| Ask The Vet -
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Question
I had a lovely dog named Sasha for 14 good years. I know
she had a good age, but she had a lot of life still in her. On 28
December 2007, Sasha had a slight fall. The vet checked her gums
and temperature and said there was no signs of bleeding, only maybe
some muscule pain. An injection was given, she was fine. Then about
2 weeks later Sasha began to chatter her teeth like she was cold.
The vet said old dogs can do this. A week or so later Sasha began
to not want to eat, and not want to exercise. The vet said she had
a tumour on her spleen, which was bleeding into her belly. They
found about 10 tumours, each about the size of a 50 pence piece,
but the main tumour was about the size of a tennis ball. The vet
told me there was no way to save her. Could the small fall have
started this just over 3 weeks before? The vet said no but I need
to know if it’s my fault and I need a honest answer.
Barbara - Stoke, UK |
Answering questions:
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS from
Vet
Help Direct |
| Answer |
Hi
Barbara,
I’m
so sorry to hear about your loss. Your vets are absolutely right.
The fall that she had three weeks earlier would definitely not have
had anything to do with her final problems.
Splenic
tumours often cause internal bleeding as poor Sasha experienced.
Sometimes the bleeding can happen really quickly causing a very
sudden dramatic deterioration and death, other times the bleed is
slow, causing a more gradual decline as with Sasha. You said that
the vets found ten tumours which would suggest that the primary
tumour had spread. Sadly there is no cure for splenic tumours once
they have spread around the body so, even without the bleeding,
complete recovery would have been impossible.
Loosing
a dog, of any age, is incredibly hard. It is often like loosing
a member of the family. The fall would definitely not have caused
this bleeding so please try to stop blaming yourself. Try to start
remembering the happy times that you have shared with Sasha. She
must have been a loved and very well cared dog to live until she
was 14. The Blue Cross offer a pet bereavement support service who
may be able to help you come to terms with your loss.
The
Blue Cross - Pet bereavement support
Kind regards,
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS www.vethelpdirect.com
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