My Chihuahua Had a Splenectomy

Chuy, my Chihuahua had a splenectomy, a surgical removal of the spleen, in 2022. I shared his journey on my social media in real-time as it was happening but I’ve been wanting to put everything together in a blog post in case you’re facing the same tough decision we had to make. Making a decision for your dog to have a splenectomy is incredibly difficult and I understand all of the anxiety and fear you’re feeling.

At the time this happened in 2022, Chuy was 12 years old. He has a heart murmur so he sees a cardiologist twice a year to monitor his heart. Coincidentally leading up to a scheduled cardiologist appointment, Chuy was not feeling good. He wasn’t eating much, had extreme diarrhea, and low energy. Not sure if it matters or can be related but our entire family had stomach flu in the weeks leading up to this.

I mentioned this during his cardio re-check, so his doctor did a full exam. His cardiologist broke the news to me that she discovered a mass in his abdomen. He was also dehydrated from the diarrhea. They recommended that we hospitalize him to perform a full abdominal ultrasound and to treat the dehydration. He was hospitalized for 2 nights. They stated that the GI issues were Gastritis and not related to the mass.

The ultrasound confirmed it was a 4cm mass on his spleen with a “complex” appearance. He also had 2 other smaller nodules on the spleen that did not appear complex. She explained to me that quite often, “complex” equates to cancer but not always.

I was devastated.

I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t ready to face potentially losing my boy yet. I had him hospitalized to get his stable from the dehydration and headed home. Coming home that day without Chuy was just awful. There’s no other person that I’ve spent as much time with in the past (now) 14 years with. Not even my own children or husband! Chuy is aways with me…when they’re at school, at work, or sleeping – it’s me and Chuy.

The vets started giving us some options. Mind you, at this point all of this has been over the phone thanks to Covid policies. I had not seen one doctor face-to-face! All of the options sucked. It was agonizing and heart-wrenching trying to decide what was best for our Chuy boy.

Option #1: Surgery

Option one was to surgically remove the entire spleen and send it out for a biopsy. There is no way currently to take a biopsy without fully removing the spleen. If it’s cancer, he would only have a few months (maybe) left with us as this is a very aggressive cancer and it usually spreads to the major organs. If it’s not cancer, the surgical removal is curative and we move on. Chuy was 12 and a few months shy of turning 13 at the time this happened. He has a grade 5 heart murmur. Surgery could be risky AF. He could pass away on the operating table even if it’s not cancer.

Option #2: Do Nothing

The second option we were given was to do nothing. The splenic mass is vascular so basically it would just be a matter of time before it would rupture. Chuy would internally bleed to death. Basically, this option would leave Chuy as a ticking time bomb. When these things rupture it’s an extremely traumatic event for the dog and everyone in the family. The emergency vet told us that he’s already old, has a heart murmur, and has tracheal disease, so we could just go enjoy life to the fullest with him until this thing eventually ruptures.

Option #3: Euthanasia

The third option took my breath away. One of the options presented to us was euthanasia. With this option, they reiterated he’s old, has a heart murmur, has tracheal disease, and we could pick a date. They were telling us it was like an 80% chance that this splenic mass was cancerous. It would be a fast and aggressive cancer. It was starting to feel like saying goodbye might actually be a viable option. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it.

After that call, we had to see him.

We asked if we could come and see Chuy. That was a big ask considering all the Covid policies that were still in place at the time. That was the longest drive we’ve ever taken. My husband and I held hands and fought back the tears while we drove. We were quiet most of the drive because we knew we might have to make the hardest decision of our lives. Based on what the vet told us, we were expecting this might be the last time we see Chuy. We knew that we’d need to make a decision once we saw him. We knew that we couldn’t make this excruciating decision without seeing him.

They told us that Chuy wasn’t eating. I told them he never eats when he’s in the hospital or away from us. They said to bring some food with us. So, we stopped at Chick-fil-A and got his favorite; grilled nuggets.

Frank and I sat in a room, masked up, nervously tapping and pacing back and forth while we waited for the vet assistants to take him off his IV and bring him into the room.

The door finally opened.

Chuy came in, running towards us, and wagging his tail. He immediately perked up, going back and forth between both of us. He devoured the nuggets. All of them. Frank and I didn’t even have to say anything to each other. We have this thing where we can tell what the other person is thinking without saying a word. I guess that happens after almost 20 years together! We just looked at each other and we knew what to do.

It was not his time.

Chuy Chihuahua in a cone at the emergency room

Frank and I both decided a long time ago that putting him to sleep is only going to be an option if he’s suffering or clearly in pain. We will both know if and when that time comes. My gut told me it’s not this time.

