My dog chews his growing warts. Are they serious or need removal?

Hello. These look to be very typical warts. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they do not start enlarging. Generally, the only time we worry about warts is if a pet begins to chew on them causing bleeding. Otherwise, it is just a sign of aging & there is no need to really worry about them. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would consider having this removed and biopsied. My concern is it is already ulcerated and will most likely need either oral or topical medication but if you wait to remove it and it continues to grow it is going to be very difficult to remove. The reason for this is because there is not a lot of skin in that location so they may not be able to close it adequately. I would recommend at the time of removal to biopsy it to determine the true cause of that. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be benign or malignant growths. This could even be an infection. This cannot be completely assessed just by looking at pictures or a description and usually requires sampling such as fine needle aspiration to determine its origin. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello. If things have remained quiet, then it is not necessary to remove the wart. This would only be necessary if he somehow injured it, or it does show evidence of change. The reason we do not recommend removing the benign ones is the underlying cause is a virus, & if you remove one wart, another can pop up later on. Not that removal will cause this, but just because the virus is there. So, if you wish to remove it because of cosmetic reasons, that is absolutely fine, otherwise, if it remains static, you can safely leave it be. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Are these warts? These are the most common non-cancerous growths we see, & they are especially common on poodles. If surgery concerns you, please talk to your vet about freezing the growths off using a special liquid nitrogen product available to vets called Verruca Freeze. It is not super cheap, but it does not require any anesthesia to use. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Non-ractive warts and other growths which do not cause the dog to chew on them are usually not of concern provided they do not grow, or grow very slowly and are not oozing a discharge, bleeding or causing infection. That said, every growth should be examined by a veterinarian, as it could indeed be malignant. Previously benign masses can also turn into malignant masses. As for cancer cells spreading in the body from being ingested: that would depend on the cancer. If the mass is cancerous and just in the skin, it is likely that removing it with a good margin (healthy tissue surrounding it) may be curative. Your veterinarian will have to examine the mass and palpate it and may want to remove it right away, or do a fine needle aspirate to determine whether it is indeed a cancer. Since it is bothering your dog and Nisha is chewing it , there is a chance that it could get infected, another reason to have it examined ASAP.

Hello, Unfortunately, the only remedy for this is to have it surgically removed . Otherwise it will continue to be infected and cause problems. The sooner it gets addressed, the better because the bigger it gets, the more difficult the surgery will be. Once it is removed, your veterinarian can send it off to determine if it was benign or malignant. Try to get an appointment with your veterinarian soon because it is likely already infected if it has a bad odor. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach