In your experience, how concerned should we be about (mostly) flat lumps?

[Jinx94]

We have already taken him to the vet

My parents dog has a few lumps. We found one on his chest (round-ish, approximately 2cm length, 1cm depth) a couple of weeks after lockdown started, and in the next two weeks found two flat lumps, one on his shoulder and one in his groin.

Vet examined him and advised that we monitor them as they aren't big enough to take a biopsy, they were stunned that we found the flat lumps. He's 6 years old, so the assumption is that they are fatty masses and nothing serious. I think I've found another small, flat lump on the side of his ribcage, but other than that there don't seem to have been any changes.

I'm concerned, but based on the last consultation am not sure that the vets will say anything differently.

In your experience, am I right to be worried? Or is my anxiety blowing it a bit out of proportion?

 

[deb_l222]

If they are smooth and you can easily get your fingers under them, as in they kind of float, then don't worry yourself at all.

In my humble experience the time to worry with lumps on dogs in when they're on lips, feet and ears. Also any lump on the rest of the body that's not smooth is also a concern and should be investigated.

I was just remarking to my vet on Saturday that Rufus has a lump for every day of the year these days. He's got fatty lipomas, warts and cysts, none of which bother him and won't be removed. Some dogs are just more prone than others.

If your vet isn't concerned, then you shouldn't be

 

[CorvusCorax]

My 9.5yo has been covered in warts, lumps and cysts his whole life, they usually dry out and flake off. His father was the same. As the dog ages they tend fo get bigger and cause more problems, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it
His half sister has them too and her owner and I have both confessed to taking some satisfaction in picking off the old crusty bits ?

 

[Jinx94]

Thank you, that really helps.

They're smooth and squidgy (technical term ?), the largest one moves quite easily. I think I'm just alarmed at the number that I've found in such a short space of time!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

And just when others have made you relax, here comes I, perhaps with the exception to the rules example. Sorry.

Many years ago we found a small lump on one of my late bitches, just a bit in front of the vulva. I checked it daily for up to 2 weeks, and it was the strangest lump I've ever felt. It did sort of float under the skin, but it changed either shape, size and/or texture from one day to the other. After maybe 3, 4 days, I couldn't find it for 2 days, it came back in a different shape, and then it continued to feel as if it had a different shape, size or texture each day I checked it, until we took her to the veterinarian.

As I recall, the lump was only something between a pea, and an almond in size (most days, sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger). The first veterinarian asked another one to come and have a feel, then said that they could not tell what the lump was. They thought it was an odd placement if it was a tumour (in between the mammary glands lines, some centimetres from the vulva), and they felt that it was a big risk for that her insurance would not pay if we wanted them to surgically remove it. So they strongly suggested that we should go home, and monitor it for around 2 weeks or so more, and if necessary come back after that time had passed.
But I said No, I have already monitored it, and I want this lump gone, now. If the insurance won't reimburse anything afterwards because the analysis comes back saying it was nothing bad, then so be it, I want it gone.

The veterinarian did the surgery, said they still couldn't tell what the lump was when they saw it, and sent it for analysis. Next time I spoke to the veterinarian she said the laboratory technician had called them as soon as he got the result from the analysis. Apparently he had been super excited, and said it was the earliest, aggressive cancer tumour he had ever seen. (I presume that is something only an expert would get excited about.)

When we came back for a 6 months checkup visit, they found a tiny mammary tumour, which was also removed surgically. But since the first tumour had not been in connection to the mammary glands lines, I'm not sure if they where related or just coincidence.
She lived for something between 6 to 8 years after those two cancer scares, and developed a few fatty lumps as she got older. Even though none of them neither felt, nor behaved like the first lump, they worried me, and I'm sure I took her to the veterinarian for them to have a feel at some of them.

Other dogs I had before the 3 I currently have, also had a few fatty lumps if you felt around thoroughly. Of the ones I currently have, I think Jonna have 1 or 2, + 1 wart on a back leg, and Beata have 2 or 3 (I try to not remember the numbers too exactly, to minimize the stress of finding a new one, because I'm the worrying type of dog owner).
Blomma haven't got any fatty lumps (yet). She did have a wart on one of her cheeks for 1 or 2 years, but then she needed to have a urine bladder stone/stones removed some months ago, and since the wart sat so I've been worried she would damage it one day while sniffing around in the bushes, I called my insurance company, and they agreed it was okay to have the wart removed at the same time as the bladder stone/stones.

 

[gunnergundog]

If you have never encountered them before, perhaps get your parents to take dog to the vet to confirm that they are indeed fatty lumps. The only one that I would be wary of, is the one in his groin.

My experience of fatty lumps is that they do grow; they can grow to the size of an orange or small melon. Others appear and stay the same size. Whether a large growth causes a problem or not to the dog depends a lot of the time as to where they are situated....and age of dog/activity level. Generally speaking I tend to leave them alone. The exception was one, for instance, that a dog sprouted in his armpit at a relatively young age (8 or 9) when he was still working. That I had removed, having previously had one in another dog in a similar situation where it grew so big that it impeded his gait.

 

[skinnydipper]

I'm concerned, but based on the last consultation am not sure that the vets will say anything differently.

In your experience, am I right to be worried? Or is my anxiety blowing it a bit out of proportion?

As you are concerned I think it would do no harm to ask your vet to examine him again, if only to reassure you that the lumps are lipomas and nothing to worry about.

I have had dogs with lipomas, one grew quite large, but have also had two dogs with mast cell tumours so I like to get lumps checked out and find out what they are.

With the first dog, the vet was immediately suspicious. He had surgery to remove the lump from his chest and histology confirmed grade 2 mast cell cancer. Surgery was followed by radiotherapy.

The second dog - the lump was on her shoulder. It was small, discrete, firm, mobile, flat, about the size of a marble. The vet didn't think it was sinister but agreed to remove it. Histology revealed it to be a high grade Patnaik grade III mast cell.

If the vet thinks it is a lipoma she may be able to aspirate a small amount and confirm whether it is fatty and that will put your mind at rest. My vet did this with one of my dogs while we were in the consulting room, she just put a small amount on a slide and could see it looked fatty. If the vet is in doubt she may suggest a needle biopsy to send for histology.

 

[brightmount]

My dog is covered in lipomas, too many to remove at her age, so we just have to live with her resembling a sack of spuds. It seems spaniels are particularly susceptible.
The vet can easily do a fine needle aspirate to check any lumps are harmless fatty masses.