jerry said
OK do not panic (I know, super hard not to right?!). But this really could be as simple as a lipoma. Only a fine needle aspirate will say for sure. We've seen this happen more times than I could count and almost every time it's been a happy result. Let your vet know and keep calm like I'm sure Sheba is.  

Thanks for the moment of sanity Jerry!  Imagine that, our skinny Minnie with a blob of fat!  We see the surgeon next Tuesday for stitch removal and so she can check how Sheba is rehabbing andadjusting to 3 legs. She'll take a look at it then, but told me not to read too much into it. 

benny55 said I'm 

Curious though, it will be approximately four weeks before the stitches are out???

Haha, well...stitches came out at 14days, then a week later about 1.5" of the incision split open and we took her to ER to have it stitched back up. That second set of stitches comes out next week

midnighter94 said
Murphy has 2 lumps - I assume are lipomas...I don't remember at this point if they've been aspirated or not (I know that sounds horrible, but it seems like that first 6 months or so he had several things aspirated/checked out, so it's possible they were & I just don't remember now).  I feel them most days & they really haven't changed or grown any.  1 is about 3 fingers wide and 1 is about 2 fingers.  They feel like lipomas - they move easily & are softish, oval shaped, and they don't hurt him.  They've been there since not long after his surgery, so about 3 years now.

Donna  

Our little dogs have lipomas all over (they're also both fat, we're working on it)  This is very stiff, no defined edges and feels like its under and on top of the rib cage. its possible she already had it, she's lost a lot of weight in the last few months and post op she eats a lot now, but I'm not sure where it goes.  Maybe she just lost enough weight that its palpable now  Currently she's 76lbs (maybe she's lost ~5lbs post op), down from 86 prior to her TPLO in September, and a high of 98lbs when she injured the knee.  And she still looked skinny at 98!  I want her skinny genes!

Lisa, thanks for sharing about Pofi, I thought lipomas were just an old dog thing, I thought 5 is too young. Guess not!

So, not a mass, just her deep chested GSD ribcage.  But when they xrayed it  they found a spinal lesion, radiologist believes its a fungal lesion rather than arthritis so we see neurologist tomorrow.  Surgeon said if it spread to the spine she'd go quick, but everyone has been surprised she's still alive so I think Sheba will surprise us.