I saw a stray beagle today, and hanging down between its hind legs were two objects the size of slow-pitch softballs, I kid you not, mottled black and red. I slowed to stare (of course), thinking that it must be some kind of testicular cancer, and then realized that the he was a she, as there was a row of obvious, large-sized nipples (but not full of milk, not “udders” or “dugs”, sorry, I don’t know what the correct term is, surely not “breasts”?) progressing up its (her) belly. And I realized that the softball-sized objects hanging down between her legs must be the last two teats.
So–is this normal for a lactating bitch? The only ones I’ve ever seen with litters of puppies had all 6 to 10 faucets the same size, hanging down along the belly. I’ve never seen the last two grotesquely swollen, and the front 6 just really large nipples.
As I drove away, I wondered if I should have gone back to get her and, I dunno, get her some medical help. Please tell me she had a litter of two puppies somewhere and was on her way back home to them, so it was good that I didn’t scoop her up and take her away.
Well, no doubt about it, that’s what I saw. The link says they’re mostly benign, so I guess I won’t worry too much.
But, you know, she looked sleek and well-fed, and was moving purposefully, as though she was on her way home. So that means that somewhere down on the southeast side of town, there’s probably somebody who owns this poor creature and who isn’t doing anything about it.
**DDG, ** oddly enough, I just saw a beagle with the same condition you described. She belongs to my neighbor, and we got to chatting. Her vet checked out the dog, and together they decided not to remove the tumors right away (mostly financial, because said neighbor has some child – human child – related medical expenses right now, but I digress). The vet assures her that the condition is benign, and that the dog isn’t in pain.
I just can’t stand the thought of you sitting around thinking the dog is neglected (whenever I see animals that seem questionable, I worry over it for hours), so perhaps you can imagine that dog is in a similar situation.
It’s this description that make me put tumor lower on my list of possible diagnoses. I interpret your description as meaning that both the right and left, posterior-most teats were enlarged. Is that correct?
Generally, tumors don’t occur bilaterally like this. Maybe this tumor in dogs is an exception. Usually, however, with symmetrical, bilateral enlargement of whatever (breasts, eyes, arms, kidneys, etc.) the diagnosis is not tumor.
Possibly the enlargement is hormonal or autoimmune in nature?
