# Hemangiosarcoma - what to do



## Saca (May 20, 2007)

Geez it hurts to hear that; we lost an almost 8 year old to that too. We did do an emergency spleen removal and the vet found a tumor on her liver which already had metastasized. We loved her for 5 more weeks and she had another bleed so we released her to the Rainbow Bridge. Best advice is to pamper and love him beyond words. Others may add more detailed advice because there's so many that have dealt with this cancer. Best wishes to you and I'll keep you in my special thoughts.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

Aug. 30, 2014 we adopted a blind Great Pyrenees. He had had a very rough first years. His foster didn't really have the time to spend a lot of time working with him. But she did her best--except for one thing. She is vegan and fed him vegan dog food. When she got him he was 55 pounds. fifteen months later when we got him he was 60 pounds. Only 5 pounds in 15 months. 

In just 3 1/2 weeks we had put almost 3 pounds on him and he was so happy and had learned the lay of our yard and house and acted like a true pyr, patrolling his "charge." Then one morning he didn't want to get up, didn't want to eat, collapsed on the way to the car to get him to the vet. Bllod work, ultrasound showed ruptured tumor on spleen and he was bleeding out and nothing could be done at that stage. Had most likely been going on all night while we were sleeping. We let him go right then rather than haing onto him for a few more hours letting him suffere.

This is different from your story in that Shaggy was to far gone by the time we got up and found him--vet had his bring him straight in. You know now and I thinking talking to your vet, getting all options is the way to go. Hear everything and then decided if you want to do radical things or not. It is so hard. By the way, 1 month and 10 days before losing Shaggy to hemangiocrcoma, had lost my last golden retriever, Honey to lymphoma at age "at least 13. Had adopted her fully grown and had her 12 years.

Good luck.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

I am so sorry. Jake was diagnosed with hemo a week before Christmas. We had him another three weeks. After getting him drained when he first collapsed he had a great three weeks. You never would of known anything was wrong. Then he had a small bleed and a week later the bleed was to big and it was time to let him go. Try to do all the fun things he likes. Let him eat all things you never would give him before. Just enjoy him with the time you have left and make memories.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

Our Pete had a tumor on his spleen that was hemangiosarcoma. We opted to have his spleen out and he did really well. No other areas seemed to be affected but we also knew that hemangiosarcoma is in the blood vessels so it may have been hiding somewhere else that the vet could not see. We did not do chemo, Pete was 10, and we lost him 2 weeks later. BUT, those 2 weeks were wonderful and full of love. Hemangiosarcoma is a terrible cancer and we were told that chemo might extend his life by a few weeks or possibility a month or two.
Enjoy every moment you have. This is a caring and supportive forum for those of us who have gone through these very bad times.


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## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

I echo what others have said. I am so sorry. I hate this @&$"? disease. We lost our Simon at 10 to hemangio and had no extra time with him except the drive to the vet hospital. Please, please treasure the time you have left and make more memories. My heart goes out to you.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

My Charlie was only 7 when an ultrasound revealed a large tumor on his spleen. We arranged to have his spleen removed the next day, by a surgeon who was amazed that we had caught the tumor before it ruptured. As he put it, he rarely had the luxury of removing the spleen from an otherwise healthy dog.

We got the best possible news in that the tumor was benign, though we were warned that it was possible the pathologist had simply missed malignant cells. Charlie recovered from the surgery and lived another 6 years.

Charlie's half-brother, Joker, suffered a ruptured spleen when he was 11. We got him to the emergency clinic and they operated in time to save his life. One of the vets thought I was crazy to fight for a dog his age, but another told me she would fight if he were hers and that settled the issue for me. Once again, we hit the splenectomy jackpot and got the news that there was no evidence of malignancy. Joker has since had surgery again to remove bladder stones and an abdominal mass that once again benign. He is pushing 15 and still going strong.

Nobody can promise you that your boy will do as well, but they also can't be sure he won't. In your place, I would get that spleen out and fight for him. In the end, you will know that you did everything you could. Trust me - that's worth a lot.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

First, I'm very sorry you're going through this. It's a nasty disease.

As for what to do: This is a very personal decision. There's no right or wrong answer: only you and your vet can decide what's best for you and your dog.

I lost my 8 year old dog to cardiac hemangiosarcoma in March of this year. She showed no prior signs of illness at all - was in top shape, running agility - until the tumour ruptured. It took two days to get a diagnosis. Because of the size and position of the tumour in her case, there was nothing to be done. Surgery wasn't possible. We were offered chemotherapy to extend her life by what was likely to be only a few weeks, but after speaking to others who had been through something similar, we decided against it. And again, because of the location of her tumour, it wasn't possible to keep her with us without treatment. During the two days we were waiting for a diagnosis, she suffered immensely and it was out of the question for us to risk putting her through that again.

