# Do you just leave Fatty Tumors?



## Fodder

its funny how i can have advice for another dog owner, or even deal with this exact issues in previous dogs, but now, faced with it again my mind draws a blank.

found two "tumors" on gia - right under her chest where the ribcage meets. they arent attached, i can move and roll them around, one is "squishier" than the other, almost to the point of disolving when i squeeze it.

so, i'm thinking that unless she needs to be vetted for something else - there isnt an urgency to get them looked at (?) and even then... unless she's going under for a different procedure, then leave them?

she's 9... and i just noticed them about a week ago. also, given the area - she was spayed before her first heat so there is slim to none chance that its mammary tumors.


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## pupresq

I would go on and have them do a needle aspiration just to be sure. They are probably fatty lipomas but you never know. They wouldn't have to put her under or anything, just stick a needle in there and take a look at what they get out. 

As far as having them removed or not if they do turn out to be fatty lipomas, I've done both depending on the size and location. My Rottie (RIP) had one that got quite large and kept having to be removed it wasn't dangerous but was what my vet termed "locally annoying."


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## Chicagocanine

My Golden has quite a few lipomas. My vet always does a needle aspiration on any "lumps" to make sure they are just lipomas. Unless it is very large or in a location where it interferes with movement they usually don't remove the fatty tumors.


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## Riptide

Like you said, I don't think it's really an urgancy. If it's small enough and doesn't bother her, then you may as well just leave them be.


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## Elmo's Mom

Our Jack Russell had a fatty tumor that popped up in a matter of days right in the middle of her chest. I took her in and they did a needle biopsy. It was nothing thank goodness.

I would have them looked at for peace of mind. One thing our vet said was that normally when the tumor is right smack in the middle of the chest, it is usually benign. If it is more on one side, then the chances of it being cancerous are higher. 

She also said that we don't have to remove it unless it grows at a fast rate or grows big enough that it is uncomfortable. 

So, I vote for getting it checked out. You don't want to have regrets later.


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## pupresq

> Quote: Like you said, I don't think it's really an urgancy. If it's small enough and doesn't bother her, then you may as well just leave them be.


But only if they are confirmed to be benign fatty tumors. I've seen things that looked like fatty lipomas but turned out to be something else, like a mast cell tumor, then obviously that's a lot more serious. So, always best to check IMO.


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## 3K9Mom

My answer is pretty much exactly what Pupresq said. 

I always have them biopsied, just to be sure, even the teeniest ones, as long as the needle can penetrate. Then I leave them unless they are impeding something else. For example, one of my dogs had a huge one growing between her vulva and anus...about the size of a peach (it's not something you notice right away back there, til it gets kind of big.) That one HAD to go. 

Otherwise, I just leave them. Sometimes, they burst (and I have the dog pharmacy at my house to deal with it). Often, they don't. My experience is that dogs prone to lipomas usually get more of them as they age. I learned to make a note of new ones (Yup, I actually made a note of them; otherwise, I'd forget which ones were new and which were old ones). Then when we were at the vet's for something else, I brought my list and we'd line up slides and zipped through my list. They always came back negative, but it was good to be sure. 

BTW, I learned that fatty tumors are actually rather helpful to have around. When one of my seniors got sick and wasn't eating at all, her biggest fatty tumor (it was a BIG one) shrank a lot. It was providing her sustenance. I learned a valuable lesson then, to not remove something from the body unless absolutely necessary, even when it looks like it should come out. You never know what might be needed down the road. The body is an amazing thing!


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## Fodder

> Originally Posted By: 3K9Mom
> BTW, I learned that fatty tumors are actually rather helpful to have around. When one of my seniors got sick and wasn't eating at all, her biggest fatty tumor (it was a BIG one) shrank a lot. It was providing her sustenance. I learned a valuable lesson then, to not remove something from the body unless absolutely necessary, even when it looks like it should come out. You never know what might be needed down the road. The body is an amazing thing!


thats a really interesting story 3k9mom, and something that would never have crossed my (or i imagine many others) mind. i did jot a note down on the front of my dogs vet file of the date, size, and number of tumors. tomorrow is her birthday, what the **** - might as well take her in for a check up. thanks for the quick replies... reality check was much needed.


