My bearded Collie is to have a growth removed from her spleen tomorrow.
Should I be over concerned about this operation and how common is this type of problem. My dog is ten years old and the Vet seems to think there should be no problems, however I still can’t help but worry.
Regards
Ask A Pet Pro
Helping pet owners get health help For their pets
Although removing the spleen is undoubtedly the right thing to do , it is not without risks (such as serious internal bleeding). The spleen should be biopsied afterwards to see if it is benign or malignant. You can not tell just from looking at it. Also, they should have a look at the liver to see if there are any suspicious growths there as well (and if so, biopsy the liver as well). And they should definitely be monitoring your dog’s blood pressure throughout this procedure, so they can make the necessary adjustments to the IV fluids and anesthesia should the blood pressure drop. Good luck!
Dr. Kirsten Bock, DVM
Animal Clinic of Benicia
Benicia, CA
There are always risks with any surgical and anesthetic procedure, but the removal of the spleen is one of the more straightforward surgeries. There can be excessive bleeding and when I go in to remove a spleen, I never know if there might be unforeseen cancer throughout the abdomen. But the odds are good in your favor. Usually 80% or more are benign spleens and to be honest the pet is MUCH better the day after than today. One prime example happened to me last month. There was a 12 year old lab that we diagnosed with splenic tumor. The owner was ready for euthanasia and we had discussed it for about 3 days. They brought it in for euthanasia and we talked one more time. We decided to at least give her the chance to live and surgery would be the option. We performed the surgery, the pet was walking around within an hour and went home that same day. The owner now says that she is acting like a 9 year old and the changes that they had seen for a couple months now and just thought was old age was actually the spleen impacting the quality of life more than the owner knew. For our surgeries, we always run blooodwork prior to make sure that the liver does not appear affected. Then during the surgery, we always for splenectomy patients use an IV catheter and fluids with Propofol and Sevoflurane. If you vet has these, USE them. And definitely send off the spleen to be tested to make sure that there isn’t something else more serious that you will need to know down the road.
I hope that this has helped.
Dr. Mark Helvie
Dahlonega Veterinary Hospital
Dahlonega,Georgia
Hi there,
I am sure by now your Beardie, Colin, is recovering from his surgery. Charlene Boyd asked me to respond to your concerns.
Last year in June my Beardie, Paddington, came through a splenectomy and tumor removal very successfully, much to our relief. He was almost 14 at the time. He spent two days in the hospital recovering and came home with pain medication and instructions on keeping him quiet for the next two weeks, that was the hardest part.
The tumor was benign, the spleen and liver were biopsied too and everything was benign. If you need any further help or information please feel free to contact me.
Jane
barkark@cox.net