First time dog-owners should not be overly fearful when they discover that their middle-aged or older best-friend has a noticeable lump under the skin. It is probably not cancer.
The lump is a lipoma, a tumor of fatty tissue. Most can be surgically removed, costing less than $500.
But it takes awhile to learn how to react to these lumps. My first dog sprouted a half of dozen of these, but they never got bigger than the end of my thumb. I eventually decided to stop having them surgically removed.
My second (and current) dog gets fewer lipomas, but they can get big. With hindsight it would have been better to go in quickly to the vet, when a new lipoma becomes noticeable. That keeps the surgery simpler, and the dog recovers faster.
A traveler has the opportunity to go to rural veterinarians. Woe unto you if you go to a vet near a mountain boutique town or some trendy area full of affluent retirees.
My girl is recovering after having this fist-sized lipoma removed, yesterday, by a veterinarian in an impoverished rural area in Colorado. It cost $200, probably half or a third of what it would have cost in one of the blue counties.
No mountain biking for her for the next few days!
The lump is a lipoma, a tumor of fatty tissue. Most can be surgically removed, costing less than $500.
But it takes awhile to learn how to react to these lumps. My first dog sprouted a half of dozen of these, but they never got bigger than the end of my thumb. I eventually decided to stop having them surgically removed.
My second (and current) dog gets fewer lipomas, but they can get big. With hindsight it would have been better to go in quickly to the vet, when a new lipoma becomes noticeable. That keeps the surgery simpler, and the dog recovers faster.
A traveler has the opportunity to go to rural veterinarians. Woe unto you if you go to a vet near a mountain boutique town or some trendy area full of affluent retirees.
My girl is recovering after having this fist-sized lipoma removed, yesterday, by a veterinarian in an impoverished rural area in Colorado. It cost $200, probably half or a third of what it would have cost in one of the blue counties.
No mountain biking for her for the next few days!
Comments
Wishing Coffee Girl a speedy recovery.
But she is sleeping easily, taking her medicine, and drinking her water. So things look good.
Kelly
Gayle
By the way, I finally successfully petted the official greeter cat in the vet's office.