spleen

Question
Our 11 y.o. poodle  had a massive growth on his spleen. They removed it today.What are the side effects? What should we know about proper post-surgery activities?

Answer
Hello Steven,
The side effects should be minimal as long as you keep your dog calm and quiet for several days after the surgery.  Your Vet will have prescribed pain meds and antibiotics/anti-inflammatory meds that will help combat pain and infections.  For the first few days, your dog may be weak and tired anyway, so crate time may not be a problem.  Do watch though if your dog does have pain pills because it may make your dog feel better than he is, and he may want to play or be active when he shouldn't.  Walking may be painful for a time after the surgery, so make sure he takes it slow.  You should help him up on couches or beds, up and down stairs and into and out of the car for a couple of weeks so as not to stretch out the incision or sutures.  

The spleen helps the immune system so its beneficial to boost the immunity with supplements.  Probiotics are also helpful due to all the medications your dog will be on.  If you have a holistic Vet in your area, you might want to contact them for more information on supplements that would be beneficial.  

Also, I am assuming that you meant that the dogs spleen was removed and not just the tumor, but if it was only the tumor that was removed, it is highly recommended to have the spleen removed to avoid bleeding from the damaged spleen in the future.

Here is one site that I found that I hope will be helpful to you.  
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_splenic_masses.html
If you have any other questions for me about this, or other questions in general, please feel free to ask.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim