Whenever you find a lump on your dog it gets kind of scary. If you are normal, you immediately begin to think the worst. OMG It's cancer, you think. Well, hold on just one minute. It could be any number of things.
One of the more common lumps that people find on their pets are called Lipomas. A lipoma is technically cancerous but in the vast majority of cases it's
benign and will not cause any serious problems. In fact, most older dogs have lipomas, especially if they are on the heavy side.
These fatty growths are most often found under the skin and are easily felt as solid masses. They are movable and seem to be floating around in the soft tissue under the skin.
In the vast majority of cases no treatment is required. Watchful waiting is the most common reaction. If they seem to be growing quickly or growing in an area that may interfere with locomotion or some other function, they can be surgically removed. In my practice, I rarely removed them.
In some cases a
biopsy is a good precaution. This is a rather simple procedure and can be done with a
local anesthetic, in most cases. A needle is used to aspirate or suck up some of the fatty cells within the mass. This is the best way to make sure you are not dealing with something more serious, or that this is the rare lipoma that can turn dangerous.
It's best to report strange lumps to you veterinarian. Some may be dangerous but most are not. If the lump seems to be attached to the underside of the skin and not free floating, it needs some investigation.
It's always better to be cautious and curious with lumps and bumps but, fortunately, most turn out to be more cosmetic than anything else.