So the only thing we could do was bring her home, give her 24 hours of love and doing all the things she enjoyed most, and then sending her gently on her way. It was excruciatingly unbearable.

Whatever your decision, make the most of the time you have with him. It's the best gift you can give to him, and to yourselves.

My thoughts are with you. It's an awful disease that takes no prisoners and I'm so sorry you're going through this.


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## jeffzou (Jul 11, 2015)

*Cancer in the spleen*

Dean,

Hello...sorry to hear your news. I am new to this forum and found it as a result of seeking comfort from the loss of my boy Forrest.

He was just over 7 years old - a beautiful robust loving blonde GR. I loved him beyond description.

He was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen about a month ago. We led our boy over the bridge on July 3. 

I am really struggling with the loss of my boy. Though we still have his litter mate sister Jenny with us it is just not the same.

This disease is horrendous. The solution.....well.....

LOVE HIM MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT POSSIBLE.

We sought out answers , visited specialists and they were all helpful. Each case is different and you will have to make your own decision. I was NOT going to let my boy feel pain or suffer. He cried iin pain twice to me due to his spleen bleeding. That was all I had to experience.

We _scheduled_ his departure to a better place. We let all of our friends know 5 days in advance. I took off work to stay with him that full 5 days. Every afternoon about 3 or so, our friends, neighbors and fellow dogs would start showing up. He LOVED the companionship. He was happy in those few hours every afternoon. We discovered how loved both he and we are by our friends. It was a rewarding experience. He got people food for the first time in his life. I slept on teh floor with him. I knew the end was close but we knew it was the right place to send him and wanted to do it BEFORE the disease controlled him when both he and we were in control. I wanted him to walk proudly into our vets office, I did not want to carry him in. I wanted him to wag his tail at the vet staff (like always). I wanted sparkle in his eyes. I wanted him to look me in the eyes when it was time and know he was in safe hands - not in pain. It was an honorable, fitting transition...........But, I'd trade it all to have him back.

Best wishes for your family, I hope you are able to kick this horrendous disease in the ass....and keep your beautiful companion forever...

Jeff




deanbergan said:


> Hello.. I was referred to this forum by a friend that told me there are lots of great people out there that are also dealing with Cancer in their golden.
> 
> We have a 8 year old golden that was just diagnosed with Herangisarcoma. The ultrasound found a growth on his spleen and possibly something in the fatty tissue in his stomach area. His liver is clean and xrays of his lungs look good. He has some liaisons on his skin however so we they are worried that it has already metastasized.
> 
> ...


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## ofm05 (Jul 4, 2015)

My Goldy was able to live almost two years after surgery. 2013 to July 3rd 2015. She hit 11.5 yrs before we had to send her off.

July 4th felt like the worst day ever.

Enjoy the time and make it count! Always make it count!

Hope you guys beat it!


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

8 Years old is plenty young enough to remove the spleen. I've known dogs much older than yours that lived for years retaining a quality of life.

Just my thought but 8 is young to me, a middle age. If your dog was in teenage years I might have something different to say.

8 is not old to me!


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I know how difficult this is for you. I have lost four dogs to hemangiosarcoma, all presented with symptoms after the cancer had spread to all major organs and there was no surgery that could have helped any of them. 

If your dog is doing well, the cancer has not spread yet - he is definitely not too old for surgery.


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## Coby Love (Apr 9, 2015)

I'm so sorry to hear this news. I lost my Coby instantly a month before his ninth birthday. Hemangio in the heart. Whatever you decide, enjoy your last time with him. I wish I had had some warning. It was ridiculously traumatic to watch your perfectly fine dog collapse, rush him to ER and not be able to resuscitate him. Praying for you both. You will make the best decision and this forum is a God send.


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## Yellow Labby Girl (Jun 18, 2014)

I'm sorry to hear that your baby has this horrible cancer. I lost two dogs to this cancer last year Abby on 7/19/14. Abby had multiple masses in her spleen that gone to her heart and believe it was working it's way up into her brain. We had the fluid pulled off her heart and gave her medicine for her heart arrhythmias. There easy nothing else we could had done for her, other than love her and make sure she was comfortable. We had Abby for six an half weeks. We just lost Jill our 13 and half old golden to the same cancer on 7/22/15. They found a huge spleen mass, it hadn't moved to her heart. So we were lucky there, but we knew the tumor could rupture any moment. We didn't do surgery on her because she had such bad hips and legs, if she had been a little bit younger we would had. We decided to put her to sleep because the tumor was leaking into her abdomen cavity. Just give them all the love you have for them and make everyday count.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

