Depending on the severity of the illness and other factors, hemangiosarcoma dogs’ symptoms can be varied. From lumps detectable in the abdomen to partial or complete loss of movement, there are some common symptoms developed in dogs with hemangiosarcoma. With the rightest treatment, the symptoms can be relieved to make the dogs feel better.
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hemangiosarcoma
Hemangiosarcoma refers to cancer that develops in the blood vessels of your dog. Most of the time, the tumors linked to cancer found in dogs’ spleen, skin, heart, and liver. Depending on the organ where cancer develops, there is a wide range of symptoms found in dogs with hemangiosarcoma. This is because hemangiosarcoma tumors in the blood vessels of dogs do not come with normal connections. That makes the vessels tend to tear and bleed. For this reason, the most common symptom of the disease often develops once a mass in the spleen or liver of dogs is bleeding. The bleeding that occurs in the two organs makes your pet experiences weakness, a painful abdomen, decreased appetite, pale gums, and lethargy. A pathologist usually evaluates the tumor to diagnose hemangiosarcoma once the mass developed in the affected organ is completely removed. Sometimes, the diagnosis is made by examining the tumor through ultrasound. However, the practice is not always accurate since the mass developed in the organ can be just a blood clot (hematoma) or other types of tumor.
How to Treat Hemangiosarcoma
Most of the time, vets will recommend surgery followed by injectable chemotherapy to treat hemangiosarcoma dog symptoms. There are strict guidelines made to minimize the potential side effects that often come with chemotherapy for your dog. Also, you need to know that medication doses used in the chemotherapy have been carefully measured to the level that can be tolerated by dogs. With much lower drug doses than those that are used in humans, the oncologist can maintain the excellent quality of life of your pet after given the treatment. Meanwhile, the surgery conducted will provide your dog with an extended life span up to 6 – 9 months after the time of diagnosis.
How Much Does the Treatment Cost
Depending on the type of chemotherapy drugs used and how it is administrated, the treatment cost can be different from a dog to another. You need to conduct an extensive discussion with your dog’s oncologist about the most appropriate treatment should be given to your pet. From the hemangiosarcoma dog symptoms developed, the oncologist will then provide you with the estimated costs based on the diagnosis and treatment needed.
