08/08/2025
Happy Freaky Friday! How about a fun case with a happy ending?
Meet Azar...
Azar is a handsome 5 year old German Shepherd. Dr. Ashlyn has been seeing Azar since 2022 and overall he has been a healthy boy, besides a run in with heartworms, that was successfully treated in 2022. On 7/21/25, Azar's owner brought him in for some episodes of getting dizzy, falling over and seeming like he was going to pass out. Our first thought was possible heart damage from the heartworms causing these episodes. On examination his heart sounded good. However, his abdomen palpated very firm. We took some x-rays of his chest and his abdomen and located a very large mass in the cranioventral abdomen. We recommended a fasting ultrasound for the next day. Unfortunately overnight, Azar declined and starting have grand-mal seizures so his owner brought him to Lafayette Animal Emergency Clinic who took great care of him until he could get transferred back to us the next morning. On 7/22, we confirmed a very large mass on the stomach. We took Azar immediately to surgery and were able to successfully remove a cantaloupe sized mass from his stomach. Suspecting the worst, we sent the mass off to a pathologist and waited for Azar's fate. Amazingly, this mass came back as a leiomyoma, which is a benign tumor that develops from smooth muscle cells. We believe this mass may have been pushing up onto his spinal cord causing the neurologic issues that his owner was observing. Azar recovered remarkably and has not had any issues since his tumor removal. This big guy is SO lucky and we are thankful that his owner allowed us to help him. We love you sweet boy!!
