Found Large, soft Lumps on 11 yr. old Golden Retriever

Today I had noticed that our Golden Retriver was limping on his back right leg, we know that he is older and felt that since the temps outide were in the single digits, his hips must be bothering him. Tonight I was noticing that he was having not only a difficult time getting up from a laying position, but also getting into a sitting or laying position...I got down on the floor with him and started feeling around his back leg, and came accross what I felt to be a large rolling lump just inside his leg close to the bend up high closer to his groin, he really acted like it didn't bother him for me to mess with it, he actually lifted that leg as if he wanted me to, then he layed down and about 8-9" higher I felt another one only slightly smaller and on his lower stomach, then my son was rubbing on his back close to the shoulder blades, and found another one...I am truly worried, I read here that Golden's have VERY high instances of cancer, and I know I have to get him to the vet, but I am so scared that my worries will be confirmed, is it possible that it could be somethig else other than cancer?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Your dogs masses could be the benign type of freely movable, soft dermal masses, such as: lipoma's, sebaceous cysts, or adenoma's, which are the most common among non-malignant masses,   However, all dermal masses should be biopsied since many malignant masses can resemble their benign cousins.

The thought of cancer can be scary but please don't let that prevent you from having biopsies performed on your dog's masses.  Your dog's masses could just as easily be benign as they could be malignant.   Some cancer's can be totally eliminated by surgery and don't spread.  

Golden's do have a high incidence of cancer but your dog has already exceeded the average Golden's life span which is wonderful and awesome, especially since I often see Golden's at 7 or 8  years of age with terminal cancers.   Lastly there are also a lot of cancers that if found early and treated or surgical excised early will not decrease life span or quality of life.