A Facebook post on the Animal Medical Center’s wall congratulating Dutch for being the first dog to complete a clinical trial protocol for hemangiosarcoma at AMC generated this question: “Since Dutch had his spleen removed, does he need special vaccinations going forward?” Below is my rather long answer. The Spleen The spleen is a soft,
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Some weeks seem to have a medical theme. For me, this week’s theme is the spleen or, more accurately, the absence of one as I wrote earlier this week about the case of Walker. Many of my patients this week have had their spleen surgically removed, a procedure called a splenectomy. The spleen is a
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The Animal Medical Center’s ER struggled to save Walker last week. Walker was an apparently healthy, 10-year-old German shepherd. He collapsed at home and was rushed to the ER. Examination by the ER staff was quickly focused on a triad of abnormalities – anemia, abdominal distension and shock. These findings immediately suggested internal hemorrhage from
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