hard bilateral bumps??

[paulkocalis]

My 11 yr old rescue (neutered) Bichon has two hard bumps on each side of his back, about 4 inches up from his tail. I noticed it after getting him groomed and his hair clipped very short.

He has been on prednisolone for allergy-itching for a few weeks at this regimen: 1/2 of a 05mg tablet twice a day for 10 days, then half a tab once a day for 20 days, and now we're doing 1/2 tab every other day for 30 days (we're at the beginning of the 30 days). He usually has allergy bouts once a year and we are *very* conservative (I think) with the use of prednisolone because of the side effects it can cause.

He urinates fine, his feces look normal, he is not drinking excessive amounts of water, he is playful and happy and I'm a worry wart and we have a vet appt tomorrow morning first thing.

Could anyone please take a peek at the photos and see what this might be so I can look up stuff tonight? It just doesn't seem like a normal part of him, but maybe I didn't notice because of all his hair before. I think the kidneys and adrenals are there in this area. I guess I need some calming down. He's my little buddy and we've been together since he was 3 yrs old when we got him from a rescue.

Here is a direct link to two photos I took today, the areas in question are circled for as best as you can see them. Thank you very much.
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh25 ... C02885.jpg
and
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh25 ... C02886.jpg

[Traci]

The kidneys would be palpated slightly forward toward the abdomen. There are no lymph nodes or glandular activity in the location you've pointed out. If you had said they were soft lumps, I wouldn't worry so much, but because they seem to feel very hard, you want them checked right away. It's possible that they are sebaceous cysts, or subdermal fatty cysts - your vet might want to see if he can draw fluid from them (with a needle) to examine cells on a slide exam. He might be able to tell you simply by feel, or the needle aspirate, but if he can't determine from that, be prepared for an xray to see if there is anything internal or along the spine/hips - hopefully they are only fatty lumps or lypomas (that generally are not worrisome, generally don't require removal as long as not bothersome to the dog or as long as they are not infected).

Please let us know what your vet says, and let's hope it's nothing serious!

[paulkocalis]

Thank you so much for your reply. I've been so scared and worried. The bumps seem so big and hard to me. I'll post again when I know more. Thank you.

[paulkocalis]

Fat pockets. The hard lumps are fat pockets! I'm so glad it wasn't anything awful ... something the vet called a fat saddle? Older dogs get them sometimes. (Somehow I thought fat would be more squishy) Thank you Traci for your help and good thoughts.

[Traci]

Breathing a sigh of relief

Sometimes these fatty lipomas are hard, sometimes they are soft, the latter more common, but I believe the bigger they are (and depending on location on body), the more dense they can become.

Thank you for being so observant of your little guy and getting him checked right away!

[k9Karen]

So glad it was something so simple and nothing problematic. I think I've seen those on one of my dogs (none of the ones I have now), but I don't remember for sure.