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Fatty tumors on dogs

TheGirlNextDoor

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I have a 9 year old Labrador. Last month I took him for shots, etc...

He has two large fatty tumors. One in front of his right hip on this side and the other is on his underbelly by his genitalia, on the same side of his body.

The vet said he'd leave them unless they seemed to be causing a problem with mobility. Well, he's started having what seems to be, hip dysplasia. Not sure if that's it (he's over a hundred pounds and just a big dog) or if it's caused by these tumors.

I'm torn on whether or not to have him undergo surgery at his age to remove those tumors or...?

Anyone have any experiences like this with an older pet??
 
Hip dysplasia (canine) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I very much doubt the fatty deposit (it's not a tumor, it doesn't self-replicate) has anything to do with it.

The vet called them tumors, so I was repeating what I was told. He also said because of their size, they could cause issues. I'm only asking if anyone else here has experienced this with their mature pets.

Thing is, I don't want to subject him to surgery if it's pointless. I've made an appointment with a different vet for now.

My other dog (also a big lab) has hip dysplasia, and takes anti-inflammatories.
 
I had a nine year old Rottie. She had a weak colon which eventually ruptured. It cost seven grand to operate. The repair didn't work. They tried to fix her again for another seven grand. She died. I would have done it again back then but I've learned that fourteen grand is a lot to pay for a dead dog and I don't think I'd do it again.

We got another Rottie to replace the one who died. She has health insurance. It's not that expensive.
 
the details you will need to make your decision will be particular to your dog.
As they get older, the question of what you're getting for the associated costs (not only the money) changes. Depending on a lot of different factors you may be adding years of improved mobility, or merely months.

You'll have to get a good idea of what the results of treatment will be. Will the dog be laid up for days? weeks? months? If everything goes well, what are the expected outcomes?

A heavy dog at 9 yrs old may not have that much longer left. But the dog could have another 5 or 6 years.

You'll really have to get the details from a pro and then to your cost benefit analysis.

If the dog only has a couple of years left, are you willing to have the dog spend 3 months of it recovering from some surgery?

But what if the dogs has years left and the treatment will only impact the dog for a couple of weeks?

Majorly different scenarios.
 
I think dysplasia refers to the hip not being aligned properly.
It seems possible that a tumor in the right spot could put pressure on the hip joint and cause to be pushed out of align.
 
I have a 9 year old Labrador. Last month I took him for shots, etc...

He has two large fatty tumors. One in front of his right hip on this side and the other is on his underbelly by his genitalia, on the same side of his body.

The vet said he'd leave them unless they seemed to be causing a problem with mobility. Well, he's started having what seems to be, hip dysplasia. Not sure if that's it (he's over a hundred pounds and just a big dog) or if it's caused by these tumors.

I'm torn on whether or not to have him undergo surgery at his age to remove those tumors or...?

Anyone have any experiences like this with an older pet??

One of my neighbour's dog, 12 years old, had a fatty lump removed from his chest last week - first they did biopsies to be sure it wasn't cancerous - the operation took a couple of hours and he was home a little later in the day. It was removed because it was irritating him when he was lying down but wasn't medically necessary. I'd be surprised if such growths had anything to do with hip dysplasia since that is more related to arthritic reactions/developments in the hip joints and sockets.

This dog also had one of his hind knees operated on last year, at 11 years old.

I, personally, hate having anything done to my dogs that isn't absolutely necessary and it all depends on how your dog reacts to the anesthetic. One of my former dogs used to take a week or more to fully recover from anesthetic after getting his teeth cleaned, staggering around for days. When he got really sick at 15, we decided not to operate because he likely wouldn't recover from being put under.

Depends, in the end, on your individual dog - they can't talk to you, but they do have a special way of letting you know if something's not right. If he's still pretty active, eating normally, still loves going for walks, etc., I'd let it pass for now.
 
Personally, I would be cautious about a veterinarian operating on a fatty tumor. Any tumor, actually. I'd feel like that I'm rolling the dice 'cause if they don't get all of it out, it could potentially spread and kill my best non-human friend. Veterinarian surgeons aren't of the same quality as surgeons that work on humans.
 
I had a nine year old Rottie. She had a weak colon which eventually ruptured. It cost seven grand to operate. The repair didn't work. They tried to fix her again for another seven grand. She died. I would have done it again back then but I've learned that fourteen grand is a lot to pay for a dead dog and I don't think I'd do it again.

Losing perspective is a tough lesson.

That kind of money can buy an acre of good land in Kenya and thus feed a family for generations.
 
I have a 9 year old Labrador. Last month I took him for shots, etc...

He has two large fatty tumors. One in front of his right hip on this side and the other is on his underbelly by his genitalia, on the same side of his body.

The vet said he'd leave them unless they seemed to be causing a problem with mobility. Well, he's started having what seems to be, hip dysplasia. Not sure if that's it (he's over a hundred pounds and just a big dog) or if it's caused by these tumors.

I'm torn on whether or not to have him undergo surgery at his age to remove those tumors or...?

Anyone have any experiences like this with an older pet??


I have a dog who is 15 who developed soft tumor breast cancer when she was 12. It was a pretty big tumor. They removed the breast, fixed her, removed the two adjoining breast as a precaution and went down deep in the other side investigating where there were some small hard tumors to decide if they need to be removed. The vet kept her over night. She was very sore for several days, but they gave us a syringe of medicine to feed her whether she would eat or not (so we could force it in her mouth if necessary) as well as a few days worth of pain pills. She had a lot of swelling, more so than usual because of her age, and she ripped some stitches out chewing on them that required replacement and the plastic dome collar for a couple weeks, but she was otherwise fine. there was a lot of drainage from her wounds for a few days after she cam home.

