Lipoma and Liposarcoma in the Dog: Fatty Tumors
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: May 15th, 2024
Summary
Is that soft squishy lump on your dog something to worry about? It depends.
Many times dog lovers will arrive in my hospital and point out that their canine companion has a bump. They are soft, kind of like very firm jello. “Doesn’t seem to be causing any pain,” they say.
Hmmm. Well, it could be a “fatty” tumor. This is simply a tumor made out of fat. Yes, a big glob of fat, the same stuff that makes us chubby.
Some clients have used natural means to help their dogs with these tumors. I have had my clients say they have had luck with curcumin given by mouth. Curcumin is a part of the spice turmeric. In The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, I wrote about this bioflavonoid. It can be purchased as an ingredient in Apocaps, and also by itself as a sole agent.
Many dog lovers have heard of fatty tumors, and have been told by their vets that there is nothing to worry about. And many times, they are right.
Not every time, though.
Some Fatty Tumors Are Cancers
Here’s why: first of all, not every soft tumor is a “fatty” tumor. Remember mast cell tumors, the Great Imitators? Some mast cell tumors are aggressive, life-threatening cancers. And they can feel just like a benign fatty tumor.
Your vet can differentiate between a fatty tumor and a mast cell tumor with a simple fine needle aspirate. This is an easy outpatient procedure where the vet takes a sample with a needle and sends it to a pathologist. Many of us will review the slide right in house.
Another soft gushy tumor, especially on the limbs, in called a hemangiopericytoma. This is an unfriendly tumor, folks.
Because two dangerous tumors can look like fatty tumors (lipomas) I recommend that all such tumors get aspirated.
Some Fatty Tumors Are Dangerous In Other Ways
Secondly, not every tumor made out of fat is truly benign. Most are, and they are called lipomas. However, a small portion of them grow aggressively. They invade surrounding tissue. They often grow fairly quickly, over months, and expand. These fast growing lipomas have crossed the line and become what are called liposarcomas.
Get the Dog Cancer Survival Guide to learn more on how veterinarians diagnose and stage cancer in Chapter 9
The reason it matters is that they can become quite large. And you remove them and they will often regrow, since they are difficult to remove. You think you got ’em, and they come back.
Liposarcomas are not good news. So again, if you have a rapidly growing, fatty tumor, get it out. You might be dealing with a liposarcoma, and they can be tough. Have the vet biopsy the edge, and make sure they include adjacent muscle, or the path folks may complain they don’t have enough data to make a call.
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
My 11 year old male Standard Poodle has a soft mass about the size of a pea on the inside of his left leg, I took him to my vet and he didn’t want to aspirate because it was close to the femoral artery, he said that the dog should be sedated before doing the aspiration, and I should check the area weekly to be sure it’s getting larger. Do you suggest going ahead with the aspiration under sedation, and would the procedure be safe under sedation in spite of the location of the mass? I want to do the safest thing for my best friend.
Thank you.
Dear Patti
Honestly I cannot comment on safety with respect to position since i have no idea what we are talking about- I can’t see it nor feel it….sorry. But its best to check, so if it were me I would follow your vets recommendations to get it tested under sedation. If you are not sure, nothing wrong with a second opinion.
Hope this helps
Dr D
Dear Dr. Dressler,
Thank you for the free download of your Cancer Diet – I have already been following many of your suggestions, and will add a few more to my girls diet.
My question is about “preventing” fatty lipomas in canines.
My 13 month old Ridgeback does not have any, but her 7 yr old grandmother and 5 yr old mother do. I am committed to taking preventative measures so that she does not develop this genetic trait.
What do you suggest?
Thank you,
Jewels
Dr. Dressler,
We found a mass on our 8y/o beagle last week the size of a baseball on his upper chest. We took him to the vet yesterday and had an aspiration performed and sent out for testing. The results came back today as necrotic adipose tissue….in the differential noted lytic neutrophils, macrophages, lymphoid cells, and spindle cells…my vet put Harvey on broad-spectrum antibiotics and prednisone for 10 days and then we take him back for a recheck. My question is if this mass is still there or if we see no change would doing a biopsy be the next step….we are worried about him…thank you for your help.
Tanja
Dear Tanja
the pred will slightly skew the histopath results…but sounds like might be a fatty tumor…most are benign but there are malignant ones:
https://www.dogcancerblog.com/blog/lipoma-and-liposarcoma-in-the-dog-fatty-tumors/
Under veterinary supervision I might remove it as its causing a problem and get the biopsy done including the actual edges to make sure not a liposarcoma.
Don’t forget diet, apoptogens, etc found in the Guide, as always
D
Dear Dr. Dressler,
I just came across your site and have been reading and have the following querstion:
About a week 1/2 ago my 9y/o beagle developed a lump on his upper chest about the size of a baseball maybe a little bigger that fills soft and doesn’t appear to be causing pain…this appeared out of the blue. I took him to the vet yesterday to have an aspirit taken to have it checked out. The cyctology report came back today:
inflamed and necrotic adipose tissue maybe cellulitis/steatitis or panniculitis. It ws noted that that there were lytic neutrophils, vaculated macrophages, lymphoid cells, and spindle cells in the differential.
