The world needs more people like you Dr. Sue.  My dog had this from the liver.  Went through surgery..... and they sent me away with no advice other than lets do another ultra sound in 6 mo and see where we are at.  4 mo later we are in the same boat we were in.  The veterinary world is in serious need of reconstruction.  These are suppose to be "doctors."

This is a heartbreaking disease. I lost my beautiful Briard to it about 10 years ago and I still cry when I think about it. I miss her so. Spleenectony gave her a year, though that Vet did not diagnose her with it. Young Vet ‘I dont know what caused it’. Finally the lumps started all over her body, one on her leg swelling and breaking open. Another Vet diagnosed her. Nothing you can do. I lay beside her on the floor as the anesthetic took effect, she with her head on the floor gazing into my eyes, me crying, loving her. They know.

My girl Happy died Wednesday from this all of a sudden. My heart is gone and replaced by a gaping black hole. Life really sucks

Just wanted to add that I have my dog on a doggy keto diet and she was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in her spleen 2 years ago! She had no chemo whatsoever. Just a splenectomy. Which I'm glad we went for it because it had ruptured already so she was already bleeding internally. She had no metastasis at the time of diagnosis so maybe that has something to do with why she's still here. Her surgeon is in disbelief that she's still here. He gave her no more than 6 months to live after surgery. We are lucky but I really feel like her diet change saved her life. Dog food is soooo bad for dogs! They need high protein and fat and little to no carbs!

My sweet boxer Harley was put down yesterday afternoon due to this horrible disease. She would have been 9 years old this August. She never showed any symptoms, this was all very sudden. 2 days ago, in the late afternoon, she showed sudden signs of weakness and pale gums. We rushed her to the vet and they told us they believe her spleen ruptured which is something they would be able to fix with surgery the next morning. She went into surgery around 9:00am yesterday, then around 10:30am we received a horrible phone call. The tumors were cancer on her spleen and liver that ruptured and surgery was not going to save her; she was just going to bleed out. My heart is so broken, she was truly the best dog a person can ask for. Rest In Peace, Harley.

I am sitting at the vet waiting for the vets to come out of the OR. I am devastated after watching these videos. Yesterday I brought her in and she was diagnosed and today to the OR.
Yesterday the vet tech told me they are hoping that it would be curative and not palliative. Today, after watching these I realize it is palliative

I lost TWO dogs to hemangiosarcoma, which I’d previously never heard of. In both cases it was quick and devastating. My 10 year old Dutch Shepherd had gone off her food. The vet treated the superficial symptoms. Then her spleen burst, so we had to put her down immediately. A few years later, our 13 year Lab, who embraced life to the fullest, went off her food. This time, the vet diagnosed it immediately. She said that with surgery and chemo, the dog could live a few more months. I said, let’s put the old girl out of her misery right now, I won’t put her through it. I’ve had many other dogs who all lived long lives. I haven’t used a fertilizer or herbicide in 40 years, they eat high quality food. I don’t understand it.

Don't forget Yunnan Baiyao! It has an "emergency red pill" in there. I know people use that mushroom support you mentioned. Turkey Tail helps too.

Thank you so much for this video. Very helpful. My dog just suddenly passed last night from this and your video answered so many lingering questions.

My 11.5 year old Italian Greyhound had her first needed dental with a removal of what looked like a blood blister on her thigh..
Earlier today I got the call...hemangiosarcoma... my heart is crushed, she's all I have I'm not ready for this.

Amen to that I believe any lump or bump should be sent of for biopsy

Great video. I have a healthy 14 y/o male pure golden retriever. 7 years ago I switched from feeding a cheap dry-bag food to a home made diet using grocery store ingredients (Dr. Karen Becker's recipe, but there are many other excellent recipes like Dr. Dressler's). After switching to a homemade diet,  I noticed that common golden health problems like hot spots and goopy ears became far less common. I suspect my elderly dogs good health is strongly correlated with his high quality diet and active lifestyle (less active now of course) . I have often wondered how strongly diet correlates with hemangiosarcoma in Golden Retrievers.  His primary health issues these past few years are arthritis, hearing loss, and poor eyesight, but considering his advanced age, they are not especially bad. I hope that he has at least one more year of relatively good health.

