Lipomas are a slow-growing collection of fat cells usually found just under the skin. They are usually soft, with limited mobility, and located directly under the skin. They can grow larger and sometimes impede the dogs’ movement depending on the location. Most dogs that develop a lipoma will develop multiple tumors. Since other masses or tumors may appear similar to lipomas we recommend having Dr. Neumeister check any tumor you find. If Dr. Neumeister recognizes it to be a lipoma we will document the size and location and will keep an eye on it at future visits. Usually, they do not need to be removed. We would only become concerned if it grows rapidly or would become too large and create a problem with the dog’s mobility.

The images below show a very large lipoma, which was removed while the patient was anesthetized and in surgery for an unrelated matter.
lipoma

This radiograph shows the lipoma.

The lipoma after removal.