I lost mine December of last year-it's a devastating disease. One minute she was fine, the next minute she had collapsed and her abdomen had filled with blood. They think the tumor was likely on her spleen. Going forward once my pups hit about 7, I believe that I will do ultrasounds in hope of catching it early. I read that the breeder of my male's sire gave a small chemo dose orally once hers was diagnosed and apparently it helped for quite a while. Since it hasn't ruptured, I might try the surgery. When we took Lacey in, our vet told us the odds of survival were terrible and we were looking at weeks (if that) if it was successful, certainly not months or years, so we opted to say goodbye rather than do surgery. Prior to a rupture, I think I'd make a different decision. 

It is such an awful disease and takes too many goldens far too soon and unexpectedly. I am encouraged to hear of the people that caught it early and had several good years. Wishing you and your pup all the best!


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

deanbergan said:


> Hello.. I was referred to this forum by a friend that told me there are lots of great people out there that are also dealing with Cancer in their golden.
> 
> We have a 8 year old golden that was just diagnosed with Herangisarcoma. The ultrasound found a growth on his spleen and possibly something in the fatty tissue in his stomach area. His liver is clean and xrays of his lungs look good. He has some liaisons on his skin however so we they are worried that it has already metastasized.
> 
> ...



I am so sorry that this happened and I am sending you good vibes ! The awful thing about this disease is that you can do everything and the cancer can still grab your 'baby' at anytime. That being said, there are many Goldens who after having the surgery and following certain protocols..have lived from 6 moments to over a year. I wrote a post in this Cancer Forum called 'Hemangiosarcoma Alternative Therapies'. Give a look and I only wish you the best of luck to you and your boy!


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## Gracie522 (Oct 8, 2015)

My Gracie was diagnosed with cardiac hemangiosarcoma three days ago. One minute she is up and about, next minute unable to move. Day 4 after diagnosis, not eating, unable to get up, vomited during the night. I do not want her to suffer and think I may need to relieve her of her pain. I did give her the Yunnan Baiyao, as doctor told me there is nothing they can do for her. Wondering if tapping the fluid will make her feel better or is it a lost cause. So upset . .. . Anyone able to share their experiences? No intention of doing chemo.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Gracie522 said:


> My Gracie was diagnosed with cardiac hemangiosarcoma three days ago. One minute she is up and about, next minute unable to move. Day 4 after diagnosis, not eating, unable to get up, vomited during the night. I do not want her to suffer and think I may need to relieve her of her pain. I did give her the Yunnan Baiyao, as doctor told me there is nothing they can do for her. Wondering if tapping the fluid will make her feel better or is it a lost cause. So upset . .. . Anyone able to share their experiences? No intention of doing chemo.


Welcome to the forum. 
I'm so very sorry about Gracie and her diagnosis. 

I don't have any experience with this, I would call you Vet and discuss it with him. 

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Gracie.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org a new study between the PWD/Boxer/Golden funded by fanciers called 'Shine On' was unveiled at the national last week. It is to discover how to avoid hemangiosarcoma by discovering the genetic components to whether a dog gets it or doesn't.
GRF is a WONDERFUL Christmas donation recipient, they will fund many valuable studies with your money and maybe someday we will be able to say cancer is behind us.


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

I am so sorry to read this as I am just recovering from a spring-summer dealing with this disease Cara had a bleed from Hem on her spleen 6/4. We had it removed and started the less lethal chemo (pills) as she was 12 and it is easier on the heart. We also did I'm yunity (I'm Yunity?) pills and the other herb to block bleeds (I am blocking out the names...but I am sure someone has mentioned the herb). She was supposedly going to get anywhere from 6 months to...? She was doing very well until she had another bleed on 7/21. She passed that day..7/21. Would I do it all again? Absolutely. But that is my nature and there is no 'right' or 'wrong'. As you've read on here...there are different levels of the cancer gene or maybe each Golden's immune response is unique that shows survival from 3 weeks to almost 2 years... which is an amazing survival time. Good luck


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Gracie522 said:


> My Gracie was diagnosed with cardiac hemangiosarcoma three days ago. One minute she is up and about, next minute unable to move. Day 4 after diagnosis, not eating, unable to get up, vomited during the night. I do not want her to suffer and think I may need to relieve her of her pain. I did give her the Yunnan Baiyao, as doctor told me there is nothing they can do for her. Wondering if tapping the fluid will make her feel better or is it a lost cause. So upset . .. . Anyone able to share their experiences? No intention of doing chemo.


