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My senior dog has pea-sized fatty lumps under his skin. What are they?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 11 years and 6 months old

Recently felt pea-sizes lumps of what seemed to be fat just under his skin in the chest and stomach area. No history of growths, tumors, or cancer...

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 6th, 2017

You are correct these lumps could be lipomas (benign fatty tumors), but they could also be cysts, benign tumors, or malignant tumors. In senior dogs, cancer is always a possibility, and I would recommend having Mickey seen by a vet to have the lumps diagnosed. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would take him into the vet in the next couple of days to have the lumps diagnosed and treated if needed (lipomas typically need no treatment).

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 29th, 2019

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Oscar. Lipomas are fatty bumps found under the skin that match your description. There are diagnosed by a procedure known as a fine needle aspirate by the veterinarian. A small needle is used to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. I do not typically remove these masses unless they grow or are bothering the patient. I hope this information helps!

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