Mastopathy in dogs ointment treatment. Mastopathy in dogs: treatment, symptoms

Oncological diseases are increasingly common in pets. This is due to the ecology of the planet, genetics, medications, and sometimes the age of the dog. A discovered tumor always causes stress for an owner who loves his four-legged pet. This article will discuss the causes, characteristic symptoms and methods of treating such a pathological neoplasm on the mammary glands as mastopathy in dogs.

Mastopathy in dogs is a predominantly benign tumor that is located on the mammary glands. In 35% of cases, it is recognized by specialists as malignant oncology, requiring immediate removal. According to statistics, it is more common in older females who have crossed the age of 7 years. Although neoplasms sometimes occur in very young individuals.

Forms of the disease

Veterinarians distinguish two forms of this neoplasm, each of which has its own signs and characteristics. Let's look at them in more detail:

1. Fibrocystic form. Two types of tissue are involved in the formation of mastopathy: glandular and connective. If the second of them predominates, then we can speak with confidence about this form. It is difficult, and removal of the tumor is quite problematic, as it requires excision of a large amount of healthy tissue. It is expressed on the pet’s body in the form of single and multiple nodular seals in the mammary glands. If left untreated, they spread quickly. Most often, older individuals suffer from this form.
2. Diffuse form. Its appearance is marked by painful symptoms in the dog, which appear a couple of days before the onset of estrus. It often precedes the fibrocystic form described above. When palpating the mammary glands, the owner may feel as if there is a bag of pellets under the animal’s skin.

Causes

Let us note right away that veterinarians do not have a clear answer as to why mastopathy appears. Among experts, there was an opinion that the cause of this neoplasm was the hormone progesterone, but recent research has shown that there is no clear connection between the disease and the hormone. One thing is certain: progesterone accelerates the development and growth of a tumor, regardless of its etiology. Therefore, it is better for females whose owners do not plan to breed puppies to undergo sterilization. Preferably before 1-2 heats.

Approximately 45% of breast cancers have receptors for the release of progesterone or estrogen. In the case of benign neoplasms, the percentage of probability is even higher. Experienced doctors are convinced that complete removal of the mammary glands or ovaries makes sense even if the tumor has already appeared. This will reduce the risk of relapse threefold. Therefore, veterinary surgery in this regard not only justifies itself, but also significantly increases the dog’s chances of survival.

In addition to hormones, other causes can lead to mastopathy. In particular, mastitis, which can appear in a female after she gave birth to stillborn puppies or if the offspring died immediately after birth. No less dangerous are injuries contaminated with bacterial microflora or fungi. Some scientists completely attribute the etiology of mastopathy to the harmful influence of viruses. As owners may notice, there are a lot of factors for the occurrence of tumors on the mammary glands.

Statistics show one interesting fact. A breastfeeding individual has a significantly lower risk of developing mastopathy than one who is about to give birth. Experts attribute this to the fact that the bitch carrying a fetus gives a lot of useful substances to the puppy developing in her belly. This is what, in their opinion, can lead to various disruptions in the hormonal or immune system, which cause cancer.

Symptoms of the disease

The symptoms of this disease are quite typical. The tumor is not difficult to see or feel. It is much more difficult to determine whether it is benign or vice versa. Only professional diagnostics can help with this.

Signs of mastopathy include:

1. The dog's mammary glands increase in size; upon palpation, they clearly feel veiny and grainy.
2. The female's nipples begin to secrete ichor or colostrum.
3. The animal becomes restless and constantly licks the mammary glands that are bothering her. Sometimes he even begins to limp on his paw on the side where it hurts.
4. The tumor nodule may not grow for a long time and may be quite soft. Usually its increase in size becomes noticeable only after the next heat.
5. If mastopathy is advanced, the female may lose appetite, suddenly lose weight, and become apathetic. An unquenchable thirst appears. There may be enlargement of the lymph nodes that are located closest to the tumor.
6. At the site of the enlarged tumor, hair falls out, and the stretched skin becomes hot to the touch.
7. Ulcers and ulcers may appear on the affected area.
8. If the disease has progressed too far, the dog may begin to cough. This is direct evidence that the tumor has metastasized to other body systems.

It is important to understand that although mastopathy is considered a benign tumor, the risk of it developing into an aggressive, metastasizing sarcoma is too great to be neglected. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and go to see a doctor who will conduct a full diagnosis, including a biopsy, and make the correct diagnosis. Having dealt with the symptoms, let's move on to the question of how to treat mastopathy in dogs.

Treatment of the disease

If the neoplasm is detected promptly, then the veterinarian only monitors the dog, regularly conducting physical examinations during the course of a false pregnancy or estrus. Moderate use of drugs from the arsenal of homeopathy is acceptable, which, if the dog’s condition is stable, can stop the increase in nodules or even lead to their complete disappearance. The diffuse form of the pathology is treated with hormonal agents.

