# Connor Having Surgery for Large Mass on Spleen



## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Hi everyone. For the past month or so Connor has been having periodic episodes of ticks, tremors and fall down on his back legs. We took him to his team at UW Vet in Madison. The neurology team did a full exam including chest X-rays and abdominal ultrasound. X-rays were clear but they found some lumps on his spleen. A biopsy of the lumps proved to be benign changes from aging. The diagnosis for the symptoms was that Connor may have a pinch nerve or disc disease causing him pain and the tremors/ticks/falling down were all a pain response. They prescribed Pregabalin for pain and after the initial side effects of sedation and incoordination Connor improved quite a bit and seemed back to his old self.

Two days ago the symptoms of tremors/ticks/falling down returned but much worse. Today he had another abdominal ultrasound and they saw a much larger growth on his spleen - approx the size of a baseball. The internal medicine and oncology vet said there's no way to tell if it's benign or malignant without removing the spleen and doing pathology on the mass. They think the mass could have bled into the spleen and the blood loss could be the cause of the tremors/ticks/falling down symptoms.

Tomorrow morning Connor is going in for a CT scan and then likely surgery to remove the spleen. We may have a very hard decision to make: if the CT scan shows metastasis in other areas do we proceed with the surgery anyway to avoid a massive bleed that would kill Connor, or do we not have the surgery and bring him home to let nature take its course? Or, if the CT scan shows metastasis do we tell the team not to wake him up?

I'm so scared and worried. I don't know how to think about what's going on and figure out what's best for sweet Connor. We can pray that there is no metastasis and the mass is benign, but chances of that seem low.

I would love any thoughts from the folks here. Please help me think things through.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

How old is Connor?

I put my girl down last December. It was her time and I knew it. Her cancer was fast and aggressive. 
I think you will know in your heart. It feels like it will be a hard decision, but you know when it is time and what is best for him.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Dunmar said:


> How old is Connor?
> 
> I put my girl down last December. It was her time and I knew it. Her cancer was fast and aggressive.
> I think you will know in your heart. It feels like it will be a hard decision, but you know when it is time and what is best for him.


Connor is 12 and in otherwise great physical health.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I'm so sorry. 
I do think it's a smart move to tell them DNR if he should run into issues (with anesthesia, for instance) and need CPR (because CPR is NOT a pretty thing for canines) , but whether to let him wake if the CT shows mets, that's a personal choice. Hemangio is just so aggressive... that's what makes it so hard to decide on how much time we're buying in the case of this one. Were mets showing on lungs radiographs? They look like white starsprinkles on the black background of the lungs. 
The odds it is benign are low on any blood-rich organ, unfortunately. I'd be scared to death if I were you, and so so sad. The splenectomy will take about 4 weeks to be completely over, and if the mass hasn't infiltrated nearby vessels or nodes, no mets they can see, it will buy you some time. I'd buy some yunnan baiyao if he is coming home. You can always donate it to someone who needs it if you don't use it. Or keep it for your own use if you are on blood thinners when you get cut, just crush it and apply. My daughter (ECC vet) uses it a lot in her practice for any type bleeds, not just cancers. 
Since he's in otherwise great health, removing even a malignant invasive spleen will probably give you enough time to say goodbye, spoil, make every minute worth living. The dogs I have loved and lost, I would pay anything to have another week with. Money doesn't play into these decisions when we have such a deep love, and removing the mass will probably not cost that much more than the CT which is the costly piece of your next few days...


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Prism Goldens said:


> I'm so sorry.
> I do think it's a smart move to tell them DNR if he should run into issues (with anesthesia, for instance) and need CPR (because CPR is NOT a pretty thing for canines) , but whether to let him wake if the CT shows mets, that's a personal choice. Hemangio is just so aggressive... that's what makes it so hard to decide on how much time we're buying in the case of this one. Were mets showing on lungs radiographs? They look like white starsprinkles on the black background of the lungs.
> The odds it is benign are low on any blood-rich organ, unfortunately. I'd be scared to death if I were you, and so so sad. The splenectomy will take about 4 weeks to be completely over, and if the mass hasn't infiltrated nearby vessels or nodes, no mets they can see, it will buy you some time. I'd buy some yunnan baiyao if he is coming home. You can always donate it to someone who needs it if you don't use it. Or keep it for your own use if you are on blood thinners when you get cut, just crush it and apply. My daughter (ECC vet) uses it a lot in her practice for any type bleeds, not just cancers.
> Since he's in otherwise great health, removing even a malignant invasive spleen will probably give you enough time to say goodbye, spoil, make every minute worth living. The dogs I have loved and lost, I would pay anything to have another week with. Money doesn't play into these decisions when we have such a deep love, and removing the mass will probably not cost that much more than the CT which is the costly piece of your next few days...


