Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 2/26/2011

Question
HI.
My dog Mini(Miniature Schnauzer/10years/spayed/bitch/9.32 kg)
Fed U/D (1/2 cup) this morning

She was normal by noon today, and I found her drooped on a floor.
I took her to hospital, they x-rayed her, and found a big lump which looked like a cartilage of 'Lamb Chew Bone'(nature's gift lamb chew bone#.
It seems that she swallowed a whole cartilage without chewing this afternoon.
This mass is moving in her stomach whenever it's x-rayed.

Would you give me your opinion whether it would be dissolved in several days or so, or is it necessary to take a surgery?
#I really don't like to make my dog take a surgery#

And during an examination,
Vet found that her liver and heart is quite bigger than normal Schnauzers - maybe 2-3 times bigger).
Her spleen is a little bit bigger than other dogs as well.

And her liver numeric number on her blood test is 10 times higher than normal.
She took a surgery on 2008 because of calculus#stone in the bladder#, but on her x-ray today showed that she has several small stones in her bladder again.)

I need your opinion.

Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
June Kim

Answer
Well as you know if you read my profile I am not a vet, and can only tell you that your dog sounds like she has multiple issues going on here that are not good.

The enlarged heart would be my biggest concern followed by the liver. Is this dog on heartworm prevention? That is a major contributor to enlarged hearts, but Schnauzers seem to have a breed predilection toward that as well.

What was your vet's recommendations regarding the lump in the stomach and the heart/liver problem? I would never think that a dog with heart and liver issues at 10 yrs old should undergo a surgery to remove something unless that object being left inside would be life threatening in itself.

The surgery to remove this would be simply and fast, but it is still very risky due to her age and her liver. The liver has to filter the anesthetic afterward and if it is not functioning properly then it will be very hard for this dog to recover from surgery.

Also, is the vet sure that the lump isn't PART of the liver, in other words, a tumor of the liver? This is very common in older dogs. It might have nothing to do with the lamp bone at all.

I would have an ultrasound done on her liver if you can to be sure that the "lump" is indeed in her stomach and not part of her liver or spleen.

Then I would go from there. If it is in the stomach, the chew bone that is, and it's not causing a blockage of her stomach and intestines, then it will probably dissolve. But I would never give her another one or any type of bone.

Most of these cause major problems for dogs. Not worth it.
So ask your vet about the ultrasound and what he can do to help her liver and her heart.
Please let me know what you find out.