In the case where the specialist has clearly established that the tumor is growing rapidly, and by all indications it has a fibrocystic form, then surgery is urgently needed. However, it is necessary to take into account the patient’s current condition and his age. If the animal is too weak and very old, then the risk that it will not survive surgery is extremely high. Death threatens a pet even if the neoplasm has metastasized to other organs. The prognosis for complete recovery is not very comforting; relapses of the pathology are possible in the future.

It is useless to operate on a tumor that is too large and widespread. In this case, only palliative measures aimed at relieving painful symptoms and maximizing the dog’s life will help. This includes partial removal of the tumor and treatment of its remains with antitumor drugs. The female will spend the rest of her days taking painkillers.

Treatment at home is possible only after diagnostic procedures, when the doctor is absolutely sure that the mastopathy is benign. Owners are advised to apply a cold compress to the affected area twice a day, as well as give a gentle massage. With the help of Trauma-gel it is permissible to carry out hygienic manipulations over the tumor that has arisen. If pus does not come out of the nipples, then you can bring the puppies for feeding, this will avoid stagnation of the milk mass.

Finally, I would like to say that the owner needs to regularly palpate the pet’s mammary glands to see if they are thickened, and also perform a routine examination of the dog at the veterinarian. For preventive purposes to avoid mastopathy, it is best to sterilize the dog.

The joy that the birth of offspring causes in your toy terrier and other breeds of dogs can cancel out the trouble that occurs in dogs that give birth. And this trouble is called mastitis.

Pregnancy and childbirth weaken the already fragile mother and the body is exposed to various diseases. Yes, the troubles for owners of a large canine family are increasing. You need to keep an eye on the scurrying babies, feed the bitch on time and watch out for developing mastitis.

Mastitis in dogs. Symptoms

The postpartum period is one of the most difficult and dangerous for a dog. Intense secretion of milk in the mammary glands is directly related to the development of mastitis. However, this disease is provoked by streptococcus and staphylococcus bacilli.

It is impossible to say unequivocally that a dog that has given birth will develop mastitis, since the onset of the disease is influenced by many factors:

• The sharp claws of puppies scratch the mother's nipples during feeding, and bacteria penetrate inside through small wounds, causing inflammation.
• when lactation is strong, the milk begins to stagnate and a kind of blockage occurs (the flowing sphincters of the nipple do not allow milk to pass through), causing stagnant mastitis. Also, milk will stagnate when the dog brought dead puppies or the babies were taken away from their mother too early.
• in an unsuccessful pregnancy, when intrauterine decomposition of the fetus begins, infections enter the body, causing inflammatory processes and intoxication of the body in general and the mammary glands in particular.
• an unkempt, dirty dog ​​that lies with its puppies on the same rag on which it gave birth has the greatest chance of developing mastitis.
• high or low temperature, hormonal changes, stress - all this can also cause mastitis.

And above all, a false pregnancy in a dog almost always causes mastitis.

The dog owner can independently diagnose the symptoms of not all types of mastitis, but the characteristic signs inherent in this disease are not difficult to identify:

• redness and swelling of the mammary glands. The nipples are hot to the touch, and the dog lets you know that any touch to the glands causes him pain.
• discharge from the nipple when pressed, milk mixed with greenish-brown and grayish pus. Blood impurities are also possible.
• lethargy of the animal, inactivity.
• partial or complete refusal of food.

If you discover mastitis in a dog, try not to panic, but to pull yourself together. The dog needs complete rest. Remove from the animal’s diet all foods that stimulate lactation (soups, dairy products, liquid cereals). Before treating mastitis in a dog, the puppies will have to be bottle-fed or given to another lactating bitch.

Treatment of the initial stage of mastitis in dogs.

Typically, treatment of the initial stage of mastitis in dogs consists of conservative therapy:

• laser therapy. The veterinarian carries out 3 to 5 sessions using a special laser device. The duration of the session is short, only a couple of minutes. Therefore, it does not cause any inconvenience to the animal.
• antibiotics. Antibiotic medications are prescribed by a veterinarian after a diagnostic examination of secretory milk secretions, which helps to identify the pathogen.
• novocaine injections. Novocaine blockade is used as a method of treating catarrhal or purulent mastitis. Novocaine is injected around the area affected by mastitis. The blockade is done every three days.
• the use of the drugs Mastomethrin and Travmatin, which eliminate inflammation and restore the functionality of the endometrium. These drugs are administered subcutaneously over three to five days, depending on the progress of treatment.

At home, you can alleviate the dog’s condition by applying a heating pad, compress, paraffin application, or warming it with a blue lamp to the mammary glands affected by mastitis. You can use mountain wax (ozokerite). An ozokerite compress can warm up the deepest layers.

