Fatty Tumors (Lipomas) in Dogs - Benign (Fatty) or Malignant (Mast Cell) – Cause, DIY Holistic Treatments, Remedies

In this Article...

1. What, How, When and Why Fatty Tumors (Lipoma) forms;
2. DIY Holistic Treatments and Remedies for Fatty Tumors

PART 1.0 Fatty Tumors - What, How, When and Why

What is a Fatty Tumor and How Is It Formed…

A fatty tumor is a soft mass under the skin.

Fatty Tumors form when the body is unable to rid itself of toxins via the body’s natural systems for toxin elimination – the intestines, kidney and liver.  When a dog is constantly ingesting toxins the kidney and liver are forced to work overtime to clear out unwanted substances from the body. If the toxic load becomes too much for the kidney and liver to process affectively the toxins end-up remaining where they are not wanted -  in the blood stream, digestive tract, etc. The constant presence of contaminates in the body puts added stress on the endocrine (glands which secret various hormones to regulate metabolism, sleep, mood, etc.) and immune system in addition to the kidney and liver.

The body’s natural reaction – the next line of defence is to engage its largest excretory organ, the skin. The body ‘captures’ the toxins and shifts them out of the way by storing the material in fat deposits just under the surface of the skin.

Characteristics of a Fatty Tumor (Lipoma, Fatty Lump)

A soft mass under the skin that:

• Does not cause *hair loss;
• Does not cause *pain;
• Does not cause *redness or *irritation of the skin on its own 
• Is freely movable under the skin;
• *The only time hair loss, pain or irritation occurs with these masses is, for example:
• When the mass is located on the body of the dog, and;
• The mass has increased in size, and;
• As a result, is rubbing against the dog’s leg;
• The mass may then cause hair loss or irritation as it rubs against the dog’s leg.

Fatty Deposits Are a Warning Sign

Fatty deposits are a warning sign – a red flag that tells you that:

• That the body is under siege from constant ingestion of toxic, unwanted material;
• The body’s system is out of balance and is not able to eliminate the toxic waste properly;
• That the  immune system is weak and requires care to improve it's strength;
• Diet, stress and exercise are huge factors in the health of the immune system;
• A weak immune system leaves the body vulnerable to illness, infection and health problems..

How do These Unwanted Materials (Toxins) Get into the Dog’s System

There are two main ways in which toxins enter the dog’s body…

• Ingredients in commerciallymanufactured highly processed dog food - dry dog food, wet dog food, treats – for example;
• Refined cereal grains;
• Food colouring;
• Chemical-based preservatives i.e. ethoxyquinand TBHQ ;
• Sugar;
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) found in corn, soy, canola, safflower, cottonseed oil, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, sugar beets, etc.
• Poor quality protein derived from animals that were:
• Fed GMO feed;
• Injected with genetically engineered (GE) growth hormones and steroids;
• Read about the above items here.
• Toxins from inoculations and chemical-based flea, tick, heartworm preventatives.

Other Contributing Sources of Daily Toxic Loading

• Health care supplies and household items such as:
• Dog Dental chews;
• Dog Toothpaste;
• Dog Shampoo;
• Household cleaners;
• Fluorinated water;
• Pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, on grass, road salt, etc. that is then absorbed through the skin of the paws, ingested by licking fur and paws;

How many of the toxins listed above is your dog regularly exposed to? Do a quick analysis and then read on…

Part 2.0 - DIY Holistic Treatments, Remedies

Conventional Treatments Are Not a Remedy

Conventional practitioners of medicine (human and veterinary care) are oriented towards treating an acquired condition rather than treating the body as a whole entity.  As a result, when a conventional partitioning veterinarian sees a fatty tumor the typical advice provided is:

• As long as the tumor is a) benign and b) not impeding physical function, just leave the tumor as is;
• If the fatty tumor is in the way of proper function the following options may be offered;
• Surgical removal;
• Liposuction;
• Salve and/or;
• Steroid injections.

The fundamental problem with these conventional interventions is that they do not address the root cause of the condition. If the root cause is not addressed the tumors will:

• Continue to exist and will in many cases grow;
• If removed will re-grow;
• May eventually escalate to a malignant mast cell growth.

Many conventional veterinary practitioners will tell you that there is nothing that you can do to:

• Reduce the size of the existing fatty tumor;
• Eliminate the existing fatty tumor.
• And should you opt for one of those conventional interventions:
• There is nothing you can do to prevent the reformation of the fatty tumors.

This is incorrect! You CAN reduce and even eliminate fatty tumors permanently.

Failure to take proper action can result in a worsening of your dog’s health and quality of life.

To stop the formation and growth of these tumors you must treat the root cause – toxic loading which may have also progressed to glandular malfunction.

