97 Tips for Raising Labs
Following are approximately 97 questions readers of BigYellowDog.com submitted in recent years. They were answered by a licensed veterinarian on the site as a general service to all Lab owners. This information is for general reference only. Always consult your veterinarian for any questions about your Lab's health. We hope this information is somewhat helpful. At this time, we are not accepting any more questions.
Question
Several months ago, I took my dog to the vet to have two small lumps on his chest and belly checked. The vet did a needle aspiration of both and located fatty liquid in them. He told me that they were lypomas and nothing to worry about. He also said that there was really no reason to do surgery, etc., on them. Since then, another of these has developed on his chest. My vet doesn't seem to be concerned. However, Maxie, seems to be not feeling too well lately -- seems to have a bit of an upset stomach and not as active as usual. Although I can certainly point to other causes for this. We recently had a party and have had people in and out of our house, which seems to upset him in general. It is warming up considerably and he may just be less active because of the heat combined with his getting older. Would you agree with my vet's decision or should I seek a second opinion?
Answer
Unless these lumps are causing problems with movement, causing your dog to be uncomfortable, or growing too large, a lot of veterinarians will leave lypomas (fatty tumors) alone because the likelihood of them reappearing is very high. At your dog's age, I would recommend speaking with your veterinarian about maybe doing some labwork and urinalysis due to her age. We consider dogs to be geriatric after the age of 5 years. This would just assure you that her liver and kidneys, etc., are functioning as should be expected. And, yes, as dogs age they like get used to your lifestyle. If you have functions in your home with large numbers of people or a lot more noise than usual, you might confine her to a quieter part of the house.
1.gif)
