Heads up to owners of female dogs!

[BLACKJACK]

I had to put my 12 year old black lab female to sleep this week because she had breast cancer. According to my vet, if I would have had her fixed, she wouldn't have gotten it. So if you have a female dog and don't plan on having pups, get her fixed! At least ask your vet about it, because its not a good way to go. I figured my old dog would last a couple more years but then this spring during the annual shots/checkup, the vet felt a hard spot in her udder, about the size of a 50 cent piece. He didn't want to operate because of her age and said that it wouldn't spread like human cancer, that it would stay localized in her udder. Three months later it had grown to the size of a small grapefruit, had broken open, she was constantly licking it, it was hot to the touch, as the vet said, "it was pretty ugly". So we did the right thing and put her to sleep on Tuesday and buried her out on the hill among the wildflowers with her favorite dummy and a pheasant feather. You can bet that after the hunting season I'll be taking my 6 year old female lab in to get fixed!

[Duck-o-holic]

Thanks for the informative post Blackjack. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. My eyes teared up after reading your story. I have a 13 year old yellow who also has a cyst-type spot near her nipples. I was told by the vet that it was nothing to worry about if it didn't increase in size, but he didn't mention anything about the possibility of it being cancer. My dog was fixed at age 2, as hip dysplasia was detected at 6 months. She's had a long life of hunting, has been more of a companion to me than most of the people that I've encountered in life. The best thing that I've done is get another pup while she's still around. It's amazing the things that the pup has already learned from her. I guess when she's gone, she'll live on in my new dog in a way. Maybe you've already seen this in your six-year old?

I definitely have some new questions for my vet. Thank you for the insight, and long live the memory of your lab!!

Duck-o-holic

[ice banger]

blackjack im sorry to hear about your loss.im also sorry that dog owners do not know what can happen to there hunting partners if they are not fixed.i learned this lesson from my uncle some years ago when he had to put his girl down..and i also had to see my roomates lab with her female parts comming out of her its not a pretty site .your best bet is to if your not gonna breed her get her fixed .they will live a heathler life....ice banger out

[Dano2]

Sorry as well to hear about your lab.
I hadmy female black lab fixed last fall.

I am now wondering if this is the problem with my friends mutt, half lab/half something else.
He said she has a lump about the size of a egg, and I think i remember him saying it was in her chest.
When your dog had this lump, did you notice if she consumed alot more water more than usual?

thanks

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Enjoy your dogs while you have them!

Duckoholic, I can relate to what you said about your dog and being a better companion than some people!! The younger dog did pick up a lot from the older dog as far as manners and whats expected of them. It was kind of sad to see her jump in the truck the day after - I could tell she was looking for the old dog...

Dano, yes she did drink a lot of water toward the end. And the lump wasn't in her chest, it was on her udder, right beneath her chest.

Up and onward guys. I'm seeing lots of young ducks and a now young pheasants. Its going to be a good year!!

[bigdog]

As dogs (labs) get older they are prone to getting fatty tumors that are usually benign.
The "safe" ones are typically loose under the skin, meaning you can get your fingers around them and they are not attached to the under laying muscle layers. Short answer is, get a biopsy of any questionable lump and closly monitor for changes in size. If in doubt, have the vet send a sample to the U. I had a vet misdiagnose a cancerous tumor that cost me a couple months jump on the treatment.