My dog has a lump on her nipple. Could it be a pimple or mastitis?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is probably a small abscess or focus of infection. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian. They can prescribe a topical or systemic antibiotic for her which may be enough to treat this if they agree it is an infection. Good luck!

Absolutely keep nursing. In fact try to make the puppies use that nipple the most. Also warm water compress and massage can help too. I would also encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible as she may need antibiotic therapy. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

If you are not taking a rectal temperature then you can't say for sure she is having fevers. Many dogs will feel "hot" to the touch but their temperature internally is normal. If you want to check for fever you must take a rectal temperature. As for the mammary glands, she may have mastitis. Without seeing at least a photo of them it is hard for me to say. I think when you have a nursing mother, it is better to be safe than sorry and have her examined by a vet. If you can get a mobile vet to come to your house that would be nice so you don't have to take mom and babies into a vet clinic. Of course, if you can't get a mobile vet you will need to take them in.

It looks like that left lower mammary gland is swollen from the photos although it is difficult to say for sure. The other "zit" looking things are pustules and could be the start of a bacterial infection of the skin or they could be plugged hair follicles. I think you should get her to your vet for an exam especially if that mammary gland is swollen. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

There is not likely anything you can do at home for Ruth’s. Skin masses and blister type lesions can be benign but they can also be a skin cancer called a mass cell tumor. Additionally, masses in the mammary chain can be breast cancer. I recommend to have Ruthy examined by her veterinarian who may need to aspirate these masses to look at the cells under a microscope. This is the safest and most thorough option. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. This is probably benign mammary hyperplasia, but you do want to have this looked at, especially if she has been spayed. If she has not been spayed & has never been with a male dog, then this could be related to a false pregnancy. Also, has she been in contact with anyone who is on hormone replacement therapy? Sometimes, this can rub off on a pet & cause mammary enlargement. If no outside cause can be found, then have her spayed if that has not already been done, & submit a biopsy to see exactly what is going on with the tissue. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

These could be mammary tumors even if she was spayed after her first heat. Please take her in for an exam. The veterinarian will feel the lumps and check the nipple. They can do a needle aspirate to see if it is infection or cancer. Breast cancer in dogs can be slow growing and often can be cured with surgery. They may recommend an X-ray to make sure there are no growths in her chest or abdomen before surgery. A biopsy of the lumps will also tell what it is and if it has been completely removed. If there is infection in the nipple area they will put Zephyr on antibiotics. Please have this examined soon so she can get the necessary treatment and be on the road to recovery. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Zephyr.