Splenectomy

BIG one

This Collie dog was presented to us because she was a bit slow, slightly duller than usual, was fatter and lagged behind on walks. It was soon evident that she was not fat but had a huge tight abdomen and was admitted because, in fact, this was a due to an abdominal mass, a growth of some sort.
It felt big, looked big and it was big - the biggest splenic tumour (growth on the spleen) we have removed - over 5 Kilograms in weight. This was 20% of the dog's weight!

You can see one Vet (KD) taking the strain while the other (GH) is tying off blood vessels, to allow us to remove the mass, along with the rest of the spleen. Most splenic tumours ulcerate and start to bleed long before this stage and we see a sick, anaemic dog at a much earlier stage. Some can be nasty and spread early, but this was not the case here.

Moss did very well and made a full recovery. It is not surprising that she is much more active now! Thanks to Mrs Reid for presenting the case to us.

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