I'll tell you about our experience, but will preface our story by saying that choosing how to handle this situation is such a personal decision. I don't feel qualified to give you advice, and I wouldn't expect you to take the same path I chose. But it might perhaps help to hear this.

I lost my just-turned-8-year-old, supremely fit golden retriever to cardiac hemangiosarcoma earlier this year. 

She became very sick and collapsed in the space of a couple of days. The tumour - which had shown no signs of existence until then - had ruptured, and the fluid it released was constricting her heart. The emergency vet tapped the fluid to release the pressure; she survived the operation and clearly felt better afterwards.

The specialists who diagnosed her told me that without treatment, her life would most probably be measured in days. If I chose to give chemotherapy, it would extend her life by a few weeks or two to three months at most. Additional medication would be needed, plus frequent scans, and we would have to be careful not to over-exert her. The vets also advised against keeping her alive with no treatment: the tumour was likely to rupture again, sooner rather than later, causing great pain and suffering and probably killing her.

This was absolutely devastating for us. My dog was a force of nature - one of the most vigorous and athletic goldens I've ever seen. On the Friday, we were running agility and planning our spring trial schedule. On the Monday, I was told she would die. It was ... absolutely, wrenchingly unbearable.

As for deciding what to do: I had already watched her suffer tremendously prior to diagnosis, when she was barely able to walk. I took her to three different vets in the space of a weekend: none of them identified the problem until she literally collapsed in the waiting room. I knew I didn't want to put her through that again. I also decided against chemotherapy. This dog was my "dog of a lifetime". She was my agility partner, and at the time of her death was the reigning Quebec provincial and Canadian national agility champion in her class. I felt she had earned the right to leave this life in a blaze of glory, on our terms, instead of suffering and fading gradually away. So I brought her home from the hospital, gave her 24 hours doing all the things she loved, then sent her gently on her way. She died in our home, on her favourite cushion, surrounded by her family.

I still can't write this down without crying.

I was convinced then, and am still convinced, that this is how she would have wanted to handle the situation, if she had been able to choose. She hated going to the vet: the chemotherapy, scans and other injections would have been hard for her. In any case, there was zero chance of a cure, and the treatments would not have prolonged her life by much. The life she would have had while waiting to die would have been diminished. And the thought of her going through the same level of suffering if the tumour ruptured again was too much to bear.

While the course of action we chose may have been best for her, it has been very difficult for me. To lose an apparently healthy dog so quickly, with no prior warning, is excruciating. I've struggled to come to terms with it, and am still struggling to accept the possibility that this may happen again if I choose to get another golden retriever. 

I'm very sorry you're faced with this decision and I wish you all the best, however you decide to handle the situation. There's no right or wrong choice. All you can do is what you think is best for your dog, and for you. 

You'll be in my thoughts.


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

Prism Goldens said:


> www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org a new study between the PWD/Boxer/Golden funded by fanciers called 'Shine On' was unveiled at the national last week. It is to discover how to avoid hemangiosarcoma by discovering the genetic components to whether a dog gets it or doesn't.
> GRF is a WONDERFUL Christmas donation recipient, they will fund many valuable studies with your money and maybe someday we will be able to say cancer is behind us.


This is wonderful news. After what I went through with my Cara....perhaps the new puppy will be able to benefit (as so will I...as I can't go through that disease again) from a genetic test! Thank you !!!!!


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

Cara-Mia - My Heart-Golden
7/3 - 7/15


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

ceegee said:


> I'll tell you about our experience, but will preface our story by saying that choosing how to handle this situation is such a personal decision. I don't feel qualified to give you advice, and I wouldn't expect you to take the same path I chose. But it might perhaps help to hear this.
> 
> I lost my just-turned-8-year-old, supremely fit golden retriever to cardiac hemangiosarcoma earlier this year.
> 
> ...



I can only validate what you wrote. Cara was a 'wild thing' at 12 up until she collapsed and I was told within a 1/2 hour she probably had Hem. and needed surgery for her spleen. We did all the options....Yunnan, mushrooms, pill chemo....and although we hoped for 6 months to a year...she passed 7 weeks later from another bleed..but at least not in pain and in my arms. I am still in Post Traumatic Stress syndrome as she was my life. You are absolutely correct...there is no right or wrong with this disease and each person must do what they feel is best for their dog and for them. Hem on the heart is much more painful than Cara's was on the spleen for the first bleed. I would have done the same as you. I hope your baby is teaching Cara a few agility tricks while waiting for us beyond the bridge 

Cara-Mia My Heart-Golden
7/3-7/15


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