Canine Spleen Cancer
Canine spleen cancer is identified by cancerous tumors attached to the blood vessels of the spleen lining. These blood vessels are connected to the rest of the body and make it easy for the cancer to spread. Normally by the time a dog's owner learns that the tumors are cancerous, the cancer has already entered into its final stages.
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Initial Identifications
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The dog may not want to eat and will refuse to lie down. A swollen spleen or an enlarged spleen due to a tumor is the first indication of canine spleen cancer.
Diagnosis
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A veterinarian will often take a biopsy of the spleen in search of a tumor. This is difficult because not all areas of the spleen may be infected, so the veterinarian may get a false negative if the wrong portion of the spleen is biopsied.
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Other Indicators
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Blood disorders may be identified by the veterinarian as an indicator of malignant tumors. X-rays might also be used. but tumors can easily be overlooked/overshadowed on an X-ray. Blood-like fluid in the abdomen can be another sign of tumors in the spleen.
Surgery
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Once the veterinarian determines that there are tumors in the spleen, he will probably advise to remove the spleen entirely.
Treatment
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After the spleen removal, if the tumors are determined to be cancerous, the dog may have only about two months left to live. Chemotherapy is an option after surgery, but it can be a costly procedure.
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References
- Photo Credit dog image by martini from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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we found this information very helpful..thankyou..
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our "Max" passed away last night due to this horrid desease. he was an "American Staffie" and gave us many years of pleasure, we will miss him such a lot... "R. I. P." Max" x.......we found the above information very helpful thankyou.
