old, lumpy Goldie - what should we do?

[horsemadmom]

If anybody has any advice, I'd be grateful!
We have a huge 12 yr old male Golden Retriever who is the BEST dog in the world (in our opinion). He is in very good shape for a boy his age and isn't showing any signs of arthritis or hip pain. His hearing is 'selective' and he enjoys his walks for about 5 minutes and then needs a lie down (occasionally in the middle of the road). He is a bit well padded but by no means obese.
He has developed big, fatty, flat lumps in 2 or 3 places. He is not happy to have us groom over them- never growls, just hops up and walks away. I am guessing they are lipomas and nothing to worry about.
The problem is...if they are something more sinister, he cannot have surgery- ever. Last year, vet tried to repair burst blood vessel in his ear and he arrested on the table.He was dead for about three minutes and came home with a packed, open wound which took ages to heal. We have been advised that he must not have any anaesthetic or sedative ever again.
No surprise, he isn't keen on the vet anymore. No growling or barking but very nervous if we drive or walk past.
If these lumps were diagnosed as something nasty and progressive we would have no choice but to treat palliatively and then PTS. We owe it to him not to have him in pain.

At the moment, he is in no real discomfort. So, What would you do? Let him go on being a happy, well loved ball of fluff with some flat fatty lumps and wait to see if they become a problem? Take him in to have the vet diagnose but not treat unless they become a problem? He is on some joint supplements and comes from a breeding line with fab hip scores but Goldies do have skin issues.
Do we want to know?

I think you need to take him to the vets for a diagnosis. It may be perfectly innocent or it may be more sinister and he may need medication to make him comfortable in the future.

I also think it would be a good idea to address his weight issue. It's not really normal for a Golden, even an older one to not really enjoy their walks and if he loses some weight then it will help his health in all areas. Considering most people think their overweight dof is normal, 'extra padding' concerns me a little I'm afraid. Sorry. Some foods, such as Burns are known to keep dogs leaner than others, so doing something as simle as swtiching food brands may help.

What Midori said about the vet.

And he'll feel far better if he loses a bit of wobble - be easier on old joints, too.

we've got a 14 year old lab x collie with lots of lumps, some of which have been there for several years

The first few were checked by the vet. They took some fluid from them and it was checked by microscope for cancer cells, found to be just fat.

Since them she's grown some more, now several that are large (one is like a tennis ball) and very hard. We've not had them checked by needle as to be honest we wouldn't treat them if it was cancer. She old and is in heart failure so even if she survived the operation, she'd not go on for ever.

As these are the first lumps for your dog I'd take him and get the checked, also get him weighed and start trying to get him a bit slimmer.

Thanks for the advice!
He is on 'old and fat' dog food and I have reduced the amount and cut down on treats. Slight exaggeration on the 5 minute flop. He will amble happily for 20 mins or so but if he is let off the lead and has a really frantic run and swim, we have a tough time getting him home on his feet. The dog is also a bit odd about leaving me on his walks. If anyone else in the family takes him, he will happily go for a wander. However, he will not go more than a hundred meters or so from me and I'm the person who walks him 99% of the time. At his last vet visit, she felt that he wasn't badly overweight (when young and fit he was 90lbs) and we followed her suggestion on changing his feed quantities. I will let you all know what she says about the lumps.
I think I'm afraid that it might be something bad and the prospect of making the final decision isn't pleasant. As of now, we still get surprised looks when I tell people how old he is. He is a bright-eyed, happy dog who just happens to feel like an unmade bed.