But keep in mind that the thermal procedure can be carried out if an abscess has not started. The purulent accumulation will open under the influence of temperature, and the pus will fall on healthy tissue.

If positive dynamics of treatment are not observed, then the question of “how to treat” is resolved through surgical intervention, taking into account the multiple abscesses that arise during these days.

The purulent formations are opened by a veterinarian, cleaned, and then sprinkled with powders (streptocide or tricillin). In order for the opened areas to heal faster, these places must be lubricated with ointments of antimicrobial and regenerative action.

Mastopathy in dogs.

Mastopathy is a benign tumor of the mammary gland. The frequency with which this disease occurs is increasing. And, if previously mastopathy was diagnosed in dogs older than 6 years, now the disease has become younger. And young dogs are at risk.

Most often, the tumor affects the 4th and 5th pairs of mammary glands, but there are also cases of damage to the 2nd and 3rd pairs. Mastopathy begins with a single neoplasm. And if it is not detected in a timely manner and measures are not taken, the tumor multiplies rapidly.

Mastopathy in dogs that have undergone sterilization is 7 times less common.

The cause of mammary gland tumors is mastitis in pregnant dogs and animals that have a false pregnancy. In dogs nursing offspring, what is most interesting, mastopathy is rarely diagnosed.

Mastopathy is determined based on pronounced and secondary symptoms:

• redness of the skin around the dog's nipples;
• visible changes in the symmetry of the mammary glands;
• causeless enlargement of the mammary glands;
• compaction of the mammary glands;
• single compaction of mammary gland tissue.
• temperature rise;
• loss of appetite with increased thirst;
• apathy;
• discharge from the nipples, bloody or purulent, or greenish or brown in color.

The pain in the mammary glands is so severe that the dog whines and squeals when lying down in an uncomfortable position.
A precancerous condition is diagnosed by palpation. When you feel the skin around the nipples, you can clearly feel a compaction with small “pellets”.

Treatment of mastopathy in dogs.

Treatment of mastopathy in dogs most often requires surgery or chemotherapy. The final choice of treatment method is determined by a veterinarian based on histological examination.

Although in the early stages, the veterinarian may prescribe medications that suppress hormone synthesis (homeopathic drugs). An indicator for such therapy is an increased level of estrogen and progesterone, which is detected by a biochemical blood test.

To avoid relapse of mastopathy, veterinarians recommend sterilizing the dog.

Mastopathy in dogs is a benign tumor of the mammary gland. This is a fairly common phenomenon (more than half of all tumors) in dogs, which, as a rule, is found in females older than 6-7 years.

Most often, tumors occur in the fourth and fifth pairs of mammary glands; they are rare in the first and second pairs. This is due to the fact that it is the fifth pair of mammary glands that has the greatest functional activity. At first, a single tumor appears, and if no measures are taken, the tumors can become multiple.

The appearance of a tumor is usually associated with estrus, or false whelping. With these functions, the mammary glands always enlarge, and then return to their normal state. However, with pathologies, abnormal formations appear in the tissue. They can be elastic or soft, and can be visible through the skin.

Forms of mastopathy in dogs

Mastopathy can be diffuse and fibrocystic.

• Diffuse form begins with the appearance of pain in the mammary glands, which occurs a few days before estrus. This form may precede fibrocystic. When palpated in the mammary glands, a sensation of a bag of shot is noted.
• Fibrocystic form Characterized by the formation of dense painful nodes, which without treatment grow quite quickly. This form of mastopathy is more common in older dogs over 6 years of age. Seals in the mammary glands can be single or multiple and are always pronounced.

Symptoms

Since the fibrocystic form of mastopathy can have quite different symptoms and the most unpleasant consequences (including the formation of precancerous tumors), if signs of mastopathy are detected, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible or. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by examining the contents of the formation using histology.

Treatment of mastopathy

• At the initial stage of the disease, the doctor simply observes the animal and regularly examines it during pregnancy.
• It is also possible to use homeopathic medicines, which in a stable state can keep the nodes for a long time or even lead to their disappearance.
• Hormone therapy is also often used to treat the diffuse form of the disease.
• If mastopathy has a fibrocystic form and the tumor grows, surgical intervention is necessary. True, not every old animal will undergo surgery; it depends on age, concomitant diseases of the liver, heart, kidneys and the degree of tumor spread.
• As a result of the operation, the prognosis for further recovery is not always favorable; relapses and individual metastases may occur.

If it is large and metastasis processes have begun, the operation is already pointless. However, sometimes the doctor even in such a situation performs a so-called palliative operation: he removes the largest part of the bleeding or disintegrating tumor, and the remainder is treated with antitumor drugs. True, such actions lead to a slight prolongation of life, but not to the cure of the animal.

