My dog has a painful lump or ulcer on her tongue. What should I do?

It looks like an ulceration of some kind. Unfortunately the photo is not that clear. If she’s acting fine and eating and drinking OK I would not be overly worried about it at this stage. Just monitor it and if it looks worse or it doesn’t go away then she should see your vet.

Hi, this appears to be an ulcer or some kind of wound. I would check his mouth for other ulcerated areas. If there are none, he could have licked something that burned him like a chemical or something hot. Luckily, the mouth heals very fast and there should be no treatment required. If you find that it is not healing, he should go to the vet for antibiotics. Good luck I hope this helps!

This does indeed look painful and ugly. There is no way to tell what caused this, however it is big enough and looks concerning enough to need to be seen by a vet. The vet will have these wounds cleaned after clipping all the hair around them, then disinfect them and probably apply some antibiotic ointment. Do not let Symphony lick the area as that may aggravate the condition. If she is very much in pain or if the wounds are bleeding, you should take her to a Pet ER tonight, otherwise you can probably wait until tomorrow to take her to a vet.

Kona needs to be examined by the veterinarian. Nonhealing wounds are concerning for cancer or an autoimmune condition. Sometimes the vet will recommend a biopsy right away to get a diagnosis. Sometimes the vet will try treating for infection to see if it responds to therapy. The first step is to have Kona examined. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I recommend getting her in to see your vet right away. The location alone of this growth is in danger of occluding her breathing, as evidenced by the coughing. Anything in the mouth and/or tongue will bleed, and there may be more bleeding that you aren't seeing because she is swallowing it. Please don't wait to get her seen. If caught early, there is a better chance of getting the growth surgically removed before it can spread or choke her.

There is no alternative at this stage other than a full dental assessment to remove the tartar and infection and relieve pain by extracting the loose and damaged teeth which would then allow the gums to heal. Contact your local humane society for advice on subsidised care if you cannot provide for his care. Toothpaste, rinses and dental chews will not be sufficient at this stage and it is not appropriate to ignore the current pain and infection you describe

Although a pic would help to determine the underlying nature of the lump, This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. 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.