I am crying as I write this, but I found a lump in my bitch's nipple closest to her groin and took her to the vet immediately. He removed a lot of the mammary gland on the one side, he said, "I didn't like it". Now, I've always been taught that spaying would not necessarily reduce the risk of breast cancer, now I am wavering. She has had 2 litters. She is 6 years old. I have not bred her in 2 years. I've been hesitant to spay her knowing all the bad risks of doing that too. They are sending the tissue for a biopsy. I need your input. What would you do, given the debate against spay/nueter, and those who say do it as early as possible? If its benign or malignant, would you spay, regardless? Thank you ahead of time for your sensitivity to our grief in this situation.

I know there is a time frame which the research shows, where spaying does make a difference regarding contracting certain types of future cancers. I believe that the time frame is very short, within the first six months to one year of life. I am sure someone on this board can probably point you to a site where the exact time line is given.

I believe once this time line is passed, it really will not make any difference whether the female is spayed or not, regarding her risk of contracting cancer in the future.

Hopefully someone on the board can point you to the website which gives this research, as I no longer have the link to that site.

Wishing you the best of luck with your girl. Hopefully the problem has been found early enough and been dealt with permanently, with the surgery which was already done.

If the tumor is one that is influenced by hormones then yes spaying will help. Ask your vet if the pathology says if it's that kind of tumor or if they can find out.

Years ago found same in my 6 year old bitch. Biopsy came back stage 3 and vet did surgery. He said "it went all the way to the stomach wall and I don't think I got it all." I was encouraged to do chemo. What I did was spay her ( because I felt that any more hormone activity might activate the cancer) and not do chemo. She lived quite happily and normally until she was 13 years old. Stay positive.

She's all clear! no cancer!!!