lipomas - The Cane Corso Chronicle

HEALTH BASICS
LIPOMAS
Written by Jeff Grognet D.V.M.
Many older dogs develop lumps. Some of these
tumors are bad news – malignancies capable of
spreading throughout the body. But if you can
detect a lump under the skin, it’s far more likely
to be a benign lipoma – a ‘good news’ tumor.
Lipomas originate from normal, healthy fat tissue. For some unknown reason, a few microscopic cells suddenly decide to grow out of
control. At first, the lump is undetectable but
eventually it forms a solitary small, soft lump.
These lumps can be anywhere on the body but
most commonly you find them on the lower
chest or abdomen. Characteristically, lipomas
are moveable – you can grasp them and move
them around under the skin. However, if a lipoma grows under a muscle sheet, it can feel quite
firm and hard to push around.
specialist can determine if it’s a lipoma or another tumor, and what risk it is to the dog.
Lipomas can also occur inside the abdomen or
chest, hidden from view. Because these are usually missed until they are quite large, they can
sometimes cause problems by compressing an
organ or interfering with the blood supply.
There is also a rare aggressive variant of the lipoma. An infiltrative lipoma is still considered
benign, yet it grows into and through muscle,
nerves and even into joints. To eliminate this
tumor, amputation may be required if it is on the
leg, or complicated surgery may be needed if it’s
growing on the torso. Radiation therapy can also be useful.
If you find a lump under the skin, for ease of
- if you can remind, have it tested. This tells you
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Lipomas rarely need treatment but may need to
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can cause the leg to angle out, stressing joints
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moval is the best option for the dog.
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