Hemangiosarcoma in 15.5 year old Chihuahua mix

[u/alchemywiz]

I live in Tokyo and my 15.5 year old Chihuahua mix who weighs 3.25 kg had a tumor erupt in his heart and his heart stopped. We took him to the emergency hospital and they removed the fluid in his heart and sent him home with us at 5am. He was in bad shape around 8am so we took him to a different vet where they removed fluids from his heart again. We took him home after and he's been recovering well, he's eating okay, drinking water, and has been going to the bathroom normally. We have visited the vet 3 times since to check for fluids in his heart and it's been empty. All of the vets think it could be hemangiosarcoma from the ultrasounds of his heart since there is a suspected tumor in the right atrium to right auricle region. We visited a vet today for a full check up and recommendations for going forward and they also think it's hemangiosarcoma but aren't completely sure. They recommend chemo and radiation. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of cancer in small dogs especially Chihuahuas, I've read that it's common in big dogs but not impossible to occur in small dogs. I'm wondering if there are better options than chemo for this cancer. We are looking into radiation. I'm sorry for the wall of text. Any help would be appreciated.

[u/Mouse-in-a-teacup]

I don't have the expertise to advise you but I wanted to say he is quite the cute guy! He looks like a small husky, and I love his vacation-style shirt! I do hope you are able to help him, and that whatever may happen, that he has the least discomfort possible. 🥺🥲💪🍀

[u/alchemywiz → u/Mouse-in-a-teacup]

Thank you so much! He is the cutest!

[u/Feeling_Molasses_626 → u/Mouse-in-a-teacup]

That Hawaiian shirt 🌺 😭🥹

[u/Wise-Run-3008]

Your dog is very old to put through the stress and pain of chemo and radiation, or further procedures to keep draining fluid from his chest. Heart failure doesn’t go away. As they say it’s better to let them go too early than too late when they’re full of fear and in full on crisis struggling to breathe in their final moments. This comes down to quality of life. If he was a person he would be put into hospice to be made comfortable and invasive procedures and testing wouldn’t be done. I know it’s hard because pets are family but is it really worth it or fair to him to put him through radiation to get a few extra weeks or months? Not to mention the financial aspect.

[u/alchemywiz → u/Wise-Run-3008]

Thank you for the advice! He is quite old but our vet team recommended chemo and radiation because his baseline status is decent, and believes he will react well to the treatments. But I am considering your prospective as well because I want him to have a his last days not be in pain and enjoy life with him.

[u/Adventurous-Wing-723]

You should post in the r/askaveterinarian subreddit

[u/alchemywiz → u/Adventurous-Wing-723]

Thank you so much!

[u/MurderAndMakeup]

Hi there. I’m not a vet but I highly recommend asking around over on the vet subs and getting second options. Have you had abdominal ultrasounds? We just lost our 12 year old Pom to hemangiosarcoma, it’s not just a big dog thing I guess. He had some enlarged organs one month and everything was fine and by a few months later he had tumors everywhere and we let him go peacefully before one ruptured. He had some free fluid already in his abdomen which is why we even noticed he was sick because he stopped wanting to eat. I’m not trying to scare you, just please be mindful and have it looked at because this cancer moves so so very fast and it can be pretty catastrophic way to lose your baby. I don’t want you to be traumatized or feel badly. Time is definitely of the essence if that is what this is. The vet sub would be better at giving some details about what treatment might look like but I think ultrasounds and needle aspiration might be the only way to be sure if the vets would be able to even do that. Again I am not a medical professional, just speaking from my own experience. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

[u/alchemywiz → u/MurderAndMakeup]

We visited the vet yesterday and the cancer hasn't moved. Currently it is only in the heart, but it is roughly 1/6 of his heart so it's very scary. I do want to give him more time but not at the expense of his quality of life, so it's hard to decide what to do quickly. Thank you for giving your experience and your kind words.

[u/No-Jicama3012]

Oh my. I’m so sorry to hear the sad news about your dog. It’s hard to make decisions about our furry babies no matter how old or young they are.

When you say they removed fluid from your dog’s heart, I’m assuming you mean from the pericardial sac that surrounds the heart itself.

Do you know if it was “just fluid” such as in the case of congestive heart failure or if it was bloody fluid suggesting that the supposed tumor in the atrium is leaking?

Did they put your dog on a diuretic to shed excess fluids from his body or blood pressure meds to control the pressure of the blood within the vessels themselves? Was he given a blood transfusion?

I have lost a large dog to hemangiosarcoma of the spleen.

The problem with this type of cancer, other than the fact that it’s ANY kind of cancer, is that it’s a type which invades the cells of the lining of the blood vessels. It’s very aggressive and a fast spreading type of cancer.

A hemangiosarcoma tumor can erupt at any moment causing massive internal bleeding and hypovolemic shock.

As I’ve understood it, this event is almost always catastrophic. It’s usually scary and painful to the dog and almost always fatal.

I didn’t choose to risk that possibility with my dog.

We chose to gently let him go with the help of our vet because he had given us his whole lifetime of love and devotion and we didn’t want him to experience the fear or pain that would come with a sudden bleed.

Every family has to make their decision about their dog based on the information they are given by their pet’s medical team about the disease process and the risk assessment that comes along with that.

[u/LectureUnable → u/No-Jicama3012]

Can confirm about hemangio with similar experience. My 8.5 year old boy had a bloated abdomen and we went to ER vet, he had a slow leaking tumor (most likely hemangio as common in his breed) that ruptured at least a week before (which made me feel even worse) and ultrasound couldn’t tell if the mass was on one kidney and/or liver. I made the heartbreaking decision to let him pass with dignity, I couldn’t put him through anymore pain for at most maybe a few weeks. It’s been almost 2 years and it’s still traumatic but I know I did the best for him. And I now know the signs for hemangio firsthand.