DIY Holistic Care Approach

Your Dog's Diet

Part One - Review What You Are Currently Feeding Your Dog, Make Changes

Do a thorough review of what you are feeding your dog and remove all items that contain toxins and species inappropriate food stuffs.

Consider completely removing commercially manufactured dog food and treats from your dog’s diet and replace with:

• Species appropriate food - either:
• Homemadecooked dog food and fresh whole foods, and/or;
• A raw food diet.

If you want to keep your dog on commercially prepared dog food:

• Make sure you know how to select a relativelytoxic-free product;
• Unfortunately when it comes to mass-produced commercially manufactured dog food, good and bad becomes a relative term.
• Read this article to…
• Ensure you can make informed decisions about the food you choose – don’t assume you are currently choosing a good product.

Statistics recorded by veterinary organizations from the 1950's up to present day are very telling...

• The life-span of a companion dog in North America is now half of what it was in the 1950's;
• In the 1950's the average life-span of a golden retriever was 15 to 16 years, today the average is in the range of 8 to12 years;
• In 2005, 50% of older dogs dies from cancer, and the number is on the rise. 

Part Two -  Supplement Your Dog’s Diet

Turmeric– you need to get your dog on this herb ASAP read more about turmeric here; The curcumin which gives turmeric its bright yellow colour contains compounds that have been proven to reduce lipomas in dogs (and humans :>)

Other Recommended De-toxers and Immune System Boosters
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Coconut Oil

Garlic(no it is not bad for dogs, read the facts, don’t be fooled by unsubstantiated false rumors);

Lemon(fresh);

Omega 3-Fatty Acids;

Rooibos Tea;

Probiotics;

Whole fresh foods high in first quality antioxidants and nutrients.

Topical Treatment for Fatty Tumors (Lipomas)

Sage
Sage has a natural affinity to attract fat. You can apply sage extract topically to the lipoma on a daily basis.

Turmeric
In addition to supplementing your dog’s daily diet with Turmeric, this herb can also be used topically to treat lipoma.

Preparation and application

• Combine:
• 1 tsp of turmeric, with;
• 1 tsp of olive oil, or grape seed oil or almond oil;
• Mix:
•  Mix until the ingredients form a soft, well blended paste;
• Apply:
• Apply the resulting paste directly to the skin surface of the fatty tumor;
• Please note that the natural colour in turmeric will stain clothing, carpet etc. 
• So after application you should restrict your dog to an area where the stain will not adhere to items that you value, or;
• Put your dog outside for a while.
• This treatment can be used once or more a day. 
• Turmeric is safe for pregnant dogs.

Signs of Malignant Mast Cell Growth

If your dog does have a fatty tumor it is important to monitor that fatty lump for changes…

• Sudden change in appearance, i.e.
• The tumor suddenly hardens;
• Begins to grow lumpy and nodular;
• Has begun to bleed;

Get to your veterinarian and have the tumor tested for malignancy ASAP.

• Training;
• Behaviour Modification;
• Rehabilitation;
• Nutrition;
• Health

Whether you are experiencing dog behavior problems and would like assistance, or just want to bring your dog up to be a well-balanced canine -  I offer both a local and international service for people with one or multiple dogs. 

I work with all breeds - from small (i.e. Yorkie, Pomeranian, Chihuahua, etc.), medium breeds size (including Pit Bulls) and large breed dogs...

 

In-person SessionsDogTraining, Puppy Training, Behaviour Modification, Rehabilitation – Ottawa, Ottawa Area, Outaouais, Ottawa Valley

 

International e-Consultation 

Sessions,Advice via email for National and International Clients - Dog Training, Puppy Training, Behaviour Modification, Nutrition, Health 

Don’t Give Your Dog Supplements That Contain Magnesium Stearate - Its Bad for Your Dog's Health

Magnesium Stearate can be found in about 95% of supplements sold in pharmacies, stores and/or supplied by doctors and veterinarians to their patients.

Magnesium Stearate is a lubricant that acts as a 'slipping agent'. 

It is created by adding a magnesium ion to stearic acid. 

Magnesium Stearate is added to pills and capsules to:

• Keep the pills/capsules from sticking to each other;
• From sticking to the machinery, which in turn...
• Means that they processing plant can run the processing/production machinery at a higher speed...
• Which means that they can increase production while requiring less inspection on the production line to ensure uninterrupted processing.
• Culminating in better profit margins. 

Magnesium Stearate may be good for company profit but it is seriously bad for yours and your dog's health and here is why...

The Problem Is...

