Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Large fatty tumor between shoulder muscles in older dog and surgery
By Saeed Farzad-Mohajeri et al.·Published in Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine·2025·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: A Large Intermuscular Lipoma in the Axillary Region of a Dog: Diagnosis, Surgery and Follow-up
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old male mixed terrier was brought in for a large lump in the armpit area. After tests like ultrasound and CT scans, the vet determined it was an intermuscular lipoma, a rare type of fatty tumor. The tumor was successfully removed during surgery, and six months later, the dog showed no signs of lameness or any complications, and there was no recurrence of the mass. Overall, the dog recovered well, and complete surgical removal is the best treatment for this condition.
People also search for: dog lump in armpit · intermuscular lipoma in dogs · dog surgery recovery · fatty tumor in dog treatment
Abstract
Lipoma is considered a benign tumor of adipose tissue that typically develops in subcutaneous tissue. While this type of tumor is common in older and obese dogs, intermuscular lipomas are rare in veterinary medicine. This report represents the clinical signs, physical examination, and diagnostic imaging findings of intermuscular lipoma in the axillary region of a 12-year-old intact male mixed terrier dog. Diagnostic tests, including ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) and fine-needle aspiration, were performed. The mass was removed entirely using blunt dissection with a safe margin under general anesthesia. A large fatty tumor between the deep pectoralis and superficial pectoralis muscles was found during surgery. Macroscopic and microscopic examinations revealed a non-encapsulated mass with a soft, greasy consistency, containing differentiated and benign adipocytes, indicating lipoma. During the examination six months after surgery, the patient showed no lameness and other neurological complications, and there were no signs of mass recurrence. Intermuscular lipomas are rarer than other types of lipomas. Complete surgical excision is the optimal treatment for intermuscular lipomas, yielding an excellent prognosis post-surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4089b5aa4eb980cf6cc8b78609208d96e6624e6c