Is spaying an old chihuahua with nipple lumps safe and necessary?

Yes, it is most likely mammary (breast) cancer. Very common to happen in dogs that are not spayed. That is why we recommended spaying dogs early in life. 1. I suggest you find a vet that will do both surgeries at once. There is no sense in doing two surgeries a month apart. They can both be done safely at the same time in most cases. She may be one of those cases that the mass is extensive and that is why your vet does not want to do them at the same time. I don't know since I have not examined her myself but in most cases I would do both surgeries together. Just my opinion. 2. You need to get her spayed, even at 8 years old. If you don't, then she may end up with more mammary tumors or a pyometra or she may pass away. Yes, a blood test before the spay is indicated absolutely. 3. It should not change her much. If you don't do it then she can certainly die just like a person with breast cancer so you really have no option but to have it done. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I know how stressful surgery can be. It is true that spaying your pets will prevent any future pyometra event. This is key to your pets health moving forward. I think that the pros outweigh the cons when you are considering spaying your fur babies. As long as their bloodwork looks good, your vet is experienced spaying older pets, and your vet has a safe senior protocol to use for the pre-anesthetic drugs (i.e. Midazolam + Butorphanol), then they will have minimal risks involved with surgery. Best wishes with your fur babies moving forward and I hope that their surgeries go as planned with no complications. Take care!

Mia's life expectancy after the tumor removal depends on if the tumors are benign or malignant, and if the cancer has spread should they be malignant. If the cancer has spread, the extent of the spread determines the outcome. I think having her spayed is a good idea, as she will still be prone to developing a pyometra with her uterus left. A pyometra is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment, and that would require another emergency surgery to fix should she get one. No, she's not too little to get this surgery, and I strongly recommend it. Best of luck.

Just as in people, anesthetic procedures are not without risk. However, if she is deemed healthy and will be adequately monitored during the procedure, the risk is minimized. She should have a full blood panel performed beforehand to make sure she is healthy to undergo the procedure. Your vet should also do a good physical exam to ensure she does not have a heart murmur or other health concerns. Wishing you both the best!

Unfortunately mammary tumors are very common in unspayed dogs, and 50% of them are malignant. The prognosis depends on whether or not the tumor is malignant or not, and if it has spread. Given that it's growing, removing it would be best as well as spaying Lilly in my opinion (spaying her prevents her from developing a pyometra). The vet doing the surgery can submit the removed lump to a lab to determine if it's malignant or not, and likely will submit local lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread there. That should give a prognosis as to life expectancy for her. I'm sorry you are going through this, and in the future, I strongly recommend to not listen to a groomer about veterinary medicine. They are not trained in veterinary medicine, and really should not be giving advice on lumps. Any suspicious lump should always be checked out by a vet promptly. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Eighteen years is quite old for a dog, so I understand why you may be hesitant to go through any procedures that may decrease her quality of life. At this age it's uncertain how much longer she will live (with or without the tumor) and it seems like she may have other problems,or possible spread of the tumor that would not give a favorable prognosis for recovering from surgery. I would definitely want to solve the problem of not eating before recommending surgery for the tumor. It was helpful to see the notes and lab work, but I would need to further evaluate her and discuss this more in order to give you some more helpful advice. I think it would be worthwhile to discuss this with your veterinarian again and ask what they would do if it were their dog. This may help you with your decision. I hope that helps and Candy gets better soon.

To be completely honest, having her spayed at this point of her life will not prevent future tumors but it can prevent pyometra (uterine infection), the tumors do need to be removed surgically though as they tend to grow and ulcerate at some point and the dog can no longer live this way, having them removed often solves the problem.