1.0 Stearic Acid is Typically Made Using Hydrogentated Cottonseed or Palm Oil.

These oils pose a real health risk:

• Of all commercial oils, cotton seed has the highest content of pesticide residue.  
• Cottonseed oil is used to coat the supplement – which means it is coating the nutrients in the supplement.
• As a coating agent the cottonseed oil slows down/delays the absorption of the nutrients in the intestines.
• The other problem with cottonseed oil is that it often comes from Genetically Engineered seed crops – long-term studies on the health effects of ingesting GE is not known.
• In large amounts magnesium stearte damages the skin and liver…remember that most dogs are smaller than adult humans it would take less magnesium stearate to damage a dog.

2.0 Why is the Delay in the Absorption of Nutrients Bad?

Depending on what your dog is eating with the supplement the food may be pushed through the GI tract at a faster pass than the nutrients in the supplement can be absorbed. Your dog may not get to benefit from some or all of the nutrients meant to be delivered by the supplement. At best your money is thrown away, at worst your dog may be in serious trouble from lack of the required nutrient.

3.0 Magnesium Stearate - as Noted Above Contains Stearic Acid. 

• Stearic acid suppresses T cells. 
• Why does that matter? 
• T-cells (T lymphocytes) are part of the lymphocytes group of white blood cells.
  Lymphocytes play a key function in cell-mediated immunity. 
•  T Cells are killer cells, and are very important to good immune system function. 
• Stearic acid causes the collapse of the cell membrane in these very important T cells. 
• Collapse occurs when the T-cells are exposed over time to damaging doses of the acid. Collapse of the cell membrane leads to the destruction of cell function.

In my opinion the above provides sufficient reason to steer clear of magnesium stearate. 

It seems to me that the pharmaceutical companies are incredibly unethical as is the pet industry…here are a few more examples...

Doggie Prozac http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2013/02/seperation-anxiety-doggie-prozac-does.html

Heart Worm Preventatives http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2013/03/does-your-dog-really-need-to-be-on.html

Fish Meal (included in many Dog Kibble formulas) http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.ca/2013/02/fish-fish-meal-and-ethoxyquin-danger-do.html

Species Appropriate Diet for Dogs - Get the Grains Out of Your Dog's Diet – For Your Dog's Health

A dog’s ancestral diet looked very different from the diet that has been made popular by pet-food manufacturers.

The composition of a Dog’s Ancestral Diet looked like this…

• 56% Protein   
• 25% to 30% Fat          
• 14% Carbohydrates    

Carbohydrates are NOT nutritionally necessary in a dog’s diet. Protein and fat ARE essential components for a healthy canine diet.

Carbohydrates are NOT bad for dogs – in fact, when provided in appropriate quantity and from an appropriate source carbs can provide a useful source of energy and nutrients.

Grains are, however NOT an appropriate source of carbohydrates for multiple reasons as you will see further below.

Why Are Grains Included in Dog Kibble?

In the 1950’s dog food manufactures began a love affair with carbohydrates because carbs are:

• Easily obtainable;
• Have a long shelf-life;
• Enable the formation of hard/compact kibble;
• Are cheap to buy compared to the cost of good-source protein.

The inclusion of grains in dog food is not for the benefit of a dog’s health.

Highly processed grains are a good way for the manufacturer to bulk-up food but the resulting product provides poor quality nutrition and is species inappropriate.  A very bad situation if you consider that the major ingredient in a lot of dog kibble is grain or grain by-products of one sort or another.  For example:

• Barley (pearled barley etc.);
• Brewers rice;
• Cereal food fines (leftovers from human grade cereal production)
• Corn, Corn Bran, Corn Gluten Meal, Corn Germ Meal;
• Corn Middlings;
• Grain fermentation soluble;
• Oats or Oatmeal;
• Oat Hulls;
• Rice;
• Soy, Soy Flour or Soy (Soybean) Meal;
• Wheat Flour, Meal or Middlings (wheat mill run)

Negative Impacts on Your Dog's Health

I will cover some of the impacts on your dog's health just below. The negative impacts of grains in your dog's diet are many, some are complicated. I will not cover all impacts here but will cover enough for you to see just how serious this issue is.

 

Unwanted Weight Gain and Obesity 

Many of the grains used in commercially manufactured dog kibble are processed grain (cereal) carbohydrates.  These are highly digestible, low nutrient, high bulk ingredients which the dog’s digestive system quickly converts to sugar, which in-turn spikes the amount of insulin in the dog’s system – over working the pancreas and resulting in a feeling of constant hunger.  

As the dog is constantly hungry (due to high-insulin levels) the dog’s human may continue to feed the dog more of the grain-heavy food which then results in excessive weight gain – a condition on its own that can cause massive health issues…stress on joints, diabetes, inflammation leading to cancer, etc. Unfortunately all too often a veterinarian will then recommend a low calorie high fibre kibble (invariably grain based but expensive i.e. Royal Canine or Hill’s Science Diet) which further exacerbates the problem.

