Ethos Discovery – a nonprofit organization created by doctors to conduct scientific veterinary research – is performing studies to address challenges and deliver curative outcomes for dogs with hemangiosarcoma through nationwide clinical trials.
When dealing with a ruptured splenic tumor in a dog, emergency surgery to remove the spleen and examine the abdomen and internal organs is recommended but sometimes discouraged – like in older dogs diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma.
Ethos Discovery claims in this article that “the limited veterinary literature […] is based on weak medical evidence, which can result in misinformed opinions on the risks of hemangiosarcoma in older dogs with ruptured splenic tumors and the surgery required to help [them]. This misinformation may lead families to consider and elect euthanasia over surgery. “
To challenge this disposition, they’ve studied over 200 dogs and learned about the likelihood of 40-50% of tumors being benign and resolved by surgery alone in older, larger breeds with hemoabdomen. Also, surgery doesn’t supposedly carry the risks for recovery previously thought, with over 96% of older, larger breed dogs that will “walk out of the hospital less than 40 hours after surgery.” Professionals on Ethos believe that pursuing a splenectomy as a first step in the care of a dog with a ruptured tumor is more reliable than performing euthanasia based on antiquated and flawed veterinary literature.
