Hi Ellen, If your girl has a tendency for fatty cysts she will pop them up from time to time no doubt causing your alarm button to go off:-( I presume the one removed from her hip was benign, your vet can aspirate this one on her ribs and see if it is a fatty lipoma. Swollen glands don't move around and if this lump feels free based chances are it's another cyst. Your vet can demonstrate to you the main areas of glands (ie lymphatic system) that you can stroke down and check regularly for lumps and bumps but remember they can raise up when dealing with infection just as ours do when we have a sore throat. Many older Berners tend to carry a bit too much weight and some thought is given to reducing the fat intake and some have seen a reduction in these fatty growths. Also regular brushing parting the coat in layers so that you reach the skin can also help with skin health, a quality bristle brush is good for this and not too sratchy. Warm baths and massages are good too and if you invest in a dog dryer then you can checked the skin easily:-)
Always a good thing to check lumps and bumps with your vet and discuss management of diet etc. Rose T.
