9/8/2011
by:
Sydney Animal Hospitals
Barney (The Dogfather) – a mass on the spleen
Barney was presented to the clinic for a skin problem. Like many small dogs, Barney suffers from allergies. These cause him to scratch, which leads to secondary bacterial and yeast infections. These make the skin more itchy. Barney had developed dandruff over his back and redness of the skin. His owners had been trying to control the problem with medicated shampoos.
Barney
When Barney was presented to our hospital we preformed a full clinical exam. We didn't just look at his skin. This was just as well as on palpation of Barney's abdomen, we could feel an abnormal lump. The lump was the size of a mandarin.
It was impossible to tell what organ this lump belonged to so we recommended Barney have an ultrasound to look for the mass. The ultrasonographer was booked in to come the next day.
On the ultrasound, it became apparent that the mass was on the end of the spleen. It is not common to see masses on the spleens of small dogs. The masses are usually one of two things:
- Neoplasia (cancer)
- Haematoma – a giant bruise/bleed
Whilst the cancer is the dangerous type as there is no cure, either of these can spontaneously bleed, causing severe haemaorrhage. Barney was booked in for surgery the next day to remove the spleen. Barney had his spleen removed and it was sent off to the lab for analysis.
Note the lump on the end near the paper.
Fortunately the mass was the benign haematoma so removal was curative.
Barney went home the same day after surgery, was bright as a button, and has made a full and uneventful recovery.
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