Enlarged Spleen

Question
My friend has a 10 year old black lab. Her vet took x-rays of Sam and told her she had an enlaged spleen. He did not tell her why or what could have caused this. The dog has not been eating well and not it's playful self. What could be some of the reasons for this?

Answer
Hi Lori!  The list of possibilities are endless as to what may be causing this.  Most commonly an enlarged spleen is due to a tumor.  If this is the case, the spleen is simply removed, which is called a splenectomy.  Recovery from a splenectomy is fairly quick with an outstanding outcome.  Most dogs that do have a problem that results in a splenectomy, the surgery definitely gives them a good prognosis.  I would definitely tell your friend to take her dog to a different veterinarian that would be comfortable in performing this surgery.  Since the dog is not eating well and is not acting like himself, I would definitely act promptly on this.
I hope this helps and please let me know how your friend's dog is.  I am a huge fan of labs, they are such sweet dogs, and I wish your friend and her dog the very best.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Hilary