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My dog has a mammary tumor. Will surgery help or spread it faster?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Doberman Pinscher | Female | unspayed | 7 years and 2 months old | 99 lbs

Gm sir.i have 7 year old dobe female.last 4 years we have not mated our dog.during heat period normally we observe swelling of mammary glands and latter it subsides.this time it is not subsided for last 15 days.we have treated it for last 15days with vaccination and medicines.but no changes observed.local doctors findings are mammary glands tumour.surgical procedure for removal of this tumour will spread faster as per their opinion.kindly confirm whether surgerical removal will help

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 25th, 2017

I'm sorry that it appears Richie has mammary tumors! Yes you do need to removed these tumors as soon as possible to prevent spread. In dogs with mammary tumors, 50% of them are malignant and will spread to local lymph nodes. They should be removed and the vet will check the local lymph nodes to see if any cancer has spread there. If it has spread, then the local lymph nodes will need to be removed as well. I hope this helps!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM
Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident
Published on September 5th, 2017
Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The recommendation for mammary tumors is surgical removal. There is a lot of misleading information online about spread of tumors after surgery which is not true and not really based on any real information. If Gypsy does have a mammary tumor, we advice a lumpectomy (local surgery to remove the tumor) to be followed by further therapy such as chemotherapy if needed based on the biopsy results. The good thing is that only about 50% of these tumors are malignant in dogs. The recovery from these surgeries is actually excellent and most dogs are eating, drinking and doing well the following day. I wish you and your little girl, Gypsy all the best! I hope it is something benign! Have a good evening.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on March 15th, 2017
Unfortunately, the metastatic spread may be so small that it cannot be visualized just yet on x-rays or ultrasounds. Only time will tell if there has been spread or not. It certainly is possible that this surgical removal can remove all of the cancer, but J will need to continue to be monitored. I would have local lymph nodes sampled to see if the cancer has spread to them, and if it has, then it would be considered Stage 2. Keep in mind, however, because I can't see J in person and I'm not treating her, I can't say for certain. Chemotherapy may be a good idea, and I would discuss with your vet if they feel it is a viable option for her. Check out this article on mammary tumors from the UPenn Veterinary School as this provides a lot of information you may find helpful:

http://www.vet.upenn.edu/docs/default-source/ryan/oncology-handouts/mammary-tumors-in-dog_ek-ks.pdf?sfvrsn=4
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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