Mammary Lumps.....

Asking question on behalf of someone else...thanks for your advice in advance....


We have found several lumps on our lovely little 12yr old dog. Took her to the vet who gave us the choice of putting her to sleep or a major operation of removing all her mammary whotsits. We were all for the op until i spoke to someone whos dobie had the same at 13yrs old then died 2weeks after the op. I cannot decide what is best....operate then she may last 2weeks in pain and fright or put her to sleep now.Vet cannot tell us what her chances are, whether more lumps would come back later.i dont know what to do. has anyone had this experience?

Has the vet said exactly what the mammary lumps are? My Rosie had a couple in February 2005, my vet scared me to death saying if we didn't have them removed she could die. We ended up having the op (Rosie was 7 at the time) and had her spayed at the same time. Thankfully the lumps were nothing sinister, she is fine and they haven't reappeared so far.

The removal of all the mammaries is a major op and I would think long and hard before going ahead. My friends bitch had this done and sadly died within 6 weeks of the op, she never got over the major surgery, and her last 6 weeks were really uncomfortable for the poor dog.

I had an English Setter stripped (as they call it), and spayed when she was 8, she had a stroke just a few months later but she did recover and went on to live until she was 10. My other bitch had just one lump at 5 years of age and I had that removed and her spayed at the same time, the lump turned out not to be cancer after all but I don't regret having her spayed really as she may well have developed cancerous lumps later in life.
You don't mention what breed your friends dog is, is she a long lived breed or a crossbreed or one that is lucky to have reached a good age? Also, is she otherwise fit & healthy.
If it were one of my girls I can tell you, hand on heart, if she was otherwise fit & well I would give her the op. She needn't be in pain as she can have painkillers, she may feel uncomfortable but my old girl acted as if she hadn't had anything done and was trying to get on the sofa the night I brought her home.
If she were mine and has been poorly, therefore making the risks of an op higher, I would not put her through it and try to make her last days/weeks/months as happy as possible.
12 is an excellent age for any dog to get to, I have lost all my Setters once they reach 10, so think your friends have done really well to have her for this long.
I hope this helps and wish them the very best of luck whichever way they go.

my dads dog Flora had a mamory strip done earlier this year she is a 10 yr old cavalier and he wasn't sure either

but since the op she has become a puppy again its like a new lease of life he was talked into the op by his vet as he felt it was kinder to put her to sleep its a big op .....but she's doing great

Hi Lisa did the vet do a biopsy? Do you know for certain if the tumours are malignant mammary tumours or benign fatty tissue lypoma.

Hi hun...I'm not up on the info about the poor dog, just wanted to help out by getting some advice for them so that they can decide what to do...I'm sure the owner will be on later to add the detail...sorry if the question is not complete, I just knew there would be members on this forum that have been through this and would be able to give good advice in helping them to make a decision...thanks

Hi Lisa no one can really advise your friend what to do, it depends on her dogs particular circumstances and a number of factors like how fit is the dog, is her heart sound, what type of growths are they, are there secondary growths in the lymph nodes or chest, all these can affect the decision to operate or not.

All operations with a general anaesthetic carry a risk ,obviously the older and less fit the dog the greater the risk .

There are different forms of mammary tumours and in general around 50% prove to be malignant with the other 50% being benign . If the tumours are malignant and invasive they can't be left. A biopsy to remove some cells from the site of the tumour can give some indication of the type of tumour it is, the removal and examination of the tumour will confirm this . Whether or not they will grow back depends on the type of tumours so the vet will be unable to answer this question.

Your friend really needs to talk to her vet about the options because he knows the dog and it's state of health , if she is unsure what questions to ask him advise her to write them down.

Our Phoebe (lab and obese) has a large lump in a mamory gland. The vet took some of the cells using a needle - and we have to go back on the 12th. Real worry is her obesity, it would make it more dangerous under anesthetic. On the plus side it could just be an accumulation of fat - and she is not getting thinner or less hungry and was spayed before first heat, so we are hoping it is just fat!

She's on a strict diet and 2 or 3 ten minute walks a day.

It's very difficult because she is always stealing food and it seems she is only happy when she has food. We want to bring her weight down, so she eats mainly chicken and turkey and some supplements. But it's catch 22, she needs exercise to bring the weight down, but is already too heavy for decent walks.

Hopefully your friend's dog will come through clear.

Hi, what a great website! thanks Lisa for showing me this. Its my dog with the lumps. She is a dachshund cross(bits of spaniel and yorkie). The Vet said a biopsy would be probably pointless as one lump has now become red and inflamed, he suggested a chest xray first to see if her lungs were clear because if there was any growth there then an operation would be a waste of time. But he listened to her heart and lungs and they were fine. She has not been coughing, she is eating well and is normal in every other way. She is 12 but as she is a mongy i'm not sure if that is long lived or normal. we were all for the op until, like i said, a woman told me about a dobie who had the same op and only lasted 2 weeks. I would go for the op if she would be fine but no one can see the future i dont know whats best.

oh forgot, she is not speyed and had litter of 3 pups (by accident!! brazen hussy) 2 years ago.