Dog Breast Cancer

Canine breast cancer is seen in dogs especially females that are unspayed.



It is most commonly found when dogs are between 5 to 11 years old. Dog breast cancer symptoms are pain in the mammary area, listlessness, lethargy and loss of appetite etc. Breast cancer in dogs originates in the mammary gland. The mammary gland in dogs is from the nipples which extend to the underside of the chest to the groin and both sides of the midline.



Spaying in dogs simply means getting an ovariohysterectomy done. It is surgical procedure to remove the ovaries and uterus in female dogs. This is known to reduce dog breast cancer especially if they are spayed before their first heat cycle. There are multiple types of tumors found in dogs.



All tumors if found should be tested through both a biopsy and a histopathology. This is done to check if the tumor is malignant and to kind out the type of tumor. A histopathology is a microscopic examination of the tissue. Mammary tumors can be seen as single solid mass or as multiple swellings under the skin. These are known to grow twice in size every month if undetected. They are known to be hard and cannot be moved under the skin.

Dog Breast Cancer Treatment

Once a tumor is detected surgical removal of the tumor is recommended to avoid it spreading to the rest of the body. If the patient is very old then surgery is not recommended. Removal of the tumor is done mainly to prevent reoccurrence. Chemotherapy and radiation in dogs with breast is not recommended. There are different ways of identifying tumors in dogs. Apart from swelling mass under the skin there are other symptoms like sores that do not heal, weight loss, bleeding or discharge from body openings, difficulty felt while eating or swallowing. Others include loss of stamina, difficulty when urinating, breathing or when defecating. Also an offensive odor is known to be associated with cancer in dogs. Obesity when the dog is young and also eating red meat is also known to cause cancer. There are two kinds of tumors benign and malignant. Benign tumors are mainly adenomas and fibroadenomas. Malignant tumors are mainly sarcomas, carcinosarcomas and carcinomas. Chest x rays are prescribed to check for metastasis. If any lumps are detected then a veterinarian should be consulted immediately and should not be delayed. To ensure health in dogs especially female dogs spaying is widely recommended as it reduces risk of breast cancer.