Hi all, I'm hoping I can enlist your help. I'm a veterinarian practicing in New York, and I have recently had 5 Boxers develop an unusual tumor of the prostate; all were about 8 years old.
This tumor is not the typical prostatic carcinoma. Rather, it is hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive tumor of blood vessels which commonly occurs in the spleen, liver, or heart. In general, hemangiosarcomas have a very poor prognosis since they tend to spread to other organs early.
For all of these 5 dogs, they appeared completely normal, then suddenly had difficulty passing urine to the point where they developed an obstruction. Sadly, these dogs went from happy and healthy to completely unable to urinate within a few short days. Their families were devastated.
For 3 of these dogs, their families generously shared their pedigree information with me, and I was able to trace back a common ancestor for all 3. 1 dog was a rescue, and I will never know his genetics. The fifth family is too distraught over his loss to look through all their papers for the information.
If this story sounds familiar to you, and you know your pet's AKC number (or parents' AKC number), please let me know. I am trying to put together a pedigree analysis, which is the first step in the long process of possibly finding a genetic test. I am hopeful with more information, I can help protect dogs and their families from going through such a difficult disease.
Thank you all in advance.
This tumor is not the typical prostatic carcinoma. Rather, it is hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive tumor of blood vessels which commonly occurs in the spleen, liver, or heart. In general, hemangiosarcomas have a very poor prognosis since they tend to spread to other organs early.
For all of these 5 dogs, they appeared completely normal, then suddenly had difficulty passing urine to the point where they developed an obstruction. Sadly, these dogs went from happy and healthy to completely unable to urinate within a few short days. Their families were devastated.
For 3 of these dogs, their families generously shared their pedigree information with me, and I was able to trace back a common ancestor for all 3. 1 dog was a rescue, and I will never know his genetics. The fifth family is too distraught over his loss to look through all their papers for the information.
If this story sounds familiar to you, and you know your pet's AKC number (or parents' AKC number), please let me know. I am trying to put together a pedigree analysis, which is the first step in the long process of possibly finding a genetic test. I am hopeful with more information, I can help protect dogs and their families from going through such a difficult disease.
Thank you all in advance.