My dog's severe gum infection improved. Was it a tumor or infection?

Honestly it could be either caused by the infected tooth or it could be a mass. This is why your vet first prescribed antibiotics to see if it goes down or not. Now this is the nerve racking wait and see period to determine if is something to worry about and requires a biopsy once the antibiotics have run their course.

Poor guy. It is hard to saw if this is more likely a tumor than inection without seeing the mass itself. However, if the antibiotics were effective they would have shown much improvement within 4-5 days after starting them. Drooling could just indicate he is nauseous. Also if the swelling has gone down tremendously since starting the medication, then this is more likely not a tumor. I hope that things work out well for your pet G moving forward. Best of luck and take care : )

I wouldn't say that you can rule out an abscess, on the contrary, if it got better after antibiotic treatment, it's likely to be a tooth abscess. the antibiotic may solve the problem but you cannot know in advance, you need to finish the antibiotic course and wait a few weeks to see if it comes back or not. if it comes back he will need a dental procedure, and by the way he is nowhere too old for anesthesia, a few weeks ago one of my oldest patients, a cat 23 years of age, went through a small procedure under general anesthesia without any issues.

I think this question may be a repetition of the previous one with the link to the picture. .....The antibiotic probably cleared the mouth up from excess of bacteria and secondary infection, but that lesion may represent a cancer. A biopsy or fine needle aspiration of the lesion must be obtained to confirm or rule out this strong clinical suspicion and eventually define its malignancy. Another check up is needed.

That does look concerning. Unfortunately there is no way to tell from the appearance alone as to whether or not it cancerous. You are correct in that it may be a benign growth, it may cancer, or it may some sort of inflammatory mass from an infection of the gums either due to a dental problem or due to an embedded bit of small stick or something along those lines. Gingival hyperplasia (overactive growth of the gum tissue) is possible, however it usually appears less "mass-like." If she is still eating, active and happy, make an appointment with your vet at your convenience in the coming weeks to have it checked out. If she is not eating or otherwise seems ill, or if you are noticing that her breath is really bad, get her in as soon as you can. Your vet may recommend that a biopsy be considered. A biopsy is the only way to determine what exactly it is, how dangerous it is, and what needs to be done about it. I hope thats helpful for you! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It appears to be some moderate gingivitis and tartar. The tooth underneath the red area may be affected, and may not. It would take an xray of that area to know for sure. I recommend getting her examined by your veterinarian and planning a dental cleaning and oral x-rays.

Poor girl. This is unfortunately an oral mass and should be tested by your vet soon to determine if this is cancerous or benign (non-cancerous). Due to Sugar's age and breed there is unfortunately a higher risk of cancer, but we should know for sure after it is tested. It is good that it is the same color as the rest of her skin/gums, so that is promising. I hope that Sugar's test results come back favorable after your vet visit. Best wishes and take care!