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Should I remove my dog's non-cancerous lipoma if it's not bothering her?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My 9yr old cattle dog has a fatty lump on her chest near the start of her neck (lipoma), she is very active chasing the ball at the park, eating normally, no weight loss they did some tests & if us not cancer Lipoma the vet said it can be removed but others may grow it is not hurting her. The operation will cost around $2,400. I'm not sure what to do should I get a 2nd opinion?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 10th, 2017

There's no need to remove lipomas unless they are bothering the dog in some way. Dogs who have lipomas are prone to developing others, and it will be very important to have any new lump checked out to make sure it is a lipoma and not cancerous. As long as it's not hurting her and it's not overly large, I personally see no need to remove it.

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 21st, 2018

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the growth is slow growing and your Vet is confident it is a lipoma (benign fatty tumor) then you do not need to remove it. You could always have your vet do an aspirate of the growth and send it out to the lab to have a pathologist look at it under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis. But I think it if is slow growing, isn't bothering Gemma and it is a lipoma then you do not need to remove it. I hope this helps

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 8th, 2017

    Your vet can do a fine needle aspirate and have it looked at by a pathologist to determine whether it is a malignant tumor. If it is a harmless lipoma , that does not bother her, then there is no need to remove it until it bothers her or causes problems. If it is malignant, then it should be removed. You may want to get a second opinion from another vet.

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