Mastopathy in dogs is a benign tumor of the mammary gland. Formed in dogs at the age of 6-7 years. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, the consequences of the disease are very serious.

Types of mastopathy

Neoplasms are of two types - benign and malignant. About 60% of all tumors are benign, 40% are cancerous. It is impossible to distinguish them visually due to the different types of cells involved in the development of formations.

It would be wrong to think that since mastopathy is a benign tumor, it means that it does not pose a danger. On the contrary: any tumor of the mammary gland in a dog, regardless of classification, is dangerous, and if left untreated, a benign tumor can degenerate into malignant.

Conventionally, mastopathy is usually divided into fibrocystic and diffuse.

The first type, diagnosed mainly in older dogs, is characterized by the formation of single or multiple compaction nodules that grow rapidly.

The second form can develop several days before estrus and is considered a precursor to fibrocystic mastopathy. The diffuse form is characterized by small nodules (“bags of shot”), which can be easily felt during palpation, painful sensations, and swelling of the mammary gland.

Causes

For a long time, the main version explaining the appearance of mastopathy was considered to be the presence of the hormone progesterone in the body, which, according to most scientists, accelerates the development of benign tumors. That is why doctors suggested sterilizing dogs at an early age (before the first or second heat), this significantly reduced the risks.

However, it was later established that progesterone contributes to the occurrence of not only benign, but also cancerous formations. An effective measure that can protect dogs from health problems is sterilization, so if the bitch is not going to be bred, it is advisable to undergo surgery for safety reasons.

At the same time, age is not a decisive factor provoking the development of mastopathy.

However, not only hormones can serve as an impetus for the appearance of benign formations. Sometimes mastopathy appears after mastitis, if puppies are stillborn or die, as well as as a result of injuries contaminated with pathogenic microflora or fungus. Incomplete treatment can cause re-inflammation at any time.

The development of mastopathy during the feeding period of puppies is practically excluded, but in pregnant bitches the disease is diagnosed very often.

Clinical picture

Mastopathy can manifest itself in different ways, here are the main symptoms:

• single or multiple compactions of gland tissue (granular, dense);
• redness and inflammation in the nipple area;
• discharge from the nipples (bloody, gray-green, brown);
• compaction of the entire gland;
• asymmetry of the glands;
• painful sensations in the gland upon palpation;
• the affected gland differs from the others in size and skin tone;
• the skin in the area of ​​mastopathy becomes hot, hair loss may begin there;
• lack of appetite;
• apathy, lethargy;
• increased thirst;
• hyperthermia;
• cough (in severe cases).

A bitch may refuse to feed her offspring due to severe pain, and may even try to bite her cubs. The dog's behavior changes, it behaves restlessly, licks its belly in the area of ​​the nipples, and sometimes it can stretch out its paw, as if showing where it hurts.

The tumor grows and progresses very quickly, so if left untreated, it degenerates into a malignant tumor - sarcoma, adenocarcinoma, etc. With the development of any of the options and the occurrence of metastases, there cannot be a favorable prognosis. Even with proper treatment, an animal’s life can be extended, but health cannot be restored completely.

It has been noted that degenerating tumors are most often found in representatives of breeds such as poodle, East European shepherd, and Giant Schnauzer.

How to treat mastopathy

At an early stage, the veterinarian monitors and regularly examines the dog during the period of estrus and false whelping. If necessary, a course of homeopathic remedies can be prescribed to prevent the growth of nodes, keep them in a stable state, or make them disappear.

For diffuse forms of mastopathy, hormonal treatment is advisable. If the disease has turned into a fibrocystic form and the tumor progresses, drug therapy no longer makes sense; surgery is necessary as soon as possible.

In the postoperative period, the doctor prescribes hormonal therapy, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs.

Surgical intervention has contraindications: the dog is elderly, has chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys, as well as a very large tumor.

If the tumor has degenerated and metastasized, there is also no point in performing surgery. Sometimes specialists can perform a palliative operation, the principle of which is to remove most of the tumor. The remaining area is treated with appropriate antitumor agents. This method can prolong the dog's life, but does not cure it completely.

Some owners are confident that it is possible to get rid of mastopathy with the help of traditional medicine, and are trying to carry out treatment at home. This is a dangerous misconception that leads to the growth and compaction of tumors in the gland. Thus, precious time that could be used for drug treatment and achieve good results will be lost.

Prevention of mastopathy

Any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Regular examinations by a veterinarian (at least 2 times a year) and sterilization (if the dog does not participate in reproduction) will help to avoid mastopathy. Sometimes a veterinarian may recommend special medications for prevention that prevent the formation and development of nodules.

Effective preventive measures also include high-quality balanced nutrition, good care, reasonable physical activity and, of course, attention to your pet.