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Dear Dr. Stillman, I have an 11 year old Black Lab who has a sizeable fatty tumor on her left side. We've had labs before and have been told in the past they are common in labs and as long as it's soft it's Ok. Someone mentioned having it drained and I didn't know if that was advisable. What are your thoughts on fatty tumors and treatment? Thanks, Paul Dear Paul, You’re describing a very common condition among middle aged to older dogs. Let’s agree on a little terminology first. When we use the word tumor to describe a lump we’re implying that it is benign. If we’re worried that it’s not benign we call it a cancer. Benign means that we predict that it’s not going to spread to other parts of the body or invade local tissues. It is likely to grow slowly but we assume it’s not a fatal condition. One of the most common tumors that we identify is a fatty tumor. We call them Lipomas. A Lipoma is a mass of fat underneath the skin (or sometimes inside the chest or abdomen) which arises from the cells that fat is made out of. These cells are called Adipocytes. When Adipocytes begin to divide uncontrollably the result is the fatty mass you’ve noticed in your dog. Some dogs have a single large tumor and some have many small ones all over their body surface. Cats can get them also, though they are much less common. Though Lipomas have a very distinctive and characteristic appearance, it is important to confirm their identity with a quick, inexpensive and painless test called cytology. In this test a veterinarian inserts a small needle into the mass and draws back some cells into a syringe. The cells are then smeared onto a microscope slide and examined under a microscope. Fat cells have a very distinctive appearance and the diagnosis is usually very straightforward. It is important to confirm the identity of the mass conclusively. Just because a mass looks like a fatty tumor does not mean that it is benign. There are several types of cancers that closely resemble a Lipoma. Once the diagnosis is confirmed we can breathe a sigh of relief. I very rarely remove these masses. The exceptions would be if they’re growing somewhere that makes the pet uncomfortable or hampers their ability to walk or lay down comfortably (such as in their armpit) or if it’s growing somewhere that makes the pet look strange or silly (such as on top of their head). Sometimes, if a pet is going to be anesthetized for some other procedure such as a dental cleaning, I’ll take advantage of the opportunity to remove a couple of Lipomas at the same time. Though the removal of a Lipoma is usually a quick and straightforward surgery, they cannot be drained through a needle. Their consistency is much like jello, or the white part of a hard-boiled egg. The tissue they are made of is not fluid enough to be drawn through even the largest needle. My best advice is to make sure that the lumps you’ve noticed are indeed Lipomas and once you’re sure, don’t worry about them anymore. Be Well, Norm