My unspayed dog has a lump on her tummy. Could it be cancer?

Masses or tumors of the mammary glands are very common in unspayed female dogs. 50% of these tumors are benign, which also means that 50% are malignant or cancerous. I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. You may want to discuss the risks and benefits to surgery at her age. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there! Unfortunately, yes - from your description, I would be very concerned that she may have a mammary tumor. This is a very common problem in middle-aged and older intact females. If it is a mammary tumor, there is about a 50% chance of it being malignant (cancerous), so I would definitely recommend having this checked by a veterinarian as soon as you can. He/she can discuss options for biopsy or surgical removal of the mass.

Any lumps on the breast of an unspayed dog should be investigated by your veterinarian as they can be mammary carcinoma, or breast cancer. There are many other masses that can appear under the skin that may be more benign, such as lipomas or fatty tumors, but it is best to have your vet examine these masses and take a sample from them to determine if they are an aggressive cancer that requires removal.

Unspayed female dogs are very prone to mammay masses. About 50% of these are benign and 50% can be malignant. I would recommend having the mass removed and have her spayed at the same time. Good luck and I hope she does well! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

It looks like the bump is inline with her mammary chain. Intact females are prone to developing mammary tumors. Is is about a 50% chance of it being malignant. I would recommend surgical removal with biopsy. I usually recommend that the patient also be spayed at the same time to decrease the likelihood of further mammary tumor development. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Since the mass is growing, a visit to your veterinarian is recommended. An older, intact female is at higher risk of mammary gland tumors than a spayed female. A fine needle aspirate can be performed in the clinic to collect a sample for pathology. This may determine if the lump is a benign mass, infection or a malignant tumor.

It is impossible to say for sure but approximately 50% of mammary (breast) lumps are cancerous and they are particularly concerning in older and entire (non-neutered) females add if there is any discoloration (appears bruised in picture), pain or discharge. I strongly recommend an urgent vet check given the red flags which are present

Breast cancer is definitely a concern. It could be either benign or malignant, so Miny really needs to see a vet. They can collect a sample with a needle for evaluation under the microscope to determine if it is a big scary thing or a smaller worrisome thing.

There are many types of “lumps” that can occur in that region. It looks like Bianka is not spayed? Intact female dogs commonly develop mammary tumors. If they are inline with her nipples then this would be my concern. Mammary tumors can be benign or malignant, the only way to know is to send them out for biopsy. On my mammary tumor patients I usually take a chest x-ray to look for metastasis. If that is clear then I will spay then and remove the tumors and send them for biopsy. Once spayed the hormone change makes it less likely for them to continue to grow mammary tumors, but not impossible. Best of luck and I hope you find a veterinarian that you trust and can build a good relationship with. Most of us really believe in doing the right thing for our patients. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi. This is a very big mass. If it is firm and painful, this is concerning in an unspayed, older pet is cancer unfortunately. Besides a cancer, other possibilities include infection, cyst, lipoma, a benign mammary tumor, hernia, etc. She should be fully checked out and have the mass sampled to get an answer. The sooner the better in this case.