Very helpful Q&A, thank you! My 13 years 3 months Maltese terrier (weight 2.5 kg) had a huge tumour removed from her left Liver lobe last week. She recovered well from surgery, but the vet rang this week with the bad news that the biopsy revealed Hemangiosarcoma. The vet now says I could buy up to 18 months by a combination of intravenous chemo followed by tablet chemo. She said the oncologist who did the biopsy needs to do further testing to be sure of the diagnosis, and I've had to pay another fee which is a little baffling. She also recommends my dog has an ultrasound scan done on her heart alone - I assume this is to find out if cancer has gone there?
The vet told me the Liver tumour was so large and my dog so small, that she was not confident she had a big enough margin around the tumour when she removed it last week, so that is a worry.
My dog has terrible separation anxiety, so I am reluctant to put her through the hospital sessions for intravenous chemo (the enormous cost is also a problem - I just had to borrow money to get the surgery done). I am now thinking I will do tablet chemo, plus the supplements Turkey Tail Mushrooms and Yunnan Baiyao you mentioned, so I can care for her at home and never leave her side. She is a wonderful little dog and I love her dearly, I want as much time with her as possible but am also aware quality of life is more important than quantity.
What would you advise, treatment wise (eg chemo), are chemo tablets alone effective for increasing life expectancy? And can you give me an idea of prognosis on a Liver tumour? Vet said the tumour she removed last week contained a hematoma and the liver must have bled into itself - which explains why she had been weak for a few days, prior to surgery. She has bounced back wonderfully from the surgery, is lively and energetic, and eating well, so I had hoped the tumour was benign - this diagnosis has been a terrible blow. I always knew losing my dog would be hard, but now I am suddenly facing the prospect of it I realise it will be so much harder than I imagined. Anyone who has loved an animal as part of their family will understand where I'm coming from. God bless the people and pets going through this awful situation - and thanks again for a really useful and informative video. I had never even heard of this cancer until my dog was diagnosed, I now wish I had got her scanned twice a year as she got older, I am kicking myself. XXX

Very interesting. Well done DR Sue. We lost our beautiful 3 and a half year old Labrador Dora from this terrible cancer. We’d noticed that she was quiet, but we put it down to her being tired, then she seemed to rally, then we noticed she was walking slower. I always examined her for lumps and bumps. I’m deaf blind, so naturally, my fingers are more sensative. On my dad’s birthday, I tried to pick her up so we could dance to songs, and as my hand brushed her rib, I felt this lump. Mum, nor dad nor my hubby couldn’t feel it, so they had to pull her skin back. I knew then something was up. 2 days later, we got her to the Vettes, though they only had X-ray equipment, so we had to be referred to a specialist hospital. The vet knew she was a poorly dog. Her temperature was up and Dora was very quiet. She had a biopsy and a scan at the specialist hospital, and it was cancer. We were devastated. 3 and a half years old! Somehow it would have been that bit easier if she was 12-13, but 3 was so unfair! We had already booked a holiday away, so mum and me had to go on it with my 2 year old daughter as she was then. Dad took time off work to be with Dora, because I said to him that how would you feel in her position? On your own and dying? So he took time off. The vet advised to give Dora chikin since red meet can exacerbate cancer cells. The vet actually gave her a month. I couldnt enjoy the holiday naturally. When we came off holiday, Dora was very swollen, and quiet, and 2 days later, she started crying and panting. The cancer had spread to her lungs and kidneys. She was seeing a lot. We took her to the emergency vet, and she examined Dora. She was in a lot of pain, even though we had been giving her painkillers.She suggested chemo and more pain killers, but I knew that Dora wanted to go. She was licking the vet on her face, and licking the receptionists, and licking mum, me and dad. She was saying a final fairwell. Everybody was crying. I wanted to give Dora dignity, and thats what she got. We have a new dog now, Rubi, who is a lab. We missed Dora so much, part of the family, and we loved her companionship. Thanks for your info about this terrible cancer. Hope your Labradors are keeping well.

Dear god I am so broken. I found a red lump on my dog yesterday and I am terrified.

South Africa

Thank you so much for this video.  The info was very valuable to me in helping me understand my dog's current situation and options.

How long do these tumors grow before they rupture on the spleen or liver since it’s so aggressive?

I just lost my 9.5 yo Golden, Opie, from this terrible cancer. No warning. Tumor ruptured, abdomen filled with blood, was euthanized an hour later. Bummer.

This has been such an informative video to watch. My 13 year old cat has been diagnosed with subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma. I wish I had this knowledge 6 months ago when I first noticed a lump so I might have thought to push for more tests even though her initial needle aspirate came back as showing inflammation and maybe some necrotic cells but my vet suggested it was not urgent as it did not seem particularly cancerous. So we just watched it for any changes since she did not seem bothered and it was unclear if it was truly cancer.
Unfortunately, the tumor grew rapidly, and after weeks of trying to get on schedules for ct scans, with oncologists, etc. she just had surgery today. Hoping they were able to all of the cancer but they found some metastases during the procedure (which did not show up on the ct scan) so although they removed what they found, I know we are far from in the clear.
She has not seemed bothered, even though this large mass on her abdomen has been growing and changing shape for weeks.
You talk more about dogs here, but just listening and getting more familiar with the terms, preventative recommendations, cancerous process, treatments, etc in contextual situations adds color to all that I have read thus far and really helps me better understand more about what we are dealing with, and also ways in which I can be more proactive and prepared in the future. If this q&a was live, i’d have some questions, but even listening 3 years later, I am very grateful. Thank you. 🙏