Should I Get This lipoma Removed

[reelgrimm]

My 11.5 year old chocolate lab has a lipoma that is the size of a softball under her right armpit.

It doesn't seem to bother her at all and seems to have stopped growing for a little bit...

She had one removed on her side when she was about 7 and I wasn't happy with the whole surgery due to the fact that she didn't do well with the anesthesia.

Anyhow, this lipoma is very big and in a bad spot and I'm worried it will get into the nerves If I don't remove it...

BUT i'm thinking since it doesn't bother her, why should I put her through this surgery?

I really don't know what to do, but it makes me sad to look at this huge lump under her armpit when she is running.

[honeys dad]

You can see this forum gets almost no traffic..maybe posting in the health section will
get more replies...my nine year old has one, not as big as yours yet, and our vet is
leaving it alone for now...surgical risks seem to outweight the benefits...good luck to
your girl....

[kiddsmom]

I would talk to the vet about it. There are new types of anesthesia out there that work quicker, meaning they come out of them faster. My dog is sensitve to anesthesia and he takes about a day and a half to get back to normal. I mentioned this to my vet so they are aware and dose accordingly. Regarding the lipoma, one thing to consider is her age. If she is in good health and can tolerate surgery and the lipoma is bothersome or has the potential to be bothersome, I would consider it. Also, another thing to think about is healing. My brother's 15-year-old old had a growth removed because it was becoming an issue and also if it got any bigger, closing it and healing would have been a problem, so she had the surgery and did well from it. If the vets feel it is not a problem or see no future problem, then leave it. Also, a lot has to do with how much you trust your vet.

[bett]

i too would discuss with the vet. that's a pretty big lipoma and not such a great spot.

[Canyon Labradors]

We are going through this with Hudler right now. He has one limpoma in his groin area by his back leg. It's slowly approaching small grapefruit size. It doesn't hinder his movement, and it HAS been tested just to be fatty tissue.

We went into the vet last week for a consulation on the removal. We COULD wait on doing it, that's for sure, but it IS getting bigger and he's going to be 10 in May. Right now, I know his health is good (he was nuetered a year ago and healed up fantastically). The vet gave me a blow by blow on what it would take to remove this one...it's not connected to anything, it's just a large fat lump under the skin...told me about recovery (whether this place or this size of lump would require drainage tubes) and gave us our price.

Now as soon as I save up $350, I am going to take care of it.

[TBGSAM]

Tootsie is 11 and just had two lumps removed this year, one under her arm and the other on her hip. She has LP so it is tricky anyway with her throat although the lump under her arm wasn't really bothering her as it flopped from side to side when she ran, the one on her hip started too. Both areas were large and at least 13 stitches for each, I would never have guessed the large incision area for the size of the lumps.

I talked to her vet and explained my concerns with her throat age etc. She recovered nicely from the surgery and acts like a puppy again with out the extra baggage of both lumps.

Talk to your vet - there is always concerns with surgery no matter what age.

[bett]

i'd ask the vet. it seems to be pretty big and in an awkward spot.