My old dog has seizures, heart fluid, suspected cancer. What's next?

Question

Our 13 yr old, 38lb female lab had 2 seizures 2 nights ago. On x-rays our vet found her heart at 12-13 with fluid (blood) in the peritoneal sac (he drained it). He thinks it's likely hemangiosarcoma. Can there be other causes? He can't tell if there's cancer on the ultrasound. What should our next step be? He said he can't do anything else to find & confirm cancer. Could a blood test confirm it? Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 13 years and 2 months old

Destini R. Holloway, DVM · Accepted Answer

Poor girl! Typically the fluid that was drained can be sent off for analysis to try and identify any cancerous cells. Also if it is hemangiosarcoma then an ultrasound of the spleen should reveal cancer there too, as this is typically where it would originate before spreading to the heart. You could also ask your vet for a referral to an internal specislist to do more advanced imaging to come up with an accurate diagnosis. Also until the cause is found, Gracee is likely going to need additional drainages of the excess fluid build up around her heart, and you want that to be done by a specialist anyway because of the high risk associated with such a procedure. I think it's reasonable to say that you should prepare yourself for the worse because the odds of this being cancer is greater than it not being cancer unfortunately. I send my deepest sympathies for you and your pet during this troubling time and I hope that you are able to make a decision regarding her care soon that you are comfortable with and keeps her best interest at heart.

My old dog has seizures, heart fluid, suspected cancer. What's next?

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