We just had our 8 year old adopted female collie – Tibby – go through a fairly extensive operation to remove a mammary mass (tumour). While I had noticed this large lump on our collie several months before we were told that it was not a serious condition. Unfortunately this turned out to be less than accurate as all mammary tumours may be aggressive cancers and spread. The easiest way to protect your female dog is to have the bitch spayed as young as possible. With Tibby she was a typical farm sheepdog and not spayed.
Tibby before the operation
So we now have a worrying time to wait to see if the tumour is benign or malignant. We are praying that we have got to this condition on time and that the lump is benign. Our collie is a strong dog and I know my wife is praying for her, and I have to admit I am too.
I just wish I had spent a few minutes looking on the Internet regarding this condition (search using the spelling of tumor / tumour) when I first noticed the lump last October, at that point we were only looking after the dog on a temporary basis and she was not the friendliest of animals. It was difficult to approach her and after a week walking and talking to her she eventually let me get a bit closer, basically when I was drying her after walking in the rain. It was at that point I noticed the lump on her tummy and mentioned it to her owner. She was taken to the vet however the information we were given was that it was likely to be benign. Unfortunately only 50% of these growths are benign and this can only be determined by laboratory testing.
A week ago we took Tibby along with our other collie, Charlie, to get booster injections – with Tibby this was her first injections and I asked the vet’s opinion on the mammary lump. He told me about these lumps often being malignant and gave his opinion that it would be better removed and to have her spayed at the same time as these tumor are often estrogen, progesterone or other hormone dependant. It was arranged for her to have the operation a week later and that led to major changes in how we looked after our adopted collie.
As a farm dog she was kept in a stone built farm building, it was dry and sheltered and we provided her with lots of straw to sleep on, this is all she had known her whole life. We often felt bad about leaving her in this outbuilding which was a short distance from our small croft, especially when it was windy or gales as she did not like the noise. Yet it was the only practical thing we could do as Tibby was well known to be aggressive to other dogs (and to people we were told) and had attacked our own dogs on a couple of occasions. With our own dogs not getting on with her it was impossible for her to be kept in our house.
At the end of June (09) we lost our oldest dog Sam to cancer and this left me our other 8 year old female collie Charlie and Tibby. Charlie used to hide everytime she saw Tibby so it did not seem likely that we could even walk them together. Well I did walk them together, initially on the lead and then off the lead, after a couple of weeks they even get on well together and are becoming friends – something I never ever believed would happen.
Our collies Charlie and Tibby out together
So when we discovered Tibby required an extensive operation to remove the mammary tumor and was to be spayed at the same time we realised the time had come to bring her into the house permanently, as old farm buildings are not the cleanest of environments and not suitable for a dog after an operation. As a farm dog she used to urinate to mark her place and we dreaded the job of trying to house train an 8 year old collie. What has been amazing is that has become house trained very quickly, within a couple of days in fact. She has been good as gold in the house ever since. Before the operation she was like my shadow, following me around everywhere, still she settled and became more relaxed as the days went on. At night she is slept in the kitchen or in the conservatory. In the morning I always get a warm welcome!
We brought her back after the operation a couple of days ago, the vet and vet nurse was brilliant. When picking her up the veterinary nurse commented that she had never seen a farm dog behave so well with people and was amazed what has been achieved over 9 months – simply walking, playing and giving lots of cuddles and encouragement to a collie that used to be frightened of every new experience and her first option was to attack every dog she met.
We are just hoping that she makes a full recovery as she has only recently discovered the joy of being walked in forests and on the many beaches we have nearby. You see it is only in the last 2 weeks that we could get her and our other collie in the car together – Tibby has changed her stripes from being an aggressive wolf like sheepdog to one that just loves loads of cuddles and kind words. She is a great pleasure to be with and brings us a lot of happiness and pleasure to see a dog enjoying life and gradually becoming more sociable to other dogs and people.
Our Collie recovering after operation
If you have any doubts regarding a lump or growth on your dog please go straight to the vet. We do not have pet insurance on Tibby as she is now too old (only about 8 years old) and has a pre-condition that would exclude her from having pet insurance taken out on her. Our other dog has pet insurance and it does help remove the worry over expensive veterany treatments. If you are unemployed and live in certain locations in Britain then you may also be eligible to pet treatment through a pet charity, ask your vet for information.
Internet Links with more information on mammary growths: Pet Education website – Mammary Tumors
Another useful link on Pet Health and also on Tumours in pets can be found on the Bilton Veterinary Centre website – Pet Advice section.
For books on dog cancers you will find them on Amazon.
UK Shop – Books on Dog Cancers
US Store - Books on Dog Cancers
Canada Shopping – Books on Dog Cancers
France Boutique – livres sur les cancers de chien (Anglais)
Deutschland Amazon.de
