon's expectation in this regard. However, unfortunately for my boy, he was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and even with chemo he only survived 5 months More often than not the diagnosis for a tumour on the spleen is Hemangiosarcoma cancer, but unfortunately without the spleen with the tumour being removed, there is no other way to get a definitive diagnosis. Therein lies the dilemma

If I was unfortunate enough to have a another one of my Lab's diagnosed with a tumour on their spleen, it would very much depend on their age and/or condition as to whether or not I would opt for the splenectomy. If I did and Hemangiosarcoma was diagnosed, this time around I would not opt for Chemo.

Best of luck with your situation, I know only too well the dilemma you are going through and you and your beloved Lab boy are in my thoughts

[shellbell]

The only thing I really know about spleen removal, is that if your dog is positive for a tick disease, removal of the spleen can cause the tick disease to run rampant in their system. I think the spleen is somehow connected to the immune system to keep things in check, so you can have a dog who tests positive and shows no symptoms, but then once the spleen is removed they will start to show symptoms after that.

[SoSiouxme]

My dog Satchel had a splenectomy when he was 11. The vet took out an 8 lb mass that was wrapped around his spleen. I decided to have the surgery because the vet told me that if the mass was not removed, eventually the mass would rupture and he would bleed out internally. The vet said it wasn't a terrible way to go for the dog (as they just lose all energy and pass) but that if I was there and saw it, I'd likely never recover. I was told that if they got into surgery and found that the mass had spread, that I would be given the choice to euthanize my darling on the spot, but that otherwise, the mass would be sent to pathology to determine if it was malignant. After weighing the options, I elected to have the $3500 surgery. Satchel's mass was not malignant and he's still with me at 12 1/2 years old. He has other issues now - going to the vet on Tuesday to explore whether he has LP -- but I wouldn't trade this past year and half with him for anything. Satchel's recovery was pretty good. He came home the day after his surgery and he immediately had more energy (and a waistline!). If Satchel was older or in poor health, I'd likely make a different decision. For example, if he does have LP, I'll not pursue a surgical option. But I wasn't ready to say goodbye to him then, and as it turns out, he wasn't ready to go. Thinking good thoughts for you whatever you decide. It's not an easy decision.

[barry581]

No experience with this, but wish you and Kiz good mojo.