# devestated just came back from vet.... enlarged spleen????



## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

Okay so here i went for a walk with my 7 1/2 yrs old black lab yesterday at the beach and we come home and he throws up 7 times thruout the rest of the day. As soon as he would eat he would throw up and same when drinking. I know he went into the water up to his belly just for a few seconds and yes normally when he drinks saltwater (alot) he pukes or gets diarreha. I know for sure he did not drink any yesterday.

Anyways so last night he arched his back up like a cat NEVER seen him do anything like that before. I then massaged his belly he liked it. But it made me nervous and i took him to animal ER hospital at 8 pm. They gave him some fluids and stuff for his nausea and send him home. All nite long i kind of was awake watching him and let him sleep with me and rubbing his belly. he kept getting up and not wanting to lay down. really lethargic i felt he seemed. This morning 7 am same thing so long story short i took him to my vet. who ran a bunch of blood tests and did an xray. xray came back and saying he has an enlarged spleen. I saw it he compared the xray to an old xray from 2 yrs ago AFTER i asked him to and it was clearly much longer/bigger. So i asked him what does that mean? He said probably a benign or cancerous tumor! I am now of course about freaking out at that time. Scared to death because he said if its cancer he has about 3 months to live. However he said he wants radiologist to look at pics and so i took the pics myself to a nearby Veterenary specialist clinic and they will contact my vet. I took them there to speed up process. next steps he said would be ultrasound and surgery.
wow... that seems all fast. reading on the internet an enlarged spleen doesnt always have to mean cancer. Anyways right now i am just scared/ and was wondering if anyone elses dog ever was diagnosed with an enlarged spleen?
Thanks for considering answering me.
Mandy


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## mydoghailey (Feb 23, 2011)

I have no experience with this but just wanted to say that I'm sorry your dog isn't feeling well. I'm sure you must be terrified. I hope the enlarged spleen turns out to be something that can be treated. I will be thinking of you guys.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

Oh Mandy, I'm so sorry. I wish you the very best of luck.:grouphug:


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## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

vet just called back he just got off the phone with radiologist. she said she couldnt see a mass in his spleen on xray but a conclusion will be better given by an ultrasound. so i guess its semi good news. however the ultrasound still needs to be done and possibly a needle biopsy. vet said it could just be an enlarged spleen which i doubt its not "just that" since his prior xrays the spleen was much smaller 2 yrs ago. so i know "something" is going on. hopefully we caught it early enough! ultrasound is scheduled for friday will keep you posted


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## ShihPoo (Mar 22, 2011)

I hope that everything turns out okay. Sending good vibes for a positive outcome.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

Let us know!


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

Ultrasound can be far superior for evaluating a dog's internal organs. It allows the ultrasonographer to see what the inside of his spleen looks like and if there are any weird nodules or spots that need to be further evaluated (they'll look at all his organs in his abdomen too). Sometimes an ultrasound needle guided aspirate may be necessary if there is a nodule or somethin they want to look at under microscope. Best advice I can give is to put aside as much worry as you can until he's evaluated on Friday. I know it's tough. If you just can't get it out of your head and want to look up more stuff on this then do your google searches for the term "splenomegaly." That's the fancy word we use for an enlarged spleen - there can be many causes so don't freak out if you get a lot of hits on that.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

please keep us posted sending positive thoughts your way


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## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

thanks all for your well wishes
@Mr V. i have read now for 5 hrs on the internet but the way i understand it by now either way to cure this the spleen needs to come out? Am i correct with this assumption?

My biggest concern is i have a 4 day trip next week scheduled and I am worried sick if i should cancel this or not? I guess Friday will give me more information. what i also dont understand when i looked up anatomy of dogs in pictures it shows the spleen upright/vertical to the spine but his on his xray was like on the bottom of his belly horiontal to spine! is that normal? why is it showing horizontal?
I am so sick for some reason i feel this is a given death sentence the more i read. I dont want to lose my dog i love him so much


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

jamierenae said:


> I am so sick for some reason i feel this is a given death sentence the more i read. I dont want to lose my dog i love him so much


You're probably reading a lot about hemangiosarcoma, which is a very aggressive malignant cancer that often occurs in the spleen and has a poor prognosis. A lot of internet sites and a lot of vets are VERY doom and gloom about tumors on the spleen, but there are benign tumors of the spleen that can occur as well. The ultrasound can confirm if the spleen is enlarged or has a mass associated with it, but cannot tell the difference between a benign or malignant tumor. In my experience there's about a 50-50 chance of it being benign vs. malignant.


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## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

thanks sassafras i read that too 50 50 chance and its scary

update on Bogi. Vet called today blood tests all came back negative and he did a complete CBC and a pre op something is there any other blood tests i should be asking for?
ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow. bogi is doing better today he pooped a big pit of a peach today so maybe that's what originally caused his problems 2 days ago i am thinking and we on accident with that when looking for an obstruction then discovered the enlarged spleen. any thoughts on that ?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

It's certainly possible that the pit caused his symptoms and the spleen is an incidental finding, but that's hard to know for sure.


