Mary Allen
Out of nowhere your dog suddenly has a bump. You usually notice such growth when stroking it on or under the skin. Where there was nothing yesterday, there is suddenly a knot in the dog.
You may be frightened. Because bumps or lumps in your dog can indicate lipomas and cancerous growths such as tumors. But in most cases, there is no reason to worry. It could also just be warts.
What are warts?
Just like humans, dogs can suffer from warts. These papillomas are even very common in our four-legged friends. These are benign skin tumors that grow very quickly. In most cases, they arise in the upper layers of the skin.
Warts are caused by papillomaviruses. Therefore, they can be contagious. However, your dog can not transmit the virus to humans or other animal species. He can only pass it on to another dog.
Young dogs are particularly susceptible to infection up to the age of around two years. Their immune system is not yet fully developed. Therefore, young animals are significantly more susceptible to wart infestation by the canine papillomavirus.
In young animals, warts often form on the mucous membranes of the face. You will often find warts in the mouth area of your dog. Likewise on his eyelids and ears.
How do warts develop in dogs?
The viruses penetrate your pet’s skin. This happens through the smallest injuries to the skin. These are usually not visible to the naked eye. If there is a larger wound, the tissue can become infected much faster.
The papillomavirus stimulates cell division. And this is where the skin cells start to grow faster. Around four to eight weeks after infection, small nodules form under the skin of your pet.
What do warts look like on dogs?
These knots grow. They form the typical appearance of the wart. Warts can appear smooth, fringed, cone-like, or cauliflower-like.
Warts vary in color from dark gray to black. The size can also be very different. They can grow to several centimeters. Warts are easy to move. They can lie flat against the skin or be stalk-shaped.
Your dog’s skin and mucous membranes are affected. If warts accumulate, your veterinarian speaks of papillomatosis ( canine papillomatosis ).
Dogs also have inverted papillomas. They are common in Miniature Schnauzers and Pugs. They grow to about one to two centimeters. They affect dogs of all ages. The warts are usually found on the stomach or inner thighs.
Other symptoms of warts
In addition to the classic growth, other symptoms can indicate warts in your four-legged friend. A wart in the mouth area can cause pain in the dog. Your dog will not want to eat them. Warts on paws can cause your dog to become lame.
This can injure the skin on or around the wart. She then starts bleeding. This is uncomfortable for your dog. It can cause him pain.
Such injuries can ignite. This often leads to secondary infections. These secondary infections make it easier for warts to spread in dogs.
Dog warts are getting bigger
If you notice a growth on your dog’s skin, you should see your veterinarian. For us laypeople, it is often not clear whether it is a benign wart, a lipoma, or a malignant tumor.
The vet uses a syringe to take a sample of tissue or fluid from the growth. In the laboratory, the sample is examined under a microscope. In some cases, a biopsy is necessary to diagnose your four-legged friend.
How much does a dog wart removal cost?
If your vet diagnoses a wart, that’s good news. Because warts are harmless. They usually go away on their own.
The vet only needs to remove warts if they are in particularly uncomfortable places. Or if they disturb the animal. This is the case, for example, with warts on the eyelid or the paws.
How the vet removes the wart and whether anesthesia is needed depends on your dog, the wart, and the location. Drug treatments with wart ointment or tincture are usually not recommended for dogs. On the one hand, the funds are hardly effective. And on the other hand, the treatment means a lot of effort.
Home remedies: what works best against warts?
Would you still like to tackle your dog’s warts with home remedies or homeopathic remedies? Then castor oil or thuja tincture can be used as treatment options.
- You can apply castor oil to your loved one’s wart using a cotton swab. After about a week of regular use, the wart should be gone.
- However, Thuja should be used with great caution. This remedy is toxic to your dog. You must never use it in the mouth of your furry friend. Your dog should not lick the affected area. Thuja can cause miscarriages in pregnant females. Therefore, the application is extremely questionable.
Age warts in dogs
A slightly different variant of warts in dogs is warts of old age. They occur in older dogs. And they can meet any breed of dog. However, age warts are common in Cocker Spaniels. Age warts most commonly affect your dog’s face, paws, or genital area.
Especially when your dog is older, your vet should clarify any growth. The growth can very easily deceive here. It is better if you take your pet to the vet once too often than once too little.
Frequently Asked Question
Why does a dog get warts?
Warts (papilloma) in dogs are mostly caused by the papillomavirus. It is transmitted from dog to dog and can affect all ages. The pathogen cannot be transmitted to humans or other animals. The virus enters the body through small injuries and infects the skin cells.
What do warts look like on dogs?
They are not dangerous to the dog and will go away on their own, but they can be uncomfortable for him. They appear as small bumps on the skin or mucous membrane, which usually appear as black warts and appear smooth, fringed, or cauliflower-like.
What do age warts look like on dogs?
They are not dangerous to the dog and will go away on their own, but they can be uncomfortable for him. They appear as small bumps on the skin or mucous membrane, which usually appear as black warts and appear smooth, fringed, or cauliflower-like.
Are warts dangerous in dogs?
In most cases, warts in dogs are not serious and do not require any special treatment. They often go away on their own within a few weeks. Sometimes, however, the skin growths sit very unfavorably on the skin, so they interfere with eating or walking.
What can you do about warts in dogs?
For this purpose, many owners use castor oil, which they rub into the wart several times a day. With a bit of luck, the skin growth will disappear in this way after about a week. Thuja tincture is another possible home remedy to treat warts in dogs naturally.
How do you get rid of warts on dogs?
For this purpose, many owners use castor oil, which they rub into the wart several times a day. With a bit of luck, the skin growth will disappear in this way after about a week. Thuja tincture is another possible home remedy to treat warts in dogs naturally.
How does a wart come back?
Genital warts can be healed up to 70% with the immunotherapeutic. So far, imiquimod has only been approved for the treatment of anogenital warts, but it also shows good remission and reduction rates in treatment-resistant common warts and mollusks – especially under immunosuppression.
What happens if you don’t treat a wart?
If left untreated, warts can cause unpleasant symptoms, depending on where they are located.
