Sadly my beloved best friend and companion has been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. It is an aggressive kind primary is in his leg and also in his lungfs. Does anyone have any ideas on making his life a little easier as time goes by. Many thanks
Hi Mombear and welcome to the forum. I'm very sad to read about your boy's diagnosis. About 14 years ago I lost a much loved springer spaniel to hemangiosarcoma or cancer of the blood vessels. It started in her hind leg and then spread to her organs. It was a desperately sad time and I can fully understand what you are going through. I was very thankful for the guidance of my wonderful vet at the time with regards to treatment and medication. I just made sure my dog was comfortable and as happy as possible right up to the time we had to say good bye. Tell us a little bit more about your friend, what's his name? Sending you hugs. xx
I'm so sorry you've had this news. My best boy Brogan (in my avatar) died suddenly of splenic hemangiosarcoma a little over a year ago. For the splenic variety there were no symptoms, no warning and no cure. But he also had no pain and was living a normal happy life just two hours before he passed away. While the suddenness of it was a horrible shock in my case, in the end I think it was an easier road than knowing like you do. I've had a lot of time to think about what I would have done differently had I known in advance about the tumour before it burst and I think I would have just done the same thing I did do: take him out to do his favorite things every day, hug him and kiss him and tell him how much I loved him and was grateful that he was my wonderful buddy. All of which I'm sure you are already doing. Sending you and your pup hugs.
Our old dog passed away in exactly the same way as Emily's dog. Pretty suddenly, from a massive haemorrhage caused by splenic hermangiosarcoma. I would do all the things that Emily suggests. Make memories. Let your dog eat all his favourite things. Tell him you love him and take a lot of photos.
I am so very sorry such sadness has brought you to the forum I just wanted to say enjoy your boy every single second, he won't need any more than you by his side to love him. I am thinking of you and sending big hugs to you and your lovely best friend xx
So sad for you and your best friend. I would take any suggestions from the vet re the medical side and do everything you ever wanted to do with your dog, take him on adventures, perhaps go and see the sea, do things he loves. You will then have happy memories when the pain of loss diminishes and you will know that you gave him the best you could. My heart goes out to you.
Hi Forum, My beloved Bear, has also just today been diagnosed with this cancer. I am unsure of what the process is now. He had a spleenic mass taken out last week. He collapsed at home, and we thought he must have a reaction to his Phenomav (he is epileptic), however it was not. The vet said that he was very surprised with the diagnosis given that the mass was quite small. He also mentioned that he didn't think that the mass had been there long. There was no signs of spreading when they were taking his spleen out, however the vet has said that with this type of cancer unfortunately by the time that they remove the mass it has generally already spread. He mentioned chemo as an option to extend his life, but I am not sure if this is a good option. I know it will extend his life but I'm not sure it will give him quality. Has one gone through this process? Is it a painful cancer for them to endure? Any help, guidance would be greatly appreciated as I am feeling very lost at the moment.
I'm so sorry Do a bit of research online about this type of cancer in dogs. I'm sad to say that you may find what I did, that treatments (like surgery and chemo) do not buy a lot of time, maybe a few months. But it will be different for different dogs, so you really need to talk with your vet about the options and their implications in Bear's case. It might be good to make a list of all the questions you have and then make a time to talk with the vet (without Bear) so you can find out everything you need to know to make a decision.
Hello @tikbea and Bear and welcome, though I'm very sorry that Bear's cancer is what brought you here. If you look up a few posts, you will see my entry about my pup Brogan, who passed away from splenic hemangiosarcoma at two months shy of his 13th birthday. In Brogan's case, I had no idea the tumour was there as he had no symptoms and was happy, healthy and energetic (for a 13 year old!) up until two hours prior to his passing. We were on a walk, he slipped, I thought it was that he lost his footing on the icy ground, we continued to walk but after about 30 minutes he was clearly losing energy. I took him immediately to the vet where she did an ultrasound, diagnosed him with internal bleeding following the tumour bursting. She told me he had a 50/50 chance to come out of surgery: either the tumour was benign and she could stop the bleeding and he would recover, or it was cancerous and that was the end. Unfortunately it was the latter. I subsequently researched this type of cancer I'd never even heard of. I wanted to know what I could have done differently. The answer is nothing. Even if I would have known about the tumour, as @Oberon says, there is no real treatment. If the tumour has not already burst (not Brogan's case), you can buy weeks or months more time, but no cure. As Brogan's experience was over in less than two hours, I can't tell you if the treatment would be painful. All I can say is that Brogan himself did not have any pain from the tumour or it's bursting - he was weak from blood loss, but didn't have any pain. About chemo for dogs, I do have some experience there. My first dog, Duncan, had chemo for liver cancer. We went to a veterinary oncology specialist centre for the treatments and the team was wonderful. Duncan loved going there and would pull all the way in with a happy butt wag. The treatments did not diminish his energy or cause any loss of quality of life. In fact, as the treatment centre was in a beach town, we'd hit the beach together afterwards! The oncology team explained to me that the approach for chemo in dogs is completely different than that for humans: they are not looking to kill the cancer completely and take the whole body to the brink of death to do so. They are looking to prolong life while preserving the quality of that life. Not all treatment centres may have this philosophy, but this was my experience, and it was a positive one. I hope you can find a solution that feels right for you and Bear. Again, i'm so sorry you are going through this.
@Mombear and @tikbea , I'm sad to hear that your dogs have received this diagnosis. We too had a dog who had this, a collie who was 7. One day she got bowled over by a young dog twice her size, I didn't think anything of it, but the next day she was weak, tired and off her food. The vets found that she had hemangioma, which had burst on the impact, and there was little they could do, so we had to say goodbye. A different experience to yourselves, but I can say there was no pain, just the effects of bloodloss. That same dog has been a sort of "nanny" to Cassie, my young Labrador who I have now -- she will shortly be helping me proof Cassie's recall .
