D O G H E A LT H
FATTY TISSUE LIPOMAS IN DOGS
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any of us will have come across lumps and bumps on our dogs that have been the cause of great concern. We always tend to expect the worst in these scenarios, and cancer is always a very real concern when it comes to our pets. Thankfully, one of the more common lumps and bumps in dogs are the non-cancerous lesions called lipomas. So, what are these lesions, and when do they cause issues?
WHAT IS A LIPOMA? A lipoma is a benign or non-cancerous tumour of fat cells often found on your middle-aged or older dogs and either located inside or outside of the body. They are commonly found under the skin on the abdomen, chest or legs, although they can be found anywhere on or in the dog’s body.
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They may or may not cause discomfort for your dog, depending on where they are situated and whether they interfere with the animal’s daily life, mainly in terms of their mobility. Should the lipoma grow between the layers of muscle, it is referred to as an infiltrative lipoma, and if fastgrowing, it can affect blood supply and cause pain.
PREDISPOSING FACTORS The condition is generally most likely to be found in overweight dogs. However, some overweight dogs will go their whole lives without ever developing a lipoma, and some leaner dogs will get several. There are also some breeds of dogs which seem to be predisposed to developing lipomas, and these include Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels and Doberman Pinschers. DQ|1C
