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Fatty Skin Tumors in Dogs

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Treatment

Most dogs will not need to have their lipomas removed. However, if the lipoma is restricting movement in any way it will be necessary for your dog's comfort to remove the lipoma. In addition, if any diagnostics indicate the mass may be a more aggressive tumor, it may be advised to have the mass removed while your dog is still under anesthesia. Removal tends to be a simple process if the mass is small because lipomas are benign, meaning that they have not invaded the body, and a large margin is not needed.

However, one type of lipoma, the infiltrative lipoma, can require a more complex procedure. As the name implies, infiltrative lipomas invade into muscle tissue and fascia and can make complete surgical excision difficult. Radiation therapy has been used for infiltrative lipomas and may be used alone, or in conjunction with surgical excision.

Living and Management

Other subcutaneous masses, such as mast cell tumors, can mimic the appearance of a lipoma. It is vital to make sure that every mass is evaluated individually in the event that one of the masses is malignant. You will need to continue to monitor your dog's lipomas, noting any changes in size, number or location.