Hemangiosarcoma, which is known as HSA, is a very dangerous cancer of the blood vessels in your dog. This cancer often develops in the liver, spleen, or heart because of the level of blood flowing to each of these organs. A mass in one of these organs can rupture at any time without notice. This cancer can also escalate to other areas of your dog’s body. It can surface unexpectedly without warning. Let’s learn more about Hemangiosarcoma, and how it affects your dogs.
When to Euthanize a Dog with Hemangiosarcoma?
Your dog will not show any sign of having HSA at an early stage. HSA is typically resistant to cancer treatments and surgeries. As a result, dog owners often have to decide whether to put down their dog with hemangiosarcoma after diagnosis. The next line of action after diagnosis depends on the kind of hemangiosarcoma your dog has. For instance, if it’s a dermal and skin hemangiosarcoma, the prognosis can prove very helpful. This kind of HSA can be controlled and treated via cancer surgery and your dog should still have a longer life expectancy.
So, euthanasia might not be needed at this time. Your vet is in the best position to advise you on when to euthanize your dog. However, the need to euthanize your dog becomes necessary when the cancer develops to a more serious stage – hypodermal hemangiosarcoma – which is when it’s just beneath the top layer of the skin.
A severe case of hemangiosarcoma is when it’s visceral. At this stage, the cancer is already hurting the internal organs. It will escalate very fast, causing bleeding and tumors hemorrhaging. In situations like this, the vet will advise you to put the dog down within a period.
Read more: When Do You Have to Euthanize a Dog with Cushing’s Disease?
Is Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs painful?
Hemangiosarcoma at an early stage is not painful in dogs. The tricky thing is that it won’t occur to you that your dog has hemangiosarcoma because it’s not always visible especially at the beginning. For instance, a dog having visceral and dermal hemangiosarcoma can move around seamlessly, with no symptoms, pain, or suffering.
You know your dog has it when the cancerous tumor hemorrhages and then bleeds. But if your dog is diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma and there is no hemorrhage yet (for example with skin HAS) your dog might not feel pain but could bleed and get weaker as the disease develops. Most times, dog owners are faced with the tough choice of putting their dog down considering the acute pain and reduced life quality.
Dog with Hemangiosarcoma Life Expectancy
For skin Hemangiosarcoma, cancer surgery can still be of help. Dogs with skin Hemangiosarcoma still have a higher survival rate. Sadly, dog owners are also left with the tough option to put down a dog with visceral hemangiosarcoma sometime after diagnosis.
Signs of a Dog Dying From Hemangiosarcoma
Hemangiosarcoma is aggressive cancer that doesn’t always show any sign at the beginning. As a result, many dog owners don’t even know their dog has the cancer. But as the disease develops and spreads quickly, your dog will begin to show some symptoms like loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, pale gums, bruising on the skin, collapsing, heavy panting, lethargy, and more. Dogs like Labrador, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds have a genetic predisposition towards this cancer. Dogs of all age brackets are at risk of getting cancer, and while exposure to carcinogens, chemicals, asbestos, and tobacco smoke can cause this cancer, we recommend that you take your dog on regular medical checkups.
What Are the End Stages of Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs
Visceral Hemangiosarcoma is heart-based cancer. It poses a lot of threat to your dog’s life. It is the most severe stage of Hemangiosarcoma cancer that often makes death inevitable for your dog. When your dog is suffering from visceral Hemangiosarcoma, the blood covers up the enclosure of the heart. In some cases, visceral hemangiosarcoma has led to the demise of the dog.
Dog Spleen Removal Cost
Tumors of the spleen are common in different breeds of dogs. These dogs still have the chance of living around six months through the removal of the spleen. The treatment can go as low as $1,000 if the dog needs a blood transfusion before surgery, and the treatment cost can be in the region of $1,500.
