My dog has lumps near her nipples. Is she pregnant or something else?

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.

I would continue to monitor is for any sudden changes. It should definitely get checked out by a vet in the next few days. Possible causes for this include mammary tumors, tumors not related to the mammary system, infection, or mammary hyperplasia. If it gets suddenly bigger or there is any discharge, I would see a vet sooner.

Anytime a new mass is noticed, I always recommend having it evaluated to see what it is and if anything needs to be done about it. Unfortunately, we can't tell anything about a mass by just looking at it or feeling it. Your vet can perform a simple test called a fine needle aspirate where they use a small needle to collect some cells from the mass, then look at them under the microscope. They may even need to send the cells to the lab for a pathologist to examine them, so we know what the mass is. If it is benign, you might not need to do anything about the mass at all, but if they see cells that worry them, they might recommend removing the mass. I am attaching a handout with more information about mammary tumors below in case the lumps are actually in the mammary gland. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1350 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I can see that Ginger's mammary gland is rather swollen. It is a little difficult to tell from the photo, but there may be somewhat of a lump under the skin. While swollen mammary glands are definitely a sign of pregnancy, a false pregnancy, which results from a hormonal imbalance can cause this as well. I recommend having Ginger seen by a vet for an exam, particularly because certain cancers can appear this way. They can also determine if she is pregnant, or provide you with options on how to manage a false pregnancy at home. I hope all is well! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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!

It is difficult to say from the picture, it would be advisable to have a check up so that she can have general check up and also that she is checked for milk, as sometimes dogs can start producing milk as a result of a phantom pregnancy.. Having said this she is still very young so this normally happens after at least a couple of seasons ! I would say yo have her checked over to put your mind at rest ! All the best, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

She may have mammary cancer which is fairly common in unspayed dogs. Your vet can perform either a biopsy or a fine needle aspirate and cytology to confirm the nature of the mass. If it comes back as mammary cancer, full screening pre-operative bloodwork as well as chest radiographs to rule out metastasis to the lungs will likely be discussed. If chest rads show that cancer has already spread to her lungs, unfortunately surgical removal under anesthesia may not be practical. Good luck-