Lumps

[DebraDownSouth]

The general guideline is if it is causing a problem, getting rubbed or irritated, etc, have it removed. That size seems big

[Rugosa]

My Promise has a lump on her neck and the vet got a sample of it just by using a needle. (I'm sorry, I don't remember the word used to describe the process)
It was just a fatty tumor and as long as it doesn't bother her, I am not going to have him do the surgery required to remove it. (She is 14)

[Branch]

My boy Rickie is 10 and has developed several of these lumps. My Vet says the same, don't remove if not necessary. Does anyone know what causes these??? My Rickie is not over weight, very lean. Thank you for any information.

[YodelMa]

Benign fatty tumours are called 'Lipomas'. Not entirely sure what causes them, but they've appeared in a number of my mature b's and fosters following vaccinations. When I started titring my 12 yr old male, he stopped getting them.

[DebraDownSouth]

Other than 3 year rabies, I don't vaccinate after 7 unless a kennel cough if it's going around. Still some of the dogs got cysts. Fortunately none were big.

[Branch]

Great info....I only have Rickie get rabies vac once every 3 years...nothing else. What is titring? When I looked it up it was defined as "half laugh" , so maybe you mean 1/2 dose? Thanks for reply

[tanza]

@branch - It is titers, blood test for antibodies to ensure immunity against a particular disease.

[YodelMa]

Benign fatty tumours are called 'Lipomas'. Not entirely sure what causes them, but they've appeared in a number of my mature b's and fosters following vaccinations. When I started titring my 12 yr old male, he stopped getting them.

[DonC]

We had a male who was predisposed to fatty tumors. We got the first couple removed but then decided that unless it presented a problem it wasn't worth turning him into a pincushion. At nine you can hope it's a one off, so if it bothers you and/or him, get it removed. Personally if it wasn't bothering him I wouldn't, but that's just me. Either choice is OK.

[DebraDownSouth]

This study on using steroid to reduce them looks promising. (For those with dogs with lipomas that are in hard to remove places). Most of those not completely regressed still reduced significantly.)

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0050234

Results
A total of 15 lipomas (9 subcutaneous, 3 subfascial, 2 intermuscular, 1 infiltrative) in 15 dogs (9 mixed, 6 purebred dogs, mean age 8 year, 4 male, 11 female) were injected with 0.5 mL (10 cases) or 1 mL (5 cases) of triamcinolone acetonide (Tab 1).

For all cases, diagnoses of lipomas originally identified by clinical evaluation and ultrasound were confirmed by cytological examination; lipomas showed histological evidence of normal adipocities on a proteinaceous, bluish background, and, in some cases, aggregated around a blood vessel.

After one injection, nine lipomas (six subcutaneous and three subfascial) regressed completely by 6 months follow up. Before the steroid injection, the above-mentioned lipomas showed the following ultrasound features: a hyperechoic capsule, a poorly vascularised hypoechoic or isoechoic echotexture (1 case) with thin hyperechoic stripes homogeneously distributed throughout (fig. 1).<<

[Flash]

Thank you very useful article