How do you treat an enlarged spleen in a dog?
Canine and feline spleens may distend and contract to help increase circulating blood volume and this can be influenced by anesthetic medications. Spleens can be surgically removed without significant compromise to our pets’ long term health.
Can enlarged spleen can be cured?
In most cases, treatment of the underlying cause of the enlarged spleen can prevent removal of the spleen. In some cases, the spleen will need to be removed surgically (splenectomy). If surgery is needed, a surgeon is likely to remove the spleen using laparoscopy rather than open surgery.
What causes a dogs spleen to be enlarged?
Diseases such as toxoplasmosis, canine hepatitis, leishmaniasis, feline infectious peritonitis, and brucellosis may all cause an enlarged spleen. Bacterial infections such as sepsis, pyometra, and salmonella have also been known to cause splenitis.
What does the spleen do for a dog?
In most pets, the spleen is about as long as their forearm. It functions as part of the immune system, helping the body to fight off infections and removing aged, non-functioning red blood cells from circulation.
What are the dangers of an enlarged spleen?
An enlarged spleen can reduce the number of healthy red blood cells, platelets and white cells in your bloodstream, leading to more frequent infections. Anemia and increased bleeding also are possible. Ruptured spleen. Even healthy spleens are soft and easily damaged, especially in car crashes.
Can dogs survive without their spleen?
The spleen is an oblong organ that sits just below the stomach, in the middle of the abdomen. Comparatively, on a size-by-size basis, it is much bigger in dogs and cats than it is in people. Although pets can live normally without a spleen, the spleen performs some helpful functions in life: Storage supply for blood.
What foods irritate the spleen?
It is important to avoid foods that are “damp”: alcohol, fat, fast sugars and excessive quantities of dairy products — for example, “fromage blanc,” which has a moisture content of 80%. The spleen is sensitive to erratic eating habits and can be weakened by skipping breakfast, copious or late dinners, and snacking.
How do you heal an enlarged spleen naturally?
There are no natural treatments for an enlarged spleen.
What are the symptoms of spleen problems in dogs?
Common clinical signs observed include decreased appetite or anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, abdominal distention with or without a fluid wave, abdominal discomfort, cardiac arrhythmias, pale mucous membranes, lethargy, and a palpable mass in 30-62 % of dogs.
Is an enlarged spleen an emergency?
Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition. In some cases, a swollen spleen may be a symptom of a life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting.
What to do if a dog has enlarged spleen?
Treatment requires surgery to remove the spleen and the proper medical term is splenectomy. However, this intervention doesn’t cure the disease, although it does help to slow down the process. Vets use chemotherapy combined with surgery to remit cancer and extend a dog’s life expectancy.
What causes enlarged liver and spleen in dogs?
However, not all spleen masses in dogs are cancerous – the enlargement may also be due to a benign tumor. The primary cause of enlarged liver and spleen in dogs is usually some other underlying medical condition that has developed substantially.
Is it possible for a dog to have a spleen tumor?
Even though the first reports of canine HSA go back as far as 1960s, the exact cause of the spleen tumor in dogs is still unknown ( 12, 13, 14 ).
Where is the spleen located in a dog?
Firstly, the spleen is located in the left abdominal wall and is the main source of immune cells next to the lymph nodes, and it also has a blood-filtering action. Thus, it: Lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma tumors are the most common diseases that afflict the spleen. Also, hemangiosarcoma is the most frequent tumor in dogs.