Your vet will use a very fine needle to remove some cells to see under the microscope in the office. Has your dog exhibited any changes in behaviour lately – eating habits, sleeping more, restless, lethargic….Have you felt or seen a change in size, colour or shape?.It would be helpful to your vet if you could provide the following information: Although rare they do happen, and this serves to emphasise the importance of checking each new mass that develops. Liposarcomas are malignant and can spread to the bone and other organs. Infiltrative lipomas invade muscle tissue and may need to be removed. If a dog has one mass, they will likely develop multiple masses and although there’s a good chance they’ll be benign, each one should be checked just to be sure. Most of the time nothing needs to be done, however they can grow larger and depending on where they’re located on the body, may cause problems such as impeding movement for example. The most common lumps are called lipomas or, as the layperson refers to them, “fatty tumours.” They are masses under the skin and a natural part of aging. The most common type of lump found in senior dogs are l ipomas or fatty tumours First of all it will put your mind at ease, and the earlier something is caught, the better the chances of curing or at least managing it. I think that’s very encouraging, but I also strongly advise you to get it checked sooner rather than later.

The good news is, most lumps are just fatty tumours, benign and nothing to worry about. You know when you’re sitting on the couch relaxing, slowly petting your dog and then you feel a lump? You know when your heart skips a beat, you get that nauseous feeling and the word “cancer” fills your every waking moment? Age is an additional contributing factor.Lumps and bumps in dogs are not unusual, and most of the time are nothing at all to worry about. Dogs with hypothyroidism and those that are overweight are also more likely to develop lipomas. What dog breeds are prone to getting fatty lumps or lipomas?Īny breed can develop the lumps but they seem to be more prevalent in Labradors, Shetland sheepdogs, dachshunds, cocker spaniels, weimaraners, miniature schnauzers and doberman pinschers. Removing the lumps is normally a straightforward procedure performed under general anaesthetic. But surgery may be needed in cases where a large lipoma has grown on a part of the body where it becomes uncomfortable for the pet or interferes with movement. Many lipomas have no impact on overall health and removal is purely for cosmetic reasons. But your vet may test the lump by aspirating some cells from it with a needle (though because there is normally fat in the skin, certain diagnosis can be difficult) or taking a biopsy to rule out cancer.įor advice if your dog has been given a cancer diagnosis, click here. Your vet will often have a good idea as to whether a lump is a lipoma just by feeling it as lipomas have a relatively distinct feel and texture. How are fatty lumps or lipomas diagnosed? It’s also a good idea to note if your pet shows any pain when touching the mass and any change in appetite or toilet habits. While it is likely that the lump is a harmless lipoma, it’s important to rule out any serious medical conditions. Take your dog to the vet at the earliest opportunity. What should I do if I find a lump on my dog? However, these do not normally spread through the body in the way that other cancers can, though they can be extremely difficult or impossible to surgically remove. In extremely rare cases, lipomas can develop into a malignant growth called a liposarcoma. The lumps normally grow in a separate pocket to surrounding tissue, but in rare cases they penetrate other tissue such as muscle. Some dogs, particularly overweight ones, can develop multiple lumps of this kind but these are still not life-threatening. No, lipomas are benign lumps, which means they are not cancerous and will not spread through the body in the way a malignant growth can. Overweight dogs tend to develop larger lumps but the tumours may reduce in size if they lose weight. The size the lump will grow to depends on how much fat the lipoma stores, but they can become very big – in some cases, the size of your dog’s head. They accumulate more fat as they grow and are more likely in middle-aged to elderly dogs. Lipomas are harmless lumps that start in fat cells stored in tissue around the body and are not usually painful. Fatty lumps, like the one on this dog, can grow extremely large.

Hard movable lump under skin dog