Hi, just wondering if anyone who has experienced the process of having mammary growths removed from their bitch could give me some advice?
I noticed lumps on my bitch Sasha, between her teats. They felt hard like peas, and there were two different lumps close to each other with these pea like nodules on. She had finished her season two weeks previous, so had a pretty good idea of what they were going to be. I took her to the vet yesterday, who felt them and said cancerous growths which have to be removed, and she will be spayed at the same time.
My vet hasn't done any pre-op tests or blood tests, just wondering if there should be tests done before the op?
She is 8yrs old, but luckily a fit and active 8yr old.
I'm just concerned, naturally, about the whole process, op, anaesthetic, recovery, and was wanting to hear from anyone else who has gone through this.
am interested in hearing other experiences, and any advice is welcome.
Thanks!.....and I'm not as calm as I'm probably sounding!

I haven't experienced this so my only advice would be to get a second opinion if you are not confident with your vets diagnosis - you have nothing to lose!   Good luck and hope all goes well!
Maria

I have the same problem with my nearly 13 year old.

I was going to have her operated on and spayed last month but have actually decided against it!  My vet is fully with me on this.

I had lots of replies from people on here giving the good and the bad about having it done.  One person's dog had real problems afterwards with it not draining etc.

As these lumps in my girl have grown about 5 times bigger in the last 2 weeks I'm glad that I didn't go through with it as I have a feeling that if she had been opened up that I wouldn't have her for as long as I'm having her at the moment.  She is still really fit etc. but I do feel that all of these lumps are definitely cancerous because of the speed in which they have grown!

I also remember my friends first SWD who had this done when she was 11, 2 weeks later she died and the problems that she had during those 2 weeks weren't nice.

I do not want to put you off as many dogs are different and if you've got it in the early stages hopefully all will be OK.  I would of had it done if my girl had been 8 years of age as their life expectancy is 13/14 years, as my girl is already nearly 13 I don't want to put her through something which may quicken her death.

Same as Spanishwaterdog really, with a lively 8 year old I would probably go ahead that's just rather too young not to, with an elderly dog I would most probably not.

When you mention pre-op blood tests, do you mean those which test liver and kidney function?  You can ask for those to be done, if you are worried.  I'm not referring to you here but I do I think vets are on a hiding to nothing in this regard: if they offer the tests in the case of a healthy dog, they might be accused of racketeering but if they don't offer them, then they are accused of not keeping clients informed of all the options and just going ahead with ops regardless.

Or are you thinking that the vet should be doing some sort of test to confirm his diagnosis before going ahead and removing the growths?

In a healthy 8 year old, I would definitely have the lumps removed and as quickly as possible, before they have chance to get larger or spread.

my girl is now 8. She had a mammary tumour at the age of 5 and had a nipple removed. It was found to be cancerous, but caught early -pea sized. Last year she had a re-occurrence and had a further two nipples removed. She was also spayed at the same time, although this was to avoid the risk of pyometra and not because the vet suggested any link to the mammary tumours. Her recovery was slow, as she doesn't heal well, but she is fine now. 
Mammary tumours are not unusual in unspayed bitches, but if caught early the prognosis is good, although she will be susceptible to further lumps and we check our girl every month now.

We didn't have a biopsy first as that would have still required anaesthetic and our vet felt it was sensible to simply remove the whole pea sized lump anyway then biopsy.

Thank you all for your comments and advice, much appreciated.
The blood tests I had in mind are the tests to check kidney function etc, before having a General Anaesthetic. I was advised to ask for them before she has her op, altho somebody else said that this is always done pre-op anyway, especially if the dog is over a certain age, but nothing has been mentioned to me at the vets, so I will get back to them and ask if they are going to be done, and if not, could they please do them for me.
Sasha has seasons every four months, and in the last 3 yrs suffers phantoms, so no sooner has she come out of a phantom, she's back into a season and her hormones are all over the place. We almost lost her last year thru infection caused by mastitis, and she had a temp of 106, so I'm happy for her to be spayed, and also reducing the risk of pyo, and slowing down any re-occurrence of growths.
None of my dogs have ever been seriously ill (other than the mastitis infection) or under anaesthetic, and it's just the fear of something going wrong, not knowing how she will react to GA, and then what they will find with the lumps....then you hear of complications after the op. But being a fit, active 8yr old, it wouldn't be fair on her to not have them removed, and give her a better chance. I agree, should she be an older bitch, then may be temped to leave alone.
Her op is on the 15th June, and the vet didn't seem too concerned of the two week waiting period, as he says they are still small and early stages.
Thanks again everyone!
Debbie

My bitch was speyed a few days before Christmas (2005) she was coming in to season and had a growth coming up in one of her mammary glands, it was the timing that worried me, as it started growing as she started colouring up (bedlingtons often get darker coats as they come into season) and was growing quickly :(  The vet advised removing it stright away and we decided to spey too, as I saw no point in her having seasons and phantoms when I wouldn't ever breed from her again because of having had a lump removed.  It took me longer to recover from all the worry and stress than it took her to recover from the op :)  She was almost 6 and very fit at the time.

