Why is my dog's mammary gland swollen, not eating, and depressed?

Poor silver! She could be pregnant (unless y'all have watched her 100% of the time she is outside) or she could be going through a false pregnancy (they think they are pregnant and will show similar signs of swollen mammary glands, nesting, whining, etc). She could also have an infection in her mammary tissues. I would recommend to contact your vet for an exam to confirm that she isn't pregnant and see what is going on. I hope she starts to feel better!

Mishti may be having what we call a "False Pregnancy". It occurs because their bodies release some of the same hormones that will occur with pregnancy, so she may actually think that she is/was pregnant. I have attached a link to more information about that below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1896 If Mishti is stealing and trying to nurse the other dog's puppies, I would separate her from the other dogs to avoid them nursing on her since nursing can actually make a false pregnancy last longer. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

There are a few things that could be going on: 1. She could be having a false pregnancy. 2. She could be having a real pregnancy. 3. She could have a uterine infection - called pyometra. 4. She could have something completely unrelated to the reproductive tract. I think you should get her a vet for an exam. If she is pregnant you need to know about it so you can estimate when she may give birth. If she has a uterine infection this can be life-threatening and she needs to get treatment ASAP. A false pregnancy may or may not resolve on it's own. If it is something else, she needs the proper treatment. So, regardless of the underlying cause, she needs an exam. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Bailey.

In an older dog a swelling like this around the teat is most often a mammary lump. 50% are benign and 50% cancerous in dogs. They can be closely linked to hormones hence the fluctuation in size. Other causes would be mastitis or mammary development, but this photo does look like a lump. It can be tested by the vet to know what sort it is.

If a mammary gland swells up within an hour the cause is usually either trauma, or an insect bite or even a snake bite. If the swelling has been there for a longer time or developed over a longer time, then this could be a cyst or an abscess or a mammary tumor. Observe it, and if it does not get smaller over the next 48 hours, take Baby to your veterinarian for an exam.

Hello there! It looks like Princess has a mammary gland problem. What is causing the swelling should be determined at the vet's office. It could be mastitis (an infection of the mammary gland), a cyst (a fluid filled sac), or possibly mammary cancer. At the vet, they will give Princess a complete physical exam, and most likely they will take a small sample of cells from the mass with a small needle to look at under the microscope. This is called a fine needle aspirate, or FNA. The FNA will help the vet determine the cause of the mass and decide it's treatment. An infection may require antibiotics, a cyst may require regular draining, and a tumor may require surgical removal. Mammary tumors in unspayed dogs have the potential of being malignant (the kind of cancer that multiplies and spreads), so they may want to biopsy the mass to rule this out, should it be removed. The brown discharge and milk production may be from a condition called false pregnancy. This occurs when the body is responding as if it has puppies, but it in fact does now. This usually occurs soon after a heat cycle. It is also possible that she has an infection in the uterus, called pyometra, which can also cause abnormal discharge. This also requires a visit to the vet as it could be life threatening. I am suspicious of this due to her straining to go to have a bowel movement, as an enlarged, infected uterus can put pressure on the colon and make a dog feel like they have to go. You should make an appointment with your vet as soon as possible to have Princess checked out. Good luck, and I hope she feels better soon!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Princess. I would advise taking Princess to your veterinarian. It's possible that she is going through a false pregnancy (pseudopregnancy) if you are sure that she didn't get bred by a male dog. Dogs often get mammary enlargement and will lactate when they are in a false pregnancy. Your veterinarian can gather a history and assess Princess. They may want to x-ray or ultrasound her to confirm that she is pregnant or not if she was out of your sight within the past 2 months or so. A false pregnancy usually resolves without treatment but it's also possible that she is developing some mild mastitis from the mammary enlargement. Your vet can advise you on any treatment that might be needed. Good luck with Princess