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My senior dog has a belly lump. What could it be and what to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 13 years and 10 months old

My golden Labrador has a lump under her belly she is 13

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 1st, 2016

I seee that Sam is not spayed. A lump on her abdomen could be a hernia , inflamed mammary gland, cyst, abscess or, more likely, a mammary tumor or a fatty tumor. A mammary tumor can be benign or malignant or mixed. It is usually best to have it removed, i.e. have all the glands removed on the side where the tumor is. However at 13 years of age, and depending on the size of the mass, your veterinarian may decide just to do a lumpectomy. Fatty tumors are usually benign and ,, unless they cause a problem, we usually leave them alone. I suggest you have Sam examined by your veterinarian. He may want to do a biopsy of the mass, or a fine needle aspirate ( where an injection needle is inserted into the mass and cell material is aspirated and examined under the microscope). In case of a mammary tumor he will also want to do chest x-rays to make sure there are no metastases in the lungs. Abscesses and cysts can be evacuated or lanced if necessary and a hernia can be fixed surgically . Please make an appointment with your vet soon.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 8th, 2017

    This is very likely to be a mammary gland tumor, you need to take her to the vet in order to get that lump checked, it will probably need to be removed surgically ASAP. these tumors can become life threatening if not removed on time.

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