01/11/2026
🌟 PET OF THE MONTH 🌟
This month we have chosen Dougie as our Pet of the month.
Dougie was an eleven-year-old rescued Terrier cross who belonged to Ali one of our RVN's.
In late May of this year Ali noticed that Dougie wasn't himself even though he was still very bright, eating, drinking and going for walks. Dougie was a "character" and for a couple of days he just hadn't been as naughty.
Ali took him into work with her one morning and he was sedated so he could have an ultrasound and blood samples taken. One of the vets performed the ultrasound and discovered that there was free blood in Dougie's abdomen and what appeared to be a mass on his spleen.
It was recommended that an x-ray was taken of Dougie's chest to check that there were no signs of metastasis. Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to other parts of the body via blood vessels or the lymphatic system.
The chest x-rays were clear so Ali, with the vet's advice decided that Dougie should have a splenectomy, an operation to remove his spleen. Once the spleen was removed it was sent to a laboratory for testing to see what kind of tumour was present.
Dougie recovered from the operation and went home the same day with Ali.
A week later the lab results came back; Dougie's splenic tumour was a hemangiosarcoma. Hemangiosarcoma is a fast-growing, malignant cancer that forms in the cells lining blood vessels.
The breeds most associated with this type of tumour are:
Golden Retriever: Carries an estimated lifetime risk as high as 1 in 5.
German Shepherd Dog: One of the highest incidence.
Portuguese Water Dog
Bernese Mountain Dog
Flat-Coated Retriever
Boxer
Labrador Retriever
Skye Terrier
Basset Hound
Dalmatian
Pointer & Schnauzer
The first signs of hemangiosarcoma in dogs are often vague, subtle, and intermittent because the tumours grow silently inside blood vessels (most commonly in the spleen, heart, or liver) without causing pain. Some of the vague symptoms are:
- Intermittent lethargy or fatigue: A dog may seem unusually tired or weak one afternoon, bounce back completely the next morning, and want to play again.
- Reduced exercise intolerance: Tiring out much faster than usual during walks or play.
- Decreased appetite: A mild or gradual drop in interest in food.
- Vague weight loss
A splenic hemangiosarcoma, the most frequent site; fragile tumours often grow large and rupture, leading to life-threatening internal bleeding into the abdomen. The symptoms of an advanced hemangiosarcoma are:
- Pale or white gums
- Distended or bloated abdomen
- Collapse or difficulty breathing
Sadly, the prognosis for this type of tumour is very poor. In splenic cases, surgery alone offers an average survival time of 1 to 3 months.
Even though Ali caught Dougie's condition very early unfortunately he passed away less than a month following his operation.
It is quite rare to catch this type of tumour early, as previously mentioned we usually don't see them until the patient is very poorly.
This is why it is worth noting your dog's behaviour and habits carefully so you can see if there is even the slightest anomaly.
In the short time Ali had Dougie after his operation he was spoilt even more than usual. He had a birthday cake to celebrate his "gotcha day" (the day that Ali took him home after re-homing him) and was given all the love in the world. ❤