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## kmmcjones (Mar 24, 2011)

Good luck, hope all goes well for you both


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## bartleby (Aug 18, 2010)

Years ago one of our dogs had an enlarged spleen triggered by autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The vet removed the spleen and prescribed steroids. The dog made it to around age 10 in decent health.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I had a Chow mix that had an enlarged spleen. There was no telling how old he was... best guess, is he was around 12 when they found it, and I had to have him put to sleep about 4 years later due to advanced spinal degeneration which was causing acute pain that could no longer be controlled with meds. They found it when ultrasounding him for his spinal problems.


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## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

okay just got back from an afternoon of testing. The Florida Veteneray Specialist Clinic did his Ultrasound on his abdomen. All organs looked good . The spleen is enlarged HOWEVER they said it looks very "smooth" no cause for any concern from the looks of it. My vet called me and said a special term for that but i cant recall that word. he said they look for some sort of thing that would give them a good indication that tumors or a mass is in there but there was no concern at all from Vet that did the US. My vet said the only thing we now have to wait to be 100 % sure is the sample they took with a needle is being send in to check for any abnormal cells. His blood work all came back negative and looked good. I asked him but why does he have the big spleen then and what if the samples that were send in also come back negative why is his spleen still enlarged. he said he didnt know and that maybe thats just how it is in Bogi. ( now dont forget his spleen was normal size on an xray in 9/2008!) and now almost doubled if not tripled the size (i did see both Xray pics next to each other!)



How do i know for sure that nothing is going on is that "sample" test 100 % accurate? Should I just have them take the spleen out? The vet assistant told me that you dont just take the spleen out if it isnt necessary. But still i dont understand why it is so big! My vet seemed pretty happy with the ultrasound results



Any thoughts on what to think of these news? Or what questions should I ask him if that sample does come back also negative which would be a good thing. I just dont want to think that his spleen just gets that big without any medical reasons!?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well that's good news so far.  Fingers crossed that the sample comes back normal.


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## waterbaby (Jan 20, 2009)

Since the bloodwork has come back ok, this probably isn't an issue in the OP's case, but can an infection cause an enlarged spleen?


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## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

from what i read an infection CAN cause a enlarged spleen however wouldnt then the blood work be way off?

so to sum it up this has all be done so far:
CBC/Chemistry Panel- all good
Coagulation profile –all good
Urinalysis – all good
Radiographs (x-rays) - found spleen to be enlarged. 
Abdominal Ultrasound – confirmed enlarged spleen but no mass was found or no “swiss cheese” pattern was seen which I guess is common when a dog has splenic lymphoma - spleen looked "smooth"
Fine needle (Splenic) aspirate – waiting on results

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.


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.



me: 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: 
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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## farmside (Mar 28, 2011)

I was searching the Internet and would like to thank you for all of the information you guys have posted. My 7 year old black Lab became suddenly lethargic, took him to the ER yesterday where they saw that his spleen was enlarged but his bloodwork was excellent. However his blood pressure was incredibly high. Today on ultrasound they saw that his spleen was not only huge but had a 'motheaten' appearance. They aspirated the area and we will know the results in a few days. Hope your dog is well ( he is a beauty) and I hope the same for mine! ))


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Glad to hear this thread helped you out. Keep us posted on how your dog is doing and the results of his tests.


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## jamierenae (Sep 16, 2008)

UPDATE ON BOGI:
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.

@Farmside.... I am SO SO very sorry to hear about your lab and I will keep you and your dog in my prayers. Do you research yourself as well and feel free to ask me questions too because I have spend the last week just SEARCHING the web and asking questions on different boards so i knew what all needed to be done but it seems your vet is taking the right steps to see whats going on. Please keep us updated too!!!:hug::hug::


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## Cairnterrier (Mar 26, 2011)

Hi I just read your thread from start to finish. I am so happy that the outcome is good news. I know how nerve-racking all this has been for you. Now you can breathe a sigh of relief. btw...you have a beautiful dog.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

It doesn't always mean cancer. But it does need taking care of. Good thoughts for you and your boy that it is something fixable.




jamierenae said:


