How to Diagnose Mammary Disease in Intact Female Dogs
If you're unsure whether your intact female dog has mammary disease, look for abnormal masses underneath her skin, which are a big sign that something's wrong. While you're checking her skin, look for inflamed or irritated skin around the stomach and chest area, since this is the most common sign of mammary gland disease. Also, look out for any pus-like discharge from your dog's mammary glands, which is a major sign of infection. If you spot any of the symptoms, you should take your dog to the vet as soon as possible for a diagnosis.
Inspect for abnormal growth. One of the surest signs of mammary gland disease is the growth of abnormal masses underneath the skin. Growths like these are almost always causes of concern and are indicative of some sort of mammary disease. The majority of abnormal growths on or around the mammary gland are tumors. Tumors may appear as one or may appear in clusters. Tumors may be red or purple in color. Non-tumor growths may be infection related. Look for inflammation or irritated skin. One sign of mammary gland disease is inflammation around the stomach or chest surrounding the mammary tissue. Ultimately, inflamed or irritated skin is the most obvious indication of mammary problems. Redness around the mammary tissue may be an indication of disease. Sensitive skin around the mammary tissue is another common symptom of mammary disease. Red lines or streaks emanating outward from mammary tissue. Watch for discharge from the mammary gland. A discharge other than milk from the mammary glands is indicative of infection. Dogs who have recently given birth or are nursing puppies are at a higher risk of developing infections of the mammary tissue. If you identify discharge, remember that: Discharge is associated with firm or swollen mammary glands. Discharge will be pus-like and may erupt irregularly. Since discharge is often associated with nursing puppies, and may lead to neglect of puppies or inability to breastfeed. Make an appointment with your vet. Your vet will examine your dog physically and conduct basic diagnostics to get an idea of what is affecting your dog. The first appointment will give you a lot of information that will help you and your vet arrive at a proper diagnosis of mammary gland disease, if that is what is affecting your dog. The vet will question you about symptoms you observed at home such as irritated skin, growths around the mammary tissue, or other problems. They will conduct a complete physical examination of your dog, paying attention to the chest and stomach. Your vet may complete blood work or a urinalysis to gather basic information about the health of the dog. Run appropriate diagnostics. Either the vet or the specialist will conduct diagnostics to get a better idea of the nature of the disease. Diagnostics may be invasive or non-invasive, but are necessary to properly diagnose mammary gland disease. Your vet may suggest an X-ray or ultrasound. They may decide to perform a biopsy. If the dog is post pregnancy, the vet or specialist may collect breast milk for a culture to determine if there is a bacterial infection. Consult a specialist, if needed. Depending on the nature and severity of the mammary gland disease, you may need to consult a specialist. A specialist may have more education and experience dealing with mammary gland disease in intact female dogs. However, only do this after getting a thorough workup by your regular veterinarian. Although a workup by your veterinarian will include taking samples from suspicious lumps or removing the lumps surgically, checking draining lymph nodes, taking fine needle aspirate samples of cells to check for spread of cancer, and doing an xray of your dog's chest. If your vet feels that they have enough experience dealing with the problem, they may not refer you to a specialist. If your dog has a tumor or some sort of cancer, you may need to see a surgeon who will remove it. Most major metropolitan areas will have a specialist who have substantial experience treating mammary disease. Your doctor may refer you to the vet school of a major university. These schools are great resources as vets there are on the cutting edge of their field. Realize that being intact increases the chance of mammary gland disease. Use of the mammary glands in addition to the hormones released during pregnancy and repeated estrous cycles and the release of hormones involved, drastically increase the chance of mammary gland disease. Thus, veterinarians recommend spaying dogs who are not considered valuable breeding stock. The younger a dog is spayed, the less likely the chance of mammary gland disease or tumors. Know about the different types of mammary gland diseases. There are a variety of diseases that impact the mammary gland. It is important to know some of the most common ones. They include: Mammary gland tumors. About 50% of all tumors in female dogs are mammary tumors. Galactostasis. This is the accumulation of milk in the mammary gland that creates inflammation. This may affect your dog after pregnancy. Galactorrhea. This is like galactostasis, but is associated with pseudo pregnancy. Infection of the mammary gland or mastitis. This often occurs during breast feeding as the dog's mammary glands become infected. Understand that mammary gland disease is not always fatal. If treated promptly and correctly, your dog has a high chance of surviving mammary gland disease. If you do not catch mammary gland disease at the right time, your dog's health may be in jeopardy. Mammary tumors are perhaps the most serious type of mammary cancer. If caught early enough, these tumors can be removed and the dog can make a full recover. Galactostasis can be treated with anti-inflammatory medicines and should not impact the lifespan of the dog. Infections can be treated with antibiotics and most dogs will make a full recovery. Problems associated with pseudo pregnancy will often fix themselves within a couple of weeks. 
Inspect for abnormal growth. Look for inflammation or irritated skin. Watch for discharge from the mammary gland. Make an appointment with your vet. Run appropriate diagnostics. Consult a specialist, if needed. Realize that being intact increases the chance of mammary gland disease. Know about the different types of mammary gland diseases. Understand that mammary gland disease is not always fatal. 