Fatty Lumps (Lipomas): Which Dogs Get Them, and Why They Still Need Checking
About 2% of UK dogs had a lipoma recorded in a year. Older, heavier dogs and breeds such as Weimaraners and Labradors were most at risk.
Written by thecanineledger
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If you find a new lump, or a lump grows or changes, book a vet visit within a week or two. See your vet sooner if it grows quickly, bleeds, is painful, or your dog seems unwell.
Our note: This advice is ours. The study doesn’t advise owners on timing.
A lipoma is a benign lump of fat under the skin. In UK vet records from 2013, an estimated 1.9% of dogs, just under 1 in 50, had a lipoma recorded in a single year (O’Neill et al., Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 2018). The authors conclude that “Lipomas appear to be a relatively common diagnosis in primary-care practice.”
While most fatty lumps are harmless, a lump can’t be called a lipoma just by touch. In this study, vets didn’t need a lab test to record one.
→ Found a Lump? Why Your Vet Should Put a Needle in It
1. The study
The dogs. Researchers used VetCompass, a database of anonymised UK primary-care records, covering 384,284 dogs at 215 clinics in 2013. They checked a sample of possible cases by hand and confirmed 2,765. The overall figure is an estimate weighted up from that sample.
Funding. The lead author was supported for part of the study by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust. The authors declare no competing interests.
2. Which dogs had them
| Breed | Share with a lipoma in 2013 |
|---|---|
| Weimaraner | 7.84% |
| Dobermann | 6.96% |
| German Pointer | 5.23% |
| Springer Spaniel | 5.19% |
| Labrador Retriever | 5.15% |
| All dogs | 1.9% |
Age. The median age of dogs with a lipoma was 10.02 years. Dogs aged 9 to 12 had about 17 times the odds of dogs aged 3 to 6.
Weight. Heavier dogs were more at risk. Dogs at or above the average weight for their breed and sex had about twice the odds of lighter dogs.
Neutering. Neutered dogs of both sexes had higher odds than entire females. The authors suggest weight gain after neutering may explain some of this.
3. Is extra weight the cause?
Not proven. The study didn’t have body condition scores, so it couldn’t tell fat dogs from big or muscular ones. The authors write that being overweight “may be a predisposing factor but would need further work to confirm.”
Our note: We found no evidence on whether weight loss shrinks lipomas or prevents new ones, so we give no advice.
→ Is My Dog Overweight? Body Condition Scoring Without Guesswork
4. Why a fatty lump still needs checking
No lab test in this study. The authors note that lipomas may be over-counted because the study “did not require laboratory confirmation of lipoma cases”. They add that lipomas look distinctive enough that a vet’s examination is likely to be right.
Other lumps. The study doesn’t say how often other kinds of lump were recorded as lipomas.
Our note: Other lumps, including some cancers, can feel like a lipoma. Ask your vet whether a needle sample is needed. The study doesn’t address this.
Lumps that grow into tissue. The paper cites reports of a rarer type, infiltrative lipoma, which grows into muscle and other tissue. We haven’t read those reports.
Our note: The paper doesn’t discuss when a lipoma should be removed.
→ Mast Cell Tumours: What the Grade Means
5. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “Soft lumps on old dogs are always fat” | Not shown. Lipomas were recorded without lab tests here. |
| “Lipomas are caused by obesity” | Not proven. Heavier dogs had more, but the study couldn’t measure body fat. |
| “Only Labradors get lipomas” | No. Weimaraners and Dobermanns had higher rates. |
Sources
- O’Neill DG, Corah CH, Church DB, Brodbelt DC, Rutherford L. Lipoma in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK: prevalence and breed associations. Canine Genet Epidemiol 2018: VetCompass study, 384,284 dogs, 2013. Lead author supported by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.