Should You Be Concerned with a Lipoma in Your Pet?

A lipoma is basically a mass that consists primarily of lipid cells (fat). Lipomas can either be very small or very large in size. Many pet owners notice lipomas and immediately worry that the mass is cancerous. Not that it isn't, pet owners are unable to identify masses, so when they do see one, they become worried. So what do you do if you notice a mass somewhere on your pet's body? You should schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to determine what type of mass it is. In older dogs, lipomas become more and more common (especially in Labrador Retrievers) and can become very large. So how does your veterinarian determine if the mass is fatty in nature? What he/she will do is take what is called a "Fine Needle Aspirate" of the mass. What this consists of is taking a needle and syringe and poking the needle directly in the mass while pulling back on the syringe plunger. This will extract cells from the center of the mass. Once the cells are obtained, the veterinarian will squirt these cells onto a microscope slide and view the cells under the microscope. If the mass is a lipoma, there will be typical skin cells and lipid droplets.

Usually, the veterinarian can tell right away without looking under the microscope that the mass is a lipoma. If the cells on the slide look suspicious, your veterinarian may opt to send the slide out to have a laboratory read it to determine what type of cells they are. If the cells come back neoplastic (cancerous), the mass should be removed as soon as possible to prevent an increase in growth. So should you be concerned if the mass is a lipoma? If the lipoma is very small in nature, you should monitor the growth for an increase in size.

Lipomas can reach quite large sizes. It becomes more of a comfort situation for your pet. If the lipoma is in the axillary region and begins to increase largely in size, your pet is going to have a difficult time walking because the mass will be in the way. This is a situation in which the mass should be removed. If the mass doesn't appear to be increasing in size, you can leave it alone or have your veterinarian remove it at the next anesthetic procedure such as a dental cleaning. If you find a mass that is very soft and squishy on your pet, chances are it is a lipoma (especially in older dogs/cats). However, you should make an appointment with your veterinarian to confirm that it is a lipoma and to rule out cancer.