Melissa,
What I will do is send prayers and virtual hugs to both you and Grace. I am happy the blood work is normal, always a good sign. BTW I love your description "spicy" she is such a beautiful girl and it truly matches that gleam in her eyes!

I wish I had some advice to give but I have not had any experience with this kind of a situation. I just want to say I'm so sorry for what you and Grace are going through and hoping for the best possible outcome. I'll be thinking of you and waiting anxiously for an update.

Thank you everyone! Grace has truly taught me so much. I had dogs my whole life, but she is the first one who truly became my partner. And that's not to mention how she opened my eyes...raw diet, minimal vaccinations, etc...it's all because of her that I know any of that. I'd still be in the dark ages if it weren't for her!

She still lives with my parents and is very much my mom's one true love when it comes to pups. She has a sweetness like no other dog I've ever met. She taught me a lot about how to raise a pup into a fantastic dog and how to enjoy each and every day with zest. She is a spicy, sassy queen. She has been instrumental in raising up Kira (who was a hellion) and Vigo (who loves her like no other). I know that no dog deserves this, but especially not Grace.

Ask your veterinarian how much time he believes this procedure will buy for your Grace.
This, in my view, is an important consideration. A chest radiograph to check for distant spread of disease is always a good idea.
For many dogs, this operation is well tolerated, not much worse than a spay. Some dogs who have been experiencing fatigue and vague abdominal pain pre-op are quite a bit better post op.
It is however, major surgery, and will have a large incision (and bill!) and there will be some "recovery" period.
I wish you and your dog the best.

Melissa,

I am so sorry to hear about Grace. I have hesitated to post because I don't want to scare you. And, she (I hope) may not be in the same situation. Please, remember that. But, if it were me I would want to be aware of some of the possibilities.

On April 26, 2010, I was in your position ... blindsided. I had taken my 12 year old GSD to the vet because she was slow getting up and down. She had been diagnosed with arthritis based on age and presenting symptoms (sore, warm elbows with some swelling after exercise). And, I wondered if a drug change would help. On her physical exam, the vet found a mass on her spleen. We went straight to an ultra sound. I insisted on this because my friend had lost her Rottie to hemangiosarcoma 6 months earlier and was worried. It showed a mass smaller than a golf ball. And, the vet thought we had caught it early because of the size. So, seeing no reason to wait agreed to a splenectomy the next morning.

The surgery did not go well. The mass was easily removed but the spleen was extremely "friable" and she began hemorrhaging massively. They had to enlarge the incision and call in another vet at the hospital to help stop the bleeding. She was in surgery forever!! They also thought that she was deficient in some clotting factors due to undetected bleeds. My surgeon was very experienced (over 30 yrs). It was one of those surgical complications we are all told about, but never think will happen to us. I should have known better because I worked in "human" medicine and knew how much a spleen could bleed.

She spent 5 days in ICU. It took a little while, but she improved and her quality of life did too. She lived a normal happy life until 3 months later. She had a small rectal bleed in the evening and the following morning had a massive rectal bleed. She died on July 27,2010 ...exactly 3 months after the surgery. Oddly, my friend"s Rottie also died exactly 3 months after his surgery .

Regarding Betty's question about whether some other minor problems might be associated, I have wondered about some things along those lines with my girl. In her case, possibly due to coagulation issues. Were the warm, swollen elbows perhaps due to blood in the joints? And, she had an aural hematoma (about 2 months earlier)of unknown origin that could not be fixed (after 3 tries) because it kept filling up.

Sorry for the long story ... but I wanted to give you a bit of my experience. I sincerely hope that it is ALL totally irrelevant to you and Grace. Sending good thoughts and prayers.

Betty - I absolutely will ask, though from what I can gather, there are no guarantees. Could be quite awhile if noncancerous, but it is a very short timeline if it is cancer.

Mary - that sounds like an absolute nightmare. I am so sorry. Thank you for sharing your story though. I want to know all the possibilities and be as best prepared as I can be for Grace.

Be back later after our vet appt.

Quick update - Surgery tomorrow morning. Please keep us in your thoughts.

Holding only good thoughts for a successful outcome tomorrow.

My very best wishes to you and your dog, and her surgeon too.
May the life force be with you!

I will be thinking of you and Grace tomorrow.

I absolutely would have opted for surgery with my dog if it looked like the tumor she had was only on her spleen and the vet thought that there were reasonable odds that surgery might be curative. But it was cancerous and an ultrasound showed that it had already spread by the time if was found. She was 11 at the time, but a very young 11.