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Why isn't my dog eating after shots and before mammary tumor surgery?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | spayed | 77 lbs

I took her to the vet on friday 8/18. She got her shots. She was found to have 2 tumors on her mammary glands. She's supposed to have them removed on Monday 8/ 21. She's not eating and she's turned down her favorite snacks.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on August 20th, 2017

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sasha is gorgeous! Some dogs can develop lethargy and inappetence within 1-3 days post vaccination. Even if she has tolerated her vaccines well before, she can still develop side effects at any time. Her clinical signs are unlikely to be related to her mammary tumors. I would mention this to your veterinarian tomorrow when she is in for the surgery so that they can run some pre-operative bloodwork to make sure that everything looks right before anesthesia. Have your veterinarian submit the masses to the laboratory so that a diagnosis can be reached. If they turn out to be malignant (only about 50% of them are), feel free to set up a consultation with me for further information on that type of cancer. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign and nothing to worry about!

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello, sorry to hear about Sasha. These signs could be more consistent with a a delayed allergic reaction to her vaccines. This is typically self limiting and resolves in a couple of days. However, it is important to have your veterinarian check her to ensure she does not have a fever or pain anywhere on her body. There may be other causes for her decreased appetite included progression of her mammary tumors, some sort of dietary indiscretion, ingested foreign material, or inflammation of her GI tract. Therefore, it would be best of Sasha was evaluated by your veterinarian to ensure none of these conditions are pertinent and assess if her surgery needs to be postponed. Monitor for any signs of vomiting, diarrhea, hives, or increased body temperature. If you note any of the above contact your veterinarian immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck

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