My dog has a lump on his gums. Could it be a benign tumor?

That lump of tissue needs to be checked out by the veterinarian. Dogs do get tumors in the mouth. They can also get severe dental infections which can lead to hyperplasia of the gum tissue. The doctor may need to sedate Bumbie to get a thorough exam and a tissue sample of the lump to determine if this is a tumor or something else. Once the doctor examines Bumbie, they will discuss what the best course of action is. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, While I can’t say with certainty without an exam, I would strongly recommend having this gingival mass evaluated by a veterinarian. In many cases these are benign gingival hyperplasia (just meaning excessive tissue), but other times these masses can be malignant cancer. Therefore, catching it early will make a difference in the potential success of treatment. I hope Kosmo just has some hyper plastic gum tissue! Best of luck.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the pictures I see what you are worried about. Possible causes of the mass are: a benign over growth of gum tissue, an epulis, or cancerous growths. Some epulids are: Fibromatous, ossifying, and acanthomatous. Acanthomatous epuli, in particular, are highly invasive to the bone and are usually located on the front part of the lower jaw. It is sadly impossible to tell from just looking at the mass to say what it could be. I recommend you make an appointment with your Vet. Lucky will have to go under anesthesia, have dental X-rays taken of the area and the mass biopsied or removed, if able. I hope this helps! I wish Lucky the best!

This looks like an epulis, a fairly common benign tumor in dogs. It occurs more often in short faced dog breeds. I recommend getting it checked by your vet to determine what kind of growth it is and what needs to be done about it. Your vet will do an exam, lab work, possibly imaging depending on if you vet believes they need it. Based on these results your vet will be better able to tell you what is going on and the best course of treatment.

This lump/bump/growth should be ideally examined by your local vet to have a diagnosis established. Your vet may want to perform an FNA (fine needle aspiration) or a biopsy to sample the bump and determine its underlying nature. Differentials would include skin cysts, infections, benign or more malignant type of tumors. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is an epulis - a growth (benign of malignant) on the gum. It can get bigger and starts bothering Baxter but it may stay small and not cause any problems at all. You should monitor the growth for the next 2-3 months. If it is getting bigger or keeps bleeding, that would suggest this is a malignant mass and you will have to think to get it surgically removed. If it stays small, you just need to keep an eye on it. It does not look infected (in fact this kind of growths usually don't get infected in general) so I would wait with azithromycin, Baxter probably does not need it at the moment.