Surgical Treatment of Mammary Gland Tumor in A 6 Year Old Pekingese Bitch in Gwagwalada, Abuja – A Case Report

Mammary tumours are common in dogs that have not been spayed and surgical removal is a common procedure involved in their treatment. Mammary tumors can be small, simple nodules or large aggressive, metastatic growths (Foster and Smith, 2009).

When the tumor is localised, it is known as benign but when it has the tendency to spread invasively into surrounding tissues and also to be spread by the lymph systems to other parts of the body it is termed malignant. Malignancies are generally diseases of older dogs so owners should be diligent in their observation and handling of such pets. Female dogs that have been spayed before their first heat cycle rarely acquire such cancer. Mammary tumors are common in unspayed middle – aged female dogs (those between 5 – 10 years of age) although they can on rare occasion be found in dogs as young as 2 years (Rutteman et al., 2001).

Statistics shows that if a female dog is spayed after her first heat cycle but before her second cycle, her potential to develop mammary tumors is slightly greater than the dog that was spayed prior to heat cycle (Pet Centre, 2009). Mammary neoplasia are usually easy to detect by gently palpating the mammary glands.