Since these tumors sound like they are close to the surface, I doubt they would be hard to remove, but it may not be the cause of the hip problems. The vet should be able to tell you. The surgery shouldn't be a big deal though. We investigated going to a specialist who did the laser surgery and they referred us back to the vet who did the scalpel surgery because he was closer and because he thinks pets heal faster from traditional surgery than laser surgery.
 
I doubt it's caused by the fatty tumors. Large breed dogs are pretty inclined toward hip dysplasia in general.
 
Our dogs become members of our families. I have a Rottie and a Beagle now and they are treated like our children.
The chance that I will ever fund a family in our President's birth place is very slim. I'm not going to beat myself up over spending money on our dog and I will admit it was an emotional decision.

Before anyone freaks out over the Obama born in Kenya comment, it was a joke. Please accept it with the humor in which it was intended.
 
Thanks for your responses. He's got an appointment with a different vet, so we'll see. I don't have a ton of money either, which is nerve wracking.
 
Thanks for your responses. He's got an appointment with a different vet, so we'll see. I don't have a ton of money either, which is nerve wracking.

Well let us know. Hope all goes well.
 
Seriously, good luck. Health care for humans is difficult enough. I totally understand your difficult position.
 
Personally, I would be cautious about a veterinarian operating on a fatty tumor. Any tumor, actually. I'd feel like that I'm rolling the dice 'cause if they don't get all of it out, it could potentially spread and kill my best non-human friend. Veterinarian surgeons aren't of the same quality as surgeons that work on humans.

They're not cancerous. They're benign lipomas. No spreading possible.
 
My Rottie mix has a couple fatty tumors too but they are not causing him any problems. Will just watch them.

He is 9 yrs old and starting to show his age. The other weekend I took care my neighbor's 2 yr old pit bull while he was gone for weekend. My poor old Rottie was worn out by the 2 yr old. At this point am not ready to spend thousands on medical on him. Will not let him suffer at any point for certain if any medical treatment is reasonable.

But I find that vets are willing to go far as you want in keeping your dog alive. It comes down to one's free cash and knowledge that unless you are 85 yrs old you will probably outlive your dog.

Best thing to do is give your dog the best life you can. Never tie him up to a tree and hug him like a family member.
 
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Best thing to do is give your dog the best life you can. Never tie him up to a tree and hug him like a family member.


Tying family members to trees and hugging them must be one of those weird Southern traditions...😉
 
I have a 9 year old Labrador. Last month I took him for shots, etc...

He has two large fatty tumors. One in front of his right hip on this side and the other is on his underbelly by his genitalia, on the same side of his body.

The vet said he'd leave them unless they seemed to be causing a problem with mobility. Well, he's started having what seems to be, hip dysplasia. Not sure if that's it (he's over a hundred pounds and just a big dog) or if it's caused by these tumors.

I'm torn on whether or not to have him undergo surgery at his age to remove those tumors or...?

Anyone have any experiences like this with an older pet??

Hip displasia is very specific. An x-ray can determine if that's the diagnosis. Your vet, imo, would be the one to answer whether or not the fatty tumor in that area could be causing his problem. Dogs can live a long time with hip displasia so don't write the old boy off yet. (I know you're not.)

One of my shepherds had specifically diagnosed hip displasia -- meaning you could see the ball socket mis-formed in an x-ray. He lived with that condition until he was 11 -- old for a shepherd. It was diagnosed at about 4 years old; and he never had any trouble with it until he was 10.

If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to get his weight down to the point where he has a waistline again. Ask the vet how much weight he needs to lose (if any). Keeping his weight down will help him more than you can imagine.

If your guy's in pretty good general health other than this and the vet thinks removing the tumor would improve his walking problems, I'd risk the surgery. According to justlabradors.com, their average lifespan is 12 to 14 years.
 
My Rottie mix has a couple fatty tumors too but they are not causing him any problems. Will just watch them.

He is 9 yrs old and starting to show his age. The other weekend I took care my neighbor's 2 yr old pit bull while he was gone for weekend. My poor old Rottie was worn out by the 2 yr old. At this point am not ready to spend thousands on medical on him. Will not let him suffer at any point for certain if any medical treatment is reasonable.

But I find that vets are willing to go far as you want in keeping your dog alive. It comes down to one's free cash and knowledge that unless you are 85 yrs old you will probably outlive your dog.

Best thing to do is give your dog the best life you can. Never tie him up to a tree and hug him like a family member.

Oh believe me, he's spoiled. No tree tying going on around here.

Here's the doofus:
 

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Tying family members to trees and hugging them must be one of those weird Southern traditions...😉
It is. It's the onlyest way we can keep the wimmens. Papa always tol me, "If'n you git one with teeth, tie 'em up."
 
I just had my black lab put down. He was 14 and hips just finally gave out.
He had no fatty tumors (deposits) but I have seen that and the vet is right. Unless they become a hinderence to his bowl movements are make it hard for him to get up and down. I would just keep an eye on them.
9 is kinda old to start going through surgery. But it depends on his overall health.
I will say 100 lbs is a BIG lab. Mine at his heaviest was 75.
I would make sure his body fat index is right, as he gets older in the next few years that weight will really start to kill those hips.
If you can get any weight off him now, it would be a good idea.
Good luck and love him, because you only have a few more good years with him.
 
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