He had chest X-rays yesterday and it was all clear. The oncologist said that doing the splenectomy is a good approach because it at least removes the possibility of a bleed that would likely kill him. The one thing I don't understand is how this tumor bleeding into the spleen could cause Connor's tremors/ticks/back end weakness. I am so upset and confused.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Not sure if you remember my boy Reno. He underwent a splenectomy just a day after his 11th birthday. He too was in great health other than that which is why we proceeded with surgery. We told the vet before he went in to not wake him if there was evidence of the cancer having spread. Thankfully it hadn't and Reno was back to his old self within a week or so. He was given 2-6 months with no chemo and 6-9 months with chemo. We chose not to do chemo and to let him live his the rest of his life as he would have wanted it. The only medication we gave him was metacam. He went on to live another 17 months before we had to let him go. 

I'll be thinking good thoughts for Connor.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Laurie said:


> Not sure if you remember my boy Reno. He underwent a splenectomy just a day after his 11th birthday. He too was in great health other than that which is why we proceeded with surgery. We told the vet before he went in to not wake him if there was evidence of the cancer having spread. Thankfully it hadn't and Reno was back to his old self within a week or so. He was given 2-6 months with no chemo and 6-9 months with chemo. We chose not to do chemo and to let him live his the rest of his life as he would have wanted it. The only medication we gave him was metacam. He went on to live another 17 months before we had to let him go.
> 
> I'll be thinking good thoughts for Connor.


I do remember Reno. Thank you so much for posting this - it gives me hope.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

ggdenny said:


> He had chest X-rays yesterday and it was all clear. The oncologist said that doing the splenectomy is a good approach because it at least removes the possibility of a bleed that would likely kill him. The one thing I don't understand is how this tumor bleeding into the spleen could cause Connor's tremors/ticks/back end weakness. I am so upset and confused.


Splenic bleeds often cause rear weakness and seizure like tremors - I don't know the mechanism for why but know a lot of dogs w bleeds come in because owner suspects neuro problem. If my daughter calls tonight I will ask her the why of it.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Doesn't routinely see those symptoms unless hemorrhaging and the hematocrit is super low she says.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear about Connor, sending good thoughts his surgery goes well.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Connor is at UW vet right now. I'm a little irritated/worried that they have not called me with CT scan report as promised. It was supposed to be 90-minutes ago.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I was thinking of you and him just now. Let us know.


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## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

ggdenny said:


> Connor is 12 and in otherwise great physical health.


We had to put our 10 year old Golden down in October of 2019. He had a cancer on his spleen. His symtoms were similar to what you are experiencing. In the final stages he would lose control of his hind legs and then after some rest and time, he would seem to be ok. Then it would happen again. The vet noticed that his gums would go real light when he was down, meaning his spleen had lost blood suddenly and then stopped. After a while, his blood pressure/volume would recover and he would be fine, for a while. These episodes happened over a couple of days, before we were sure what was happening, so we decided to have him put down, as during the last one he was in pain also...

Hope yours goes better, 

Good Luck


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## Rion05 (Jan 4, 2016)

ggdenny said:


> He had chest X-rays yesterday and it was all clear. The oncologist said that doing the splenectomy is a good approach because it at least removes the possibility of a bleed that would likely kill him. The one thing I don't understand is how this tumor bleeding into the spleen could cause Connor's tremors/ticks/back end weakness. I am so upset and confused.


To give you some hope...spleen lumps and bleeds can be benign! My boy, Orion, had a spleen bleed and an emergency splenectomy, just as he was turning 12. He actually collapsed, as if he lost control of his legs. I checked his gums and they appeared pale (I worked at a vet's office once upon a time). I rushed him to the emergency vet. He was a VERY active, mentally sharp, alert 12-year-old! The pathology came back negative on his spleen! He lived to almost 14.5. Best wishes - I know how much worry this causes!


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Hi everyone. Connor had his CT this morning followed by splenectomy. The results of the CT were unremarkable and they did not see anything that would be concerning. He is out of surgery now. They removed his spleen along with tumor, which was described as being approximately 8cm, which sounds incredibly huge to me. He came out of anesthesia well, but a little agitated so they gave him a sedative. He is resting comfortably with one of my sweaty t-shirts in his crate. They said they will call again tonight with another update and then again tomorrow. Not sure if he'll come home tomorrow or Sunday/Monday. Pathology is not likely to come back until Monday or Tuesday.

