Most of the lumps and bumps felt on an animal during a veterinary examination are lipomas, fatty tumors that are usually benign and non-cancerous. Since there is a chance that the mass could be malignant, it is always wise to recommend the animal receive further testing.

Lipomas:

• Generally occur on middle-aged animals, commonly in dogs and mostly in overweight females
• Are only occasionally found in cats and horses

Breeds of dogs that are most often affected:

• Labrador Retrievers
• Doberman Pinschers
• Miniature Schnauzers
• Poodles
• Cocker Spaniels
• Terriers
• Mixed breeds

Examination

When an animal is brought in for examination, the palpation of a lipoma will usually reveal a small, round, or oval mass that is:

• The size of a marble
• Located subcutaneously
• Found most often in the areas of the:
  • Chest
  • Abdomen
  • Legs
  • Armpits
• Soft to the touch, may feel somewhat rubbery
• Typically not painful
• Does not seem attached to skin
• Does not seem attached to underlying muscles or tissues
• Slow growing

The examination of an atypical lipoma may reveal a mass that is:

• Larger, the size of a golf-ball or even a baseball
• Growing long and wide, not round
• Solid to the touch, usually due to inflammation or fibrous tissues
• Fast growing

Confirmation

Because palpating the mass will not rule out whether it is benign or cancerous, confirmation that it is a lipoma is necessary. This includes:

• Fine-needle aspiration
  • Invasive biopsy procedure that removes fluid from inside the mass for examination
  • A slide is then made from the collected material to view under the microscope
  • The collected material is stained and the cells are viewed to determine if they are healthy and normal, or abnormal and possibly malignant

Treatments

There are many types of treatments available to animals that are diagnosed with lipomas, including:

• Watch and wait
  • This approach is based on the typical characteristics of a lipoma, for example, benign and slow-growing
  • The premise is that if the lipoma isn’t increasing in size and if it isn’t creating health problems, it is better to be left alone
  • Watching should include training clients to routinely monitor and measure the mass at home for any noticeable physical changes
• Surgery
  • Recommended when a lipoma:
    • Creates function and mobility problems, such as with infiltrative lipomas
    • Grows rapidly, indicating that it might be a different type of tumor, one that is often mistaken for a lipoma, such as:
      • Liposarcoma
      • Sebaceous adenoma
      • Mast cell tumor
      • Hemangiosarcoma
      • Hemangiopericytoma
• Liposuction
  • Successful treatments have been found with smaller, encapsulated lipomas
  • Not recommended for giant lipomas or ones that contain fibrous material
  • Not recommended for infiltrative lipomas
• Radiation therapy
  • Use follows a surgical removal in order to delay or prevent recurrence

Advancements

Newer methods being considered for the treatment of lipomas are currently in various phases of research. One such method involves an injectable collagenase-based product that in clinical trials has shown a potential for lipoma reduction. These trials included testing healthy dogs with benign, superficial lipomas.

While most of the lumps and bumps found on an animal are benign, it is always advisable to complete a thorough examination and a biopsy on any masses that are noticed. Because some benign tumors look the same as malignant tumors, it is impossible to tell if a mass is non-cancerous without looking, feeling, and examining it under a microscope.

Want to learn more about treating lumps and bumps in animals? Contact your Covetrus representative today at 855.724.3461

Sources:

http://www.dru.org/lumpsbumps.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21797873

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