Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 4/7/2011

Question
Hi, my name is Teddy and im a 9 year old golden retriever male. i have a lump on my right flank that has rapidly grown in the past 6 months. Its free floating as of now, not bothering me at all, not really visible through my coat and doesn't hurt at all. it doesn't stop me from playing, eating, sleeping or any normal activity. my blood test counts are completely normal. i have two very good vets. one suggests its a Benin abscess and should be taken out immediately before an infection starts in any organ. The second vet says its cancer but i shouldn't touch it if its not bothering me as once i mess with it it will spread. in the past, we've had this experience before with another golden who kept developing lumps as she was being operated. she finally did her first chemo but died the next day. i know you r not a vet. but if you were a 9 year old happy dog, which option would you opt for ? are there any websites you can recommend for a good woofy reading? thanks

Answer
Hi Teddy,
thanks for writing to me. I hope that your big paws didn't break the keyboard!
From my experience, it sounds like you have a fatty tumor, or lipoma. These are benign tumors meaning that they don't spread to other organs. They can grow very large and become a nuisance.

They are very easy to remove, especially when they move so freely as yours appears to be doing. It is an outpatient type procedure so you can go home in the afternoon once you wake up and can stand and walk.

Most cancers that Golden's get that are nasty are not free-moving ones. They are usually bone cancers but Golden's are also prone to hemangeosarcomas inside which are not usually found until it's too late. Unfortunately, Golden's get a lot of bone cancer on the elbow area or shoulders. Some get them on the hind leg.

Fatty tumors are all too common- especially since Golden's are prone to being overweight as well. But even skinny ones can get these.

Have your vet do a needle stick into the lump and look at the cells under the microscope. He will be able to see the fat cells and grease or other cells if it is a cancer.

Then just schedule it to be removed.
I cannot speak against your vets but that kind of scare tactics is ridiculous.

I don't think either one of them really know if it's cancer at all if they haven't checked it, or done a needle stick on it.

If your other dog was a female, and have fast growing lumps on her belly, and wasn't spayed or was spayed late in life, then she most likely had mammary cancer which does spread fast and can be the kind of cancer that ends up in the lungs etc.

But again, it sounds like this is just a fatty tumor. Have them do a needle stick on it!!

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesl/a/lipomas.htm

http://www.allpetsmacomb.com/caseslipoma.html

Please let me know how it goes...:-)
Bye Teddy!!