u/Capital_Bread_1949

Hi, just looking for some input.

Has anyone had a diagnosis or strong suspicion of subcutaneous haemangiosarcoma made mainly from imaging and symptoms, where the biopsy came back inconclusive?

My 14 year old Lhasa Apso was completely fine until last week, then suddenly became very unwell and was found to have internal bleeding. Imaging has shown a blood clot near his right kidney and blood in his abdomen, and the vets now suspect this type of cancer. He has since stabilised and actually seems quite like himself again.

He also has some small nodules on his lungs which they suspect could be spread, although these haven’t been biopsied due to his age.

He has had a lump on his chest for a couple of years that was always thought to be a lipoma, but this is now being considered as a possible primary. The biopsy of that lump didn’t give a clear answer.

He’s currently on tranexamic acid to help with clotting.

I’m just trying to understand how often this kind of diagnosis is made without a definitive biopsy, and how confident vets can be in these situations.

Hi, I’m looking for some advice and honest opinions.

I have a 14 year old Lhasa Apso and the vets suspect haemangiosarcoma.

For about two years he has had a lump on the right side of his chest. It grew a bit at first and then stayed roughly the same. Vets checked it a few times and said it was most likely a benign lipoma (fatty lump), so nothing further was done. The primary tumour is now being suspected to have been that lump on his right hand side chest.

Up until last week he honestly seemed good for his age. Then it was like a switch flipped. He became extremely lethargic, breathing heavy, and showed signs of internal bleeding. He is currently being stabilised. A biopsy has been done but it has not come back 100 percent conclusive, so they are mainly going off his symptoms and the imaging and suspect haemangiosarcoma based on that.

I just want to say I’m not trying to blame the vets. I know older dogs get lumps and bumps and most of them are harmless, and I trusted what I was told at the time. I think what’s getting to me is feeling like I should have pushed a bit more or asked for it to be checked further, but because it didn’t seem suspicious I left it as it was.

I can’t stop blaming myself. I keep thinking I should have pushed harder about that lump earlier or asked for more tests or removal.

I guess what I’m trying to understand is, could that lump have been related to this for that long without other signs? Would a lump like that change into this kind of cancer over time, or would it have been this cancer from the start? Other than doing an FNA, how do vets actually decide whether a lump is benign or something more serious, is it mainly based on how it feels and behaves over time? At what point would a vet usually push for further testing or removal based on size, shape or how long it has been there? And realistically, would doing more earlier have changed anything, or is this just one of those cancers that progresses internally no matter what?

I’d really appreciate some input. As I said, I’m really kicking myself. I know he’s an old boy at 14, but the sudden change from what I thought was doing well for his age to this has hit me hard.