# Enlarged Spleen



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I have no idea but wanted to welcome you to the forum and will be keeping your boy in my thoughts. Please keep us posted as you learn more.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I googled it... 

Dog Enlarged Spleen - Enlarged Spleen Treatments for Dogs | PetMD



> A variety of things are known to cause an enlarged spleen including an abdominal injury, canine hepatitis, infectious disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, bacterial infection, cell tumors of the spleen, and other immune disorders. While these are some of the most common causes, the medical causes for an enlarged spleen are not directly related to the spleen itself, but rather a symptom of another disease or condition.


Has your dog been sick besides the peach pit chomping? Or does the vet think that this could be in relation to the peach pit incident?


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

i forgot to mention my dog is NOT a golden but a labrador but i am just trying to find answers wherever i can. I hope you all don't mind me coming here with my lab 

no my vet does not see a relation with him eating the pit. however for some strange reason i read that if there is any sort of obstruction that could cause an enlarged spleen and i know he was in a lot of pain the day he vomited etc. so i thought maybe the pit was stuck SOMEWHERE in there but never showed up on xrays which is strange.

i am trying to figure out from reading all the posts even the spleen looks good in the US could there still be cancer in there? it kills me having to wait for the results to come back. on the other hand my dog seems fine. he has been sleeping more the last few months than usually but i always thought its just what they do once they reach a certain age. but he has a very good appetite otherwise.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

My Casey has an enlarged spleen. Once an ultrasound came back clean and his blood work was normal, I was told not to worry. I haven't and it's been 3 or 4 years 

As a younger dog, his spleen was apparently normal sized. Still the same size and he is an active and playful soon to be 10 year old.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I've had several situations where one of our dogs had an enlarged spleen:

1. Dog 1, age 8 or 9, acupuncture vet taking radiographs of hips and accidentally takes one of the abdomen, showing an enlarged spleen. All blood work was perfect and normal. We went for a sonogram and the specialist's clinic (an internist and oncologist) noted nothing indicating a problem, but suggests we run a tick borne disease test. She calls a few days later to tell me there was no TBD in the blood sample. A few days after that I receive a message for our acupuncture vet's office telling me our antibiotic prescription was waiting to be picked up. Confused, I call and discover the "specialist" misread the TBD lab report, he had exposure to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever ---our other vet caught it. We did a round of antibiotics, did a follow up radiograph and the spleen was normal sized, meaning the TBD caused the enlarged spleen.

2. Same dog, age 13 1/2. He wakes up one morning, lethargic, unwilling to move or eat. Sonogram shows enlarged spleen and probable tumors. Splenectomy scheduled, the surgeon opens him up and finds cancer (hemangiosarcoma) everywhere. He tells us the humane thing would be to not wake him up from the surgery and we consent.

3. Dog 2, age 7, shortly after adoption from a rescue. Dog wakes up, lethargic, unwilling to eat, throwing up bile repeatedly. We immediately go to our vets, radiographs show an enlarged spleen. Obtain sonogram and radiologist informs us his spleen is normal, just abnormally shaped, do not worry. We have no idea what caused his illness but he responds with antibiotics, fluids and IVs. 

4. Same dog 2, exactly (to the day) one year later (Dec. 13), wakes up lethargic, unwilling to eat and repeatedly throwing up bile. Run him to the vet immediately. A brand new vet on duty--sends us home, watch/wait instructions. Seethe all the way home, call clinic and ask for a second opinion. Back in the clinic immediately. Second vet takes radiographs, sees funny shaped spleen, another sonogram, same result--abnormal, just shaped funny. This vet, on a hunch, tests for leptospirosis--Bingo--he is positive. He is back to normal after a triple antibiotic combo, ivs and fluids. 

5. Same dog 2, age 12 years 8 months. He collapses just a few yards from our front door on a walk, is lethargic, dazed and confused. We are at the clinic 2 minutes after opening, radiographs and hct taken--his spleen is now more enlarged than the radiographs on file, hct is low. Immediate sonogram--large mass in spleen. Splenectomy scheduled for next morning. Surgery took almost 5 hours, one of the larger and more unusual spleens ever removed in the clinic. Diagnosis hemangiosarcoma; however, no evidence of spread. He died just one month shy of his 13th birthday.

We learned to take enlarged spleens very seriously, do follow up investigations, especially if the blood work is off. Sometimes they resolve, sometimes they don't. Any enlarged spleen is subject to rupture and cold kill the dog, whether it is benign or cancerous, so immediate attention is needed with possible removal.

You and your dog are in my thoughts and prayers. Anything to do with a dog's spleen should be investigated. I hope you get good news.


