Bleeding hemangiosarcoma in shoulder

[JennyP410]

My mom’s australian shepherd is hospitalized at the moment due to a swollen leg. He’ll be 13 in May. They installed drains Monday, and were able to get the blood out. It had stopped bleeding by yesterday, but today is bleeding again. They are fairly certain that it’s hemangiosarcoma, but xrays of the body cavity were free of tumors. Spleen ultrasound was inconclusive. They haven’t found a tumor, but are going to ultrasound the area today. All blood work is good, except for slow clotting times. Energy and appetite are GREAT. He’s gained weight in recent months. He DOES NOT appear to be a sick dog.

They don’t recommend chemo, and maybe not surgery since it is so aggresive. Would artemisinin benefit him? I just feel like, with his current condition being good and no obvious metastasis yet, he could have a good month or better…IF they can get this to stop bleeding.

[Lena]

Hi Jenny,

The most helpful thing for hemangiosarcoma I have found, esp if there is bleeding is Yunnan Paiyao. http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/06/11/a-magic-vial-of-yunnan-baiyao/

I also usually use artmesinin. The rest varies a lot dog to dog. Hemangio is unfortunately one of the hardest cancers to work with but the yunnan paiyao can be pretty impressive.

best wishes,

Lena

[JennyP410]

Thanks, Lena! Since I asked about it, we’ve had a few developments. Needle aspiration path report says spindle cell (fibrosarcoma or hemangiosarcoma). Vets think it’s hemangio. Path report also said that because it is a peripheral tumor, it will be slower to spread. Her choices are to remove the leg, which she is adamant about not doing, or go to an oncologist. Univ of Ga is the nearest one, and she can’t afford to go that route. So I’ve ordered the Yunnan Paiyao and artemisinin, and hoping it can provide some palliative care. All bloodwork is fantastic, as is his energy. Hoping it helps. Thanks again!

[JennyP410]

Sadly, he passed away two weeks ago. However, I wanted to thank you for the recommendations. The Yunnan did an excellent job. The tumor had been bleeding for almost three weeks, and by the 2nd day on it, it stopped. We started him on the arte, but after four days, he crashed. Bloodwork showed it was in his bone marrow, and he had to be euth’d that day.

[Lena]

I’m so sorry Jenny. Hemangiosarcoma can be a very nasty cancer and can spread very fast. It is so hard to loss them that quickly.

[Author]

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