We have to give him a fighting chance.

We loved on him. Cried into his fur. Talked to him. Promised him that we’d do whatever it took to keep him with us as long as possible.

He needed to stay in the hospital a bit longer so we said goodbye and went home. We talked the entire way home about what to do. We went through all the risks of surgery versus the horror of “wait and see.” We had no idea how long he could be “ok” without surgery. Nobody knew for sure if was 100% cancer or not. Nobody could tell us what to do. It was a decision that only we could make.

After a couple of nights in the hospital, we decided to bring Chuy home. After a few days, he started feeling much better. Once gastritis cleared up, he was totally back to his crazy self. You wouldn’t have ever known he was walking around with a ticking time bomb in his stomach.

This was the hardest decision of my life. If we operate, he could die. If we do nothing he could die. Something kept telling me that I had to give him a fighting chance. I talked to so many friends in the dog world. They gave me great advice and stories of hope. But at the end of the day, nobody (not even the vets) could tell us what to do. It was a decision that only we could make. It was a gamble with his life no matter what choice we ultimately made. I prayed for peace and clarity to be guided to the right decision.

After agonizing over the pros and cons and the what-ifs, we decided on surgery.

Prepping for Surgery

We met with the surgeon for a consultation (again while sitting in the car, on the phone…sigh). He explained all the details to us. He told us that Chuy would be a good candidate for surgery and that they would have a whole team there to take care of him; including his cardiologist and paying extra close attention to his heart.

The Day of Surgery

The reality was that Chuy could die right there on the operating table. I was a mess the night before and that morning. I knew that this could be the last time we’d ever see him again. We were up before sunrise and dropped him off at the vet. I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t focus. I kept looking at the clock to see if it was almost time for them to call based on their estimations. I about threw up any time my phone rang before the time promised.

We ate breakfast in the parking lot of the vet’s office. We sat there for a while. My husband kept saying there’s no reason to stay because we won’t see him today anyway. They recommended that we wait until he’s discharged the next day to avoid any unnecessary distress. I didn’t want to drive home. Our vet is about 45 minutes from our house. It’s too far. I needed to be close just in case we don’t get good news. We went across the street and wandered around Wal-Mart just to kill time.

The phone rang. Chuy was out of surgery. He was alive! He was doing amazing! His heart was stable the entire time and he had no complications! All of his other organs looked great including his liver. Thank you, God! The surgeon said he removed a mass the size of a golf ball plus a smaller one. It would now be sent off for a biopsy. So, now we made it through the first hurdle. Now, we wait and find out if it is cancer or not.

This was Chuy on the way home from the hospital. You can tell he is in lala land from the pain meds!

Recovery From Surgery

Chuy had to be on strict crate rest for 2 weeks until the staples were removed. He needed lots of medications. We have a two-story home so we kept Chuy in his extra-large crate upstairs in our bedroom. He was our little patient as we had to bring him medications around the clock for the first few days. I would also make him chicken or ham because he wouldn’t eat his regular dog food. He healed beautifully and all of the veterinarian staff were really pleased with his results. You can see the progression of his scar below. If you get squeamish with stuff like this, just scroll past!

The first image is the staples the day after the surgery when he came home. You can see the skin is a bit swollen. The second one is 2 weeks after the staples were removed. The third image is a few days later. If you see the image a bit further down, you can see how well he healed!

The Biopsy Results are In

I was shaking when I took the phone call. Everything came back benign! There was NO sign of cancer in Chuy’s spleen or liver. They called it a nodular hyperplasia due to age. When I you I fell to the floor when they called with the results. This was the best news! My intuition told me it wasn’t his time and I’m SO glad I listened. Chuy is doing really well and hasn’t had any complications or setbacks.

A splenectomy is not an easy decision to make. I know how hard it is if you’re going through this. You have to weigh the pros and cons, educate yourself, and make the best decision that only you know in your heart is right. Sending you lots of love if you’re in this situation. Hoping our story can give you a little bit of hope.

My Chihuahua Had a Splenectomy

Option #1: Surgery

Option #2: Do Nothing

Option #3: Euthanasia

Prepping for Surgery

The Day of Surgery

Recovery From Surgery

The Biopsy Results are In

Recent Posts

INSTAGRAM @IRRESISTIBLEPETS

Option #1: Surgery

Option #2: Do Nothing

Option #3: Euthanasia

Prepping for Surgery

The Day of Surgery

Recovery From Surgery

The Biopsy Results are In

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

INSTAGRAM @IRRESISTIBLEPETS