My vet has put him on prednisone, broad-spectrum antibiotics for the next 10 days and then re-check….my question is should we go ahead and have tissue taken and checked? Thank you so much…
Tanja
Dear Dr. Dressler,
About a week 1/2 ago my 9y/o beagle developed a lump on his upper chest about the size of a baseball maybe a little bigger that fills soft and doesn’t appear to be causing pain…this appeared out of the blue. I took him to the vet yesterday to have an aspirit taken to have it checked out. The cyctology report came back today:
inflamed and necrotic adipose tissue maybe cellulitis/steatitis or panniculitis. It ws noted that that there were lytic neutrophils, vaculated macrophages, lymphoid cells, and spindle cells in the differential.
My vet has put him on prednisone, broad-spectrum antibiotics for the next 10 days and then re-check….my question is should we go ahead and have tissue taken and checked? Thank you so much…
Tanja
hi doc, have a 13/14 yr old lab mix on the small side..her mass is about 12″ size. her tumor has grown rather quickly after the biop was neg.she was very active pre biop but has recently slammed on the breaks and her appatite has also slowed as well.
comments please
thanks terry
Dear Terry, please contact your vet as decreased appetite can be a sign of multiple illnesses above and beyond the effects of what I imagine is a benign mass. I am assuming the biopsy was benign as opposed to malignant?
Dr D
Hi,
We just noticed a lumpy thing in our 12 weeks neck..its under the skin..not attached to muscle….but this very alarming to me…..I thought these fatty tumors show up later in life…..
Hi,
My dog is 12 years old and he has an infiltrative lipoma in his groin/right inner thigh area. Right now it is 8 cms. The vet does not want to do surgery as he also has a heart murmur and the surgery will be long and invasive. It is not causing him any pain or affecting his mobility. He is also starting on rimadyl for arthritis. Is there anything else I can do to manage his pain if the lipoma starts to affect his movement and cause him pain? I feel so helpless.
My 9 year old lab has some fatty lumps and like you stated earlier my vet said no worries but i have heard that a no grain type of dog food is a good way to prevent them from getting worse. Whats your take on that? Also what type of food would you recommend for my dog?
Thank you
Gary
Dear Gary,
limiting grain usually does not stop lipomas, but I am not sure whether your dog’s lumps are lipomas. They have been tested, I hope?
D
Dr. Demian Dressler
I have a 10 year old dauchsund/chilhua and she has been diagnosed with a fatty tumor several years ago. However, the bumps have grown and I’ve been told by several friends who have had this happen that she could die quickly from this. So my question is should I have her rechecked to be guaranted that it is still benign tumor and what specifically should I ask the doctor to do to be guaranteed. I’m very concerned about her well being. She is also a caterack (spelling I know is wrong) in her eyes as well. Often I think she is having a hard time hearing as well. It takes her a long time to respond sometimes.
Should I be concerned and how long do these dogs have to live once diagnosed of a malignant tumor? Thanks.
Dear Chrisine
there is such a thing as malignant transformation and yes, I am not sure why you should not get this re-checked. Please get your dog medical attention.
Different cancers are different and the stats are different so we need a diagnsosis to answer the lifespan question…sorry I can’t help answer that one without knowing more about what this is.
Best
Dr D
I have been reading all yur stories, with sadness for you all, I have a beautiful 13 year old Husky who is a blind diabetic but still full of life and the joy of my life. He has had reoccuring tumours, one after the other removed only to come back somewhere else. He suffers the pain with dignity, and I wish everyday that I could bear his pain for him. He is the child I never had but in everyway a child he may not be human, I may ot have given birth to him but he is part of me and I would give everything I had and more to see him free of pain and happy.
He is currently in hospital again having another lump removed and I pray he will come through surgery and come home to his mum.
If we could have but one wish, I know what mine would be, but if I can not have that one, I would wish that all your babies be well.
I have a 3 year old husky and he has a soft squishy lump on his chest the vet did the needle aspirate and it didn’t appear like he got anything but when he emptied the needle there was a few small drops of clear like water can you tell if this is a good sign of just a Lipoma he is very active and eating well
I was petting my Shetland Sheepdog Merlin tonight and noticed on his right side two small moveable lumps right behind the shouler on the ribs. He turns a year on the 26th of March and I’m very concerned about what these could possibly be. What’s the likelihood of a young active healthy sheltie having Lipomas or something worse? There’s no evidence of cancer in his bloodlines, his breeder hasn’t seen any cancer in her stock but he is an outcross to another bloodline. I’m going to take him to work on Monday and get a biopsy.
Thanks
Joanne
Dear Joanne,
statistically benign is more likely BUT get them checked anyway! let us know the outcome…
Best
Dr D
Dear Dr. Dressler,
My beloved Pluto – a 8 year old retriever – was diadnosed with hemangiosarcoma a week ago – I started giving him Apocaps on Monday 3X per day – Can I also give him Yunnan Baiyao ? Any contra indication? Which doses? His weight is 100 pounds and his cancer – alas – is visceral. Thank you for your prompt response – Nadine