This tumor, which originates in the spleen, is one of the most malignant cancers in dogs. The spleen tumor grows very quickly and spreads metastases to all other organs, often before the actual primary tumor is discovered. Older dogs between the ages of eight and ten are most commonly affected.
The spleen is part of the immune system and is located in the dog's abdomen near the stomach. Its functions include producing and storing various types of white blood cells, which defend the body against foreign substances, and removing old red blood cells. In young dogs, the spleen is also involved in the production of red blood cells.
In principle, any type of tumor can develop in the spleen due to its structure, but hemangiosarcoma, a connective tissue tumor originating from the inner lining of the vessel walls, is the most common type, accounting for almost 85% of cases.
Although the tumor cells spread throughout the body via the blood, metastases (secondary tumors) are rarely found in the spleen despite its good blood supply. However, tumors originating in the spleen very often metastasize to other organs. The liver, lungs, and heart are most commonly affected, but bones and skin can also be affected by secondary tumors.
The signs of hemangiosarcoma are rather nonspecific. Due to the size of the tumor, it can put pressure on other organs, which can lead to loss of appetite, weight loss, difficulty breathing, or vomiting. In many cases, however, the disease progresses without any noticeable symptoms until the tumor grows and causes bleeding into the spleen tissue and abdominal cavity. Even simple activities such as walking, jumping out of a car, or jumping onto a tree trunk can trigger such bleeding. Affected animals show acute symptoms of shock, collapse or become suddenly apathetic (= listless), pant and have gray-white instead of pink mucous membranes. This situation is always a life-threatening emergency and the sick dog must be taken to a veterinary clinic immediately.
In cases of acute internal bleeding, the diagnosis is usually not very difficult for the veterinarian due to the characteristic shock symptoms. In many cases, the preliminary report also provides important information, as owners often remember that their dog had been a little lethargic for a few weeks or even months. In older dogs, such non-specific symptoms are often attributed to the advanced age of the animal and are not associated with a disease.
Ultrasound examination can be used to detect an increase in the size of the spleen, but the type of tumor can only be confirmed by a tissue sample (after surgical removal).
If the tumor has already reached a certain size and there has been no bleeding, it can also be felt from the outside. Here too, ultrasound examination is a gentle and effective method for confirming the diagnosis. A blood test can provide further clues and help to distinguish the disease from lymphosarcoma or leukemia. However, X-rays of the chest and abdomen should always be taken to detect any metastases.
Surgical removal of the spleen is the only way to treat the tumor. If metastases are already present in the lungs or liver, treatment is limited to pain management and preserving the dog's remaining life, as surgery will no longer help.
The chances of recovery depend greatly on the type of tumor and whether or not it has already spread to other organs. If the tumor has ruptured and there is bleeding in the abdominal cavity, every minute counts, but many dogs do not survive this shock. Even after successful removal of the spleen and tumor, the prognosis is poor, as the bleeding has caused a massive spread of tumor cells in the abdominal cavity and metastases are likely to form in other organs shortly after surgery. However, since benign tumors or simple bruises in the spleen can also lead to internal bleeding, it is still recommended to perform surgical removal of the spleen.
It is not possible to prevent a spleen tumor from developing. However, as a pet owner, you can take your dog to the vet for regular check-ups and, once they reach a certain age, have an ultrasound scan of their abdomen at least once a year. This will allow any tumors to be detected at an early stage, when they may still be possible to remove before they metastasize.
Kidney disease is relatively rare in horses, but its symptoms are often nonspecific and therefore not always immediately recognized, meaning that treatment is often delayed. In many cases, kidney disease is a concomitant or secondary condition of other diseases.
This disease, often mistakenly referred to as feline leukemia, is caused by the feline leukemia virus. However, since the virus causes many other serious symptoms in addition to malignant tumors of the lymphatic tissue, the name is somewhat misleading
They are cute, lively and can provide lots of fun. But first, a word of warning: ferrets are not for people with sensitive noses. There are not many ways to mitigate the strong smell of these cute and sometimes cheeky pets.
Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is also known as aseptic (= without the involvement of pathogens) femoral head necrosis (= death of the femoral head) and describes a non-inflammatory growth disorder in young dogs. It mainly affects miniature dog breeds and small dogs between the ages of three and ten months.
Kissing spines is a condition that causes the vertebrae to grow into each other. It is a change in the horse's spine. This results in a significant narrowing of the spaces between the vertebrae in the thoracic and lumbar spine, often in the saddle area. The diagnosis requires riders and owners to be vigilant and provide the right training.
Since the liver has a very high regenerative capacity and functional reserve capacity, most liver diseases in horses initially progress without visible signs of disease and are only diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Leukosis is a tumorous disease of the hematopoietic system and, unlike in dogs or cattle, is relatively rare in horses. Lymphatic leukosis is the most common form in horses and develops as a result of the degeneration of cells in the immune system.
Tooth fractures are relatively common in dogs and are usually caused by playing with stones or sticks, biting, or accidents. This can result in small, sharp chips in the enamel or larger defects that expose the pulp (nerve and blood vessels). If the pulp cavity is exposed, the tooth should be treated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of infection and preserve the tooth. The incisors, canines, and fangs are primarily affected. Young dogs are particularly at risk because their teeth are still developing and are therefore much more unstable than those of adult dogs.
Just like us humans, our pets may also require surgical or diagnostic procedures that cannot be performed on an awake animal. Most operations and some diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopies or dental treatment, require anesthesia (a medically induced state of sleep), which carries certain risks even in healthy animals and during routine procedures. We will explain what you need to bear in mind before and after such a procedure in order to minimize these risks and what complications can arise during anesthesia.
Lens dislocation, medically known as luxatio lentis, is an eye condition in which the lens becomes detached and displaced from its natural position. By obstructing the flow of aqueous humor, this condition can quickly lead to a dangerous increase in intraocular pressure. If not treated in time, it can result in blindness.
The weather is beautiful this weekend and you are going for a long ride on your horse. But right at the start of the first gallop, the horse suddenly becomes very stiff and starts sweating unusually heavily. It hardly wants to move and is pressing its back down. However, these signs seem too severe for simple muscle soreness, especially since you haven't done anything with the horse in the last few days. Avoid any further movement of the horse and always contact a veterinarian immediately in such cases, as the symptoms described above are very painful and may be the first signs of a cross-ties. As this muscle disease occurs frequently after horses have not been worked for one or more days with the same feed ration, it is also known as "holiday sickness" or "Monday morning disease." However, horses that are worked regularly can also fall ill. Young horses of heavy breeds are particularly at risk. This disease was greatly feared in the days when carriage and work horses were heavily used. Today, it only occurs sporadically, mostly in easy-to-feed horses with good nutritional status.
This condition, which has been known since the Middle Ages, is a movement disorder that exclusively affects the hind legs of horses. When the horse is being presented, one or both hind legs are bent excessively and jerkily so that the fetlock almost touches the belly and is then brought down again just as abruptly. The staccato gait is reminiscent of a rooster strutting, which is where the name comes from.
