[motdaugrnds]

Our Labrador Cujo has a fatty lump just under his right front leg. The vet said it was not cancerous but that some elderly dogs just get them. She could remove it for about $300 but, as long as it was not bothering him, she would not advise it due to his age, i.e. 14 yrs.

Has anyone in here experienced this in their canine? (So far I cannot tell it is discouraging him from getting around as he isn't favoring or licking it or paying it any attention that I can tell.)

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yes. My Labrador has a large one. It’s ok. Not worth the cost or stress on the dog of removal.

 

[muleskinner2]

Our Labrador Cujo has a fatty lump just under his right front leg. The vet said it was not cancerous but that some elderly dogs just get them. She could remove it for about $300 but, as long as it was not bothering him, she would not advise it due to his age, i.e. 14 yrs.

Has anyone in here experienced this in their canine? (So far I cannot tell it is discouraging him from getting around as he isn't favoring or licking it or paying it any attention that I can tell.)

One of my wife's dogs had just such a fatty growth, about the size of a goose egg behind his right front leg. I held him in my lap, as she clipped the hair then administrated injections of 1% Lidocaine along the line she intended to cut. Digging around in her kit failed to produce a scalpel. So I pulled my fifty year old Uncle Henry Trapper out of my pocket, and warned her that is was very sharp. She incised along the top of the bulge making a inch and a half cut. Pressing on either side soon brought the growth out into the open. It wasn't attached to anything, just sort of floating there. Once the growth was removed nine stitches closed the incision.

Note: This procedure should be done on a tile floor, not the bedroom carpet. And you will need exactly twice as many towels as you thought you would. I cut into the lump of fat thinking I would find a thorn, or something. Nothing but fatty tissue and tiny blood vessels.

Total cost was me having to run a load of old towels in the washer.

 

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

yup I have seen it before in dogs and at 14 just enjoy the days you have left with your lab.

we put down our 14 year old German Shepard this year lost bowl control , stopped eating , loosing weight fast

 

[motdaugrnds]

Muleskinner I have actually considered doing something like that myself. Is your wife a vet? a nurse? I mean what experience has she that actually gave her the knowledge to know to use the 1% Lidocaine, make a 1-1/2" cut at top then press the sides to get that fatty tissue out? (I would be concerned about cutting blood veins.) **I've actually taken lumps off my goats this way though I had no lidocaine and they were quite tiny! I used a one-sided razor blade!

Can this 1% Lidocaine be purchased over the counter somewhere or do you need a Rx from a vet? I actually have some catgut and needles to sew up the "human" body. Don't remember where I got these; but they could be used with a canine I'm sure. Would need to learn how to tie those stitches though.

Unless Cujo starts showing signs of discomfort I doubt I do anything like this. He has been such a good dog all these years and I can tell his age is slowing him down. So I really don't want to cause him any trauma.

 

[Pony]

Our 12 year old Farm Collie (border collie/english shepherd cross) had a lipoma on his side. Initially, it was a slow grower, but then it accelerated.

Took him to the vet. The associate we saw the first time said, "Just keep him comfortable, let him live out his days."

Well... okay. But then it started to get in his way, and was keeping him from being active.

We decided that there must be something they could do. The dog was losing quality of life, and we figured it would be better for him to die on the table than to live out his life as a lump on the living room floor.

The vet we saw the first time was no longer associated with the practice. The vet we saw the second time said that there was absolutely no problem removing the lipoma, and scheduled the surgery for the next week.

Brought Scout in the day of surgery, and joked with the staff about how much the tumor would weigh. The staff each made guesses, and when the surgery was done, the closest guess was 2 1/2 pounds.

It weighed 3 1/4 pounds!

Today, at 13 years old, Scout is nearly as active as our two younger house dogs. He needs an occasional aspirin when his arthritis flares up, but he's in good shape, and we hope to have him a few more years.

 

[motdaugrnds]

Thanks so much Pony.... We've pretty much come to that same conclusion, i.e. when this lump starts actually interfering in his daily existence, his losing his life on that operating table is better than spending days suffering.

 

[Lady89]

My dad's Labrador had some as she got into her late years, they never bothered her so we never had to do anything about them. With elderly dogs if they are not in pain it is best just to let things be.

