Bubba, a 13 year old Havanese, was living his happy life in Brooklyn, NY.
Because of some sudden vomiting, his family vet took X-rays of his belly, which showed a possible mass in the spleen.
That led to an ultrasound of his belly, which actually showed several masses in his spleen.
Statistically speaking, several masses in the spleen are more likely to be cancerous.
Worse: there were also masses in the liver, so there was concern for spreading of cancer from the spleen to the liver.
In addition, the ultrasound showed a thickened stomach lining.
After doing some research online, Bubba’s very dedicated owner found LRVSS, and decided to travel all the way from Brooklyn for us to help out !!!
Despite the odds and despite Bubba’s age, the owners decided to move on with surgery.
Even a few months of extra time with Bubba would make it worth it to them.
The day of surgery, Bubba was placed under anesthesia.
We took him to surgery, and confirmed several masses on his spleen.
We removed the spleen (splenectomy), which was sent for biopsies.
Then we took a biopsy of the liver masses, and of the thickened stomach.
Bubba recovered smoothly overnight in ICU, where he received IV fluids, pain medications and antibiotics.
The next day, he was ready to go home!
About a week later, the biopsy report came back.
The verdict?
. The masses in the spleen were benign, essentially regeneration (nodular hyperplasia).
. The masses in the liver also came back benign (nodular hyperplasia).
. And the thick stomach showed inflammation (irritation) but it was also complexly benign
A diet change was suggested.
Besides that, Bubba received a clean bill of health !!!
6 months after surgery, his owner is thrilled about his decision to travel to LRVSS and to give his dog the gift of surgery.
If you would like to learn how we can help your pet with safe surgery and anesthesia, please contact us through www.LRVSS.com
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Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free Certified
Pete Baia, DVM, MS, DACVS
www.LRVSS.com