I'm so glad the GRF exists. Otherwise I'd be a real basket case. Thanks everyone and I will post more updates.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Great to hear Connor's surgery went well, hope he'll be home soon. 
Wishing him a speedy recover and I hope the pathology results are good news.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Connor is home! He's very sleepy. We have to keep him quiet and inactive for two weeks so that his large incision and stitches heal well. I got the discharge report and there's a lot to take in. We don't know if it's cancer or not but the following from the CT report scares me:

1. CT Scan:

Cavitated splenic mass. DDx neoplasia such as hemangiosarcoma, hemangioma, or hematoma. Concurrent
multifocial splenic nodules. DDx regenerative process such as extramedullary hematopoiesis or lymphoid
hyperplasia vs metastasis.
Few hepatic nodules. DDx nodular hyperplasia or myelolipomas vs early metastasis.
Pancreatic adenoma or focal hyperplasia vs neoplasia such as adenocarcinoma, carcinoma, or metastasis.
Partially obstructive, chronic, mineralized distal aortic thrombus.
Multifocal mesenteric and medial iliac lymphadenopathy. DDx reactive vs metastatic.
Multifocal spondylosis deformans.
T13 focal vertebral body sclerosis
Degenerative coxofemoral and sacroiliac degenerative joint disease with rectus femoris muscle enthesophytosis.
Multifocal pulmonary atelectasis.
Few likely benign subcutaneous nodules such as adenomas. DDx malignant


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Atelectasis before the surgery?

I will be keeping you tight in my prayers.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

Don't even try to read that yourself. 
Talk to the vet tomorrow and have them explain it to you


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## magiclover (Apr 22, 2008)

I just saw this post about Connor. How is he doing now that he has been home for a few days? I'm so sorry you are going through this.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

magiclover said:


> I just saw this post about Connor. How is he doing now that he has been home for a few days? I'm so sorry you are going through this.


Thanks for checking in! Connor has been home since Sunday morning and getting stronger every day. He's nearly back to his usual routines and play patterns. We still haven't gotten the pathology back, but my gut tells me it's cancer. He's 12 years old and I'm not sure how I feel about putting him through chemo, though that may depend on whether they think there is metastasis. My other concern is that he is still having occasional ticks/tremors and hind limb coordination problems that sometimes makes him fall down. At first his doctors suspected a disc/spinal problem, but then thought it could be the bleeding of the mass into his spleen. But now that his spleen and mass are gone the issue continues. The CT scan also revealed a aortic thrombus (partial clot), which could cause the ticks/tremors and hind limb incoordination, but so far they won't prescribe Plavix or other blood thinner until he's completely healed from surgery. I am so frustrated and worried.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

UPDATE:

We just got a call from our vet and the mass on Connor’s spleen is not cancer! It’s a benign hemangioma with zero cancer cells. We are so relieved, happy and blessed. What a long week.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Great to hear, I know you are relieved.


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## granite7 (Oct 5, 2020)

Great news! Praying for a speedy recovery from the recent surgery.


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## magiclover (Apr 22, 2008)

That is such great news! I am so happy to hear this. Hopefully you can now figure out what the tic/tremors are from.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

Awesome news!


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## SoCalEngr (Apr 11, 2020)

ggdenny said:


> UPDATE:
> 
> We just got a call from our vet and the mass on Connor’s spleen is not cancer! It’s a benign hemangioma with zero cancer cells. We are so relieved, happy and blessed. What a long week.


Congratulations.

And, on a side note, I wish others have a chance to see the genuine concern and support the community provides for it's members.


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## BrittMN (May 6, 2020)

Whew! I've been following Connor's story. So happy to hear the dx = benign! Congrats!


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## Ivyacres (Jun 3, 2011)

That's awesome news about Connor!


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## 3goldens2keep (Feb 13, 2019)

This is the best of all possible outcomes....! Connor deserves the best...


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## Rion05 (Jan 4, 2016)

YAY! This is EXACTLY what happened with my 12-year-old golden - spleen was BENIGN! Was hoping that was the case for Connor! Every day at this age is a gift and hopefully, this means Connor has many, many more! So happy for you!!!


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## tikiandme (May 16, 2010)

Great news! Very happy for you.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I'm so glad to see this. Yay!


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