Carcinogens and Toxins in Grain and Grain By-Products

The Proof is In The Numbers
Statistics recorded by veterinary organizations from the 1950's up to present day are very telling. 

• The life-span of a companion dog in North America is now half of what it was in the 1950's;
• In the 1950's the average life-span of a golden retriever was 15 to 16 years, today the average is in the range of 8 to12 years;
• In 2005, 50% of older dogs dies from cancer, and the number is on the rise.
  

Cereal By-Products
The cereal by products used in the manufacturing of many dog foods are derived from the leftovers of human food processing.  It is important to understand that these are remaindered end of the line substances and as such, they can be full of chemicals.

Aflatoxins

If the grains/grain derivatives are not from human grade sources they are very likely to contain aflatoxins.  Aflatoxins cause liver cancer.

Aflatoxins grow mainly on grains but they also grow on legumes - like peanuts, walnuts and pecans. This is one reason why you will hear some people say do not give your dogs peanuts. Actually it is fine to give your dog peanuts or natural peanut butter – as long as you are using human grade product. Other nuts such as walnuts and pecans are toxic to dogs, regardless of whether they are human or animal grade.

Aflatoxins can also be found in cottonseed oil, fish meal and peanut oil. Human grade foods are monitored closely for aflatoxins - if present the raw product (i.e. grain) is not allowed to be used in human grade food production. There are no such regulations for animal grade foods so most commercially manufactured animal food (dog, cat, bird, etc.) will contain aflatoxins. While the body can usually detoxify small amounts, constant ingestion of aflatoxins is not manageable and therefore causes toxic loading.

The majority of corn and soy grown in North America are from Genetically Modified Round-up Ready seeds.  GM corn has now been proven to cause the growth of massive tumours, organ damage and death.  All of the long-term effects of eating GM food is not known. In addition, large factory farms in North America use a method to process soy that creates very high levels of photoestrogens and phytates in the resulting product.

• Photoestrogens have been proven to interfere with reproduction and thyroid function;
• Phytates prevent mineral absorption (further exacerbation of poor nutrient intake);
• Phytates interfere with the normal function of enzymes required to digest protein.

Herbicides and pesticides - another thing to keep in mind , the grains used in many pet foods are purchased for their low cost not for their quality. Crops for this market sector are grown based on high yield and that is usually accomplished with the profuse use of pesticides and herbicides - resulting in more toxins and carcinogens ingested by your dog.

Gluten Hypersensitivity

Grain is the harvested seeds of grasses. Large amounts of grains are not part of a dog’s ancestral diet.  Yes our dog’s ancestors did eat small amounts of grasses – as do present day domesticated dogs; but they (our dog’s ancestors) did not consume large amounts of the seed of the grass – the grain.

The number of dogs today developing and living with gluten hypersensitivity is epidemic. One of the ailments of gluten hypersensitivity is Candida (overgrowth of bad bacteria in the GI Tract).  Overgrowth of bad bacteria is an assault on the dog’s immune system and is a common cause of yeast-based ear infections – that can become chronic and debilitating; yeast-based skin infections located at the paws; leaky gut syndrome, chronic diarrhea and more.

Lack of Nutrients
High grain content is used when making kibble - to create volume at the lowest possible cost to the manufacturer, which serves profit while creating serious gaps in a dog’s nutrient intake. Compound this with the many other ‘indiscretions’ (i.e. fish meal, low levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, poor source protein) adopted by pet food manufacturers in the production of dog food and your dog’s health is in serious trouble. Did you know that 10 of the top 10 reasons for a veterinarian visit can be directly related to inappropriate diet and exposure to ingested, inhaled and topically absorbed toxins – plenty of which are found in commercially manufactured dog foods and treats.  

• Periodontal Disease 
• Ear Infections
• Skin Allergies 
• Skin Infection 
• Non-cancerous skin growth
• Upset Stomach 
• Intestinal upset/diarrhea 
• Arthritis
• Bladder Infection 
• Underactive Thyroid – triggered by immune system or lack of iodine (diet)

What Are Appropriate Sources Of Carbohydrates For Dogs?

• Legumes such as
• Chick Peas, and;
• Lentils;
• Sweet Potatoes;
• Squash;
• Fruits and vegetables can also be a great source of carbohydrates;For a comprehensive list of fruits and veggies that are good for your dog you can read more here.

If you would like to try making a homemade dog food that is rich in nutrients you can read more here.

If your dog is suffering from renal issues you need to avoid phosphorous in his/her diet, so no legumes (as legumes are high in phosphorous), use squash and sweet potato for carbs.