Why did my dog with a spleen mass suddenly collapse and die?

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! 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.

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.

Again, I'm sorry you lost Honey suddenly. One thing that comes to mind to me is a splenic hemangiosarcoma (tumor on the spleen). The dog acts completely normal while this tumor is growing (or shows only very subtle signs of illness), and then suddenly crashes and dies when the tumor ruptures (which they do). It appears to come out of nowhere. This happened to my dog. He seemed completely fine, then one night out of nowhere, he was panting and having trouble breathing. I rushed him into the clinic, and he had a stomach full of fluid. There was nothing I could at that point in time. Another option is she got into something toxic. I wish I could give an exact answer, but without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain, but I hope this helps.

I'm sorry you lost Mune so suddenly, please accept my condolences for your loss. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain what happened, but it could be she had a problem with her heart, got into something toxic, or may have had cancer like a splenic hemagiosarcoma that ruptured. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

First off, I'm so very sorry that you lost DJ suddenly. Please accept my condolences for your loss. Unfortunately without seeing him in person, I cannot say what caused him to pass away. It could be he got into something toxic, he could have had heart disease, or it could be he had cancer causing him to pass away. I wish I could give you a definitive answer, and I feel badly that I cannot. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

Not necessarily. It depends on the cause of the mass. Now if it’s a splenic hemangiosarcoma, the life expectancy with surgery is three months, and that’s if Bessy survives the surgery. The mass could be something like an abscess, but I can’t say for certain. You can try to give her a chance, and maybe luck will be in your favor and it’s not cancer. But if it is cancer, letting her go is the kindest option. I hope this helps.