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## 3K9Mom

Since she's a senior, might as well get bloodwork done too. Tell them you want "mature panel." (which tests for almost everything except whether or not they're sneaking beers behind the garage on Saturday nights. They assume seniors are too mature for that!







)

Just for peace of mind (and a baseline). Every six months for seniors is what's recommended.


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## Kayos and Havoc

> Originally Posted By: 3K9MomMy answer is pretty much exactly what Pupresq said.
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> I always have them biopsied, just to be sure, even the teeniest ones, as long as the needle can penetrate. Then I leave them unless they are impeding something else. For example, one of my dogs had a huge one growing between her vulva and anus...about the size of a peach (it's not something you notice right away back there, til it gets kind of big.) That one HAD to go.
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> Otherwise, I just leave them. Sometimes, they burst (and I have the dog pharmacy at my house to deal with it). Often, they don't. My experience is that dogs prone to lipomas usually get more of them as they age. I learned to make a note of new ones (Yup, I actually made a note of them; otherwise, I'd forget which ones were new and which were old ones). Then when we were at the vet's for something else, I brought my list and we'd line up slides and zipped through my list. They always came back negative, but it was good to be sure.
> 
> BTW, I learned that fatty tumors are actually rather helpful to have around. When one of my seniors got sick and wasn't eating at all, her biggest fatty tumor (it was a BIG one) shrank a lot. It was providing her sustenance. I learned a valuable lesson then, to not remove something from the body unless absolutely necessary, even when it looks like it should come out. You never know what might be needed down the road. The body is an amazing thing!


Max will never go hungry, he has 5 of the things!!!









I never thought of that either.


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## arycrest

> Originally Posted By: 3K9Mom...
> Tell them you want "mature panel." (which tests for almost everything except whether or not they're sneaking beers behind the garage on Saturday nights. They assume seniors are too mature for that!
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Echo loved beer and Tex loved Manhattans (no I didn't let them have any, they were sneaky when it came to consuming adult beverages). All the other Hooligans have been tea-totalers.

I agree about getting the needle biopsies on the fatty tumors. I had some removed from Echo - they were huge - much bigger than a large Idaho potato and affected the way he could lay down, etc. I've left other because they didn't bother the dog/s.


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## BowWowMeow

Ha--a thread just for Chama. She grows fatty tumors every time something stressful happens in her life. The first one appeared shortly after her absolute best buddy, Petey, died suddenly (from leukemia). Then I think she grew one for every foster dog we had.







She has about 10 now but I've stopped counting. There was one in her breast area that the vet felt we should biopsy so we did and it was benign. My vets over the years have felt it wasn't necessary to have them biopsied if it felt like a fatty tumor. 

Rotties are very prone to them so I guess that's why she has so many. They don't bother her at all though. 

I was told not to have them removed unless they were impairing her movement. Surprisingly enough, even though the largest one is right in her armpit it has never impaired her movement so I've just left them.


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## 3K9Mom

> Originally Posted By: Arycrest
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> Echo loved beer and Tex loved Manhattans (no I didn't let them have any, they were sneaky when it came to consuming adult beverages).


I lived with a guy for years who brewed his own beer. Grover would sneak in and sample batches. Slurp slurp slurp. Completely contaminating them of course.







He'd have to start all over. 

She loved the stuff! She especially enjoyed the recipes made with oats. Good for her cholesterol, maybe? 

I had a bunch of bottle labels professionally made for him. 

Grover Grog.









There was Boni Brew, of course, as well.









When Grovie had liver disease as a senior, I could only wonder...


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## LisaT

Too funny....

Regarding the lipomas, I too have them needled to confirm they are in fact a lipoma. 

On Indy, they do start interfering with some of the muscle, and if you massage the area, when they start getting too painful, then is the time to remove them, or if they start growing rapidly, imo.


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