MAMMARY GLAND SURGERY

The mammary glands of the bitch are arranged in

two separate rows extending from the thoracic to
inguinal region.
Each chain comprises five glands, with four or six
as occasional variations.
The glands are conventionally numbered 1 to 5;
moving cranial to caudal, they are also termed
thoracic, abdominal, and inguinal, depending on
their vascular supply.

A. Lymphatic drainage of the

mammary glands:
1. Axillary lymph nodes;
2. Superficial inguinal lymph
node. 0, Major
arterial
supply to mammary glands:
3, Sternal branches of internal
thoracic artery;
4, Lateral thoracic artery;
5, Cranial superficial epigastric
artery:
6, Caudal superficial cpigaslric
artery;
7. External pudendal artery.

 Mammary neoplasia is a hormonally mediated

disease.
Influence of estral activity is compelling because
ovariectomy significantly reduces the occurrence
of malignant mammary tumors if it is performed
early in the bitch's life.
Ovariectomy reduces the incidence of mammary
tumors to 0.05%, less than 10%, and 26% of that
normally expected when it is performed before
first estrus, before second estrus, and after
second estrus, respectively.

TREATMENT
Lumpectomy: removal of tumor from the gland with an
additional 1-cm margin of normal-appearing tissue
(local excision)
Simple mastectomy or mammectomy: removal of tumor
with the associated gland
Regional mastectomy: removal of tumor with glands as
sociated with vascular and lymphatic drainage plus
node
Unilateral mastectomy: removal of tumor with all
mastectomy ipsilateral glands plus nodes
Bilateral mastectomy: removal of all mammary tissue

1
2
3
4
5

Affected -Gland
Type of Mastectomy
Regional:
thoracic/cranial abdominal
Regional:
thoracic/cranial abdominal
Unilateral
Regional:
caudal abdominal/inguinal
Regional:
caudal abdominal/inguinal
Multiple Unilateral

 Chemotherapy is a nonsurgical treatment option either

preoperatively to minimize the tumor bulk or postopera
tively or palliatively when locally recurrent disease is the
primary consideration.
Estrogen-blocking drugs probably represent the most
significant advance in therapy for breast carcinoma in
women and delay the growth of estrogen-dependent
malignant neoplasms.
Studies with tamoxifen in the bitch have shown it to be
unsuited to this species, but there may be justification for
further investigation of these agents.
Radiation therapy has not been widely used in the
treatment of mammary tumors in the bitch. Studies with
BCG and Corynebacterium parvum vaccines have
demonstrated equivocal results for bitches with carcinomas,
and there is little current interest in this approach.