Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

    rewards header
    Become a member today!
    Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
    Already a member? Sign in
    Petco Pay LogoBecome a credit card member today!

    Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
    when you use Petco Pay!

    APPLY NOW
    Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

My dog's cancer lumps are weeping. How to stop her from scratching?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | 11 years and 2 months old | 8 lbs

My Shih Tzu havanese is 11 yrs diagnosed with cancer mams. She had surgery in October and it got worse. Recently she scratched the area which is under her right armpit and open up the lumps. Now they are weeping. My question is how do I stop the weeping and how do I stop her from scratching it.? I do keep her covered at all times except for when I'm cleaning the wounds. I also lightly blow dry the area so it stays dry and I use Pet silver wound spray. She takes CBD, Prednisone salmon oil

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Strydom, DVM

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 7th, 2024

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry you and Pitoune are dealing with this. Please be advised that to prevent this from happening to future pets, they need to be spayed before their first heat cycle. The chance of getting mammary tumors is virtually zero when a female dog is spayed young.

It is very difficult for me to tell the orientation of what is going on in this photo. I'm assuming the photo is of the abdomen since you said they are mammary tumors but again, it is hard to tell what is going on based on this one photo.

You are not going to get these to clear up and will likely only get worse; they are malignant cancer. They will only stop weeping when she stops scratching them. All you can do is exactly what you are doing although I don't think you should blow dry them - it is very easy to burn the skin making it worse. Everything else you are doing is fine.

I'm not sure what you are using to cover her but I suggest a recovery suit and to put a feminine maxi pad between the skin lesions and the suit to catch any discharge. This protective layer should stop her from traumatizing the area. You can also put a human baby sock on her back feet so it covers the nails so if she does scratch she cannot hurt the area.

( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=surgery+suit+small+dog&crid=ZTVVO4IRU78L&sprefix=surgery+suit+small+dog%2Caps%2C120&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 )

If they are worsening I suggest you speak to your vet about possibly increasing the dose of Prednisone.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Vote Icon3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Vet Q & A
How to stop my senior dog from scratching a lump until it's raw?
Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Even if your veterinarian has determined that this is a benign growth, you could consider removal from a palliative standpoint just to avoid further self-trauma of it. You could consider removal of any of the nodules that seem to be bothering Patch. Good luck!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog with lymphoma scratched a lymph node, it's dripping. What to do?
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need a small bandage along with an oral antibiotic and a topical ointment. If not treated this could become infected. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My old dog's non-cancerous lump is bleeding and red. What should I do?
Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Piper! The only way we can 100% know for sure a mass isn't cancerous is by either aspirating the mass with a needle or biopsying it. When a mass changes I always recommend that the animal be seen by their Vet to have it checked. The fact the mass opened up dictates the need to have it looked at and a minimum of antibiotics started. Hopefully it is just a ruptured follicular cyst that is infected. But I think you should have the mass removed and biopsied. I am afraid it will not heal well and continually leak bloody fluid. I hope this helps and I wish Piper the best!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
My dog's cancer surgery left a hole. Should I leave it open?
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures, it does appear that this is a sizable hole. Unfortunately, when dealing with cancer cells, anytime a cancerous mass is removed this is a possible complication. Flushing the area may help this heal faster or this may not heal well at all due to the cancerous nature of the area. I would say that if this is not looking like it is developing healthy tissue within a week of flushing and caring for the open wound, I would recommend having this closed with stitches again. I would have the veterinarian check the wound every 3 days to monitor it's progression. This area is hard to bandage and most likely a bandage would not stay in place in this area. I would leave this exposed to the air so it heals better. When she goes to sleep at night, I would put a shirt around her or a pair of boxer shorts to keep it protected. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
Why does my senior dog have an open, pink lump near her nipples?
Poor girl. Because this mass is open and seems to be bothering her I would highly consider having this mass removed surgically. Sometimes if the mass is small (less than 2 cm's) we can do a sedative on the pet and quickly remove these. However if it is a larger mass then general anesthesia may be required. She also needs to be placed on oral antibiotics to keep this area from getting infected and daily cleaning of the mass as well. Sterile saline flushes can help keep this area relatively clean and then an e-collar placed on her can help prevent licking. If surgery isn't an option for you, then medical management with antibiotics, e-collar and regular cleanings may allow proper healing of the area, but in most cases surgical removal is the best option. Best of luck!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
How to help my senior dog with a raw, oozing skin sore on her belly?
I'd have to say that I'm concerned about that focal mass area that is pigmented black, but the rest of this lesion does not look like any type of skin cancer I have seen. If the vet is concerned that this is cancer, typically we debulk (remove as much as possible) or completely remove what we can before attempting chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is also best guided when we know exactly the type of tumor we are dealing with, as there are several types of cancers that can affect the skin of dogs. My advice would be to get a biopsy performed of this lesion and get an exact diagnosis before proceeding with treatment.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog's sore isn't healing and looks larger. Could it be cancer?
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Aries has a scab/wounded area that is struggling to heal. Any lump/mass on the skin could potentially be cancerous, but the only way to definitively diagnose this is by a veterinarian sampling cells from the area and examining them under a microscope. Sometimes the entire affected area needs to be removed and submitted to a lab for biopsy in order to see what type of mass it is. If it turns out to just be a non-healing wound, your veterinarian can make recommendations about how to help the area heal. If you want, you can post on the forum again with a few photos of this area and someone may be able to give you additional information. I hope this is helpful!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Health & WellnessPrescription Shampoo for DogsDog Medicine and PrescriptionsDog Thyroid Medication & Hormone CareAntifungal Medication for DogsDog Allergy Medicine & Itch ReliefDog Bandages & Wound CareDog Incontinence & Bladder Control MedicineDog Pain Relief & Arthritis MedsFlea & Tick Solutions for DogsPrescription Flea & Tick Medicine for DogsDog Asthma MedicationPrescription Allergy Medicine for DogsDog First Aid & RecoveryTopical Flea & Tick Treatment for DogsDog Recovery Cones & Surgical SuitsPrescription Dog Digestive MedicationsPrescription Dog Insulin & Diabetes MedicationPrescription Dewormer for DogsPrescription Dog Antibiotics
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Share

Styled arrow button