How Big Can Lipomas Get?

I'm hoping someone can answer this question. My dog has several
internal lipomas. They're all a bit bigger than golf balls. They're soft
and squishy, so I know they're fatty tumors. I'm wondering if they are
going to keep getting bigger and bigger.

I'm concerned because I was at a dog park over the weekend and there
was a dog there with a HUGE lipoma coming out of his side. It was
about the size of a basketball. It was horrifying. Now I'm really worried
that my dog's are going to keep getting bigger and bigger.

Any advice or opinions?

HI AGAIN LESLIE , my wolfy had a lipoma on the inside of his back leg , it weighed the same as 2 bags of sugar the vet said when they removed it,so quite big ,took him a long time to recover from this op though as so many stitches & a drain in also. My ice too has some on her side but they aren't too big at the moment. These lipomas do grow but my dogs seemed to grow slowly but some can be large in size eventually. My vet says not to remove these unless they restrict movement!!!

Mostly they go to around the size you mention (about the size of a golf ball), the biggest one we ever removed though weighed about a quarter of the dogs weight (it was a Lab mix), it was huge, on its side, the owners didnt bother having anything done until someone reported them to animal control, she was having trouble walking as it was up against one of her front legs.

My whippet had a lot of them, biggest was about the size of a golf ball, they didnt interfere with her health in any way and as she was older and asthmatic she wasnt a great candidate for surgery/aneathesia....we would have removed them though if they had posed a problem for her in any way.

Thanks Rose. My vet told me the same thing. I just don't want these
things to become grotesque!

I'm also concerned that because they are internal, they may interfere
with an organ.

Flipper, did the tumors in your whippet grow or did they remain the same
size?

Hi Leslie as Flipper says lipoma can get huge. They are only really a problem if they restrict movement. Some breeds are more prone to getting them than others and that includes Schnauzers ..I haven't heard of them affecting internal organs...Amy has several the size of walnuts and one across a shoulder which is large and flat and makes her look like a hunchback.

Yes...to both, most of them stayed small (about the size of a marble), she did have a couple that would grow a little then stop and then grow again, they ended up about golf ball sized and I did have them tested, I was pretty sure they were just lipomas but wanted to be on the safe side, one of them on her back leg was tested 3 times altogether but everything was fine with it. The testing is easy enough and quick enough to do, it just involves your vet doing a fine needle aspirate and looking at the cells under a microscope....if there is any question or concern then further testing should be done.

They can attach themselves to muscle some cases but mostly are just under the skin. As far as I know you dont get these where they can effect internal organs, there are other 'types' of lipomas that are not so common but my knowledge on them is next to none sorry.

The important thing is, if you notice a lump that wasnt there before its worth getting it checked out, any discolouration or rapid growth definately needs to be checked out ASAP....doesnt always mean its anything to worry about but these kinds of lumps shouldnt be ignored at all, even if its already been seen by a vet and verified that it is a lipoma if it suddenly grows or changes colour then its worth mentioning to your vet although a lot of them will be able to tell if it feels different or moves/doesnt move differently.

My whippet was a 'perfect candidate' for them, female, older pet and had weight problems on and off for years. She had a total of about 10 or 12, first one I noticed was when she was about 8 years old....she passed away (PTS) about 2 months before her 17th birthday and like I said, they never caused a problem for her.