Large lump on dog's side.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Large lump on dog's side.

    I'm not sure where this should be. I wanted to put it in a trafficky area, so I chose here, since it's about skin...
     
    My sister just called me. She has an aussie/great pyr mix named Cowboy. He's around 7 years old (shelter dog, she got him almost 3 years ago and they said he was 4, but he was a stray, so who knows). He's got SUPER long hair, but he got shaved today, and she just found a huge lump on his side, right on his ribcage. It's apparently almost as big as her hand. She said it's firm, but not hard (first she said gushy, but when I asked if it felt like it was liquid filled or something, she said no, it's firm, so I'm not sure exactly). It's not totally fixed, she says it moves a little bit, like one finger width to each side.
     
    She said it doesn't seem to bother him at all, even when she's pressing on it or moving it around, and he's NOT a dog that would just sit there if something was at all uncomfortable (you should see us try to clip his nails! Sheesh!).
     
    Obviously he needs to get to a vet, but since it's the weekend, and doesn't necessitate an e-vet, I'm looking for what it could be. I'm thinking it's probably just a lipoma (fatty tumor), but I don't really know much about them or any other lumps. She's really afraid it's cancer, and they really can't afford treatment for that. But I told her he wouldn't necessarily need surgery or chemo or anything, even if it were cancer. That's true, right? lol. I say things and then really am not sure they're true.
     
    I'll probably go up to her house tomorrow and see if I can get a better idea of it, but for now, anyone have any ideas on what it might be? Thanks.
    • Gold Top Dog
    unless the dog has other symptons, this can wait till tomorrow or next appointment...Just a rough guess but i think (and only a guess) that statistic wise...this would be a lipoma..Which is just a big pocket of fat...there are many other things but based on the breed and size my guess will go towards a lipoma....
    • Gold Top Dog
    I'm guessing dvet is right, but if it did turn out to be something more serious, there are charitable enterprises that can help with the cost.  PM me if you need the URL's.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Yeah, Chelsea - what they said!  Foxy (and all my older dogs) used to get them occasionally -- and it's easy to tell them.  The vet will likely aspirate (take a needle and withdraw a little of the stuff inside the lump) and look at it under a microscope -- and usually you can see clearly if it's fatty cells -- which is a lipoma -- or what.  Sometimes a lipoma will grow and eventually become intrusive as far as mucle movement.  Foxy had a couple removed a couple of years ago that were probably more intrusive than we'd thot because he moved more freely AFTER they were removed.  But most of the time they aren't a big deal.  If your sister has one removed then tell her to maximize the surgery -- if the dog needs its teeth cleaned or whatever, do it then.  Is this the sister who is the vet tech?
    • Gold Top Dog
    As the others have said, it is probably a lipoma and can be determined by a needle aspiration. If it is cancer, surgery would definately be in order. In addition to charitible organizations, there's something called Care Credit which is like a credit card for medical/veterinary care. Very low rates.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Is this the sister who is the vet tech?

     
    Nope, I have three sisters. The one who was a vet tech isn't anymore (sadly for me! lol). She quit to go work at a place that she was supposed to make a lot of money..but ended up not, so now is waiting tables, but trying to get a vet job again. Typical Suzi drama! (Sshhh, I didn't say that..)
     
    The one with the lumpy dog is Colleen. She's married with a toddler, and while they live on one not-so-high income, they're not in the poorhouse. I guess it's just a matter of priorities, and Cowboy's not at the top of that list. But I know she will take him to the vet, so hopefully it's just a fatty tumor, and if he needs it removed, they'll not have a huge problem with that.
     
    Thank you everyone!
    • Gold Top Dog
    I'm guessing lipoma too; Jessie has one about the size of a walnut on her side just after the rib cage; it was aspirated 2 years ago.