My senior Shih Tzu has a lip growth after recent dental surgery?

I'm sorry to hear about Stephanie's problem. To know for sure what the type of growth is and what to expect from it, a pathologist should look at a sample of the tissue from a surgical biopsy. Without this info, we are just guessing by its appearance, rate of growth and our experience. I am very concerned by the appearance of this mass and the rapid growth after it was initially removed. It is suggestive of a malignant mouth cancer. These are typically very aggressive and very difficult to treat. Your best bet is to ask your veterinarian to refer you to a veterinary oncologist. This is a specialized doctor that can give you the best treatment options. My guess is that they could combine radical surgical resection of the growth and the portion of the jaw that it is growing from. This may be preceded by or followed by radiation treatment. They can go over the prognosis and what exactly to expect, but your regular veterinarian is probably limited to the surgery that was already done. It can be repeated, but the outcome will be the same....rapid tumor re growth. Ask your veterinarian if there is a good specialist that you can see to find out all of your options and decide if treatment is feasible.

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!

Hello! This looks like gingival hyperplasia and it can be due to inflammation under the gums. When you use a scraper on the tooth you are not getting under the gumline so there is still bacteria under there which is causing inflammation. I would not be overly worried about it at this stage. It is not that harmful but go easy with the scraping and only use that once every month or two. Instead, brush his teeth once a day and you can use the water additive linked below to help get under the gumline. https://www.petsworld.in/trixie-dental-care-set-dog-toothbrush-and-mint-toothpaste-100g.html https://www.petsworld.in/petkin-liquid-oral-care-for-dogs-and-cats-240-ml.html

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think you are talking about something called gingival hyperplasia. If it looks very similar to the one that was removed and tested, it’s probably the same thing. (Though we can never guarantee as some kids of cancer can look similar.) Usually there is nothing to do treatment or prevention-wise except remove them at routine dental cleaning. And I do recommend routine dental cleaning as tartar can build up dramatically under that gum tissue. Best of luck to you and Lilly!

Hello. I would not be too worried, I just would like to have this checked out as soon as possible. Oral lesions have a way of sneaking up on you, so I am glad you were so diligent in finding this. It is quite easy to determine if this is a bad situation by removing a small piece of tissue & having a pathologist examine the cells under a microscope. Some oral lesions can look quite benign but can turn out to be very worrisome, but lets not jump the gun. You are doing the right thing not waiting months to have it looked at. Fingers crossed that all will be fine. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is a condition called gingival hyperplasia which is just extra gum growth. At your pets next dental cleaning have the vet take a closer look underneath the excess gum. If the gum needs to be shaved away, then the vet can do that at the time of the cleaning to help prevent an accumulation of tartar underneath. Best of luck with your pet moving forward. Take care.

Masses within the mouth, much like other parts of the body, have the potential to be troublesome or of little consequence. Typically, the older the animal the more likely we are looking at something concerning. The most common benign finding often found within the mouth on the gumlines are epulis, which is simply a benign gum tumor. In some instances they require removal in order to facilitate food consumption or provide generalized comfort, but in many cases particularly when they are not growing in size, they can be left alone and can even spontaneously resolve. In other instances, masses in the mouth can be malignant and show up in the form of melanomas or squamous cell carcinomas. If this is the case, complete removal of the mass and the surrounding tissue is always recommended, followed by potentially other ancillary treatments. The only way to know for sure however would be with cytology or removal / biopsy. At six years of age, there is a pretty good chance Phoenix would likely benefit from a dental cleaning and x-rays regardless of the presence of this mass. If placed under anesthesia for this procedure, you can talk with your veterinarian about how you'd like to proceeded regarding potentially removing / biopsying the area. Hope this makes sense.