My dog's enlarged spleen is bleeding. Why can't vets drain the blood?

Question

the vet said my dogs spleen was enlarged an bleeding into his abdomen his stomach is very swollen and his breathing is getting shallower they took blood work xrays an ultrasounds. why cant they drain the blood out to relieve the pressure. Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 8 years and 3 months old | 99 lbs

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. I am so sorry for Jeter's difficulties. Unfortunately, draining the blood will only relieve the pressure for a very short period of time. The spleen is an organ that can accumulate & hold massive amounts of blood but can also bleed very easily because of disease ( infectious or inflammatory ) or because of cancer. This amount of blood is probably leaving Jeter quite anemic & this degree of blood loss into the abdomen can result in lower oxygen levels to the tissues, also leading to shallow breathing often at an increased rate. An older pitbull with these symptoms probably has a hemangiosarcoma on the spleen. Possible surgery to remove the spleen & tumor may be feasible if there has been no metastasis, but just draining the abdomen is just futile. I am so sorry for your poor Jeter. It is so difficult to see a pet having difficulty. I wish you & Jeter all the best. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My dog's enlarged spleen is bleeding. Why can't vets drain the blood?

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