Try not to worry too much (easier said than done ;) ) they will take very good care of her for you.  My bitch recovered so quickly I asked them if they'd do the op for me as well :) :)

My Elka had a pea size lump removed at age five (I had her spayed also). 

It was just the one lump and another grew back in exactly the same spot 3 1/2 years later so she had a partial mammary strip having the two rear glands on one side removed as they are linked to the same Lymph nodes.

If she has several lumps I am surprised he hasn't sugested a strip (mastectomy) of the affected glands rather than just a lumpectomy.

Incidentally spaying will have no effect on the recurrence of new growths, though spaying ehr at the same time if all is going well during the op is not a bad idea bearing in mind ehr age, as at least it will prevent Pyometra.

Elka lived to 13 years and 7 1/2 months wih no recurrence of Cancer, though she did get a few Lipoma's (benign fatty growths)  One of which I had removed to check it was benign.

I had a bitch who had a growth at 8 years of age. When she went in to have it removed the vet found another two tiny ones. They were removed at the same time. She was also speyed. A couple of years later she was back in having another one removed. She finally died just before her 12th birthday. A lively, happy dog right up to the final couple of weeks when it was found that the cancer had got into her lungs. :( At 8 I would have the op done. She is still a young enough dog to recover quickly.

Has she had surgery (involving a GA) before?

Hi!
No, she's never had a GA or surgery of any kind, so it's not knowing if she will have any reaction to the anaesthetic as well as the op itself! (Got a fear of anaesthetic, always have, especially since I almost lost my partner 2 yrs ago thru bad reaction, and he ended up on life support, and he's had many GA 's in the past with no reaction!) I am a big worrier when it comes to my dogs and ops of any sort, like all of us, I imagine!
I think it's worse having two weeks to wait for the op, time to brood and worry, and imagine allsorts.
No, I realise the spaying wont prevent re-growth, but it's supposed to at least help slow it down, without having the hormones triggering them off! Plus, she needs to be spayed because of her phantoms, and get rid of the worry of Pyo as well.
Thanks again everyone!
Debbie

I can understand why you would feel worried, given what happened to your partner.  And there's nothing anyone can say that will make it easy for you, though we all want to help.

Try not dwell on the possibilities, now that your decision is made.   I know it's not possible to forget about the upcoming op but don't allow yourself to brood on it - worrying won't change anything.

When the time comes, it will be important for her that you at least appear calm and relaxed, so do your best for her.

The only way out of this is to go through it.  Plan a nice thing that you will do with her when she is fully recovered from the op and throw yourself into giving her the best possible care and attention.

Best wishes.

That's why I also decided not to put my old girl through it because she's never had a GA in her life either, but she is almost 5 years older than your.

Some days I think that I should have it done and then others I think no, she's still fit, still wanting to go swimming and still enjoying her life, so I'm going to let her do that for however long she's with me.

Hopefully it will be quite a while yet.

My Goldie had a mammory strip in November last year she is also 8 years old, the lump that we found was a bit bigger than a pea - it grew very quickly and Penny was speyed at the same time.  In the recent couple of years we have had a few problems with cancer and lumps and I was extremly worried for Penny.  However I when I went to collect her she dragged both the vet and the nurse into the consulting room and it was very difficult to keep her calm she was so full of life.  She did have a problem with fluid not draining and that wasn't helped by Penny pulling out a few stitches however a few trips to the vet to have the fluid drained soon sorted this out and she recovered very well and very quickly!  The lump was found to be aggressive cancer but caught early so hopefully no further problems, she is now very fit and healthy and waiting to go to her agility class!!  I also have her mother, Abby, a 12 year old who also has a small lump however I have decided with her not to have the operation as she is nearly 13 and had a very large operation only a year ago - the lump is very slow growing but she has the complication of another tumour in her mouth (which is also very slow growing) I know very little can be done for this one!  I wish you all the very best with the operation I know you will worry - we all do!  If you want to know any more about Penny's operation feel free to pm me!
Best wishes

Jan, Abby and Penny
France

Just to let you know I am checking back on all your messages and I thank you for comments and experiences, it's good to hear of others having gone through the same thing and had a positive outcome.
Just sitting tight till the op and keeping an eye on Sasha till then for any changes in her, or the lump. Touch wood she is fine at the moment, and is out chasing the ball as usual, making sure the other dogs don't get it....she still out runs the three year old!
Thanks again!
Debbie

Good luck with Sasha Debbie , I hope all goes well with the op and I,ll keep looking to see how she,s doing . Ii don,t know if you,re going to Blackpool with your other girl but I,ll look out for you there as well.Take care
Sharon

Hi Sharon, yes I've entered Blackpool with Inka, but was late sending entry off, so don't know if it has been accepted yet. I will be showing Inka if all goes well with Sasha, and she is recovering well from her op.
What class are you entered in at Blackpool?
Thanks for your concern over Sasha!
Debbie

On Saturday my yorkie was upside down 'sunbathing' and I noticed a small pea sized pink lump under one of her nipples :( is this what I think it is... she'll be 11 in August and was speyed after her second season. She's as fit as a fiddle and I imagined her being around for at least another 5 years. We have an appointment at six tonight with the vet. Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma, what if he suggests an op, she's very healthy otherwise and I would hate for her to be put under a GA at her age, is she too old? Are these things best left?