 

[muleskinner2]

Muleskinner I have actually considered doing something like that myself. Is your wife a vet? a nurse? I mean what experience has she that actually gave her the knowledge to know to use the 1% Lidocaine, make a 1-1/2" cut at top then press the sides to get that fatty tissue out? (I would be concerned about cutting blood veins.) **I've actually taken lumps off my goats this way though I had no lidocaine and they were quite tiny! I used a one-sided razor blade!

Can this 1% Lidocaine be purchased over the counter somewhere or do you need a Rx from a vet? I actually have some catgut and needles to sew up the "human" body. Don't remember where I got these; but they could be used with a canine I'm sure. Would need to learn how to tie those stitches though.

Unless Cujo starts showing signs of discomfort I doubt I do anything like this. He has been such a good dog all these years and I can tell his age is slowing him down. So I really don't want to cause him any trauma.

My wife is a Family Nurse Practitioner and for the past fifteen years she has been stitching up people. The 1% Lidocaine was from her own Clinic. It was expired, but we always keep some on hand for our own use.

Rip didn't seem to notice the operation at all until it came time to remove the stitches, and then only to lick her hand. You can buy suture kits at any drug store, I carry a few in my personal survival kit. I have stitched up dogs, horses, cattle, hogs, and people. Practice, practice, practice.

 

[motdaugrnds]

With the vet stating she would charge 300 for taking out the fatty tissue, I've been inclined to do it myself. The vet also stated Cujo would need to be sedated; but with it being a simple incision thru the skin, that made no sense to me. (I've taken out lumps similar to this in my goats, i.e. sterilize with hydrogen peroxide, tiny slit with razor blade, then push the lump out. No stitches required as slit was just too tiny.)

If I ever decide to do this to Cujo I need to research on how to actually make a stitch. And not sure the hydrogen peroxide would be a good thing to use. May need something to numb the area just to make the incision. Much to think about here as I know the vet will not just sell me some Lidocaine...........

At this time the lumps don't seem to be bothering him............

 

[Danaus29]

Lidocaine is available over the counter.

 

[motdaugrnds]

Oh thanks Danaus29 Whoops. Mayo Clinic states it is only available via Rx.

Seems "BLT cream" is the Rx one! Yet the other "over-counter" seems a bit dangerous in that what I'm hearing is that it should not be permitted in a cut. So how does one use it to cut open a fatty tissue?

 

[Danaus29]

According to this, lidocaine should never be used on open wounds.

Use Of Lidocaine On Adults With Open Wounds

Lidocaine is a popular choice for reducing pain and discomfort occurring in surgical incisions, tattooing and piercing. Although Lidocaine is considered safe to apply on normal and unbroken skin, it can be carefully used on minor cuts and burns, but only by a professional doctor. Generally...

numbskin.co

I wonder if letting it set and dry before cutting the skin would be safe.

 

[Pony]

I wonder if letting it set and dry before cutting the skin would be safe.

I don't think so.

When I worked as a vet tech, the lidocaine would be injected right into the skin, even when there was an open wound. The docs never let the wound sit open. As soon as they were done with the procedure itself, they sutured the wound shut.

If you look at videos on YouTube, especially Dr Pimple Popper, you can get a real good visual of the procedure for removing lipomas. Often, the doctor will inject more lidocaine after she has made the incision, if the initial injections didn't get where they needed to be, or if there were deeper areas exposed than she anticipated.

 

[Danaus29]

I didn't mean let the wound sit open. I meant applying the lidocaine then waiting a couple minutes before making the incision.

 

[robin416]

You all haven't lived until you've had one of those Lipomas explode. My lab mix had one on the upper portion of his back leg. I noticed the increased growth since I could see skin where the tumor was. Freddie would plop down on it when he sat. I kept saying he was going to explode it.

Then it happened. On a weekend. I could barely keep it covered so he didn't leave ooze everywhere. The vet said it was a mess to remove. Well, yeah. It was exploded. There was no more solid form to it. Some months later, I noticed it was returning. (One of the reasons they don't like to remove them) But being 14 it never got large enough to be a problem again.

 

[Pony]

I didn't mean let the wound sit open. I meant applying the lidocaine then waiting a couple minutes before making the incision.

I'm a dork. Sorry that I read that wrong, and then never came back to read the thread.