Diagnostic Plan to Rule Cusahings In/Out

[PrincessDangers]

I've scheduled her splenectomy for next week.

I initially scheduled it at her local vet, but I had misunderstood and thought she would be coming home the evening of surgery. It turned out that she would have stayed at the hospital unattended overnight.

The specialty hospital an hour away was willing to schedule the surgical consultation and surgery for the same day (rather than dragging her back and forth for multiple visits). I hate to make her travel at all, but it just seems safer.

So, my plan is to let her recover from that and retest the ALP in six months or so.

Thank you all for your advice.

[labblab]

Oh, I’m so glad you shifted the surgery to the specialty hospital under these circumstances — I think that’s an excellent plan and I so hope that all goes well!

Definitely do update us just as soon as you are able to. Good luck, for sure!!!!

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Sending prayers for you, your precious girl, and her medical team. Please keep us updated as you can. I fully understand how stressful the next week or so might be so don't feel pressured to chat with us...take care of her first and foremost. Just know we are with you every second.

Hugs,
Leslie

[PrincessDangers]

I don't have any pathology reports yet, so I have a few more days of apprehension, but surgery went well. They pulled a couple lipomas and a liver biopsy while they were in there. The surgeon said her liver looked fine, just plump/rounded. She suspects Cushing's is to blame too. I'm growing more skeptical of that.

I feel SO FORTUNATE that we had it done at this hospital vs. the local vet. They expected to release her on Thursday, but kept her for an extra night because she wasn't eating/drinking and just didn't seem bright. If she'd had surgery at our local doctor, I likely would have wound up at this other hospital anyway, transporting her while she was very uncomfortable, then trying to convince those doctors to admit her. Ugh. I was happy for her to have an additional day resting on heavy pain meds. The incision is her entire abdomen and she is extremely thin now. But she started wagging, drinking, eating, and being super affectionate as soon as she got home. My challenge now is just keeping her still.

Also, speaking with the surgeon, she said it could be anything from the most aggressive cancer to completely benign which further undermines my confidence in the primary care vet's direction to test for/treat Cushing's first. If it were the worst case scenario, why would she start such a long term treatment while she's, -at worst- ambiguously symptomatic with a time bomb in her spleen? We moved to our current home from NYC where we had easy access to multiple great hospitals, and prior to that my dogs went to UPenn. I think I took that for granted. Also, the other vet in the practice has given excellent care to my two other dogs (who are no walk in the park).

[labblab]

I'm sooooo relieved to hear that the surgery is safely behind you, and that you decided to have it done at the specialty hospital, too! I know that you still have the worry over the pathology hanging over your head, but thank goodness the surgery itself has gone well. And I have to hope and believe that the fact that she's actively happy now that she's recovering at home is a good sign, no matter what.

I'll be keeping all fingers crossed that the pathology report is a good one, that's for sure. And once we find that out, then we can plan out any further diagnostic steps in the days ahead. Thanks so much for letting us know how things are going!

Marianne

[PrincessDangers]

Thank you so much. I have partial results. The splenic mass was the most benign scenario. It would have eventually burst, so I'm lucky it was discovered and removed.

They sent her liver biopsy off for special stains, so I'm still waiting for those results. It looks like she might have some form of hepatitis (uncomfirmed), which might explain her increased ALP and take Cushing's off the table.

[labblab]

That’s wonderful news that the tumor was benign!! And you’re exactly right that it’s so lucky that it was discovered and removed at this stage. I’ve had two different friends now who have lost retrievers to burst splenic masses :-((((. There was no warning beforehand, and both dogs bled out before they could make it through surgery. So that ultrasound may very well have turned out to be a lifesaver for you guys.

Moving forward, it’ll sure be interesting to see how the diagnostics turn out re: the liver biopsy. So we’ll stay turned here for your next report, but so far — so good!

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Great news on the splenic tumor! That was the same as for my Squirt. Because of that experience I always recommend the ultrasound if at all feasible. Praying the liver path report is just as good!