Valentino never complained or fussed when he had to go in for another surgery to remove his bleeding lesions that always came back. His first one was taken off the tip of his ear when he was about 4 years old. Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer of the blood vessels that grows rapidly. The bleeding dermal version, which is what Tino had, must be monitored and removed. Thank goodness it's mostly painless. The sun makes this cancer worse and living in Arizona he was always exposed. We used sunblock, UV tarps over the dog run, organic bamboo shirts and always had him on a grain~free holistic diet. We used herbal remedies and constantly monitored his lesions for changes at which time they were removed. I wished we'd had these UV fabrics when he was a puppy, as all IGs love to lay in the sun. DON'T LET THEM!!!
30% of all dermal HSA metastasizes internally and attacks the organs. We lost a foster dog, Jack to this same disease in 2013. They basically "melt" from the inside out. We believe Tino's finally went to his brain as he started having muscle spasms in his back leg a few months before he passed.
We also lost Jack, a forever foster
to hemangiosarcoma in October 2013
Holly and baby Tino, Sept. 1998
Valentino, 16 years old
To honor our brave boy's fight we regularly donate K9 Sunwear clothing to Italian greyhounds in foster care. We are grateful to be able to help other dogs dealing with this awful disease.
Do you have a dog with hemangiosarcoma? Contact me to learn about our holistic approach and natural supplements that kept him happy until the very end, just 11 weeks shy of his 17th birthday. He was so much more than a dog to me, my first Italian Greyhound and I will miss and adore him forever.
Bleeding tumors are common with dermal hemangiosarcoma. Tino had many surgeries to remove them, they almost always come back. Please DO NOT let your Italian greyhound or other lightly coated dogs sunbathe without protection. This can happen, it DOES happen and it's deadly.
Because of my successful petwear business, I was able to take care of him financially and physically as I work from home, and will always be grateful to my customers who allowed me this privilege. This is a difficult disease to deal with both emotionally and financially and I hope I can help others in their battle.