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

Sunrise said:


> My Casey has an enlarged spleen. Once an ultrasound came back clean and his blood work was normal, I was told not to worry. I haven't and it's been 3 or 4 years
> 
> As a younger dog, his spleen was apparently normal sized. Still the same size and he is an active and playful soon to be 10 year old.


 
so if i understand you right your casey's spleen was normal size but at one point in his life it became enlarged for no reason? or was he born with a large spleen?


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

Dallas Gold said:


> We learned to take enlarged spleens very seriously, do follow up investigations, especially if the blood work is off. Sometimes they resolve, sometimes they don't. Any enlarged spleen is subject to rupture and cold kill the dog, whether it is benign or cancerous, so immediate attention is needed with possible removal.
> 
> You and your dog are in my thoughts and prayers. Anything to do with a dog's spleen should be investigated. I hope you get good news.


thanks for sharing your stories about your dogs and i am so sorry to hear all that.

so how in the world can my vet tell me dont worry about the enlarged spleen this is just how it is. well HELLO it wasnt like that 2 yrs ago. how can he be reckless like that and say that?

blood tests were all normal


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

benny said:


> so if i understand you right your casey's spleen was normal size but at one point in his life it became enlarged for no reason? or was he born with a large spleen?


Yes, his spleen enlarged at some point possibly due to a TBD. His spleen is now routinely checked (every 6 months), but no surgery has been needed. 

I completely agree with Dallas Gold that enlarged spleens need to be taken very seriously and tests taken when first discovered or whenever they have symptoms - I almost lost a golden due to a splenic rupture (benign). But once all the diagnostic tests are done and no action is needed, just keep a watchful eye with your vet. 

I also had a dog with lepto; in his case it showed up in elevated liver enzymes; the test was expensive but a 6 week course of antibiotics cleared up the problem (he was asymptomatic of any problems but the blood work picked up a problem). If your area is prone to lepto, this test might be worth considering.


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

thanks for the response. not sure if our area is prone for that i know we dont have that tick disease here or not as common. i am in tampa, florida

i will definetly ask my vet monday if there isn't a risk of rupture if tests come back negative


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Benny*

Benny

When will the vet have the results of the aspirate?
I know it is hard waiting but if the vet feels good about it, that's a good sign.

How long ago did he swallow the peach pit?
I thought that that can be very bad for a dog, so I am so glad he is o.k.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I'd also recommend asking your vet to run a Tick Borne panel, not covered by the typical blood testing. As far as lepto, I think I may have written it in a confusing manner, so I should clarify. At the point our Barkley was diagnosed with leptospirosis, we had the second sonogram, with the same radiologist. This was done at the same time his labs were being analyzed. The radiologist pulled up the first sonogram report and digitals from one year before and saw that the spleen still looked exactly the same--normal but oddly shaped, not like any other golden retriever he'd seen. He thought it was just a congenital thing because it was in the body in an odd positioning, but other vets looking at it for the first time, might mistakenly think it was enlarged because it wasn't in the normal spot and the dimensions were different--hard to explain. By the time he was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma they could tell immediately that this spleen was definitely enlarged, even from the oddball shape, because by then the clinic had all the previous reports and their own set of radiographs showing it under normal conditions (we did radiographs for a few years after the second episode to double check it wasn't growing). Sunrise picked up on it the fact that her lepto dog just had elevated liver enzymes, not an enlarged spleen, and that was our situation as well. Once the radiologist reported back to our regular vet that the spleen was OK, just an oddball looking one, she was already zeroing in on leptospirosis as a cause, because his blood work showed highly elevated liver enzymes as well. It was an unusually moist fall/winter season and we had just hiked in a heavy wildlife area, all suggesting leptospirosis, so the vet made an excellent call to check it out. We were that clinic's first lepto case in a while and unfortunately they had so many in the following weeks the clinic owner took an usual step of sending a notice out to all clients, informing them of the increasing numbers, urging precautions and recommending a lepto vaccine. Until then the clinic did not routinely suggest this vaccine. The blood test for lepto is expensive, and may not be suggested by your vet if his liver enzymes were normal. Sorry for the confusion I caused. 

Just to ease your mind, assuming you get a good report back on the aspirate and the spleen size goes reduces, you might want to consider getting a follow up sonogram periodically to double check things, and to make sure the spleen isn't enlarging. We did the radiographs because they were easier to get at the time, but the sonogram really picked up more issues. I hope you get a good report on the aspirate. Chances are that the pathologist will suggest a follow up sonogram in a few months. Our Toby just had a lymph node aspirated on Tuesday and because it came back as reactive cells, the lab report recommended a follow up sonogram to monitor changes in a few months.


