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: October 27th, 2019
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 8 year old female boxer has a softball size knot on her nipple. It has a fever in it and is hard. Could this be cancer? She has been eating fine and is very active.
Anne, What was the result of the aspiration? Did your vet do a biopsy? Hard or soft is not the telling of whether it’s a problem. If he aspirated to make the lump smaller by trying to draw enough liquid to reduce it, that’s one thing. If he aspirated to get a biopsy to find out if it was cancerous or not, that’s another. Ask your vet clear, direct questions. If you are really worried about the lump, ask to have it completely removed and biopsied, unless your vet has a good reason to recommend against this. You need clear answers, and that often takes clear questions. If you don’t feel your vet listens to you or want to do what you ask, you can always find another vet. It’s your right. But work together with a vet somewhere to find out what’s going on. Good luck!
My 13 year old female dog has a hard fatty tumor in her neck. Last year the vet aspirated it . Right after it turned soft again.stayed that way for a year. Now it’s large and hard again. I asked my vet to aspirate it again. He told me that didn’t make it turn soft again. Refused to do that. Could that have made it soft again.
Hi Dr. D. I’ve got a situation…
My 10 year old Golden presented with hind leg swelling back in August.. It rendered his leg lame but responded to Prevacox and Tramadol very nicely and was diagnosed as a muscle trauma. Fast forward 3 weeks ago, the leg has blown up. This time it did not respond to anti-inflammatories at all. During xrays and biopsy, the vets noticed his groin area which was dark purple with what looks like one large continuous bruise and the very same day, his 3rd eyelid swelled up to cover his eyeball. The vets were sure that it was Hemagiosarcoma. They biopsied 4 different areas of the tumor including a small area where the bruising is on his groin. My golden was put on Tramadol, Gabapentin, and an antibiotic. They said during his biopsy, there were times where he bled profusely as the blood vessels burst. His incision sites were dark purple like his groin.
During his healing period this past week, his eye cleared up, his incision sites went back to skin color. The biopsy results all came back as Lipomas. All 4 of them.
His next step is an ultra sound before surgery to check organs for tumors and how deep the growth is. My vet still is concerned about cancer because he’s never seen a Liopma with such a large vascular supply (even though all biopsies came back as fatty cells). He mentioned Hemagiopericytoma as a possibility. Of course we’re hoping for just an invasive fatty tumor.
My question is to you if you have heard of such a thing..a largely invasive fatty tumor? Is it possible that the biopsy results from 4 different areas with the same results be wrong? It’s been a roller-coaster ride of emotions and have been developing depression with the possibility of losing my heart dog.
It’s been 2 months since he’s been able to walk and his muscle seems to be atrophying as the Ischium bone is very prominent now.
Any advice you can give me or questions I can ask my vet? I’m desperate for some kind of peace of mind and some answers.
Thank you kindly
Jennifer
Hi Kathy, Well, really, it’s best to ask your vet these questions. Every dog is different, and just because they want to leave the staples in for a little while longer doesn’t necessarily mean you need to worry. Worry is a waste of energy. Ask your vet direct questions. What happened before today is done, so just focus on what you need to know now. Ask your vet “how can I help?” They may want you to modify your dog’s activity for a while longer, they may recommend some meds to help. But you need to go back with clear, precise questions in order to get the answers. Good luck!
My dog had a large tumor removed under her right back hip 15 days ago. She had a drain in for 6 days and when I took her back to get her staples removed yesterday they said they are leaving them in because there is still a bunch of fluid in there. Is this normal? Did the drain come out too soon? Should something else be done? I’m very worried.
Thank you
Kathy
My 6 year pit bull mixed with Boston terrier has a thyroid tumor for almost a year now! The doc said it was cancerous and spread to the lungs:( He now has fluid like jelly above the tumor that hangs! It was never there before, what could it be?
Hello Tee,
Very sorry to hear about your dog’s diagnosis. I hope you”ve got him on the Dog Cancer Diet to help. There is a lot you can do. We wouldn’t even try to diagnose anything online however, you really need to take your dog to your vet to discover what this new situation is. It may have an impact on his overall health. Good luck!
Hi Liz, You’ve probably had your vet appointment by now, and I’m sorry we couldn’t respond sooner. Do you have any information from the vet?
I have a 6 year old poodle mix that has had a lump under the skin on his hind leg for about a year. Its around the size of a nickle and has flat edges. Recently he starting not being able to walk up or down stairs without pain, sometimes he actually wouldnt do it and I had to pick him up. When he tries to jump on the couch there is obvious pain as well. I also just noticed a new lump (under the skin not raised) on the middle of his back near his spine. This one is about the size of a marble, maybe a little bigger and round. Im taking him to the Vet in two days, but I cannot stop worrying that there is something major going on with him. He sometimes only eats the right side of his food out of his dish. Any advise or insight?
My 14 year old Irish Setter has a sore on her neck, right below her ear. The vet says it is a cyst and prescribed Neo-Predef. The sore bleeds on and off and has grown to the size of a quarter. Flat shaped, but raised off body, and the fur around is pulling back. I am concerned about surgery at her age. Do most dogs survive surgery at this age?
Hi Celeste, You and your vet are the best team to determine whether your girl would handle surgery. My own dog had surgeries at age 12 and 14, and he had no problem, but just like people, each dog is different. If she is well in herself, bright, happy and has no breathing or heart problems, she may be a good candidate. However, your vet knows best what to check and how to advise you. If you are considering surgery, please consider that the longer you wait to decide, the larger this lump may become, which means it may be more difficult to remove completely. If it’s not attached to underlying tissue, again, it may be a pretty simple procedure. Please don’t pump fear into this; it won’t do either of you any good. Take a breath, talk to your vet, talk to your dog, and when you’re ready, decide.