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At Brewster's last visit the vet noticed a tiny lump. She thought it was probably a small umbilical hernia that had never been noticed. That was at the beginning of the school year. To tell you the truth I mostly forgot about it. She said to keep an eye on it and we could asperate, etc. to check it further. I didn't notice it and suddenly it is very easy to notice. He doesn't seem to be in any pain when I touch it. I hope it's not the big C. The vet is closed today, but I am calling tomorrow for an appointment. I will keep you posted.

Other than that discovery, things are great. Brewster will be 10 in September! He continues to love people, despise other dogs, run shiba 500s around our house at regular intervals, etc. He enjoys summer trips to the beach, hiking in the woods, and CAR RIDES. I cannot even say the word car or he runs to the front door and jumps all around. If we do not leave within 5 minutes he starts crying this terrible, gut-wrenchingly-depressive cry. hahaha...he still loves my kids. They are getting old, too (Katharine will be 8 this summer and Liam is 6).

Time flies when you're having fun!
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Amanda what does the lump look like? Is there any kind of color to it like purplish or reddish? About 3 years ago I had noticed a small lump on Beni's left front side. I kept an eye on it and it slowly began to grow and get bigger. I took him to my vet and she asperated it and sent it to Cornell. The result came back as a benign plasma cytoma. Because of Beni's eye problems and his being difficult to intubate I had Cornell remove the lump.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Bob - OMG, loved reading that it was benign! The lump is dark pink. The fur looks sparse over that spot b/c it is sort of spread out. It is about the size of a .25 cents bouncy ball (smaller than a golf ball).
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Is it soft or hard?

Soft might mean some kind of cyst. Hard could be a tumor of some kind, or calcium growth.

Vet should definitely take care of it soon either way, since it's so much larger.
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Maureen's furry pack:
MoJo (THE Shiba Imp)
Risa (Chocolate Demon Child..I mean Lab)
Pyewacket (Bengal Cat)
R.I.P. Kitties: Cricket the Tabby and Puff the Russian Blue
www.scottsbt.com/maureen/mo2.htm

Amanda it sounds like it maybe could be the same sort of thing. If I'm thinking about the same size ball you are describing it might be the same size. Beni's cytoma was behind his right front leg on the side of the chest. The way it was attached reminded of like a hot air balloon. It was very soft and bouncey... also a little sticky feeling at times. Beni never missed a beat once it was removed and I have never seen another one on him.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Just got back from the vet. He felt it and said it's not attached. Due to the location and the way it feels, his best guess is that it was a tiny umbilical hernia that has now developoed a lipoma (fatty tumor). Worse case scenario would be a tumor of some sort, but the vet said he's going with lipoma. He also said he is confident that Brew has a good prognosis. Brewster is very healthy for his age--perfect weight, in great shape, still looks and acts young. He doesn't think anesthesia will be a problem, but they did bloodwork today (organ function tests and stuff) and they will do a chest xray first to make sure he is good for surgery. We will also have his teeth cleaned and all that during the surgery, so it's not going to be cheap. I think we are going to schedule the surgery for next week. I will keep you posted. Thanks for all the advice. Now I'm a bit relieved, but also trying to figure out the budget. lol
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Kita got those lumps and bumps and a friend's dog gets them all the time as well. If you can feel all sides and isolate the lump, it's a very good sign. The Sr. dental cleaning is good to do and while under, getting those little lumps taken care of is smart. Vet bills are never fun, but worth it.
Good luck with the removal next week. A tough day for them, but Brewster is healthy and will be fine.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas

Has Brewster had his surgery yet? Waiting to hear how he is!
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Anne, Bill, and Murphy

Me too! Glad to hear that it is most likely the fatty tumor that I was hoping they'd fine.

How is he?
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Maureen's furry pack:
MoJo (THE Shiba Imp)
Risa (Chocolate Demon Child..I mean Lab)
Pyewacket (Bengal Cat)
R.I.P. Kitties: Cricket the Tabby and Puff the Russian Blue
www.scottsbt.com/maureen/mo2.htm