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My dog has soft chest bumps. Is it breast cancer or fatty tumors?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Female | spayed | 8 years and 10 months old | 10 lbs

Hi my dog is about 9-10 yrs old and I noticed some soft, quarter size bumps on her chest. I was just wondering if this could be breast cancer and if it is, what I can do about it. Thank you for your time and passion for out pets!

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 24th, 2019

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dixie. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian for a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate. The veterinarian will use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. While dogs can develop breast cancer, it is most common in unspayed females. If it is not cancerous, she could have benign mammary growths or even fatty tumors. Based on these results, her veterinarian will make treatment recommendations if necessary. I hope this information helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 25th, 2017

    These lumps on Bella could be lipomas (benign fatty tumors), cysts, another type of benign tumor, or even a malignant tumor. Lipomas can be common in dogs, and they would feel soft. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Bella seen by a vet in the next couple of days. The vet can diagnose what is causing the lumps, and what treatment (if any) is needed. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 14th, 2018

    Even though from your description it is likely that this kind of lump is actually a benign fatty one (commonly called lipoma), this kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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