> Okay so here i went for a walk with my 7 1/2 yrs old black lab yesterday at the beach and we come home and he throws up 7 times thruout the rest of the day. As soon as he would eat he would throw up and same when drinking. I know he went into the water up to his belly just for a few seconds and yes normally when he drinks saltwater (alot) he pukes or gets diarreha. I know for sure he did not drink any yesterday.
> 
> Anyways so last night he arched his back up like a cat NEVER seen him do anything like that before. I then massaged his belly he liked it. But it made me nervous and i took him to animal ER hospital at 8 pm. They gave him some fluids and stuff for his nausea and send him home. All nite long i kind of was awake watching him and let him sleep with me and rubbing his belly. he kept getting up and not wanting to lay down. really lethargic i felt he seemed. This morning 7 am same thing so long story short i took him to my vet. who ran a bunch of blood tests and did an xray. xray came back and saying he has an enlarged spleen. I saw it he compared the xray to an old xray from 2 yrs ago AFTER i asked him to and it was clearly much longer/bigger. So i asked him what does that mean? He said probably a benign or cancerous tumor! I am now of course about freaking out at that time. Scared to death because he said if its cancer he has about 3 months to live. However he said he wants radiologist to look at pics and so i took the pics myself to a nearby Veterenary specialist clinic and they will contact my vet. I took them there to speed up process. next steps he said would be ultrasound and surgery.
> wow... that seems all fast. reading on the internet an enlarged spleen doesnt always have to mean cancer. Anyways right now i am just scared/ and was wondering if anyone elses dog ever was diagnosed with an enlarged spleen?
> ...


Should have read ahead. Glad it is not cancer.


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## Polywoggy (Mar 7, 2011)

jamierenae I am so happy for you and your dog! I have been silently reading and waiting and praying over this thread since I saw it posted.
My Willow has abdominal cancer that my vet says likely started in the spleen. From the reading I've done since- I agree. It is waaaaay too common in her breed. She's still so very happy, but the tumor is getting grapefruit sized and I know a rupture can (will) happen at any time ...
Willow is 12 years old and I know that is average life expectancy for a Golden (though it won't make me miss her less to know that). Your dog is still in it's prime and I hope you have many happy, healthy years together


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## Tatu'sMommy (Jul 12, 2012)

I just read this thread from start to finish and am grateful for all the information I gathered. My dog, Tatu (male 7 year old American Rottweiler), has an enlarged spleen and I am desperately searching for answers. He has had very little appetite lately (unusual) and been incredibly lethargic. He also has been vomiting a lot in uncharacteristic ways. I chalked a lot of this up to getting older, but when I took him into the Vet two days ago, I realized I had been wrong.

I took Tatu into the vet because of a rash he had on his back from fleas, but the Vet seemed a lot less concerned about the rash than the bloated abdomen she recognized. So far, we have done an x-ray (no obvious masses), an ultrasound/needle aspiration (not smooth spleen but no signs of cancerous cells from needle sample). He is still clearly not feeling well, so I took him back for a chest x-ray and blood work/urine analysis/fecal analysis. They told me that the enlargement of the spleen could be the result of a lot of things and it's just a matter of ruling things out. THey said that there was definitely something wrong with Tatu, but they don't know what it is yet. I have spent $1281 so far in vet bills, so I am praying that we can figure out what is wrong with my baby quickly. I am really worried about him and NOT ready to lose my sweet boy.

If the blood test and x-ray come back negative, do we keep looking? Should I get a second opinion?


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## lulusmom (Nov 12, 2008)

If your vet cannot determine the cause of Tatu's problems, then yes, get a second opinion, preferably from an internal medicine specialist. If you don't know of any in your area, you can use the link below to search for one in your area.

http://www.acvim.org/websites/acvim/index.php?p=3


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

on sharing experience ,, I don't know why my breeders dog Bo (gsd) slpeen was removed, she purchased him as an older dog and knew the slpeen was removed because of enlargment.. But Bo lived a long active life without his spleen if that helps at all,, (interesting as another poster mentioned his dog sucumb to spinal degeneration) which is an infection in the spinal area and Bo started showing signs of spinal degeneration at 11 and sucumb to it at 13 years old. which is still a good life since his spleen was removed at age of 2 years old... not sure if it helps

send good thoughts and prayers for the best outcome for you..


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Tatu'sMommy said:


> I just read this thread from start to finish and am grateful for all the information I gathered. My dog, Tatu (male 7 year old American Rottweiler), has an enlarged spleen and I am desperately searching for answers. He has had very little appetite lately (unusual) and been incredibly lethargic. He also has been vomiting a lot in uncharacteristic ways. I chalked a lot of this up to getting older, but when I took him into the Vet two days ago, I realized I had been wrong.
> 
> I took Tatu into the vet because of a rash he had on his back from fleas, but the Vet seemed a lot less concerned about the rash than the bloated abdomen she recognized. So far, we have done an x-ray (no obvious masses), an ultrasound/needle aspiration (not smooth spleen but no signs of cancerous cells from needle sample). He is still clearly not feeling well, so I took him back for a chest x-ray and blood work/urine analysis/fecal analysis. They told me that the enlargement of the spleen could be the result of a lot of things and it's just a matter of ruling things out. THey said that there was definitely something wrong with Tatu, but they don't know what it is yet. I have spent $1281 so far in vet bills, so I am praying that we can figure out what is wrong with my baby quickly. I am really worried about him and NOT ready to lose my sweet boy.
> 
> If the blood test and x-ray come back negative, do we keep looking? Should I get a second opinion?


Do you feed Beneful, or give chicken jerky treats? Both of those have caused lots of problems. Google Consumer affairs Beneful complaints.


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