My dog died suddenly from hemangiosarcoma. Could I have known earlier?

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog's passing! Hemangiosarcoma is a nasty disease. Please don't blame yourself, as there is no way you could have known she had it - many dogs are acting completely normal and have normal physical exam findings, right up until the tumor ruptures and bleeds. Her heart murmur was entirely unrelated to the hemangiosarcoma, so even if you had taken her back in for her recheck visit, it's very unlikely that the tumor would have been found at that time. Abdominal x-rays and ultrasound is usually needed to diagnose it, and neither of these tests would have been indicated for her heart murmur. So rest assured, this was not your fault in any way. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

Hello, I am incredibly sorry to hear about your loss of Daisy. Based on the information you provided it sounds like the veterinarian's primary concern was a cancer called hemangiosarcoma. This is a very aggressive form of cancer that causes bleeding tumors in the spleen and liver. Surgery and follow-up chemotherapy is the recommended treatment. You are correct in that the tumor is submitted for biopsy after removal to reach a definitive diagnosis. Prior to moving forward with surgery, your veterinarian performed chest x-rays to look for evidence of metastasis, or travel of the cancer to the lungs. Hemangiosarcoma almost always leads to metastasis. Based on what you say, I suspect that your veterinarian saw evidence of cancer within Daisy's lungs. This essentially proves (without biopsy of the tumor) that Daisy has cancer. Even if you moved forward with surgery,, she would likely only live a few weeks before the cancer in her lungs/body would cause her to become ill again. These situations are incredibly challenging and unexpected. I hope that my explanation can provide some clarity and help you to realize that you did the right thing for Daisy. Again, I am incredibly sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog! I know how hard it is to have a pet pass away suddenly like this, without any warning. From what you're describing here, I would be suspicious of a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, or a tumor in his heart or abdomen that may have ruptured suddenly - both of these are relatively common causes of sudden death in middle-aged or older large-breed dogs. With either of these problems, there is usually nothing anyone can do - even if it happened in the lobby of your vet's office and they were able to start working on him immediately, it's unlikely that this would have made any difference at all. So try not to feel guilty. It sounds like you did the best you could, and I don't believe it would have changed the outcome even if you had left immediately for the vet's office. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. If you think it would help you to have piece of mind, you could ask your veterinarian about arranging for an autopsy to be done (called a necropsy in animals). This would be the best way to determine what the cause of death was.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved Jimmy! Losing a pet is one of life's hardest moments. We see a lot of older dogs on Emergency for collapsing. A common cause is bleeding around the heart (pericardium) due to a mass on the right atrium of the heart or from a ruptured tumor on the spleen or liver in the belly. If Jimmy's belly was big and the Vet said it was from blood then I would assume that there was a tumor that burst in his belly from the spleen or liver. I am so sorry for your loss, please let me know if I can help in any other way.

Unfortunately hemangiosarcoma of the spleen does not present with any outward signs of illness in most cases. This is a disease process that will acutely (all of a sudden) cause illness and internal bleeding due to rupture of the cancerous mass. I am sorry your pet was diagnosed with this condition and it is great that Abby is otherwise healthy. Keeping her comfortable is whats best. I would also consider having the mass removed to prevent rupture and subsequent internal bleeding. Rupture of the mass can occur at any time.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! As a veterinarian who specializes in cancer and sees a lot of splenic tumors on a regular basis, I can tell you that this could have happened as a result of an arrhythmia as some of these tumors that affect the spleen such as hemangiosarcoma can result in arrhythmias or a result of a splenic mass rupture causing significant internal bleeding. So sorry for your loss.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Rolo! From the biopsy report Rolo had hemandiosarcoma which is a very aggressive cancer of the blood vessels. We most commonly see if on the liver, spleen or right atrium of the heart. By the time it has grown it has microscopically spread else where. It is a very aggressive cancer and even with chemotherapy/radiation and surgery most dogs get more or less than 6 months after diagnosis. I do not think anything else would have cured Rolo. I am very sorry for your loss.