My unspayed dog has a red nipple. Should I spay her before heat?

Hello. This is nothing to be overly concerned about. Manakoa is old enough that there are hormones circulating & this nipple just seems to be a little more sensitive to the effects of estrogen at this point in time. If you were planning on spaying her, this is a good time to consider doing so, but otherwise, as long as the nipple does not continue to show further hormonal influence, it should not significantly affect her. If it does continue to enlarge & seems to bother her, do see your vet. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It doesn't look too serious to me. The nipple is mildly inflammed, which could be due to the surgery she had (for example it was irritated while the skin was scrubbed for the surgery). Please, monitor the nipple for the next few days. If you notice that it is getting more red, swollen or is painful for Ell, please, take her to your local vet for a check.

Hello. The nipple is definitely red & inflamed, but this does not always indicate the presence of an infection. For now, you can rub a little 1% hydrocortisone on the skin 2-3 times a day, & if it is not looking any better by early in the week, please have your veterinarian take a look. Thank you.

There are a couple of reasons that you might be seeing swelling with Lily's mammary glands. If she has had a first heat cycle (which can sometimes be a "silent" heat or difficult to see) that would be the most likely possbility. I would recommend that your vet examine her tomorrow to see what they think is going on. They will likely still be able to do her spay tomorrow. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This can sometimes happen either when in heat or if she is suffering from a phantom pregnancy, check for bleeding from he private parts in the next few days, if she starts bleeding she can't have the surgery done, you will have to wait at least a couple of months.

Hello. If you are sure that she is not pregnant, then this is just a hormonal response. The breast gland tissue may regress a bit, but as long as she remains unsprayed, she may develop a little more with each heat cycle. Spaying her now may help regress the tissues totally, but with each additional heat cycle, she may develop just a little bit more. So yes, this is a normal condition in an unsprayed female dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The black dots are likely to be blackheads due to fat content in the are. The fact that nipples are producing milk may be due to a false pregnancy which is due to an hormonal imbalance. This problem is usually self limiting but if lasting more than 24 hours a check up would be required as specific medication can be prescribed.