So that's a lipoma!

Many who have had a dog with a few extra pounds around the waist have seen lipomas develop under the skin. These are benign, slow growing tumors. Ususally we recommend leaving them alone, but occasionally we'll remove lipomas that are in awkward locations like the axilla (armpit). Frequently, these lipomas are encapsulated and come out in one large "glob". This is an example of such a lipoma. It was fist size and probably weighed 2 pounds. It is surprising how little blood supply there is to these tumors. In fact, the major surgical challenge is eliminating all the space that the lipoma took up so that the space doesn't fill up with fluid after surgery. There is no liposuction done in dogs, but this comes close!