Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Raven has a large fatty tumor in the groin area that had been there for a few months, but we forgot to remove it while he was under anesthesia for amputation. Now he's got a new one on the side of his spine/back, about the size of a flat half dollar. It's squishy and encapsulated and flat.
Prior to cancer, I never gave these much thought as older dogs develop fatty tumors and I leave them unless they get big fast. But with the chondrosarcoma biopsy, would these be at risk for the cancer settling in to them? They aren't too invasive to remove since they are on the surface...
Thoughts?
Thank you,
Dawn and Raven
Rottie Raven, osteosarcoma at 8-1/2 years old, amputation in October '09 and in February '10 due to liver mets he went back to heaven where he came from. raven.tripawds.com
Now I have Miles, rottie mix amputee from a shelter and traveled 1500 miles to find his way here through the Rescue Railroad thanks to tripawds.com. miles.tripawds.com
Dear Dawn and Raven: I don't know anything about chondrosarcoma---but just yesterday we were at the vet having Romeo's abundance of fatty tumors checked out . Romeo was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and had his surgery in August (he's doing great!). Romeo is almost ten, a golden/lab mix with an abundance of fatty tumors---including two big ones, one in his groin area, one on his back leg. I was concerned little fatty tumors seem to be popping up everywhere. Admittedly, I'm constantly examining Romeo for every little thing theses days. The vet assured us they were not related to the osteosarcoma (he physically examined them). He felt the only concern was in case the one in Romeo's groin and/or leg affected his gait or grew so large it impeded his walk (particularly since he only has three legs now). He did say they could be removed surgically, but I hate to put Romeo through anymore surgeries unless absolutely imperative. I had also called our vet in VT for an update a week ago (they've known Romeo since he was a puppy and we had our surgery performed there) and he also assured me the fatty tumors weren't related to the cancer.
You could always have them aspirated. We did that with a few of Romeo's over the years. But (as I'm sure you know) the fatty tumors do feel quite different than cancerous ones.
Pam of "ask a vet" would be a good person to check in with. I know Raven had a hard time to begin with. It sounds like things are getting better. Both of you take care! Eve and Romeo
Thank you, this is a relief! I know that pre-cancer, they are nothing to worry about other than nuisance. But I was curious about if cancer could move to them looking for a place to live... Sounds like your vet doesn't think so. I'll ask mine next time, but at least I feel much better. Thank you!
Dawn
Rottie Raven, osteosarcoma at 8-1/2 years old, amputation in October '09 and in February '10 due to liver mets he went back to heaven where he came from. raven.tripawds.com
Now I have Miles, rottie mix amputee from a shelter and traveled 1500 miles to find his way here through the Rescue Railroad thanks to tripawds.com. miles.tripawds.com
Hi Dawn and Raven
Lumpy Tazzie here, aka the "King of Lumps". (Someone on this site - not to name names or anything 
- christened me "the Queen of Lumps" but I really am a boy, although no-one seems to believe me thanks to my girlie name. Thanks a bunch Mom.)
I have not heard of previously fatty lumps turning into cancer lumps and that did not happen to me, and I had some big fatty lumps before the OSA (but I am not qualified to comment on that, but had the same question). But do keep your eye on new lumps that appear, and keep track on whether they keep growing. They might just be new fatty lumps, and that is what yours sounds like. I think we have had 1-2 of those show up. These got to a small size and stopped growing. But it is possible for other types of lumps to appear.
Tazzie's bad lumps (the mets) were really obvious - they were rock hard and at first I assumed they were attached to the bone, but they were 'only' subcutaneous.
He has one other lump that is similar to the size you describe or a bit larger, but is over his ribs on his side and not near his spine. It is very mobile and feels like a fatty lump, firm but not rocky. Given he has been confirmed to have subQ mets, I'm not sure what it is without testing it. IF that was the only lump we had, I would get it aspirated right away to find out what it is. Since we have other nasty lumps present, there is not much point in us aspirating this relatively innocuous lump, although my vet is happy to test any of his lumps that we want tested.
So, I would not be alarmed. It sounds like a fatty lump. But I would ask the vet to aspirate it. They simply pop in the needle and get a few cells. It is a simple and painless procedure (but still worth a cookie!).
Susan & Tazzie 2 (aka Lumpy)
When they removed Jerry's leg, they left a big fatty tissue tumor just inches from his 24" incision. Especially at a vet teaching hospital, you would think they might have given some student the experience of removing it. But doctors know best. They told us it was nothing to be concerned about, and it never became a concern.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
24"!
Does that make it the Biggest. Incision. Ever?
I wonder how big of incision Tazziedog, Cemil and Nova had?
Dawn and Raven,
Sounds like the fatty tumors are not really much of a concern. Cherry had two small ones (pea sized) on the inside of her mouth at the gum line just a week after her last chemotherapy treatment. There were issues why they wanted to remove them but like many other older dogs, she has others at veryious places on her body. The biggest was as large as a golf ball just below her ear cannal, but it actually has reduce in size from the peak. Not sure what was happening on that one. I would just go along with the vet.
As far as the 24″ – it beats the 20″ incision that my girls had when they underwent surgery for their torsion. However, that was in a straight line from the base of the neck to the private area. I watched as they removed nearly all the internal organs, sorted them out, straightened them out, replace them, and then tacked the stomach to the rib cage. Very Interesting!
Bob & Cherry
I think Mac could have competed with Tazzie for King of Lumps. He was one very lumpy man. He'd have at least 10-15 lipomas at one time for most of the second half of his life and one that we removed that grew to be the size of a large grapefruit. We didn't like his lumps but I made sure that they were always tested and they came back negative for anything other than benign lipomas. If I were you I would sorta make a lump journal....weird I know but it helps. Just write down the location of his lumps and the size (you can even get some rubbing coal and put a piece of paper on top of it to make a picture and show the size), keep track of if they change in any way and write it down, and just go to the doctor and have him/her aspirate each one. The fact that they are squishy and moveable is a good sign--they are probably nothing, and most doctors don't like to put a dog under to remove a benign tumor unless it is so large it is causing pain or hindering movement.
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