Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs: A Personal Experience. RIP Mocca

Many of our readers are familiar with my Border Collie, Mocca. She’s been featured in probably more blog posts on here than any other pet! Deservedly so though, I’d say…

I am sad to report that our dear Mocca passed away December 22, 2012. She was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma, and we chose to let her go peacefully, to the Rainbow Bridge to play with her friends. I do firmly believe she is up there with other pets who have passed away, with an eternal ball that is thrown! When I woke up that day, I had no clue how the day was going to play out, and surely, coming home without my “roo-ing” girl was the furthest thing from my mind.

A little background for you: Mocca had, in the past several months, a tough time with a third bout of Lyme Disease, and Ehrlichiosis (another tick disease). She also had an episode of Canine Vestibular Syndrome, which left her with a head tilt and a bit less mobility. We had been going to the Chiropractor with great success though, and Mocca seemed to be recovering finally! She was up the stairs and on the bed in the past few weeks – which hadn’t happened in months. There was though, something *off* with her. I couldn’t pinpoint it. I had started researching Canine Cognitive issues, as she seemed to be pacing more, a little more restless. Just *not right*. I was considering a trip to the vet, but as she seemed 100% healthy, I had not yet.

That fateful morning, I woke up to find Mocca not feeling great. She had vomited up all her food from the night before and was obviously in distress. More so than a normal bout of an upset tummy. I began to worry, and watch her carefully. After a couple hours, and noticing her breathing seemed labored when just sleeping, and concerned with the way she would just stare at the wall, hunched up and uncomfortable, we got into the vet ASAP. I felt rising panic. I knew something wasn’t right, but hoped it was just over-concern for my senior girl.

Sadly, the vet reported some of her blood levels were off the charts – liver, red blood count, and more. They did an X-Ray, revealing that many of her internal organs were being pushed around by some growths inside her. We aspirated the location of the largest, and got a good deal of blood. Our option then was to come back a couple hours later for an Ultrasound, to better show us what was going on. I knew from talking to the vet, that essentially I was taking her home to say good-bye, as no matter what the Ultrasound showed, she would not be able to recover in her current state.
We went home, and I spent the time pampering her and showering her with love.
The Ultrasound showed a Hemangiosarcoma, attached to her liver (Hemangiosarcoma in dogs is a malignant cancer that arises from the blood vessels). The vet explained that typically these tumors explode, and then the dog bleeds out, painfully. All we could do for Mocca was to end her pain as quickly as possible, so that she didn’t suffer any further.

Needless to say, Christmas was a lot duller without her cheery face around. But we knew we did what we had to do, though making the decision was the most difficult of all. As it turns out, many people have come forward to me explaining that the same thing happened to THEIR dog. I didn’t know… It seems to be more common that I knew – mostly older dogs. If you would like to read a more detailed explanation of Hemangiosarcoma, please see this detailed article on our PetEduction.com website.

I am thankful Mocca lives on not only in the hearts of MANY, but also on this website and I hope our experiences help out some other pet owners. Thank you everybody for your support! You can see posts about Mocca here.

Tagged as: canine vestibular, Canine Vestibular Syndrome, Hemangiosarcoma, loss of dog, Lyme Disease, Mocca, Pet Loss, rainbow bridge

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About the author: Melissa is a devoted pet owner with 4 cats: Kai, Cirrhi, Ritter & Cosmo; and the newest addition, Emme a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy. Melissa is an avid dog agility enthusiast, and hopes her new puppy will someday be an agility champion! She is a Graphic Designer and Project Coordinator for the DrsFosterSmith.com and LiveAquaria.com websites. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Michigan State University and is a lifelong pet lover and owner. See more articles by Melissa R.