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My unspayed female dog has a hard breast lump. What is it?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | unspayed | 14 lbs

My 8 year old chihuahua has a hard lump under her breast ... what could it be ?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Amy Poole, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 16th, 2017

It is difficult to tell what is going on with Panthera based on the picture alone. The lump in the picture almost looks wet, so I would be concerned about a potential cyst or infected gland. Since she is unspayed, I also worry about potential mammary cancer, which we see more commonly in intact females. It can present as firm masses under the mammary glands. Dogs can also get benign masses of the mammary tissue as well. The best course of action would be to take her to your regular vet to have them evaluate her. She may need a fine needle aspirate of the lump. This is when we take a sample of cells from the area and look at it under the microscope to try to determine what the underlying cause is. It is no more painful than a vaccine and can give a lot of information as to if anything further needs to be done for Panthera or not.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Robin Diers, DVM
Veterinarian
Hello there. The lump on her abdomen can be anything from a benign cyst or infection to something more serious, like a mammary tumor. I recommend taking Panthera to the veterinarian to have the growth looked at. Your vet can take a sample from some of the cells in the growth to see if it should be removed.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Thank you for providing pictures of Panthera's lump! I see that she isn't spayed, and unfortunately I would be very concerned this lump is a mammary tumor. They are very common in unspayed dogs, and 50% of them are malignant. Panthera needs to see a vet first thing Monday for this lump. The vet can diagnose if it is malignant or not; if it is, it will need to be removed surgically, and local lymph nodes will need to be tested to see if the cancer has spread. I know this isn't news you likely want to hear, and I'm sorry that it may be bad news for her :-(
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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