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. I will certainly ask him that on monday. Even so i am not sure if we have this tick disease in Florida but will check.

also 
I just went online to this website where you pay a vet to ask a question 7and here is what he said!
Hi, thanks for your question. A spleen typically does not rupture because it's enlarged. It ruptures because of trauma (hit by car, fall, dog fight, etc), OR, because of a cancerous tumor such as a Hemangiosarcoma, which is VERY visible on ultrasound. 
If the aspirate of the spleen comes back normal, then I'd probably just suggest monitoring for any changes via ultrasound, every 6 to 12 months. It is an option to just go remove the spleen, but that's up to you at that point. I'd not likely recommend surgical removal of a spleen just because it seemed to be enlarged, if all else was completely normal.


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

i asked him another question and here is more of his answers 
If the blood count is normal, I would certainly not suspect any infectious disease. If there was a fever, or some other signs of illness, then I'd be more inclined to worry - but I just can't get too concerned about a spleen that seems enlarged but with no other evidence of a problem.

We do not know of any illness that is likely communicable from sugar gliders that would cause an enlarged spleen with no other symptoms. 

Some drugs or medicines, especially some sedatives, can cause enlargement of the spleen. 

I really don't think there's any reason to be devastated by this, you've followed the recommended approach which is to get more information, and everything is coming back normal. If I were you I'd be relieved at all of the serious illnesses that have been ruled out already.


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

so makes me wonder if its from the anesthesia from a few months ago that he got when his teeth were cleaned and a benign mass removed from his gums!!!

his answer to that was:

Spleen enlargement secondary to drugs or medicines typically is very short-lived in duration, a few days perhaps, at most. I would not suspect an anesthetic event several months ago to be influencing this current situation


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## benny (Mar 25, 2011)

VET CALLED THIS afternoon and his test came back NEGATIVE NO CANCER in his spleen!!!!!!:clap2::clap2::wave::whoo::whoo:op2::hail: I can't even tell you how reliefed and happy I am for my baby. HOWEVER they still have no idea why the spleen is enlarged but at least it's no cancer. So i will do a follow up with vet next week.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Glad to hear the good news! 

Continued good thoughts on next weeks follow up with the vet.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

This is wonderful news!


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## KiwiD (Jan 14, 2008)

What great news that it's not cancer.


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## jayjay29 (May 29, 2015)

*Enlarges Spleen*

Just wanted to post this information for anyone who may have a similar situation going forward. After reading this forum, I was educated on the enlarged spleen and had to share my experience as well. My 10 year old male golden retriever went to vet for ear hematoma. After examining him vet found enlarged spleen. After X-Rays, Sono and blood work, vet was pretty certain it was malignant. However, as shocked as I was, I didnt believe it! He was playing, eating, acting very normal. I was not going to have surgery or chemo and put him through all of that. I decided to get a second opinion, thank GOD! The second vet, looked at test results, listened to us and after examining him, thought that he did not exhibit symptoms of a dog with a cancerous tumor the size that showed in X-Rays. I told him that I read on this forum that the bigger the mass, the more likely it was benign. He said, you're right! We went ahead with surgery today and it was not a tumor, it was a hematoma!! Thank God, I went for a 2nd opinion. My beloved boy would have died when the spleen ru
ptured! So, listen to your gut and get a 2nd opinion!!


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## jayjay29 (May 29, 2015)

Just wanted to share this information for anyone with a golden with an enlarged spleen. GET A 2nd OPINION!! First vet had me convinced my boy had cancer. I was not going to have surgery or chemo. I had a gut feeling it may not be cancer and took him for a 2nd opinion. The 2nd vet agreed with me, my dog's behavior was the same, blood counts good. The large mass that showed on X-Ray was not cancer but a hematoma! Thank you to the person that posted the information about the larger the mass, the more likley it is not cancer. They were correct! If I would have listened to the 1st vet, my dog would have died when the spleen ruptured! GET A 2ND OPINION, it may save your dogs life!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I have had two Goldens with enlarged spleens...both were taken to surgery as what causes the enlargement that leads to fatal bleeding can happen whether benign or cancerous. With my two, one had a infarct. The other a hematoma. Both results were confirmed by sending to a pathologist...


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## MNGolden (Dec 17, 2016)

Thanks for all of the information. Stella has just been diagnosed with an enlarged spleen, She is 9 tears old and was just not eating well. TBIL is high 2.3. ALP is 682, ALT is 635 and BUN is 6. Scheduled for an ultrasound in a few days.


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