Q: My dog has a mass on her spleen that has to come out. The tumor seems to be benign—tests indicate that it has not spread to other parts of her body. But it is growing bigger all the time and could rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding. The veterinary surgeon I have spoken with says that he’s going to take out the whole spleen along with the mass as that will be less risky than just trying to remove the mass itself. He says the “skin” of the spleen is delicate, and trying to remove just the mass could cause a rupture on its own. He tells me a dog doesn’t need her spleen. How can that be?
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