Is surgery necessary?

Hi. We're debating whether it would be best for our dog, Oreo, to have surgery to remove a lipoma, or just to leave it alone. He actually has two of them, one near his front right leg and one on his belly. The Vet. who first checked the one near his leg, and diagnosed it, says it should be removed. His partner Vet., who was the one who took care of Oreo for the tailbone problem, didn't seem to think it was that necessary to remove the one on his belly. (We told her about the one near his right leg but she didn't examine it too closely because we already knew what it is, and he was there for his tailbone at the time.)

What would be best for Oreo?

Personally, if it's not bothering him or causing him pain, I'd leave it alone. Lipomas are benign and aren't going to affect his lifespan in any way, but in certain locations they can be uncomfortable. I'm reluctant to put a dog under anasthetic unless they absolutely have to be.

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Originally posted by Glacier
Personally, if it's not bothering him or causing him pain, I'd leave it alone. Lipomas are benign and aren't going to affect his lifespan in any way, but in certain locations they can be uncomfortable. I'm reluctant to put a dog under anasthetic unless they absolutely have to be.

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I agree. I have a lipoma on my forearm (yes, people get them too) and where it's at, it causes me absolutely no pain.

The one on his belly isn't going to be a problem. The one near the top of his front right leg (upper arm/shoulder area) MIGHT become a problem for him if it gets larger, as it might start affecting that joint. It's about 3 inches in diameter currently.

Do we wait and see if it becomes a problem, or do we have it done now while it is still small enough not to be bothering him?
And if we DO have that one removed, should we have the one on his belly removed at the same time?

Right now we're leaning towards leaving them alone, based on your responses so far. But we want to do what is BEST for Oreo over time, and if the one has potential for causing problems for him in the future, wouldn't it be best to have it removed now, before it gets any larger?

My girl Cody had a lump on her side last year but it was soft and movable and the thought was that it was probably a cyst and not a lipoma. We left it alone until it started growing larger, at which time the vet did a simple aspiration and found that it was fluid filled, so easily drained. Unfortuantely it kept refilling and as there is a high incidence of infection with repeated aspirations, we had it surgically removed. Although these lumps (fluid or solid) may be small, it takes a large, deep incsion to remove the sac and I was so sad to see her huge incision line post op. If it's benign and not bothering him, I too would say let it be:) I would however discuss with the vet the possibility of any future complications, the liklihood of them growing larger and what course of action might be taken then, just to ease your mind. Lots of well wishes for your Oreo! Please keep us updated!:) Sandra