Hemangiosarcoma
Mast cell tumors are among the most common tumors in American dogs, but fortunately most forms of this cancer are very treatable. They also may be called mast cell sarcoma, or mastocytomas. Don't worry too much 
about the exact name they put on the dog's disease. The information given here applies to all forms of Mast cell tumors. And the treatments are similar. About 80% of dogs with Mast cell tumors can be put into remission through the use of modern methods of treatment.
The "typical" canine mast cell cancer patient is generally an older larger breed dog. The first sign of trouble is usually one or more tumors on or under the skin. The ones you can see are the most treatable but they can crop up anywhere and the deeper they are the more dangerous they can become. The tumors often change size from day to day and, because their normal function is releasing histamine as an immune reaction they tend to over do it and swell, or cause a rash or hives when disturbed.
Symptoms of the more serious metastasized mast cell cancer may include: loss of appetite, vomiting; sometimes bloody, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dark or black feces, itchiness, lethargy, anorexia, irregular heart rhythm and blood pressure, coughing, labored breathing, bleeding disorders, delayed wound healing, or enlarged lymph nodes.
The prognosis for a dog with mast cell cancer depends on the stage and grade of the tumor. The skin tumors are considered to be quite curable and about half never reoccur after being surgically removed. Other more aggressive types like bone, groin or oral tumors are harder to defeat. But modern treatment including immune support can dramatically increase the odds of remission, and in many cases, produce a long term positive outcome. Dogs that are otherwise healthy have a good chance to become their old selves again.
We all want predictions... how long will my dog last before the disease wins out? Before you put too much stock in the answer, keep in mind statistics are useful in a general way, but the only thing that really counts is THIS patient. No matter how much training and schooling a doctor gets, they still are not very good at predicting the future. So don't give up hope because the statistics don't look too good. If your dog survives this disease, that is a 100% success rate! Most mast cell cancers respond very well to a combination of today's therapies and immune support such as the combination of K9 Critical Care (TM) and immuno-proteins such as K9 Transfer Factor(TM), or some equivalent immune system support.
Understanding Your Dog's Diagnosis
Your dog is completely dependent on your choices for their future. After you recover from the initial shock and sadness of the diagnosis, it is essential to confront the challenge. This cancer is relentless and can spread quickly wherever the blood vessels go, causing tumors almost anywhere in the body.
There are three basics forms of Hemangiosarcoma: dermal (skin), hypodermal (under the skin), and visceral (splenic or cardiac) Dermal Hemangiosarcomas appear as dark to purple skin lesions, which may be raised and often appear on non-haired areas like the abdomen.
They are the most curable type because they are the most superficial and have the best chance of being surgically removed. Still, 30% of all dogs with dermal Hemangiosarcoma develop metastatic disease.
So it is important to diagnose and remove these growths promptly. A biopsy can tell if the growth is completely gone. In which case, the tumor should not grow back.
Hypodermal Hemangiosarcoma can occur anywhere on the body and may appear as a soft mass or be a firm invasive mass with ulceration. 60% of dogs with hypodermal Hemangiosarcoma develop metastatic disease.
Visceral Hemangiosarcoma is the most serious. It causes blood blister-like formations that are fragile and start to bleed causing disruption to normal organ function. The spleen and the right atrium of the heart are the most common sites of this type of cancer because they are both very vascular. Dogs may have nonspecific signs such as lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, or more specific signs such as difficulty breathing, pallor, or abdominal fluid. Regardless of the site of origin, Visceral Hemangiosarcoma is locally invasive and spreads quickly.
If the heart itself is involved, bleeding can occur into the pericardium (the sac around the heart) and create so much pressure that the heart can't work properly. The blood must be drained off quickly or the will heart stop pumping. If the tumors are identified when they are small it may be possible to remove the ones found near the heart. The spleen may even be removed to prolong the pet's life.
Surgery is typically followed by chemotherapy due to the high incidence of metastasis. The goal of the surgery is to remove the tumor along with a clean healthy cell margin. Since it is commonly in an advanced stage before detection, it is often a silent killer. These are highly malignant tumors and most have spread by the time they can be identified, but dogs treated with chemotherapeutic agents do live longer than dogs that do not receive treatment.
Immune enhancement therapy is essential as a follow up to surgery and chemotherapy because they rarely result in a cure, and cannot address the underlying cause of the cancer, which is immune dysfunction. With immune therapy your dog's chances are greatly increased.
Immune modulation therapy, such as provided by K9 Critical Care (TM), in most cases leads to a better outcome. In younger or middle aged dogs, which are otherwise healthy, the results following surgery and treatment with the K9 Critical Care (TM) often leads to partial or complete remission in a large percentage of the cases. Until the immune recognition response is triggered, the patient cannot overcome the cancer and recover fully.
Since the cost of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can be quite high, we are often asked about using K9 Critical Care (TM) as a stand-alone treatment. While this is not the best option in overcoming the disease, it sometimes works.
Ultimately the patient's own immune system will be what overcomes the cancer. Modern research into immune modulation therapy as an adjunct to conventional therapy has proven this concept. Immune modulation therapy is at the forefront in treating human cancers worldwide, although naturally occurring compounds are not usually recognized as drugs in America, so it is catching on slower here than in most other countries. K9 Critical Care (TM) is a veterinary grade formula specifically intended for use in dogs fighting cancer and attempting to trigger the proper immune response.
K9 Critical Care (TM) is composed of naturally occurring compounds, called heteropolysaccharides, which act to enhance immune function. K9 Critical Care (TM) works in conjunction with other compounds produced in the body, called immune proteins, which together tend to activate various types of immune cells which are the body's normal response to invaders, such as viral, bacterial, or cancer cells.
In order to increase the number of these immune proteins in the body, it is recommended to use K9 Transfer Factor(TM), or another immune protein product, in conjunction with K9 Critical Care (TM).
Making sure the dog has supplemental immune proteins will ensure all of the heteropolysaccharides are fully utilized. Otherwise, some of the K9 Critical Care (TM) could pass through unused.