I'm hoping this is a midgie bite!

Sandra.

Hiya Debbie
I,m glad Sashas doing well we,ve entered Sengi in PG bitch what are you in I,ll look out for you there.
Sharon

If she is otherwise well then an op at 11 which isn't old for a Yorkie should not pose any added risk.

I would have the lump removed and checked, as she has years ahead of her yet.

Thanks for your reply Barbara.

Well, the vet thinks the lump is more likely to be a cyst and said that if she was his he'd leave it but obviously keep an eye on it.

And the bad news... She has a 'rather large heart murmur' :( I've been so upset tonight as I thought she was really fit and well. She's not showing any symptoms ie: coughing,breathlessness or extended stomach. He wants to see her again in 6 months to keep an eye on things.

Sandra.

Hi Sharon, Inka is entered in P.G. Bitch as well!What is the kennel name of your bitch entered at Blackpool? Did you have a bitch entered in P.G. at Crufts as well?
Hopefully, all being well, will see you at BP Show!
Hi Sandra, I'm glad the lump is possibly a cyst rather than anything nasty! My friends Cavalier bitch had a heart murmur, and lived for years with the murmur, just regular checks at the vets (not sure if or what medication) but she lived till she was 14yrs old, which I believe is very good for a Cavalier!...and then it wasn't a heart problem but a stroke that caused her serious decline in health, till she passed away last year.
If your vet is only wanting to check her every 6mths, then he doesn't seem too concerned at the moment about her murmur!

In that case to set your mind at rest she could have a needle biopsy of the lump and then you would be sure what it was.

In case you're not aware of it, there are natural treatments that can help with cancer - Homeopathy, Essiac, cottage cheese & flax oil, laetrile, etc, etc........

Here's some reading for you

http://www.cancer-herbal-treatment.com/dog_cancer_spindle_cell.html

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/acancer.htm

http://www.thefountainoflife.ws/cancer/

http://theherbs.info/Pets/pets.html

http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/

All the best.

Thanks for that, I will try some of them.  I very rarely give Lydia it but she does adore cottage cheese.

I would love to have a few more years with her as although she's 13 in October most days she acts like a 13 month old!!

Hi, Sasha was taken to the vets this morning, and the vet felt the lumps and said she may do a half mammary strip rather than just remove the lumps as there are about 3 separate lumps in the same area. She said she may just do the strip and not the spay, and let her recover from the strip op first, and then spay her in about a month, especially as she will be inbetween seasons by then as well, as at the moment she is only 5wks out of her season. I have to phone back at 2pm, but I'm on pins every time the phone rings at the moment.

Keeping fingers crossed :)

Hope all goes OK, will be thinking about you both!

Hope all goes well. :-)

Hi! I phoned the vet at 2pm, and they were just putting the last of her stitches in. It was a big op apparently, and she has had the left side stripped, but they found a few more on her right side, but have left those as they didn't think there would be enough skin to stitch both sides without pulling, as it's meant to be quite a big wound. She will be spayed when she has recovered from this op and they will remove the other lumps at the same time.The vet said she was pleased with the op! I have got to phone at 5pm to see how she is and whether she can come home tonight or not. As much as I want her home, I'd rather she be where they can keep an eye on her if there's likely to be any problems, and I have two other dogs so don't want her getting knocked about.
My partner ended up in A&E the other night because Sasha and Inka decided to have a fight, and he had to break them up, but his arm got in the way of teeth, and got a few nasty bites, so his arm is heavily bandaged at the moment. I don't know if it's the heat making them grumpy, or maybe Sasha is feeling worse than we thought, and making her grumpy.

Hi Debbie sorry to hear about the fight hope your other half is ok let us know hoew Sasha is hope it was only a noisy fight and no dogs got hurt,
Sharon

Hi, Sasha is now home. Picked her up at 6.30, and she was running around eager to get home. I've put her in a crate to try and keep her still to rest. She's back at the vets on saturday for a check up, so I can have a word properly about what they found etc. I'm drained now, stress from worrying, but she seems fine.
No the dogs weren't hurt in the fight, Sasha had a bite on her paw, but nothing much....Tom came off worse!
Thanks everyone for your best wishes concerning Sasha....unfortunately we've got to go thru it all again in about a month.

Hi so glad that Sasha is home and doing fine, they are such a worry at times, when ours go in for ops I just pace up and down waiting for the phone to ring , very stressful indeed, hope all goes well.

Sheila.