Did You Just Call My Dog Fat?

“No, no, no, fatty tumors have nothing to do with your dog’s weight,” I reply to my client with her 8-year-old, yellow Labrador retriever. Lipomas, (pronounced lie-poe’-muss) also known as “fatty tumors,” are common in many older dogs, especially retrievers. Every day in our practice we recheck one or find a new one. Lipomas are sneaky by nature; they seem to show up for no apparent reason (much like the fat on us). Usually our clients will say that they just noticed this new lump even though they pet their dog all the time. Groomers will often find these lumps too.

Jeffrey Vogl, DVM

April 5, 2011