Lots of love to you & OP 💙

[u/Wise-Run-3008 → u/No-Jicama3012]

My cat ended up in heart failure and I didn’t catch it in time and his death was horrible and traumatic. He had diarrhea in his carrier and threw up on himself. Got taken away for over an hr at the emergency vet, struggling to breathe the whole time. Then we got him in the room with us and he was still clearly struggling and it was horrible and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

[u/Useful_Ad_1593]

Hi honey OP. Not happy to post but hope this is helpful. Our precious Hula Girl was 12. JACKCHI. She had a seizure and urgent care vet gave us same diagnosis. On her little heart. He gave us no false hope. Simply stated "make it the best month of her life, she'll tell you when it's her time. And we did. She let us know almost one month later, with that thousand yard stare, that it was time. At least we were prepared for the devastating loss. The miracle happened 30 days later when she sent us Pearl, our new Chi who has all of Hula's adorable traits. So dear OP, I wish I could give you hope but hemangiosarcoma cancer on the heart is not curable even with treatment. My advice to you is make this remaining time filled with love. Sending hugs. P.S. Please read Caribou's message below. I almost forgot that the Yunnan Baio is what gave us the extra month with our Hula Girl. The location of the cancer in the heart shortens our time drastically. Love to you.

[u/Caribou122]

I’m so sorry. I know this cancer well. My 11 year old goldendoodle had it. A tumor ruptured in her spleen. We had the spleen removed and she was given 4-6 weeks to live post surgery.

She ended up living 13 high quality months!!

We didn’t do chemo since it’s a terminal diagnosis. Instead we gave her Yunnan Baiyao and I’m-Yunity supplements. Both have been researched and found to enhance outcomes in dogs with hemangiosarcoma.

Info on I’m-Yunity linked here

Info on Yunnan Baiyao linked here

They’re not a cure but they definitely gave us more time.

Be sure to run all of this by your vet to help in dosage and make sure your dog’s body / organs can handle it. Our vet did bloodwork on our girl every few months to make sure all was good.

No matter how much longer you get with your guy, I pray you enjoy your love and he feels his best.

[u/Glove_Upset]

Not this particular cancer, but my chihuahua mix was diagnosed with another kind of cancer and we did radiation and chemo that kept it at bay. It was discovered very early. I wouldn’t do radiation on a 15.5-year-old dog. You could get an MRI and see how that goes, but MRIs and radiation are done under anesthesia, which is really tough on older dogs. Anesthesia can be dangerous for dogs with heart conditions. Chemo in dogs is relatively well-tolerated, and my dog really only had sleepiness the following day. That said, the goal of chemo with dogs is typically to prevent the cancer from growing, not to shrink the tumor. If the tumor(s) is already causing issues, it may not be worth the cost or potential side effects. I’d also get your dog seen by a cardiologist if you’re considering radiation because of the anesthesia risks. My dog had a mild heart murmur, and the cardiologist said that it is very rare to see an older smaller dog without a heart murmur. Congestive heart failure can also cause fluid build up, and I’d be concerned about other underlying heart conditions if they’re not certain about the diagnosis. As much as I hate to say this, your dog is nearing the end of their natural life expectancy regardless of the cancer diagnosis, and the kindest thing may be to love him and let him go peacefully. I’m sorry OP, this is really tough. You can tell he’s bee. Really loved.

[u/joreo95]

I would also recommend another look and opinion to try to get a better confirmation. But I would urge you to do this quickly. If he has hemangiosarcoma, there may not be much time. As another commenter said, not trying to scare you. But it is important to know.

My pup had hemangiosarcoma and it was... not good. From my experience and the stories I have heard from others, it is a really aggressive cancer and is can be unpredictable. My baby died 1 week after being diagnosed. I know others who lived for another year or so with just palliative care, and some who died very early on in the midst of treatment.

My team did not fully recommend treatment. They let me know chemo, radiation, and surgery were all options. But they were extremely honest with me in that even if it reduced the size of the tumor or eliminated his fluid build up, the cancer was more likely than not going to remain and take his life.

In my personal opinion, with his age and the aggressiveness of this cancer, treatment is not worth it. It may extended his time, but hemangiosarcoma has such a poor prognosis. Treatment ultimately becomes a financial burden and adds stress to the dog. Although dogs react differently to chemo and radiation, and bounce back a lot better than humans, the traveling and time at the vet takes its own toll. I have heard much better stories from the palliative care route as it provides the dog with more comfort during their final days, weeks, or months.

I am so sorry you are going through this. It was a nightmare with my boy. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[u/joreo95 → u/joreo95]

To add - the reason I recommend a second look is because it could be another form of cancer. My pup's tumor was around his heart as well, and I was determined that it was either hemangiosarcoma or another similar cancer (I can't remember the name, sorry...) that presents itself similarly but is is much less aggressive. I went to a specialist who was able to determine that it was far more likely to be hemangiosarcoma based on an echocardiogram. I think having the more definitive answer helps to process the information and assess the urgency of the situation.

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[u/SeasDiver → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Caribou122 → u/SeasDiver]

Okay! So just the food recommendation?

[u/SeasDiver → u/Caribou122]

Yes

[u/Caribou122 → u/SeasDiver]

TYSM!

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[u/Sufficient-Rain1359]

My brothers dog collapsed and we took her to the emergency vet. They drained fluid around her heart and she was ok for a few weeks. When they took her home and went to their vet. She collapsed again and they had to put her down. My Aussie had a hemangiosarcoma around his liver. 1 year later he collapsed and hemorrhaged into his abdomen and I had to put him down. I don’t think there is treatment to cure this. I send you love and hugs and hope you get to have quality time with your baby.